Spooooky Skulls

FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.

Well, it's the thought that counts...right? HA! I made these "sugar" cookies the other day remember? I had saved half the dough and thought I could make some Halloween treats today. I followed a Pillsbury.com recipe and to give them credit, it was not the recipe they gave, but my recipe I made for sugar cookies.

The other day I made the homemade fondant and sugar cookies, which works because the fondant was sweet. However, because the Spooky Skulls did not have any frosting they were less than tasty. (They actually tasted a lot like flour skulls!) They did turn out very cute though, and I plan to make them again, but first I am out to revamp my sugar cookie recipe. I will keep you updated.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Kait

Tips Tips Tips

Hey Girls Hey!

No time to bake today, but I thought I would leave a tip because of the fast approaching Holiday season. Can you believe it is Halloween already?! Sheesh!



Tip # 1: When cooking baked goods set the oven to the desired temp, say 350. Once your oven beeps to tell you it is ready... it's NOT! Wait 10-15 minutes before baking anything. This wait time ensures that your oven is the same temp from front to back. I must say this was hard at first because I am quite impatient at times, but I have found it beneficial.



More tips to come. Happy almost halfway through the week!

Kait

Spooky Sugar Cookies

Hello friends!

In honor of All Hallow's Eve I made homemade sugar cookies complete with homemade fondant. Now, don't let me fool you...It actually was not that much work! Sugar cookie dough is great to have on hand, say for cookies for work or if a friend needs a "pick-me-up!" The fondant can be stored at room temp for a couple of months, how great is that?

These sugar cookies are your typical sugar cookie and not too sweet. They taste like Mama's sugar cookies growing up. I remember Mom would make enough dough to keep my 3 brothers and I busy for hours. She would make the dough and slap it on the kitchen table, which was already floured up. It is wonderful to get kids involved in cooking and baking because it makes them feel apart of the deliciousness and important! As we grew up I think it ended up being me at the table with all the dough and colored frosting!

Recipes to come soon:

Camille's Baby Shower Cake

Camille and Brian's Baby Shower Cake

A friend of mine is about to welcome home a darling baby girl from Russia. Since her baby shower was so close to Halloween we decided to make it a double party. We had games, presents for the happy couple, delicious food, and I was delighted to have made the cake. It was really exciting to actually be bringing a cake to a party for everyone. Camille's favorite is red velvet, so I made two tiers of layered red velvet and cream cheese buttercream. The outer layer was a crusting cream cheese buttercream from Cakeartisan.com. (I have used the crusting cream cheese recipe before and really enjoy the taste and look).

For some reason the cake itself was extra moist but it was my first time making a double batch. It turned out very sweet, but I think everyone liked it. (At least I hope!) I am not sure what I will fix for the next time, but I think my first move would be to make sure the two frostings (inner/outer) are exactly the same.

Kait

A Baker's Kitchen 101

This list will be updated as I come to find more necessities, but here are some things I definitely think every baker should have on hand:
Confectioners Sugar
Unsalted butter (always unsalted when baking)
Crisco
Baking soda
Baking powder
Chocolate chips
Cream cheese
Nuts (any)
Marshmallows
Candies for decorating (get creative!)
Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract
Orange Extract (my favorite!)
Lemon Extract
Flour
Sugar (Brown/white)
All Spice
Nutmeg
Pumpkin Spice (seasonal really)
Cinnamon


Viva Paper Towels
Dawn dishsoap (cuts grease/crisco)

Baking with Kait

This was my very first completed cake.
Welcome! I have decided to create this virtual diary of my baking experiences. I have embarked on this newfound love for baking and creating in the kitchen. After taking a Wilton cake class, I came to realize there is such delight in cooking for people. So, follow me on my journey through novice baking mistakes and hopefully some yummy creations.
Kait