Happy ghost cup edge cookies for Halloween

Believe it or not this may be my only Halloween post this year. Yes that's right this is a Halloween post despite the pretty floral china in the photo's.

I am what I am and at the moment it seems happy ghosts that are too cute to scare anyone perched on the edge of  latte cups are on the menu around here.

Anyhoo the fun thing about these cookies is that the cutter is not a ghost cookie cutter, or even a cup edge cookie cutter.

Nope these cutters are upside down tulip cutters and the edge of the broom from a witch cookie cutter.

 

I've seen tulip cutters used for ghost cookies all around the place at the moment they seemed to be the perfect size and as luck had it I had some tulip cutters on hand.

Works out pretty sweet - huh. If you prefer royal icing to fondant you can of course make the cookies by outlining and flooding with white royal icing and then piping on the eye and mouth detail, otherwise to make as I have follow the instructions below.

Oh and if you like these cup edge cookies you should check out the sweet deer ones I made for Christmas last year.

Oh Deer cookie tutorial link

Happy Ghost tutorial
If you prefer just to make cute ghost cookies that do not sit on the edge of your coffee cup just omit the section where you cut out the indent.

Sugar cookie dough (recipe below)
Rolling pin
Tulip cutter (I used Cake Boss Decorating Tools 4-Piece Springtime Fondant Press Set, Red )
Any cutter with a thin long section (mine was a witch from a bucket of cookies or alternatively use sharp knife to hand cute shape)
White ready roll fondant ^
Black ready roll fondant ^ (optional use a edible pen instead)
Small plastic rolling pin
toothpick
cornflour (corn starch)
2 small brushes
water
pink edible dusting powder

 ^fondant dries out quickly, when not in use store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. To use fondant knead until pliable and smooth and roll out on a workbench dusted with cornflour (cornstarch).

Using the cookie recipe and instructions below cut out and tulip cookies then using the broom section of the
witch cutter cut out thin indent from the bottom of the cookie as per pictures below. Cook as per instructions until golden.

Knead white fondant until smooth and pliable. Dust workbench with cornflour (corn starch) and roll out fondant until quite thin then using the tulip cutter cut out a fondant shape, then using the witch broom cut a thin indent the same as the cookie (see picture below).

Brush water onto the cookie and adhere the fondant, use the rolling pin to smooth the fondant into place.

Break off two small pieces of black fondant and press into oval shapes, press onto ghost cookie for eyes. Pinch of two very small amount of white and roll into a small ball, press one onto each of the black eye, use the toothpick to press in the top right corner of the circle to make the eye, then pinch off an even smaller bit of white fondant and press it into the top right corner of the black oval eye.

Make a mouth by rolling a small amount of black fondant into a thin rope, curving into a smile and pressing into place.

Use a clean dry brush to lightly dush pink cheeks on either side of the mouth as per picture.

 

Sugar Cookie Recipe (will make around 60 to 80 small ghost cookies)

460 grams plain flour (16 1/4 oz all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230 grams unsalted butter (8 1/8oz)room temperature
220 grams caster sugar (7 3/4 oz superfine sugar)#
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
#use regular white sugar if you do not have caster/ superfine sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the sifted flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Line a few baking trays with parchment/ baking paper.

Dust workbench with plain flour and using a large rolling pin roll out the dough until around 1/2 cm (1/4") in thickness. If the dough is to hard you may need to work/knead it a bit until you can roll it out.

Cut out cookies shapes and place the cookies on the prepared trays. (Knead and reroll dough as necessary, if it becomes to soft you can pop it back in the fridge.)

Pop the cut cookie dough trays into the fridge to chill again for around 30 minutes until firm (or in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook the cookies until they just start to turn golden, around 15 minutes (less or more depending on cookie size).

Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely prior to decorating.

- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.  

Sweet's gardening party with pink and grey party table

Sweet's 8th birthday party this year was a pretty grey and pink dessert table with a garden theme to tie in with the main party activity which was.......gardening.

We purchased some packets of easy grow flower seed and pots that eventually break down and the kids got to fill the pots with soil and plant the seeds. The pots were just the right size to fit into cupcake boxes which made packing up and taking home both pretty and easy.

I was lucky enough to find some little trowels the week before the party for $1 each at the local supermarket which the kids took home along with their little garden boxes.

If your not trying to be as economical as me this would work as well with a few punnets of plants instead of the seeds, but I managed to get enough for 12 kids along with a few of those sunflower and tomato ready to grow pots (that I used as party prizes for other games) for under $20.

