Everything is Awesome!

The bakery is live, but quite limited in what is shown. I'll mostly be doing custom orders, so please email or call if you would like to place an order. I'll add more general listings to the site in the next month.

   

A friend of mine recently asked me if I could make her some Lego logo cookies. But I couldn't just make logo cookies, I wanted to make Lego heads and building blocks and more! And I wanted to try a new cookie roll-out recipe. I do love sugar cookies, but there are so many flavors out there to try. These were done with a mini chocolate-chip and they are so delicious, it maybe my new favorite!

I started with building blocks and Lego head outlines..

And then I added some fun faces to them..

So you think everything is awesome, do you?

 

Well we do too!

Inside Out

Sweet Jenny Belle Bakery opens in just a few weeks! So excited - lots of prep and experimenting. My husband took the kids to Inside Out last week and they loved it. Have you seen it? Who was your favorite emotion?

SuperDad Cookies!

I have decided to re-open my online bakery. I'm excited and busy with filling out paperwork. I will be listing treats online, at local shows and in the process of trying to work with some local food trucks.

While I'm waiting to get all my licences in order, I needed to make a few dozen cookies for Father's Day. I tried a few ideas earlier this month and loved the superhero theme the best. My husband and dad are truly heroes to my kids!

The stars were the easy design in the set. You could easily set these out for your kids to create for Dad! Just pipe and flood with royal icing in superhero colors and dip into bowls of sugar. I have a feeling that even though these were the easiest, they will be the favorite!

A few comic inspired squares - playing off my Dad's nickname of PopPop!

Some fun SuperDad flooded cookies.

And these were my favorite even though they were the trickiest. Though now I'm thinking it would be smart to have painted the Superman emblem.

All packaged and ready to be gobbled up!

For the Love of Baking

I love to bake. I would bake all day, every day if I could. I don't love having sweets at home every day though. My toddler knows where fresh baked cookies cool and he stands in front of the shelf, pointing and begging. Sigh. So I love it when I have a reason to bake for OTHER people and we can keep just a couple as a treat.

These were a batch for a good friend that is expecting her baby girl any day now!

And these vanilla swirl cones were packaged off to a friend that is holding a cancer treatment fundraiser.

Mmm.. Have you been baking lately?

Cheeky Popsicle Cookie Pops

My second daughter is finishing up her last year of preschool at a traditional school - in a few months, I will be homeschooling her as well. As excited as we are to have all our babies at home, we will truly miss this preschool and everyone there! She's made so many friends that we will be keeping in touch with for play-dates. I wanted to make those cutie pies a small end-of-the year treat for them on their last day.

I searched high and low on Pinterest for end of the school year cookie ideas, but just didn't find any that knocked me out. Originally I was going to do a beach ball - for "Have a ball this summer!", but I wasn't hooked on it. I started to see a lot of Popsicle cookies on my Instagram feed and thought that would be fun. I added my own little spin and made them Kawaii Popsicles. I'll be adding a little watercolor tag on them - "Stay Cool This Summer!"

For these cookies, I used my cookie artist idol, Arty Mcgoo's Roll-Out Cookie recipe.  When I roll out cookies, I always roll between two sheets of parchment, this reduces adding more flour to the dough. I also use 1/4" roller bands - this will give you consistent thickness.

And here's a tidbit for you, a tombstone cookie cutter from Halloween will make a perfect Popsicle shape!

I really wanted to make these cookie pops - that adds a huge part of the whole Popsicle idea, right? I can not shove those sticks in nicely. I've tried a bunch and read many articles, but it's always a disaster. So here's what I do. Once the cookies are completely cooled - like the next day - I spread a thick layer of melted candy wafers on the *back* of the cookie, gently sink in your stick and cover with a heaping spoon of more melted candy. You can smooth it out much better than I did, but it's the back and it's candy - I figure no child is going to care or complain, right?

Then I decorated using Bake at 350's Royal Icing recipe. I use the original recipe for piping the sides,ice shading, eyes and smile. You will need to thin it down to flood the cookie. Once it has dried, I painted on a bit of light corn syrup and sprinkled clear sanding sugar.

All done! They just need to be wrapped in cellophane, tied with a ribbon and note.

Stay Cool!

Thanksgiving Cookie Place Cards

Before I show my Thanksgiving Cookie Place Cards, I have to share this yummy recipe I found! It was my Mum's birthday last week and all she asked for was a carrot cake. A carrot cake for Mum? Well I had to find the very best one. I found this delicious recipe at Gimme Some Oven. Fresh grated carrots, roasted black walnuts and raisins that have been plumped.

