I made these cupcake toppers for Courtney, over on her wonderful blog Sweet C’s Design.  Originally, I made them for Easter, but since there’s flowers and other spring-y things on it, I thought I’d post them here too.  They are super easy to make and the best thing about it is that you can make them months ahead of time.  (They will save if stored properly–more on that later.)

To make the toppers, you need the following items:

-fondant (I like the brand Satin Ice, because it actually tastes good—and stored properly, it will last 6+ months)

-rolling pin

-cornstarch or powdered sugar

-Tylose powder (optional, but helpful)

-food coloring gel (I like Americolor brand because you only need a few drops to get vibrant, beautiful colors)

-toothpicks

-piping gel

- sugar pearls

-1” round circle cutter

-plastic mat (for rolling out the fondant)

-wax paper

-small flower and leaf cutters, and circle cutters

-Americolor writing pens (make sure they are food safe pens!)

Take about a handful of fondant out of the tub and warm in your hands, like you would clay or Sculpy.

Add about 1 teaspoon Tylose powder to the fondant.  The Tylose helps keep your fondant in the shape you create and also helps it dry faster.

Once the fondant is warm, sprinkle a little cornstarch or powdered sugar on the plastic mat and roll out the fondant to 1/4” thick.  The cornstarch or powdered sugar will keep the fondant from sticking to the mat or the rolling pin.

Once the fondant is at the desired thickness, use the round circle cutter and cut out 12 circles.

Place on wax paper over a flat surface.  This will serve as your base.

Take another small handful of fondant and work it in your hands.  Add another small teaspoon of Tylose powder and work into the fondant.  Separate into 4 smaller balls.  Color 2 small balls, with the color of your choice, for the flower petals.  (I used pink and purple.)  Color one ball green for the leaves.  Leave the other ball white.  (They will be for the eggs.)  To color the fondant: add a small amount of food gel and work into the fondant, gently rolling/rocking and folding until the color is worked in.

TIP: If you fold too many times, you are bound to get air bubbles when you roll the fondant out, so be gentle.  If you do end up with bubbles, don’t panic.  Take a pin and gently prick the bubble and re-roll.  The bubble should come out and you won’t see the pin prick.

Roll out each fondant portion to 1/4″ thick.  Using the flower cutter, cut out 6-8 small flowers of one color, and 6-8 flowers of another color.  Use a small sugar pearl (I used white and green) and press into the center of the flower.  If you want to create indents in the petals, take a toothpick and press from the center out.  Place on the wax paper to dry.

Do the same for the leaves.  If you want to create veins in each leaf, use a toothpick to draw a line down the middle and off-set lines on either side.  Place on wax paper to dry.

To create the eggs, use a small circle cutter and cut out 6-8 circles.  Using your hands, shape the top of the circle slightly to create an oval shape.  Place on wax paper to dry.

NOTE:  If your fondant begins to stick to the mat, sprinkle a little more cornstarch.

Let the fondant dry overnight.  The next day, use piping gel to “glue” the flowers, leaves, and/or eggs to the circle fondant base.  Decide how you want the flowers and leaves to look on the base.  Using a toothpick or food safe paintbrush, place some of the gel on the back and adhere it to the fondant base.

For the eggs, color and decorate the eggs with the food safe marker and then glue down.

Wait a few hours, or overnight, for the piping gel to truly harden.

They are now ready to be used on your cupcakes.  If you choose not to use the fondant toppers right away, you may store them in an airtight container for a month.

I love this vanilla cupcake and vanilla frosting recipe, (scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe), but you can use whatever flavor combination and recipe you like.  Once you make and pipe the frosting, gently place the fondant topper on top of the frosting.  They are now ready to be served!

You can make fondant toppers for any occasion and they look so special sitting on top of cupcakes.  If you have any questions about any step I described, or a question about fondant in general, feel free to write in the comment section and I will answer your question as best I can.  Enjoy! xoxo

NOTE: If you do choose to make these ahead of time, store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.  Fondant will sweat and wilt if it gets too hot (it becomes really gummy).

My teaching partner went on maternity leave a month back, and I’ve been covering her classes for a bit.  All that to say that I have been working full-time for three weeks now and am spent.  I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to balance work and home life, but I honestly thought it would have been easier than it’s been.  The main thing that’s been working against me: spring.  Every school teacher has a love/hate relationship with spring.  The end of the school year is near, which is exciting, but it’s also really difficult to get students to focus and finish out the year on a positive note.  It’s even harder working with students who can drive.  (Remember those high school days?)  However, my husband has been more than supportive, helping me with Matthew and cooking dinners on a number of occasions.  It has made the transition from part-time to full-time a bit easier.  (Not to say I don’t deal with the mommy guilt that goes along with leaving my baby for 8 hours a day, but that story is for a different day, and maybe a different blog.)

