Sassy Spiderwebs

I just love these spiderwebs with the bright colors added, but really, you could use any colors!

• With black icing and a #2 or #3 tip, pipe a spiderweb outline onto a round cookie. (Spectrum Super Black)
• Thin the background color, as well as 1 or 2 contrasting colors with water to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp towel and let sit several minutes.
• Run a rubber spatula gently through the icings to pop the bubbles that have risen to the top. Transfer to squeeze bottles.
• About 6 cookies at a time, fill in the background with the thinned flood icing. Use a toothpick to draw into the corners and edges.
• Now with the contrasting color/s, draw 3 circles onto the wet background icing.
• Starting in the middle of the circles, use a toothpick to drag the icing toward each spiderweb point.
• Let dry at least one hour.
• Using a large round tip such as a #7 or #12....whatever you have on hand, pipe a spider body.
• Change the tip to a #1 or #2, and pipe eight legs.

A birthday, some awards and total frustration with my internet connection!!!

Our internet connection has just not been right in the last week. It goes in and out...mostly out, so that I feel I am falling behind in my blogging and commenting. When we are connected, I am racing to check my email and check my nephew's blog, so I'm sorry if I've been slow to respond lately! :) Hopefully, it's back for good!

My birthday was last week. No, I didn't make myself cookies. :) I was debating about what to make when I actually had a dream about chocolate eclairs!!! I think looking at all of the pictures of the Daring Baker's eclairs lodged itself in my brain. So, eclairs it was!

I used the recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook for the eclairs and the chocolate glaze. The chocolate pastry cream was a recipe I found on Tartlette. I followed her recipe and folded in about a cup of whipped cream before piping it into the eclair shells.

Here's one thing I discovered, it's hard to take a picture of eclairs! When I make them again, I'll do better, I promise!

The recipe made over 2 dozen eclairs, so I packed up a bunch to take to my son's baseball game that morning. Even giving some away, I managed to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner on my birthday!!!

Also during the last week, Montee and Amy were kind enough to give me my first 2 blog awards!!! thank you so much guys!

From Amy at Skinny Foods That Feel Guilty! Don't you love that blog title?!?

And from Montee at Montee is a Palmetto Girl. Reading Montee's "southern girl" blog reminds me so much of the 2 years we lived in Alabama....although she is a Texan now...right, Montee? ;)

Go check out their blogs!!! And while, you're at it....if you read this blog...you've been tagged! You all deserve it! I love reading each and every one of your blogs; I am inspired everyday!!!

Friendly Frankensteins

Here's a fun little cookie idea for Halloween...Friendly Frank! :) I really like these because they look sweet and not scary!

To make the cookies:

• Using a #2 or #3 tip, outline Franks' face in black. (Spectrum Super Black)
• With the same tip, make a zig-zag outline for the hair and outlines for the neck bolts.
• Thin black, green and white (gray, if not using luster dust later) icing with water to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit several minutes. (Green: AmeriColor Leaf Green)
• Starting with the green icing, run a rubber spatula through the icing to pop bubbles that have risen to the surface. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.
• Fill in the faces with green icing. Use a toothpick to guide into corners.
• With the thinned black flood icing, fill in the hair.
• With the white flood icing, fill in the bolts.
• Let dry at least 1 hour.
• With a #1 or #2 tip, pipe a scar and eyes in black.
• With a #1 tip and red icing, pipe a smile. :) (Spectrum Super Red)
• Let dry overnight.
• Mix silver luster dust with vodka.
• Using a small paintbrush, apply the silver to the white bolts.

*A*M*A*Z*I*N*G*

It's cookie exchange time...
Amazing is the first word that came to my mind when I discovered Nancy's Fancy Cookies & Cakes this week. Please go take a look at the cookies in her Flickr photostream. Nancy is a true artist...her cookies are so incredibly beautiful! I'm in awe. I mean, just look at Henry the 8th up there! The cookie itself is so clever and then the detail work is, well, amazing!
And, Hagrid! My son and I are reading the last Harry Potter book right now, so I couldn't wait to show him this cookie. It is so cool!

