Kentucky Derby Cookies

... And down the stretch they come...

My Dad asked me to make some cookies for a Kentucky Derby party this weekend.

I didn't do a great job of taking pictures to give you a tutorial, so I'll just share many pictures of the finished products.(Feel free to ask in the comments if you have questions about how I made something.)

I had a lot of inspiration from other cookie/baking websites. The horses I saw on the site Cookie Cowgirl.

I really love the horses. They turned out so well, and, honestly, they weren't that hard. The hair was probably the hardest/ most putsy part. I am trying to decide who else in my life needs horse cookies.

The hats were what my Dad really liked. I based those on some made by Bakerella. They were a little harder than I'd hoped, and I'm nervous that the flowers won't make it to South Carolina in tact, but I am hopeful.

And the Derby 'silks,' I cut out by hand, using an image from the official Derby site.

Lastly, the horseshoes... now, these I just know won't survive shipping, but I had to try. What's a horse without a shoe?

Click the Links Below to See:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe
Royal Icing Consistency Tutorial

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Pretzels! Peanuts! Cookies!

These cookies got quite a few comments from people who weren't sure they were 'real' when I brought them to an event at a brewery last week.

I have to admit that the pretzels took a little longer than I would have liked, but that's because my free-hand artist abilities are less than those of my six-year-olds.

What You Need:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough 
  or Chocolate Sugar Cookie Dough
Cookie Cutters (Peanut & Pretzel or Heart & Dog Bone)*
Royal Icing
Food Coloring (Brown, Black, Yellow)
Piping Bags and Tips #1, #2

* I did not have Pretzel or Peanut cookie cutters. So, I used a dog bone for the peanuts, and a combination of a heart, round cutter and bee cutter for the pretzel. (I think you could make just a heart and a knife work for them, if you wanted to be less OCD than me.)

Teacher Appreciation Cookies

There's nothing like treats to make a teacher feel loved and appreciated... especially homemade treats.
(Even though one of my kids' teachers told me early in the year that she didn't eat too many homemade treats. She then revised that, after I brought her a few. Now, she doesn't even wait until the kids leave the classroom before digging in!)

What You Need:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Roll-Out Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing
Coloring (Green, Brown, Black, Red, Blue)
Piping Bags and Icing Tips #1, 2 & 3
A ruler and knife or pizza/pastry cutter
For the stars, I used a star cutter, and this gold sprinkling sugar from Williams-Sonoma.

Spring in Minnesota Cookies

It's the first day of spring. And here in Minnesota, the high is not even 20-degrees. Instead of tulips and daffodils, we look like a giant snow globe... still.
I'm not too happy about this.

Let me explain, (with cookies) what it's like to experience winter in Minne-snow-ta.

November/December

This is how we feel in November and December. Winter's here. Snow is pretty. The kids love sledding, snowmen. It's all good. We can do this!

January

January comes, usually the coldest time of year, it's dark all of the time. We're growing a bit weary of the cabin fever and the three hours it takes to get dressed to go outside. But it's not too bad. Surely it will be over soon.

February/March/April

And then you have now. March 20. The first day of spring. More than a foot of snow still on the ground. Folks, I'm done! And honestly, when it stretches in to April, the words I use then shouldn't be on a family-friendly website.

To be fair, I grew up in Texas and Missouri. This winter nonsense kills me by about the second flake of snow. I've been here now for six winters. We'll see if I make it to number seven!

Click the Links Below to See:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe
Real Spring Decorating Ideas

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Special Delivery: Valentine's Day Cookies

A special order for Valentine's Day. Simple envelopes addressed to the one(s) you love.

To make these, I used the recipes below:
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Royal Icing

I will warn you that while they are "simple," they don't exactly go fast. It takes some real time to do that much writing and tiny details.

Other Links you may want to check out:
Royal Icing Consistency
How to Color Icing (getting red and black is not easy)

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100 Days of School Cookies

The 100th day of school means 100 cookies for the class.
That's what we did at our house this weekend, gearing up for the big day.

What You Need:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
or Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe
Small round cookie cutter (I used the medium of this set.)
Royal Icing Recipe
FoodWriter or other edible ink markers

*Note: It took me a little more than one batch to get the 100 cookies plus the rectangles for the extra cookies. You may be able to eek out 100 from a single batch, but I recommend at least a 1 1/2 batch of either recipe, just so you have a few for the inevitable mess-ups along the way. (I did not make nearly enough backups, which meant I was a little crabby when they were careless... not enjoyable!)

Chocolate-Mint (Grasshopper) Cookies {Recipe}

There are two flavor combinations that are my go-to comfort foods... Chocolate and Peanut Butter, and this, Chocolate and Mint. If you ever see me buying a Peppermint Patty in line at the grocery store, go ahead and give me a hug. I probably need it.

What You Need:
For the Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
4 oz. melted chocolate*
1 large or extra large egg (at room temperature)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar

For the Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (at room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. Creme de Menthe (available in the liquor store/section)

*I recommend semisweet or milk chocolate (depending on your taste). When I used unsweetened chocolate, the cookies tasted a little bitter to me, although some of my taste-testers thought they were good. I liked the less-bitter variety best.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. When it comes to the treats for the kids in class, I tend to go the "non-food" route. But for the teachers, I like to spoil them with something like this chocolate sandwich cookie.

What You Need:
Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies (heart-shaped, of course!)
Valentine Sprinkles
Strawberry Icing:
  1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature
  3-4 cups powdered sugar
  1/3 cup pureed strawberries (fresh or frozen)

A-B-C and 1-2-3 Cookies

Some simple cookies for you today... presented to a Kindergarten Student Teacher at my boys' school. She is leaving the class this week, and they had a little party to celebrate her.

