Kid's Corner


 



Hello, dear friends!
Happy Halloween!  I hope you had a very sweet day.  I made these cookies for Alek's class.  The cupcakes have a special treat inside the witch's hat, M&Ms.
I share with you my treats today and photos of my grandchildren.  Hope you all enjoy.


                                               




                           






                                           I yam what I yam!   Alek  






                                                             Katie the Mad Hatter



                                Little Miss Audrey as Minnie Mouse. This is her first Halloween!
                             










 




Hello, dear friends:
I've written a book, or maybe I should say, I baked a book.  Yes, for my little darling, Alek, who'll be starting school soon.  I thought it would a good idea , so he would practice his numbers.
I was so anxious wondering how long it would take him to realize it was made out of cookies.
Let me tell you, it took him a fraction of a second!!  He looked at me like saying, "you think I'm dumb, Momma?"

To make this little project, bake your favorite sugar cookie recipe.  Cookie size is 2 1/2 x 4 1/2.  I did not have a cookie cutter that size, so I used the lid of a small tupperware container.   Ribbon holes should be made before baking.  I made mine with a Wilton #12 tip.  Letters and numbers were made in fondant.  The numbers inside were 3 inches and the ribbon was 10 inches long.  Do not tie the ribbon too tight, this way is easier to turn the pages.  To make it manageable, I made it into three books, or else it would have been too heavy.
I had fun making this book for Alek.  I know the cookies and the letters are not perfect, but my love for him is.  Nothing is more gratifying than his beautiful smile.  Don't you agree?


                                             My darling grandson, Alek, 19 months




                                                          The cover




It's really a trilogy


                                                         The packaging






 


Hello, friends.  Please, allow me to introduce a very special little person, Audrey Elisabeth!  She is only two months old and has already stolen my heart. Audrey is  feminine, delicate, and has a mischievous eyes.  She is my third grandchild and I am beyond thrilled.
Hi dear friends.  I love it when Katie spends the weekend at my house.  She is so sweet and adorable.   We baked sugar cookies and she decorated them with edible markers and food coloring. She was excited as can be and I couldn't wait to see the outcome of her imagination.    This is a great activity to do with kids at home and for birthday parties.  Lately, I've been making fancyflours cookie recipe; it's really a no fail one.

                                                    Katie doing one of her favorite things


                                                         We love her too!

                                                           Friends are important


                                                              Good looking dad

                                                                  This is a very sweet one

                                                                   Family portraits

                                                      Advertising Grandma's site

                                                         Let's eat & peace out

Sugar Cookie Recipe                 Yield: 8 dozen 3" cookies.  It really varies due to shape and thickness.


Ingredients:

6 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder salt, and sugar.  Put aside.

Cream sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well incorporated.  Add dry ingredients (about 2 cups at a time) to butter mixture.  Mix well.

Put a big handful of freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to desired thickness.    Put rolled dough, including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.  Your dough will be ready to cut and bake.  Repeat with scraps after cutting cookies.  Rolled out dough may frozen  and will bake wonderfully.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.  Let cool completely before decorating.
These cookies taste delicious and remain well in a sealed plastic container.

I use Americolors edible markers and Wilton gel color

Happy Decorating!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012


Hello, dear friends.  Just wanted to share a birthday cake I made for my granddaughter, Katelyn.  It was a garden theme; each flower on top of the cake represented a year in her life.  Hope you enjoy.









Whoopie pies are fun to make and so good to eat.  No plate required, just a big napkin.  I had promised my little baking assistant that we were going to make whoopie pies and she immediately took her apron out of the drawer.  Whoopie pies are great for birthday parties, kids love them and the adults, too.  For Alek's birthday, I made them shaped as Mickey Mouse. You can see them in the kid's corner section.  So, do you wanna a whoopie?  Go ahead and get your apron!

                                                              Whoopie Pies
   


                                                    My little assistant making whoopie pies


Ingredients:                          Yield: 12 whoopie pies (24 cakes)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder  (I used Hershey's unsweetened)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2  teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk




Note:  I made whoopie pies in whoopie pie tins, but if you do not own one, you can use muffin tins.  They will just be a little smaller in size .  Just spoon 2 tablespoons of batter in each cavity.  Make sure to grease each cavity with vegetable spray.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray whoopie pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined.
In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
 Add half of dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix at low speed.  When dry ingredients are almost incorporated, stop mixer and add  the buttermilk.  Mix on low until combined and add remaining dry ingredients; mix until all is well incorporated.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into each cavity and make sure to spread batter to edges.  Cavity should be about 2/3 full.
Bake for 10 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched.  Allow cakes to cool in pan for 8 minutes. Transfer to cool racks and let cool completely before filling.


Whoopie Pie Filling                             Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 jar marshmallow creme (7 oz. jar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pink food coloring or color of choice

8 ounces milk chocolate chunks (optional, but worth it)

Directions:

In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer until creamy.  Add confectioner's sugar and salt; mix well. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla; mix well.  Add food coloring if desired and mix.

To assemble pies, spread filling on cake and sandwich with another cake. Dress with milk chocolate chunks around whoopie pie.





Alek's First Birthday!!! 

                                Vanilla cake iced with buttercream  and covered with fondant

                             
                                                  Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing
                                                  topped with chocolate and vanilla wafers

                                               
                                                                      Whoopie Pies


                                                      Mickey Mouse cookies on a stick
                                                 



                                                    The joy of our precious Alek is priceless






Never too early to get the kids in the kitchen....


This post I dedicate to my children (who are no longer little), all my little friends, but most importantly to my grandchildren, especially eight year old Katelyn Rose, who is my baking assistant at times.  Alek is only 12 months old and starting to savor  Momma's cooking. To you, my precious darlings, I thank you for bringing so much light into my life.

I have the feeling that history is repeating itself with Katelyn Rose and me as it did with Mama Rosa and myself,  I hope I am building warm memories that will last a lifetime.  Katie says she wants to be a baker/flamenco dancer!!  Isn't that a great combination?



                                      Katie baking what she loves best, chocolate chip cookies



                                                           Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients  
Adapted from Anne Thornton's Fleur de sel Chocolate Chip Blondies


2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon basking soda

Pinch salt

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (yes, three cups)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Beat butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment until is light and fluffy(at medium speed). Add brown and granulated sugars a little at a time. Stop mixer at times to scrape sides and bottom of bowl with spatula.  Cream the butter and sugar mixture for about 8 minutes.

I separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  Add your eggs to butter mixture one a a time mixing after each addition, add vanilla.  Turn mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture, then add chocolate chips until well incorporated.

I use a mini ice cream scoop to place cookie dough on lined sheets.  Space about two inches apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes depending on how chewy or crispy you like your cookies.

A tall glass of milk is mandatory!
Enjoy



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