It was such a delicious three layer cake! So beautiful - it was a perfect, autumnal birthday cake. I quickly made a little banner with some beautiful Fancy Pants Design paper to add just an extra touch of love. What is your favorite carrot cake recipe?

This week I really wanted to try making marshmallow fondant. I found a great recipe at Moms & Munchkins. Tackle this baby at least 1 day in advance before you want to use it - I found day 2 was a smashing success! And be prepared that this is a messy endeavor.. have a couple dish clothes at the ready.

Thanksgiving Cookie Place Cards - Items Needed
Batch of baked and cooled cookies
Batch of marshmallow fondant
Corn syrup
Royal icing frosting - piping consistency (frosting bag, coupler and size 2 tip)
Red and orange gel food coloring
toothpicks

Start out with some freshly baked cookies - any type of sugar cookie will do. I like chocolate because I think it adds some flavor dimension. I also used an oval shape - you could use anything (square, circle, turkey, etc.) You will want something that is large enough to frost a name on to.

Roll out your marshmallow fondant thinly - about 1/8" thick and cut with the same cookie cutter used earlier. You need an edible adhesive to put on the cookie to stick to the fondant. You could thinly paint corn syrup, any type of frosting or ganache. I happened to have chocolate ganache in my fridge and used that. Then layer the fondant down on top. Smooth out the sides of the fondant, pushing it on to the cookie.

Mix a small amount of fondant with orange dye and another small amount with red. Roll into a boll and smush until it is consistently colored, unless you prefer a marbled look. With a sharp knife or toothpick, cut out the shape of the leaves and carefully create a vein through the center of the leaf.

Adhere the fondant leaves to the cookies by placing a small amount of corn syrup painted on the back of the leaf.

Prepare your frosting bag with coupler and size 2 tip. Carefully write each guest's name on the cookies with royal icing and allow to dry.

These cookies do not need to be refrigerated and can be done a few days in advance. Just keep them covered in a cool, dark spot of the kitchen.

Such a fun and yummy way to set the Thanksgiving table! You can also get the younger ones involved with this. Fondant decorations can be made in advance. Simply set up a cookie station with corn syrup, new paint brushes (to be used with food only), and frosting. While you work on the the turkey and stuffing, your kids will have the best time creating these.

Thanksgiving Turkey Legs - Sugar Cookies

It's been a few years since I've enjoyed cookie art. I've had such a desire to paint lately and figured that with the holidays coming that I would put it to an edible use. These are so fun - my kids were going nuts as I made them. And children are exactly who I had in mind for these - a yummy treat during the Thanksgiving season.

For these cookies, I used Sweetopia's Chocolate Sugar Cookie recipe. It is incredibly delicious - an amazing chocolate flavor and smooth cookie bite. This recipe does make quite a bit of cookies, so be prepared for a full bowl of dough.

The cookie cutter for the turkey legs is actually a hot air balloon! I love cutters that can be used in various ways. My friends and I actually came up with quite a long list of what this cutter could be used as.

Now that I have 3 crazy kids corralling me while I'm in the kitchen, I have to be as efficient as possible. Here are my tools ready to go and this is what you will need:

*hot air balloon cookie cutter

*royal icing

*2 icing bags with couplers and size 2 round tips

*2 squeeze bottles

*brown sanding sugar

*2 disposable cups

*spray bottle

*brown icing color

I love this royal icing recipe from Cake Central. It was the perfect amount for these 4 large cookies with a bit left over.

After the frosting is made, I move a small bit into a disposable cup. I tinted it with the tiniest bit of brown to create a nice taupe, bone color. I learned this fabulous trick on Sweet Sugar Belle about placing the frosting in some plastic wrap and placing it all in the icing bag - you have to go check this out. It has changed my life!

After outlining the turkey meat and bone.

Once the outlining is done, it's time to create the flood icing. I spritz the the icing until it has a nice fluid consistency, like syrup, and place into the squeeze bottles. My cups are cracked here because I smash the sides together while pouring the icing out - makes it nice and easy to clean up!

Flood the bone with icing and allow it to dry. I use a long skewer to help gently push the icing around and pop any bubbles that arise.

Then flood the turkey meat area and sprinkle a bit of brown sanding sugar on top.

I guarantee you that these will be a hit! Silly and delicious - just as a sugar cookie should be..