All the rest of the stuff I used to decorate the gardening table with I already had (see that pink polka dot fabric it was from Bubble's 5th birthday party I blogged about 5 years ago).

Apron and string in tin - Greengate
Garden pots, seeds - Big W discount department store
Trowels - Coles supermarket
White plant stand with blackboard - Bunnings hardware
Pink polkadot cupcake boxes and pinwheels - Choice discount variety store

Party Table

The party table colour theme was based on the lovely grey with pink rose and white dot fabric I used as a table covering. I picked it up because it was so pretty intending to have dresses made for the girls, it was from Lincraft at around $8 a meter.

I had a fake window/mirror shutter I had from a while back I got in a closing down sale and was part way through restoring an old wooden plate rack I picked up on Ebay, so I added them to the table. The pink riser that the candy jars are on is a bathroom caddy I picked up at a discount dollar store last year and painted pink for another party.

Then when I was out one day I spied those big moss balls and I don't know why but I got them. For some reason I really like them, anyhoo they added some colour to the table and a bit of texture the big one was $10 and the 2 smaller ones $5 each from Vast Interiors.

The day before the party I picked up a stack of flowers to pop in little pitchers and vases scattered around the table. It was a pretty relaxed table.

Overhead are some pink hanging lanterns which don't quite make it into the photo's.

Party table menu

Decorated cookies - royal icing stripe cookies with fondant rose accent and fondant pink quilted cookies with white royal icing dots (Click here for free tutorial to make similar quilted cookies)

Birthday cake  - Ombre butter cream decorated cake in shades of storm and pink sunset - Italian meringue butter cream with strawberry cake. The butter cream was applied with an offset spatula to evoke the feeling of an artist's pallet.

Candy - Chocolate sixlets, marshmallows and bon bons. There were also pink pig sours on top of the white plate rack and I bought out a selection of other lollies for the kids to fill up their own take home loot bags.

Homemade raspberry macarons (Click here for recipe) served in a Greengate Sophie Vintage bowl.

Cinnamon scrolls with pink cream cheese frosting- we are loving cinnamon scrolls at the moment so we prettied them up with sugar flowers, butter cream piped leaves and sugar sprinkles. What more can I say - yum (click here for a cinnamon scroll recipe)

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.  

Sweet Strawberry Cookies

My niece had an adorable Strawberry themed birthday party on the weekend and I made up some cookies to go onto the party table.

Strawberries are so yummy and cute, I don't even know why I haven't had my own Strawberry party yet. Did I mention it was adorable? A-dor-able!

Plus there are so many cute things you can pick up for a bargain to match a strawberry theme. Hello red polka dots or pink and lime gingham. Plus ready made strawberry piñata's for decoration, oh my goodness it's a strawberry theme party decorators dream at the discount stores.

Anyway, like I said I was making the cookies plus some macarons, so about 10 days before the party I rang up my Sister in law (SIL) and said 'Hey I think I'll make the cookies this weekend because they keep really well and then I can just make the macarons the Friday before'.

Y'all know because macarons are best when they have sat in the fridge for at least a day so I was thinking I had it all planned.

So I heard a moments silence, and then my SIL let me know the party was actually in 3 days time, and that my own daughter's birthday party was the one in 10 days time (yup forgot my own daughter's party date...... more on that revelation in another post).

Eeeek! Anyhoo people that know me are probably not very surprised with this story.

So I started making cookies as soon as I hung up the phone and came up with this cute set to match the rest of the party.

Luckily I was able to quickly get some edible frosting sheets from Caketopia in pink and lime gingham which pretty much made decorating so much faster, and easier, and did I say faster 'cause that was really important.

Seriously people edible frosting sheets - try it, the ones I got from Caketopia were so easy to use.

The bigger plaque cookies were not exactly what I wanted, I was hoping to do pink and white royal icing stripes, but seeings as I was working on a new super short timeframe I was pretty happy with how they ended up.

Scroll down below for the step by step instructions on how to make your own strawberry cookies.
Plus if you like my strawberry cookies you might like these from some of the blogs I follow:

3D Strawberry Sugar Cookies - by Munchkin Munchies
Pretty summer Strawberry Cookies (on a square cookie) by Sugarbelle
How to make simple Strawberry Shortcake cookies by Sugarbelle (includes cookie cutter hack)
Shortbread Strawberries (with Kawaii faces) by Butter Hearts Sugar
Simple Strawberry Cookies by Bake at 350

I've also popped up a free video tutorial of me making the strawberries cookies here:



Sweet Strawberry Decorated Cookie
The cookie dough recipe made up at batch of over 30 cookies. If you like you can add raspberry flavour to your red fondant to improve the taste - I did.