So, tonight I decided to make a simple dinner that I could whip up in 10 minutes and didn’t have to turn the oven on.  I’m all for not heating the house when it’s warm outside.  What I love about this recipe is that I can get all my favorite veggies in one sandwich, and with a little bit of cream cheese in the mix, feel a tad guilty for enjoying it as much as I do.  You can make it vegetarian if you like; just omit the deli meat.   In fact, that’s usually what I like to do–meat for my hubby, all veggie for me.  I also like to add tortilla strips, (the kind you put on salads), to give it that extra crunch.  I bet Frito’s would also work well, if you like a little extra crunch.  Whatever you add or omit, you’ll love this roll-up.  Enjoy! xoxo

Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

printable recipe

2 flour tortillas

4 T cream cheese

1 tomato, sliced thinly

1 avocado, sliced thinly

Spinach or lettuce

½ cucumber, sliced thinly

Bean sprouts (optional)

Sliced deli meat (chicken, turkey, or beef)

Multi-colored tortilla strips

toothpicks

Using a knife, spread 2 T cream cheese onto each tortilla.  Layer all remaining ingredients evenly on top of cream cheese.  Slowly roll up tortilla, ending with seam side down.  Place two toothpicks, on both ends of roll-up, to secure all ingredients.  With a serrated knife, cut in half diagonally.

Serve immediately.

Serves: 2

Little babies are one of the most precious things in life.  I know that’s a cliché statement, but when you’ve wanted to have a child for a very long time and that dream finally comes true, that statement is far from cliché.

My friend just adopted the sweetest little baby boy 7 weeks ago and I couldn’t be happier for her and her family.  This baby really was a miracle from God.  Yesterday we had a shower to honor her and this little boy.  I was asked to bring a dessert, specifically these lemon poppyseed cupcakes.  I was so honored to be a part of her baby shower, and was secretly glad she asked me to make a dessert, because these are one of my very favorite.

What I love about these cupcakes is that there is a hint of lemon in the cupcake batter, as well as the frosting.  (Too much lemon is overpowering.  Subtle is key when it comes to lemons.)  And while it is a butter frosting, when it is whipped properly, it is light and airy, not heavy and thick.  You literally could eat two and not get a stomach-ache.  (Ask my husband, he ate two last night and almost went for thirds, had I not stopped him.)  If you don’t really like poppyseeds, you could omit it and it would still taste delicious.  I love to garnish cupcakes, so for this occasion I tinted the frosting blue and added white and blue sprinkles, but many times I just add fresh lemon zest.  Enjoy! xoxo

P.S. I realized that I posted two lemon recipes in a row.  Maybe it’s some subconscious thing about willing summer to get here already, but I promise the next one will have chocolate or something of the like in it.  I know not everyone loves lemon like I do.  Maybe I need some help…

Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes

printable recipe

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 ½ t baking powder

1 c cake flour

½ cup flour

1 cup sugar

¼ t salt

½ c (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

2 eggs

½ c 2% or whole milk

½ t pure vanilla extract

2 t lemon extract

1 t poppyseeds

Pre-heat oven to 350, and line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, pour dry ingredients into the bowl and mix on low for 2-3 minutes, until well combined. Add the cubed softened butter, and mix on low speed until the butter is well-coated and pieces are small and crumb-like, about 20-30 seconds.

Add eggs, one at a time, until combined. (The egg yolk is dissolved.) Slowly add the milk and vanilla—scrape down bowl to get all ingredients combined. Fill cupcake liners (in tins) about 2/3 full, and bake 17-20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Take cupcakes out of muffin tin and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool before frosting.

Lemon Buttercream

enough to frost 12 cupcakes

¾ c (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

½ t pure vanilla extract

1 t lemon extract

1M piping tip

piping bag

lemon zest and/or sugar pearls

Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until buttercream is smooth and pale.

Place frosting in piping bag. Cut off the end of the piping bag. Going from the middle of the cupcake to the edge, pipe frosting in a circle.

Sprinkle with lemon zest and or sugar pearls. Store any leftovers in an air-tight container up to 3 days.

