How To Decorate Peacock Cookies

These peacock cookies were made for a baby shower. When she asked me to make them, I was nervous, but then I found the inspiration for these cookies from Anne at Flour Box Bakery.

These are not the easiest cookies I've ever decorated, that's for darn sure! They take many steps, and quite a few colors of icing. Not to mention that there's a lot of waiting involved between steps... for example, you try to brush on the shimmer too early and you end up with this smashed feather above.

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Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes {Recipe}

As a general rule when I'm baking, "healthy" goes out the window. If it's a cake or cupcakes, it's a treat, so it doesn't have to be healthy. You know when you're eating it that it's special, and not healthy.

But when it comes to making my kids' breakfast... healthy is important. Because they are my children, they're partial to all things carbohydrate in the morning: pancakes, biscuits, toast. I don't want them to "lose" that breakfast after an hour or two, though, so I try to make those things a little more healthy and filling. These pancakes fit that bill.

What You Need:
1 egg
1 overripe banana
2 Tbsp. melted butter (or oil)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup corn meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Yield: About 12 3" pancakes. (This recipe doubles well.)
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For the Love of Rhubarb

I love Rhubarb! And thanks to a late spring, it's just now rhubarb season here.
Here's a collection of the rhubarb recipes I posted last summer, and my best rhubarb tips, too.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

(These are easy, quick and so good!)

Rhubarb Fruit Crisp

(This recipe can be used for any kind of fruit crisp. I love it!)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Hand Pies

(Just made these again for Father's Day. BIG hit!)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

(Perfect on top of ice cream or biscuits.)

Rhubarb 101

(Everything I know about growing and baking with rhubarb.)

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Tip for Tuesday: How To Freeze Decorated Sugar Cookies

Sometimes... okay most of the time... my real life and my life of cake decorating are in competition with one another. I don't always have time to get everything done that I'd like when I'd like. I'm sure no one else ever feels this way, right?! (sarcasm)

I had heard that you could freeze decorated sugar cookies, and that they would survive without the colors bleeding. I was skeptical. But I thought I could give it a try, and give it a really good test by making some more of these Baseball Cookies I showed you last summer for my sons' team snacks.

So, I decorated some Chocolate Sugar Cookies and some Vanilla Sugar Cookies. I used dark red icing for the lines/laces on the baseballs on top of a pure white base. If this stuff bleeds, there will be no mistaking. (But 5- and 6-year-olds still won't care.)

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Donuts for Dads on Fox 9

Big day! Lots of donuts! An excited six-year-old! We're heading to Fox 9 this morning to show off my Jackson's donut-making abilities for Father's Day.


Click here to go to the Fox 9 site to see the video there, if it doesn't show up well here.

If you're visiting to find the recipes I mentioned on the show, here's a list of links, or you can scroll down the main page, and you'll find them all from the last week.

'Healthy' Homemade Donut Recipe
Easy Donut Recipes from Cake Mix
Crazy Chocolate Donut Recipes
Best Donut Frosting and Glaze Recipes 
Strawberry Powdered Sugar Donut Recipe

And click the links here if you're interested in taking a Cake Decorating Class or hosting a Cake Decorating Party or Workshop.

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Crazy Chocolate Donut Concoctions {Recipe}

The whole reason for the donut craziness this week is to prepare for my Father's Day visit to Fox 9 to make "Donuts for Dads." And in our house, if it involves Dad, then it involves chocolate... lots of chocolate. The other top three would be beer, coffee and spice.

So, I came up with some 'manly' flavor combinations using chocolate cake mix and some of my husband's favorite things.

What You Need:
For the Donuts:
Chocolate Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup Guinness
1/2 cup stong brewed coffee
1/2 cup milk
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Fresh cayenne pepper to slice for garnish
Pretzels for garnish

For the Chocolate Ganache Icing:
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
8 oz. chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

*Note: Every cake mix is a little different. This one called for 1 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup oil, so I made my three liquids equal the same amount. Check your cake mix and adjust accordingly.

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Donut Frosting Recipes

What's a donut without frosting?? But there are so many options when it comes to frosting. Chocolate, vanilla, just glaze, maple... we all have different opinions in this house!