I used my new Chocolate Sugar Cookie Recipe for these... you know, because who doesn't like chocolate?

I tried to keep these really simple by making just three colors of Royal Icing: red, blue and yellow. (I guess four, if you count white.) I skipped filling any of the cookies with blue, just to help the teachers avoid the blue-icing-mouth.

Chocolate Roll-Out Cookies {Recipe}

I'm a big fan of good, old Vanilla Cut-Out Cookies.
But, living in a chocolate-crazy family, I am reminded that not everyone is happy if their treats are any color other than dark brown!

What You Need:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
4 oz. melted chocolate*
1 large or extra large egg (at room temperature)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar

*I recommend semisweet or milk chocolate (depending on your taste). When I used unsweetened chocolate, the cookies tasted a little bitter to me, although some of my taste-testers thought they were good. I liked the less-bitter variety best.

Gingersnap 'Whoopie Pies'

Whatever you do, if you have some gingersnaps, and a bit of leftover Swiss Meringue Buttercream icing in say, vanilla or ooooh... caramel...
Whatever you do... DO NOT, under any circumstances, spread a little of that buttery yumminess between two gingersnaps... do NOT refrigerate them for 10-15 minutes.

Then, whatever you do, do not eat them!

.... Okay, do it! Just don't blame me when you gain five pounds... in one sitting.

Merry Christmas!

Click the Links Below to See:
Gingersnap Cookie Recipe
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

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Snowball Fight Cookies (Easy!)

It finally snowed here in the Frozen Tundra this winter.
I think I prefer the cookie variety of snowball to the real kind.
(What?! I grew up in Texas and Missouri, what do you want from me?!)

These are super easy! Round cookies... white icing... white sprinkles. They're not too special... until you tell kids they're snowballs or snowball fights.

(I'm working to figure out how to get you the template for the little tag. I love the font that I found for it! If you drop me an email, I'll send it to you for now.)

Here are the recipes:
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Royal Icing Recipe

And some other Links you may like:
Build-Your-Own Snowman Cookie Kits
Other Cookie Decorating Ideas
Other Christmas/Winter Cake Decorating Ideas

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Christmas Cut-Outs on Fox 9

KMSP-TV
I visited my good friends at Fox 9 again this morning... bringing along some recipes, tricks and tips for your Christmas Cut-Out Cookies.
(If the player above does not work for you, click here to go to the Fox 9 website.)

Click this link to see my recipes, tricks, tips, etc.

Personalized Fall Cookies

My Dad called me a few weeks ago and asked if I could make him some special cookies for an "autumnal equinox party." (Yes, that's my Dad, he has parties for the autumnal equinox.) He said he wanted to send his guests home with personalized fall cookies.

They're really pretty simple, they just take a little extra time if you want to add the sprinkles to the outlines. I love the acorns the best.

What You Need:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe
Royal Icing Recipe
Sanding sugar sprinkles
Piping Bags with Tip #1 or #2
Paper Plates (for sprinkling)

The Best Way to Say Thank You -- Cookies

I have amazingly awesome friends. I decided last weekend that I needed to do something to thank them for being so fantastic. So, of course, being that I'm me... I made them cookies.

What You Need:
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Royal Icing - in white and multiple colors
Tips #1 & #2
Plastic Wrap (for Icing Bag Bullets)
Zipper top baggie

Tip for Tuesday - Cold Cookie Dough

If you've ever used my Vanilla Sugar Cookie Recipe, you know that it calls for the dough to be rolled, then refrigerated for 30 minutes to an hour before you cut out the cookies.

Sometimes, I like to fudge that. When I'm busy. When I'm impatient. When I just don't feel like following the rules. But I've learned why you actually do want to let the cookie dough get cold before you cut out the cookies.

Baby Girl Shower Cookies

One of my best friends is having a baby very soon. This will be Baby #3, and see, I'm Baby #3, so I know that Babies #3 deserve lots of pomp and circumstance, too. So, I threw her a surprise diaper shower... even if I was the only one who listened and only bought diapers.

I was a little stressed last week, and totally pushed for time, so the photos are pretty lacking for these cookies. I apologize.

What You Need:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough
Royal Icing
Pink & Green icing colors
Baby Bodysuit Cookie Cutter
Optional: 
Tip #2

Play Ball! Baseball Cookies

I wondered the other day to those of you who follow my Facebook page... if I had two little girls... instead of two little boys... or even just one little girl, would this blog have a lot more pink, tutus and princesses?

Well, it doesn't really matter, I guess, because I have boys.
I have to tell you, in the realm of things to make... baseball cookies... pretty darn simple!

What You Need:
Vanilla Sugar Cookie Dough
Royal Icing
Large, round biscuit (or cookie) cutter
Red Coloring*
Piping Bag fit with Tip #2

*Note: See my post about How to Color Icing for some tips on making a dark red color. It can be a real pain!

How To Get the Right Royal Icing Consistency... Consistently

Decorating cookies with Royal Icing is so easy that my 5-year-olds can do it. (and do... often.)

However, learning to get the right consistency is something that just takes time. If I had someone to color, bag and thin my royal icing all of the time, I think I'd make a lot more cookies.

Monster Cookies Recipe

These cookies are some of my family's favorites... peanut butter, oats, chocolate, M&Ms, you just can't go wrong.

What You Need:
3 1/2 cup oats, toasted and cooled
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) chunky peanut butter
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. M&Ms

Yield: About 4-5 dozen 2" round cookies