Strawberry shaped cookie (CLICK HERE for my favourite vanilla cut out cookie dough)
Strawberry shaped cookie cutter
Fondant (Red, green, white and yellow) either buy already coloured or buy white and colour with gel food colours^
cornflour (cornstarch)
clean brushes and water
sharp knife
small plastic rolling pin
small blossom cutter - mine is an ejector cutter
small fondant ball tool
dresden tool
non stick foam

^fondant dries out quickly, when not in use store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. To use fondant knead until pliable and smooth and roll out on a workbench dusted with cornflour (cornstarch). 

Knead the red fondant until smooth and pliable. Dust workbench with cornflour (corn starch) and using the small plastic rolling pin roll out fondant until quite thin then using the strawberry cutter cut out a fondant shape.

Use the sharp knife to cut off the top section which resembles the leaves/stalk.

Brush a small amount of water onto the cookie and adhere the red fondant shape to the cookie, use the rolling pin to roll/push the fondant into shape if it is a little smaller than your cookie.

Knead the green fondant, dust the workbench and roll out the fondant. Cut out another strawberry shape, you only need the top third of the shape so you only need to cut that much out.

Using the sharp knife cut the stalk and leaves of the strawberry as shown in the picture.

Brush a little water onto the top of the cookie and a very small amount onto the very top of the red fondant and adhere the green stalk and leaves to the cookie.

Using your fingers roll out a long thin strip of green fondant to make a vine, I like mine to taper at the end, place it onto the cookie twisting it until it resembles a curly vine and press into place, if the fondant  has not dried it should stay in place, if the fondant is a little dry use a tiny amount of water in one or two spots to stick the fondant in place. Remember when you press the blossoms in at the next step they will also help secure the vine. Cut any excess off where the vine meets the leaves at the top with the sharp knife.

Make the small 'strawberry' blossoms. Dust the workbench and roll out the white fondant, use the ejector cutter to cut out 2 small blossoms. Place the blossoms onto the non stick foam pad and press the ball tool onto each of the petals to make the petals thinner and cupped in shape. Pop the 'strawberry' blossoms onto the cookie on the fondant vine as shown in the picture, one at the top and one half way along and press into place. *Roll a small amount of yellow fondant into a ball and press into the center of the blossom.

(I actually have a whole tutorial on making simple sugar flowers CLICK HERE)

Using the knife or a fondant tool, press indents into the red fondant where you would like to place strawberry seeds. *Roll tiny pieces of yellow fondant into seeds and press into place with a fondant tool.

*Note the blossom centers and seeds can also be made by piping yellow royal icing.

Decorated cookies can be made a week in advance and stored in airtight containers.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer unless otherwise stated do not reuse without permission. 

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

The kids went back to school a few weeks ago and I started off the year baking home made healthy snacks for them to take to school.

Reduced fat and sugar muffins made with banana and blueberries and wholemeal cookies. Yup I was totally that mum.

But then it started, the muffins were still banana and wholemeal but I was slipping chocolate in as well, same with the cookies.

Not that I mind stuff like banana and blueberry muffins, they are actually quite nice and the kids love them, but I like a bit of chocolate every now and then.

And I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

Anyhoo today I found a bag of raspberry M&M's sitting around and I actually don't really eat candy by itself much so I thought I would make them into some cookies. 'Cause candy in cookies - yup I totally eat that, like all the time.

These cookies are a bit of a cross between a muffin top and a cookie, a touch cakey, they are not crisp and not overly buttery, cakey is the way I like them. It means I can eat a couple and I don't feel overloaded.



The raspberry M&M's give the cookies a yummy raspberry flavour which I love, and a bit of a bonus for me they are pink - yay!.

Of course you can substitute regular chocolate chips for M&M's if you like and they will be just as delicious.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies (make 24 cookies)

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)
1/4 tsp salt
115g unsalted butter at room temperature (4 oz)
1/4 cup caster sugar (superfine)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry M&M's
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (of chopped milk chocolate - I used Lindt milk)
Optional 1/4 cup raspberry M&M's extra

Line 2 trays with baking paper. Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F)

Sift together flour, bi-carb soda (baking soda) and salt, set aside until required.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and both sugars at high speed for around 3 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium low, scrape down the sides and add the egg and vanilla.

Reduce the speed to low and add in the flour mixture, mix until combined. Add the chocolate and M&M's  and mix for a few seconds until distributed evenly.

Scoop out around 1 1/2 Tbsp (2 US tbsp) of mixture and flatten into a disc shape on the prepared tray. Repeat until all mixture is used.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 16 minutes or until cookies start to turn golden.

