Raspberry Filled

I love these Raspberry filled cupcakes I made for a friends birthday! Each time I make filled cupcakes it gets easier for me. For these you just make a simple white cake, fill them with a raspberry preserve (you can use any flavor you fancy) and top them with an almond frosting.

Baklava

Baklava is one of my favorite treats. I mean I like cupcakes and cookies but I can pass those up but when this stuff is around I have NO will power. I mean none, zip, nada. I make it a few times a year for special occasions. I’ll let you in on a little secrete, its super easy once you get it down. It helps is you have another person around to put on the next layer of phyllo as you brush the butter on but if noone is around its totally doable by yourself.

Here is the recipe, try not to eat the whole tray by yourself!!

Baklava

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C).

Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.

Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers.

For Sale

I make these yummy sugar cookies for an open house for my favorite Realtor (my dad). If you are looking to buy or sell a house let me know and I’ll hook you up ;)



For the recipe click here.

Halloween Bunco Cupcakes!

Happy Halloween Bunco Style!

My sister hired me out to make Halloween Bunco cupcakes for a friend of hers and I must say I impressed myself! With the help of my mom we dreamt up these little beauties. The finger is half a Twix candy bar wrapped in marshmallow fondant, and the dice is also made of marshmallow fondant. We had a lot of fun making these and I can’t wait for another excuse to make something like this.

Big shout out to my mom for her help on this one.
You are the Best!

Volleyball Sugar Cookies

Rams are ready
Rams are smooth
Rams will take control
And stomp all over you!

Go Rams!

Good Luck Emily, Kylie, Kelsi, Brooklyn, Sarah, Jadee, Kailee, Hannah, Carley, Caroline, Rhianna, Coach Jana, Coach Deanna and Coach Hollen

Pumpkin Bread

Fall… with open arms I greet you, I have missed you old friend.

Here is my grandmother’s recipe for pumpkin bread. I couldn’t resist making mini muffins. I hope you love them as much as I do.


Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

4 eggs
2/3 C. water
1 C. oil
3 C. sugar
3 ½ C. flour
½ t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
½ t. ground cloves
15 oz. canned pumpkin

Directions

Mix all ingredients. Pour into greased bread tins. Bake for 1 hour at 325. Makes about 3 loaves.

Yellow Cake

Yellow cake + chocolate frosting + Baby Leland = a good time.

We went to meet our new cousin Leland and brought along these. I must say I desperately need a new yellow cake recipe. Yellow cake always turns out so dry for me and I am not sure why. If you have a fool proof recipe will you send it my way?

Monday morning pick me up...

Just a little something to start the day :) You can’t go wrong with chocolate on a Monday morning!

Cream Filled

I just can’t get enough of these little buggers! I have to say that each time I make these I love them more and more. This time instead of topping with a chocolate glade I just used the cream filling as a frosting and it turned out wonderfully. Click here for the recipe.

Fondant Hibiscus Cupcakes

Ok, fondant isn’t my favorite thing in the world but it sure is fun to work with. You can do just about anything. Here is the recipe I use for marshmallow fondant, it usually takes all if not more of the powdered sugar it calls for and you really hove to work it out to get a good consistency.

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Ingredients

16 ounces white mini-marshmallows
2 to 5 tablespoons water
2 pounds powdered sugar
½ cup Crisco shortening to keep your hands from sticking to the fondant

Directions

1. Melt marshmallows and 4 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler
2. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix and fold in gently for 1 minute.
3. Grease your hands and countertop you will be kneading on generously.(Make sure to get in between your fingers.)
4. Dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle of greased counter.
5. Start kneading like you would bread dough.
6. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and continue to knead by hand for 8 minutes until it takes form of a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing as you roll it out.
*if you feel that the fondant it to dry as you are rolling add a tsp of water at a time until you get the desired texture. It the fondant is to wet add powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time.