Cookie Decorating Ideas!

Who doesn't love cookies? And it's always fun finding new ways to decorate them. :) I found the following tips on BettyCrocker.Com. That's one of my very favorite places to find cooking tips, because most of the ones on there are so easy! :)

How about this... I think the cookies in this picture are stuck on lollipop sticks! Cute!!
Drizzle glaze over cookies. Fill a resealable plastic bag with ready-to-use frosting from a tub or with a homemade powdered sugar glaze. Snip off tiny corner of bag, and squeeze glaze over cookies.

Add sparkle to cookies with simple sugars.
Using a very small spoon, add red sugar to cookies in spiral design to look like peppermint candies. Or place red sugar in resealable plastic bag; snip off tiny corner. Squeeze sugar from bag onto cookies.

Let candies star on cookies. Press milk chocolate candies into cookies immediately after baking.

Dip cookies in melted chocolate. (Oooooh, Yummm! I like this idea!)
To melt chocolate for dipping, heat 1 teaspoon shortening with 3 ounces bittersweet, semisweet or white chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

(This would be cool, baking a pizza-size cookie! I love these!)
Embellish cookies with candies. Frost a pizza-size cookie, then decorate with favorite candies.

Drizzle melted chocolate over cookies. Heat white baking chips or semisweet chocolate chips in resealable plastic bag in microwave until softened; squeeze until smooth. Snip off tiny corner of bag, and squeeze chocolate over cookies.

Make an impression with cookie cutters. Dip small cookie cutters into cinnamon, then press lightly onto tops of frosted bars.

Dazzle with gels. Squeeze Betty Crocker® decorating gels over frosted cookies in simple designs.

Dust glazed cookies with baking cocoa, using a stencil. Use ready-made stencils or craft your own using miniature cookie cutters, taping over open areas to use just the outline. Place stencil on cookies.

Jazz up cookie frosting. Frost cookies, then pull the tines of a fork through frosting for a decorative finish.

I hope you enjoy these tips! :) I'll definitely be trying some of these myself. :D

Checkerboard Cake!

I'm the cake baker at our house. :) Whenever someone has a birthday I make them a cake. My lovely mother had a birthday on monday and I made her something new... a checkerboard cake!

I used a special divider to pour batter into three round cake pans. This is what the layers looked like before they were stacked...

I put the odd layer in the middle and this is what the cake looked like when cut...

I just thought that was so cool! :)

Madison's Chocolate Chip Cookies

A Guest Post from Madison


First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Second, get out your electric mixer.
In the bowl, put in 1 stick of softened butter, 1/2 a cup of brown sugar, 1/4 a cup of sugar (I used sucanat), 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

The butter mixture being mixed up...

What it should look like approximately when finished.

Usually it looks a bit smoother though, and not as liquid. But looking like that is fine as well.
Next, in a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour (I use wheat flour), 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

*be sure to do this in a separate bowl. If you mix it in with the butter mixture, the cookies don't turn out as well.
*Stir this the mixture together.Next, measure out 1/4 of a cup of the flour mixture and put it in the butter mixture. Turn your electric mixer on.
Continue putting in 1/4 of a cup at a time.
*again, be sure to do it 1/4 of a cup at a time. The cookies don't turn out as nice if you don't*
After mixing all of the flour mixture together, the mixture should look like this:
Again, usually it looks a bit smoother, but this is how it turned out.

Next add 1/2 - 2/3 cup of chocolate chips. The reason I don't say 1 cup is because 1/2 a cup goes a very long way. But depending on how much you want, you can add 2/3 if you want.

Roll the cookies into balls about this big:
A bit bigger if you want to. Then, put your cookies in the oven:

Now all of your cookies are finished! Dig in, and be sure to drink a huge glass of milk with it. :)

Yum!This is my version of a recipe I found in a book called: The Mix-It-Up Cookbook. But I changed the amount of some of the ingredients. But mostly this is that recipe.Well, I hope you enjoyed the recipe and pictures! Trust me, these cookies are delicious!

In Christ,

~Madison

A Big Thank You to Madison for letting me share this recipe!! Be sure to visit Madison over at Her amazing blog. :)