Thank you, Nancy for being a part of "cookie exchange!" I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Something different...Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls

No cookies today...I thought I would supplement the cookies with a few other baked goodies here and there. What do you think?

So, here is my project from yesterday....Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. These are originally inspired by Bakerella. If you haven't been to her blog, go now! (I'll wait!) :) Months ago, I bookmarked her Red Velvet Cake Balls and added them to my "must make" list.

A few weeks later, I got an email from my girlfriend, Terri, about making cake balls. Then, last week, my sister emailed me with two other sites, here and here, on making cake balls. I thought this must be a sign, I needed to make cake balls!

This time of year, I really have a thing for pumpkin....I cannot get enough, so I made Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls. Mine are nowhere near as pretty as Bakerella's; I'm going to call them rustic. :) I added some chocolate jimmies because I had them on hand. They were such a hit. My son & I took them to a group we meet every week. I had 4 requests for the recipe within 1 minute!

See the "rustic" crack and cake showing through? :)

The possibilities are endless! I can't wait to try these again with other flavors. Let me know if you try these...I'd love to see your combinations!

....my son really had a good time helping to make these as well; this is a fun and messy project for kids!......

Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls

1 box French Vanilla cake mix (or yellow or plain vanilla)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
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1 can cream cheese frosting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
chocolate candy melts or almond bark

Beat everything together (ending with the eggs) according to the package instructions and bake in a 13 X 9" pan. Make sure the cake is completely baked (no gooey middle) before removing from the oven. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Crumble the cake apart in a bowl and add most of the can of cream cheese. Using your fingers, mix together until the cake holds together when formed into a ball. Add more frosting of necessary. Roll into balls of about a 2 bite size. This should make about 50. Place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper and refrigerate several hours.

When ready to dip, melt the candy melts (I used two bags of melts total) a 1/2 bag at a time following the directions on the package. Roll with a spoon and place on another waxed paper lined sheet. Scatter on sprinkles if using while the chocolate is still wet. Store at room temperature.

Superheroes

These little superhero cookies are perfect for your Halloween superhero or for a birthday party!
To make cookies:

1. Using a #2 tip and yellow icing (or another hair color), pipe in the outline for hair and fill with piped icing. (AmeriColor Egg Yellow)
2. With red icing and using a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the shirt. (Spectrum Super Red)
3. Along the bottom of the shirt, pipe an orange line using a #3 tip. (AmeriColor Orange)
4. With a #2 tip, pipe the bottoms/shorts outline with black icing. (Spectrum Super Black)
5. Using the red icing with the #2 tip, add the outline for the tights.
6. With a #2 tip, pipe the outline of the face and hands using a flesh tone icing. (AmeriColor Copper/Fleshtone)
7. Using the black icing with the #2 tip, pipe the outline of the cape and boots.
8. Thin black, red and flesh tone icing to the consistency of syrup. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit several minutes.
9. One color at a time, stir gently to pop bubbles that have formed on top. Pour into a squeeze bottle and fill in outlines. Use a toothpick to coax the icing into all corners and to edges.
10. Allow the cookies to dry at least one hour.
11. With the black icing and a #2 tip, pipe details on cape and go over outline of the boots.
12. Switch black icing to a #1 tip and make eyes on the face. (If making a mask, pipe the eyes in a different color, then pipe the mask in black.)
13. With red icing and a #1 tip, pipe a smile on the face.
14. Using yellow icing a #2 or #3 tip, add a letter to the superhero shirt.
15. Let dry overnight, package and eat! :)

A bit of sunshine....

I know it's getting to be fall, but after Hurricane Ike, I'm feeling the need for a little sunshine. These daisies always look cheerful and sunny to me.

We have our power back on, luckily, but the stores are out of butter. Darn it! No baking for a while.

Daisy cookies are really easy....just pipe the outline and middle with royal icing, thin another color and fill.