New Year's Cookies 2011

Made up a batch of the new recipe I discovered on a fellow baker's blog...chocolate chip cut-out cookies.  And let me tell you, it is mighty tasty!

After I did the "Michigan Cookies"...I had some leftever and decided to do a few New Year cookies.

I could've made them more fancy, but didn't want to deal with mixing up a lot of colors late at night.

Somehow my cookie decorating always ends up dragging into the late hours of the night.

They're just simple.  But we really enjoyed the taste/flavor of these chocolate chip cut-outs.

Now we have some variety when I want to do more practicing/decorating!

There are two more flavors of "cut-outs" that I want to share.

I won't share those yet until I've tried and tasted them!

We hope you and yours have a very Happy New Year.

Thank-you all for following me...my blog, my Facebook, my Twitter.

Thank-you to those who have placed orders.

I wouldn't have ever had the courage to start this journey without the encouragement and support I get from all of you.

And for that, I say thank you!
Here's to a happy, healthy, prosperous 2012!

For the love of Michigan...Pure Michigan...The ONLY Mitten.

There is actually a story behind these cookies.

A couple weeks back, there was a big HUGE article CONTROVERSY about the state of Wisconsin trying to use the "mitten" to describe their state and promote winter tourism.

Michiganders, all over the state, came UNGLUED!

THERE IS ONLY "ONE" MITTEN!

And it is NOT Wisconsin.

It is MICHIGAN!

This was so huge...it made the front page of Michigan newspapers all over the state.

It was all over Facebook, Twitter, EVERYWHERE.

You don't MESS with THE MITTEN.

The ONLY mitten!

And let's face it...if you showed even a preschooler, a picture of the map of the United States and asked them to point to the mitten...they'd point to Michigan.

There was even a joke/cartoon going around of an x-ray of a hand with a mitten on it, showing Michigan...and then Wisonsin next to it...showing and describing Wisconsin as a "mitten", yet looked more like a hand shriveled with arthritis.

It was pretty funny.

So that is where and how I got the inspiration for these cookies.

Out of my love for Michigan.

There are plenty of things I don't like that go on in our state.

But the state of Michigan in general...is BEAUTIFUL, rich with history, and I love it.

And so I had some fun with these cookies and all the sayings I put on them.

No disrespect at all to our Wisconsin neighbors...just pure fun.

I tried a new recipe as well.

My three guys get really tired of sugar cookies from all my decorating/practicing.

So I tried a chocolate chip cut-out recipe.

And it turned out REALLY yummy!

And so...dear MICHIGAN...the ONLY mitten...we love you.

Don't MESS with the mitten!

If I Never See Another Sugar Cookie...It Might Be Too Soon...J/K...

Done.

I have completed all of my "customer" orders for December.

CUSTOMER?

Did I just say that?

It sounds so weird, because I NEVER DREAMED that I would EVER have "customers" for my baking adventure!  But, I do!  And I thought I'd share a few of the orders that were placed, plus a few of my own cookies that I did just for fun.

The Santas and Snowmen that you see were done for a holiday class party for a special little girl...my friend's daughter.

I hear the snowmen went REALLY fast, LOL!

Funny, I fancied the Santas being the more popular ones, LOL!

Go figure.

Can't figure out kiddos, LOL!

These stars are just some I did on my own for fun.

I just wanted to use some non-traditional colors.

Just playing around.

I kinda like them.

Nothing "typical" about them, as far as "Christmas" goes.

These were some I just did for "extras".

Some went into baskets for teachers and bus drivers of my sons'.

I found cute little "baskets" with Christmas/winter themes on them at Target.

Placed a little tissue in them.

And then bagged up cookies, white chocolate dipped pretzels, and cake truffles and filled the baskets.

I hope the teachers and bus drivers like them.

I always wonder how teachers/staff feel about homemade baked goods, LOL!

Being such a "germ-a-phobe" I always wonder things like this, LOL!

These trees, I did again in non-traditional colors.

I thought they were kinda cool.

And more for the teachers and drivers.

I feel like I've been baking sugar cookies NON-STOP.

I don't think my oven has seen so much action in it's entire life, as it has the past week!

LOL!

And the last of the sugar cookies...

Some will probably go down to my family's house when we celebrate Christmas.

Some will be for Santa.

These are nothing special, LOL...just using up the remaining icing...so nothing has any real rhyme or reason, LOL!

Lastly, a few "different" treats I made...

My husband LOVES white chocolate dipped pretzels...

So I had to sneak in some of those for him.

And then I did a few cake truffles as well for the teachers.

I am done with the "decorative" baking for the season (I think, LOL!)...

Next up is the tried & true family favorites.

Butter Balls, Magic Cookie Bars, etc.

Thinking of maybe even cranking out some mini holiday cupcakes...

You just never know about 'ol Sweet Ivy, LOL!

Polka Dot/Spiral/Bow Birthday Cake

This was my second ever attempt at a "totally" covered fondant cake.

I've worked with fondant three times.

But only two of the three were "totally" covered cakes...the other just had fondant decor.

This was ordered for a Sweet 16 birthday party by a friend of my son's.

It was a french vanilla cake, with classic buttercream icing/filling, and marshmallow fondant.

This was the first time I ever attempted a bow and spirals.

Thankfully I asked my baking advice group if I should make them ahead of time...because I had no clue.

And I got a resounding "YES".

So I made the topper (bow, spirals) several days out so they had time to dry/harden into their shape.

I had no idea they wouldn't hold shape without drying.

Again...SO GLAD I asked ahead of time, LOL!

Overall I think it turned out pretty good and I felt pretty happy about it.

There are things I still need to improve on.

But for my second ever attempt...

I thought it was A-OK.

The birthday girl was happy...

And as I always say...

If the client is happy...then I'm happy too!

School Themed Cookie Pop Bouquet

Ever have one of those baking projects that feels cursed literally from start to finish?

Yeah.

That was this bouquet.

Even though I was pleased with the end result...for the most part...

It was one of those projects, where...

Literally everything that COULD go wrong, DID go wrong.

Right down to not having the right cookie cutters and having to hand cut most of the cookies...

To issues with the icing not drying properly...

To problems with arranging the bouquet...

To packaging issues...

IT WAS A NIGHTMARE!

I am pleased with how it turned out in the end though.

The client said that the person she gave it to "raved" about it and "loved" it.

So in the end...

That is all that matters!

A happy customer...is a happy baker!