Melted Snowmen Cookies

THER THAN getting to see my family in Los Angeles, this hasn't been the white Christmas I've been dreaming of.  My grandma was rushed to the emergency room and we were told she would not make it past a week.  Since being admitted to the hospital her condition has stabilized, but it's been a sleepless week for everyone involved and it's been difficult keeping our spirits up.  My grandpa also was rushed to the hospital today and we are waiting to hear the prognosis.  One of my worst fears in life is feeling helpless when the people I love are not well.

I try to remind myself that there are many silver linings: this year has been a really great one in a lot of ways.  My friends have proven time and time again that they are there to help me back up when I've fallen, which is one of those things in life you don't really seem to notice until you're down.  I met my boyfriend who is someone I truly feel is my partner and makes me smile just because of who he is.  He is the kind of person who would laugh at me when I call to tell him I've locked myself out of my car but drop everything to help me get in.  I feel so fortunate to have met him.  This year I also got to explore China with my family, and my grandparents who are all over 90 years in age have lived really complete, fulfilled, lives.  The last couple of years I felt a rift growing between me and my parents; this year I feel like that gap has been partially bridged though there is still a distance.  I make every effort to see things through an objective lens: a situation is never really good or bad, our attitude is what makes it so.

Before my sister and I rushed to LA, we had made these festive sugar cookies that I planned on giving out to friends.  They're really easy to make and taste great too.

MELTED SNOWMEN COOKIES

Yields 30 cookies

COOKIE INGREDIENTS

•  3/4 cup softened butter
•  1 cup white sugar
•  2 eggs
•  1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•  1 tsp baking powder
•  1/2 tsp salt

COOKIE DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until consistency is smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. 
2. Cover and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
3. Preheat oven to 400° F.  Roll out dough on floured surface 1/3" thick.  Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter or cup. 
4. Bake 6 - 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
5. Once cookies are cool, spread the icing on each cookie and allow to dry (see below for homemade icing instructions).
6. For the 'head' of the snowman, cut a marshmallow in half and microwave them on a plate for 15-20 seconds or as soon as the marshmallow starts to puff up.  Remove and position them on the cookie.
7. Using colored icing, decorate the faces on the marshmallow and the arms and buttons on the snowman's body.

ICING INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 2 tsp milk
• 2 tsp light corn syrup 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract  

ICING DIRECTIONS

1. Stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. 
2. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy.  Add corn syrup to thin the icing if it's too thick.  When you put the icing on the cookie, allow icing to firm up and go from a glossy finish to matte.  This will take several hours.

Have Yourself A ReinBEER!

For this project I used some beers in the fridge, googly eyes, mini red pom poms, brown pipe cleaners, and a hot glue gun. It'd be a fun crafting session with kiddos and Root Reinbeers, don't you think?

Now that the presents are wrapped and the goodies have been baked, I'm looking forward to unplugging all my devices and just enjoying some R&R (Rest and Reinbeers) this Christmas. Before I bid you adieu, I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday and to be especially appreciative of everything and everyone! 

Merry Christmas Eve Eve! :o)

Margaret

Snow Nice to Eat You

EOPLE WHO SAY "I don't eat sweets" don't make sense to me. It doesn't make me think they're better or healthier or that they have more self control. It actually makes me feel sorry for them because they don't seem like happy people. And because I love desserts. They're good when I wake up, they're good supplements to my meal, and they're especially good right before I pass out in my bed. 

The smallest nibble of a cookie or mouthful of cake can comfort me when no thought, person, event, or form of therapy can. I've seen people who seem like they would never be friends smile over a cupcake, which makes me wonder... why do people even act like peace isn't possible? And these people who allegedly do not eat sweets, do they know what they're missing?

As you might be able to guess, I had a craving one week and a perfect occasion not to gobble them up all by myself. I made some chocolate cupcakes and used festive Christmas toppers I received last year to adorn them. Dust on some powdered sugar and voila!—snow wonder they're so cute, right? It's like staring at a miniature Winter Wonderland.

Pine and dandy Christmas cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup butter, slightly softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
2. Combine butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed for 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, then alternately add dry mixture and buttermilk to sugar and butter mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 17 minutes, then remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Lightly sprinkle powdered sugar (I like to use a tea strainer for this if you don't own a sugar duster) over cooled cupcakes. Yields 12 cupcakes. The "snow" may "melt" a little so it might work better if you spread some buttercream frosting on them first.

Happy Feasting!

Margaret

12 Cookies & Crafts of Christmas

BJECTIVELY SPEAKING, Christmas is the one occasion where parties and cookies will be measured against everyone's fondest childhood memories. OK, maybe I should lighten up on the melodrama, but it's hard to deny the headache that present-hunting or baking can sometimes elicit. Stuff your face and your stockings with my favorite DIY Christmas cookies and crafts.

1. Cinnamon Tree 
A great use of cinnamon besides for adding flavor is to use the bark! What you'll need: cinnamon sticks, hot glue gun, twine, mini stars (you can find these wherever they carry scrapbook making supplies), three buttons, plaid fabric, three consecutively long Evergreen leaves. I would suggest cutting approximately 1.5", 2", 2.5" pieces.