My junior year in college, my roommate and I thought it’d be fun to have a tea party.  We made cute little sandwiches, where we cut them in small triangle wedges and trimmed the crust, had different fruit bars, and of course, a variety of teas.  Our friends came over and we ate, laughed, and played games.  One friend brought over this delicious lemon dessert, and when the get-together was over, I asked her for the recipe.  Many years later, I pulled out the recipe and tried to make it.  At the time I got the recipe, I really wished I had asked her exactly how she made it, because the recipe said mix such-and-such together and bake, then add this on top, etc.  It never said what pan to put it in, or what temperature to have the oven (although it did say how long to bake it), or even how exactly to mix something–which is very important to any baker.  I had to improvise much, and unfortunately, the dessert flopped miserable.  Fast forward eight years, and I found the recipe, tucked away amongst other long-forgotten ones.  I thought I’d give it another chance.  However, this time, I went the internet to see if I could find something similar, and piece together the two.

It’s a good thing I gave the recipe another chance.  Talk about one of the best chilled desserts I have ever tasted!  There are four distinct layers, and it might seem like a lot of work, but really, it takes about 15 minutes (minus the cooling of the crust) to make.  And it is one of the lightest tasting desserts too, so you can have lots of it.  (Which is really a good thing, I think.)

So make it for yourself, make it for friends.  Heck, make it for a tea party, but whatever you do, make it. :)  I promise, it’ll be worth every small effort.  Enjoy! xoxo

P.S.  If you don’t’ like nuts, you can omit them from the top of the dessert, but I would leave them in the crust.  It adds a small nutty flavor which compliments nicely with the other layers.

P.P.S. I’m linking this up at Add a Pinch’s Mingle Monday.  Feel free to check out other fantastic desserts!

Layered Lemon Dessert

printable recipe

CRUST:

1 ½ c flour

¾ c walnuts or pecans

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Using a food processor, chop the nuts until really fine.  Cut up the cold butter into smaller cubes and add it and the flour into the food processor with the chopped nuts.  Pulse until the butter is pea-size.  Press into an ungreased 9 x 13” glass pan and bake for 15 minutes.   Cool fully on a wire rack.  Once the crust is fully cooled, begin the second layer.

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

2 packages cream cheese, room temperature

2 c powdered sugar

12 oz. Cool Whip, thawed and divided

Using a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Slowly add the powdered sugar and 2 cups Cool Whip.  The mixture will be thick.  Add on top of the crust, getting all the way to the edges.

LEMON PUDDING LAYER:

3 packages lemon instant pudding

5 c cold milk

In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, mix the milk and pudding on low speed for 3 minutes.  The mixture will be thick.  Layer evenly on top of the cream cheese mixture.

COOL WHIP LAYER:

Add remaining Cool Whip over the lemon pudding and sprinkle with ½ c chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts).  If you don’t like nuts, you can omit this part.

Chill in the fridge about 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Recipe Source: adapted from Southern Food

This weekend has been so gorgeous; I feel like summer is already here.  The low 80s in the Pacific Northwest in spring? Practically unheard of.  Our family decided to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather by going to the Tulip Festival about 45 minutes south of where we live.  I’ve always wanted to go, especially to buy a pair of wooden clogs.  I think putting plants in them would look really nice.  Yes, I’m weird like that.

When we got there, I couldn’t believe the amount of color—rows and rows of tulips, with a wide array of vibrant colors.  It was like looking at a rainbow.  To say I was impressed is an understatement.  There really aren’t any words to describe it, so I guess a picture or two will do.

Matthew enjoyed tromping through the mud-filled rows, pointing to the John Deere tractors that were nearby.  It was just one of those nice days where you could relax, soak in the nice weather, and truly enjoy life.

I was going to bring some of these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on our trek, but somehow, they were all eaten.  Actually, I know why.  One of my friends had a baby last Tuesday, and I watched her 3 year old while she was in the hospital.  Having two toddler boys for three days made me eat lots of cookies.  I blame the weight gain on her—and rambunctious toddlers.  (At least they’re good friends, so it wasn’t as bad as I make it out.  I did survive.)

I am not a fan of raisins in things, (cookies, cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, oatmeal, bread), so I added chocolate chips instead.  Chocolate makes everything better.  And a glass of milk.  In fact, these cookies are great as an ice-cream sandwich.  Just scoop out some vanilla ice cream and squish it in-between the undersides of the cookies.  You can see an example of it here.  I hope you are having a great spring.  Enjoy! xoxo

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

printable recipe

1 c unsalted butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar, packed

2 eggs, room temperature

2 t pure vanilla extract

2 c flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

3 c quick cooking oats

2 c chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating fully after each addition.  Add the vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients, minus the oats and chips.  Add to the creamed mixture.  Slowly add the oats, followed by the chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Using a cookie scoop, scoop out batter onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.  Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an air-tight container up to 4 days.

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

Recipe Source: adapted from Allrecipes.com