Optional - after 8 minutes remove trays from oven and quickly press a few extra M&M's onto the top.

Cool on tray for around 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission. 

I 'ruff' you - Valentine puppy cookies

Ok seriously this little Scottie dog cutter I got from Cakes by Bien is almost too cute.

These cookies are made with my chocolate cookie recipe from the book Sweets on a Stick - but you could use any roll out cookie dough you like.

Then I've covered it with chocolate rolled fondant which I then scraped to look a bit like long hair. Then I added a little nose and eye and finished off with a red heart.

The cutter is 6cm (2 3/8") X 5.5cm (2 1/4") and from Cakes by Bien, they have lots of super cute cutters like this deer one I've blogged about HERE before.

Look I turned the ones below into cup edge cookies. I know Eeeek! The cuteness!

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission. 

You Tube Video - Cookie dress up dolls

Hi y'all. I have made up a video on how to make the edible clothes for the cookie dress up dolls I posted a bit back so you can see how really, really easy it is.

Like super easy, just as easy as clicking on the picture below.



I'm trying to get out a weekly video, it's my new goal so if you subscribe to my channel up in the kinda top right here on the blog or via youtube you should get updated when new video's come out.

If there is anything I've done in the past which you would like a video please let me know.

I've also made one for my sugar cookies as well (Click picture below for link) where I let the dough set really hard overnight and work it back to a workable consistency.


Those unicorn cookies (Click link below for link). Oh and I'm halfway through putting together the video on the wall mounted unicorn cake as well.



I hope you enjoy my video tutorials, I'm enjoying making them.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.

Oh Deer these cup edge cookies are too cute

Oh deer these cookies are too cute to eat.

I joke.

Actually around here the cutest cookies get eaten first.

The cookies from these photo's ended up being eaten by the kids, they had them in their mini Greengate cups with hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Yes those little kid size cups are unbelievably cute
from previous collection of Greengate CLICK HERE for link

They are smallish, around 6cm (2 3/4")  in size and are made from a regular (although super cute) cutter. I just cut out a little bit extra with the leg to make a bit to sit on the latte cups.

Deer Aimee cutter by Cakes by Bien CLICK HERE

See how I did that, yup no need to buy special cookie cutters at all.

These cookies were made using my gingerbread cookies recipe, it doesn't spread so much so there was no need to recut the little indent bit after baking.

CLICK HERE for gingerbread recipe.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.

Gingerbread Cookie recipe

Gingerbread.....it's that time of year and there are lots of recipes out there. But I've got a project coming up and I needed a recipe that tastes good but doesn't spread.

Yup like these ones in the picture above.


So starting with my original recipe I tweaked and tried, and tried and tweaked again (and again and again).

It's pretty warm where I am at the moment and I like to trial a cookie recipe for about a year until I'm happy with it - y'know they work different in different weather.

So this is the best of the batch, it rolled out the best with the minimum spread after baking and the taste was spicy and not overly sweet.

You can see in the picture that some are a little darker, those are the ones with cocoa in - you can omit the cocoa if you like and your cookies will end up a light golden colour.

These cookies in the pictures above are simply cut out with gingerbread men ejector cutters where you press out, press down to imprint the shape and then eject the cookie onto the tray. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. I decorated them with a little royal icing and heart sprinkles in place of buttons.


Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
*Make sure that the spices you use are fresh as possible if you want your cookies to be aromatic and tasty. Conversions to imperial are approx.
EDIT - I made these with both white sugar as per the recipe below and golden syrup (molasses, treacle, dark corn syrup) - the same weight and the recipe turned out well. I found it kept it's shape better with the white sugar which was important to me for what I was doing. The golden syrup gave a light fragrant undertone to the cookie, just putting the option out there for you.

455g plain flour (1 pound all purpose flour)
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice (or ground cloves if you prefer)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa(US 1Tbsp + 1 tsp)
230g unsalted butter (8 1/8 oz) softened (not too soft
70g dark brown sugar (2 1/2oz)
70g white sugar
1 egg


Sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, salt and cocoa and set aside until required.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter, brown and white sugar at high speed for 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low, add the egg and mix until combined.

Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until the dough clumps together and is well combined.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge until firm.

Once dough is firm remove from fridge and roll out on a workbench dusted with a little plain (all purpose) flour. You may need to knead the dough a little to make it pliable.

Cut out shapes and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Place trays of unbaked cookies into fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 160C (320F)

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on cookie size) remove from oven and allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes. Remove from trays carefully and place onto wire racks to cool completely.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! . Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.