2. Snickerdoodles

Cinnamon is also used in so many Christmas classics, my favorite being snickerdoodles! This recipe makes the most pillowy golden brown cookies.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar 
• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature  

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. 

2. Mix butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in separate bowl, then add 2 eggs and flour mixture. 

3. Form 18-20 balls, combine cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar and use to coat dough balls.

4. Leave about 3" of space between cookies, because they spread! Bake at 350° for 13 minutes.

3.  Santa Gift Tags
These are a cinch to make and therefore a perfect project to do with kids. Draw/paint personalized Santa faces on card stock/watercolor paper. Cut the faces out, making sure to leave room for the beard. Tie together short pieces of white yarn approximately 1.5" long with another piece of yarn, and tape to the back of Santa's face.

4. Cool Jewel Cubes
Bling your drink with these dazzling ice cubes! I've already made Cranberry "garnets", "emeralds" (a drop of green food coloring does the trick), Apple "Topazes", and "Diamonds" (just water!)... the possibilities are endless. You can find the ice cube mold by Fred here. 

5. Snowman Donuts

I found these donut hole snowmen over at partyperfectblog.blogspot.com. They didn't mention what they used for the snowman's face, but I used some brownie crunch sprinkles for the eyes and mouth. For the "carrot" nose, I used some orange tootsie rolls and shaped them into Frosty's nose!

6. Doily Snowflakes

I doubt it was an accident that doilies resemble snowflakes. Look around the house for any crocheted doilies you have stored away, or you can create your own. Paper doilies hang more elegantly, but you could use crocheted doilies for a bunting that would add some charm to a bare table or wall. I needed last minute bags for presents, so I took out my scissors and beautified some ordinary red bags.

7. Nutty Reindeer Ornament
I'm pretty "fawned" of these darling deer ornaments I help put on the tree this year. ;-) Gather some unshelled walnuts, peanuts, pom poms, and googly eyes for this ornament. Add a festive bunch of fabric between the "antlers" and you're all set!

8. Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate lovers won't be able to resist this one. It's moist, gooey, and bursting with flavor without being too strong. The snowy white confectioners' sugar provides the perfect winter touch too.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate, melted using a double boiler.
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• splash of milk
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate.

2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in one bowl.3. Mix butter and sugar, then adding in eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate, then flour and milk.
4. Refrigerate dough until firm, which takes 1-2 hours depending on the settings of your fridge.
5. Form about 20 balls, and roll in confectioners' sugar.
6. Turn oven to 350° and bake for 13-15 minutes.

9. Pasta Angel Ornaments
Behold, pasta-haired angels... a twist on your angel-hair pasta! What you'll need: wooden bead for the angel's head, Rigatoni for the body, Bowtie aka Farfalle pasta for the wings, Elbow macaroni for the arms, Acini de pepe for the hair, clear glue, hot glue gun, white spray paint, gold glitter, string, and a fine gold pen to draw on your angel's face.

  

10. Pumpkin Cookies

Why limit pumpkin to Halloween or Thanksgiving? These pumpkin cookies adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies book have a vanilla-ey icing and you can top them with these gingerbread men that I gave away here.

Ingredients

    •    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    •    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    •    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    •    1/2 teaspoon ginger
    •    3/8 teaspoon nutmeg
    •    1/2 stick unsalted butter
    •    1 cup brown sugar
    •    1 egg
    •    3/4 cup canned pumpkin
    •    1/2 cup evaporated milk
    •    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*For the icing, use 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/2 stick unsalted butter, 1/8 cup evaporated milk,  and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
2. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy, then add eggs, then add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Lastly, add flour.
3. Bake cookies for 12 minutes at 375°.

11. Claus Cookies
Sugar cookies are a must-have for Christmas! My favorite holiday treat are these Claus Cookies. Using egg paint with a drop of red food coloring, you can opt for a lighter treat than with icing.  And you know what this means--more cookies! A win win situation. You can decorate these with white nonpareils, snowflakes, coconut shavings, icing, or whatever else you have on hand.

12. Petit Four Presents
These petit fours are--quite literally--Christmas presents for your mouth! I didn't have my camera  handy when I made mine, but here are some fabulous looking ones from aperfect-bite.blogspot.com. Check her out! You can use Wilton Fondant with Oreo cakesters and it takes no time at all.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

XO, MARGARET

Christmas Giveaway... for You & Charity!

Happy Friday, guys! I'm happy to announce that I have some Christmas goodies for one lucky winner!

        

Jessie Steele Bib Audrey Cupcakes Apron & Gingerbread Boy Icing Decorations.

And because people who own computers are not the only ones who deserve prizes, I am also offering the winner $20 to a charity of their choice. I'm sure a ton of you have ADD, so I'll get straight to the details on How to Win!

1. Follow me on Twitter here and retweet the following: I entered to win a Christmas package + $20 for charity from @bite_size_baker! http://bit.ly/hkpsIf 
2. For an additional entry, leave a comment letting me know what you would use the gingerbread icing decorations for and/or what charity you would donate to!
3. You can also earn another two entries if you follow my blog via Google Friend Connect.

Don't forget, you can retweet multiple times for more chances to win. Contest will close at 12 PM PST on Saturday, December 25th.  A winner will be chosen at random and announced on the blog.

Good luck everyone!

XO, MARGARET