What You Need:
For Glazed Donuts:
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. milk

For Chocolate Ganache Icing:
1 cup whipping cream
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)
2 Tbsp. corn syrup (optional)

For Basic Cream Cheese Icing:
4 oz. (1/2 brick) Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Butter (at room temperature)
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk

Flavors:
Vanilla: 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
Maple: 1-2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
Chocolate (option 1): 1-2 Tbsp. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Chocolate (option 2): 2 Tbsp. Melted Chocolate Chips
Chocolate (option 3): 2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder + 2-3 Tbsp. milk
Peanut Butter: 2 Tbsp. Melted Peanut Butter
Coffee: 2 Tbsp brewed strong coffee
Mocha: 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder + 2 Tbsp. brewed strong coffee

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Homemade Donuts Made Easy {Recipe}

In my family, we all have different opinions about what the best donut flavor/ flavor combination is. So, I've come up with some ways to make a number of different flavors with just one cake mix and a few additions.

I'll give you lots of options for flavor combinations at the end of the recipe, but the one that my family tends to go back to is using a white cake mix to make vanilla, chocolate and peanut butter donuts. A little bit of something for everyone.

What You Need
For the Donuts:
1 White or Vanilla Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 cup Plain Yogurt (Greek Yogurt is best)
1/2 cup milk
(below is divided)
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp. Melted Chocolate Chips

Optional Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. milk

For the Icing:
4 oz. (half-brick) cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/4 cup (half-stick) butter (at room temperature)
1-2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk
Vanilla, Chocolate Syrup, Maple Syrup or other flavor to taste

Yield: 2-3 dozen large donuts. 5-6 dozen small/mini donuts
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Homemade (and Healthy) Donut Recipe

These are what I call my "healthy" donuts. It's so easy to change and customize the flavors. And my six-year-olds actually prefer these "healthy" donuts because it means they get to eat more of them without any complaint from me!

Now, yes, I realize they're covered in sugar, sprinkles or icing... but I figure they're still way more healthy and filling than most of the breakfast stuff out there.

What You Need:  
(Yield: 1 1/2 dozen large donuts, about 3-4 dozen small donuts)
For the Donuts:
2 large eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt best)
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons melted butter

For the Icing:
4 Tbsp. Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
2 Tbsp. Butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk
splash of vanilla extract

*Note: See end of recipe for many variations
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Donuts for Dads Week

This week on the blog, I'm going to feature a number of different homemade doughnut (or donut) recipes... as well as some tricks and tips to make many flavors quickly and easily.

Now, I admit that I am a raised or yeast donut girl at the donut store, but those are so putsy to make, and in the morning, for breakfast, I do not want to have to do that much work. So, I will be focusing on cake donuts. They're easier, faster, and don't always have to be fried!

I'm going to start with what you need to get started: the pans and donut makers.

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School's Out for Summer - Cookies

Today was our official last day of school for the year. My guys are going to be first graders! Seems impossible. I wanted to make some cookies to thank the teachers, but I was running really short on time this week.

So, I went the Kindergarten way out. I baked some simple round cookies, used Food Writer edible ink markers to draw simple pictures on them, then used red icing to "cross out" the school-related things that they would no longer deal with over the summer... and green icing to circle the things they'd welcome.

I did some personalization. The whistling lips were for the teachers who have my one guy who cannot. stop. whistling. ever.

And the highlight... was the bloody tooth. Kindergarten teachers deal with a lot of lost teeth... and two of them do not like teeth at all!

*Note: My original idea was to do cookies based on the Alice Cooper song, 'School's Out.' Everyone told me it was too obscure and the teachers wouldn't know what I was talking about. Ha! The teacher opened the cookies, and immediately started singing the song. Next year, I guess.

Click the Links Below to See:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe 
Other school/teacher-related treats

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How To Make Multi-Colored Swirled Cupcakes

These little cupcakes look a little bit like they're on fire, but the cool striped swirl effect they have is really fun, and really easy to do, too.

What You Need:
Buttercream Icing in multiple colors
  -- Click this link to see how to make them in Icing Bag Bullets.
Cupcakes (or mini cupcakes like these)
Piping Bag
Large open star tip like Wilton Tip #1M

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