Bunny Cakes

Easy Halloween Brownie Cookie Treats

I always try to sign up to bring soccer snacks right around Halloween time.  This weekend we brought these goodies to the team...Brownies + Frosting + Candy Corn Oreos + More Frosting + Ghostie Topper = Total Yumminess.

Here's the progression...Start with brownies baked in a mini-bundt cake pan...

Add some Halloween frosting (I used Pilsbury Halloween Funfetti)...For this layer you don't have to make the icing look pretty.  It will act as the glue to keep the Oreo on top of the brownie.

Next, add your Oreo cookie...we used the extra delicious and seasonal Candy Corn version.

Time to add more frosting...no complaints here.

Finally, add your Halloween topper.  These ghosties are from Wilton (we purchased them from Michael's), but if you didn't have these you can always use some candy corn.

Done!  Ready for the team!

-K

Gingerbread Snowflakes

Initially I made the gingerbread dough just to make ornaments, but when I tasted a broken ornament I was reminded how yummy the cookies are.  I had forgotten how perfect gingerbread cookies and royal icing go together.  So I saved the leftover scrap dough and made some cookies the following week.  Hubby thought I was crazy decorating all the little bite-sized snowflakes, but I really found it quite relaxing--a labor of love.  Some of the gingerbread snowflakes cookies even found their way on cupcake tops, which made the *Perfect Holiday Treat*!

For the best cream cheese icing follow the Georgetown Cupcake recipe via Martha.

-K

Sources: Snowflake Cookie Cutter Set from Fox Run found on Amazon.com.

Halloween Cupcake Love

Forget the Halloween candy and give me cupcakes instead!  I'd much rather feast on some cakey morsels with creamy, velvety frosting than almost any candy.  I'm sure a lot of you would agree with me.  Here is some yummy *Halloween Cupcake Inspiration*.

There are so many great Halloween cupcakes to share--part of the reason why Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.

-K

Sources: Top Picture (starting at top left going clockwise)--Sprinkles;  Martha Stewart; Holidash; Williams-Sonoma; Martha Stewart; Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes from Martha Stewart.  Bottom Picture (starting at top left going clockwise)-- Nilo's Bake Shop; Vampire Bat Cupcake from Martha Stewart; Ghost Cupcakes from Martha Stewart; Pottery Barn Kids; Brain Cupcakesfrom Martha Stewart; Martha Stewart; Martha Stewart.  What can I say, Martha is the queen of Halloween & cupcakes!

Ninja Vs Samurai Party

On Saturday the boys turned eight (where does time go!?!).  To celebrate we had a *Ninja vs. Samurai Party*.  The evening started off with dinner at Benihana, a Japanese Steak House, (the boys' favorite place to eat out) and then we carted the boys and their friends back to our place for games and sweets.  

The color theme for the party was black (for Ninjas) and red (for the Samurai).  A mini-dessert bar was set-up with cupcakes, brownies, cookies and red & black candies (ever since the baby shower I am addicted to dessert bars).  The boys got to pick out a little something for 'cake' and then got to select goodies to bring home to enjoy later.  The take-home snacks and ceramic ninja mugs from Benihana were the party favors.

 

For the games we separated the boys into two teams: Ninjas and Samurai.  The Ninja Team was given black t-shirts and the Samurai Team donned red.  The teams faced challenges to test their ninja/samurai skills and earn points:

1. Logic Battles - Head-to-head Connect Four, 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie.
2. Dexterity Tests - the boys had to pick up plastic ninjas/samurai with kid-friendly chopsticks from a big bowl filled with popcorn.  They had 60 seconds to get as many as they could, the figures were different colors and had different point values (i.e. white ninjas were 5 points).
3. Bad Guy Takedown- Hubby taped pictures of bad guys to his punching bag.  The boys had to kick or hit the bad guys when their name was called.  Then finally they had to use two throwing stars (marshmallows) to hit pictures of Darth Vader taped to the wall to earn more points.
4. Throwing Star Showdown - Think dodge ball with large marshmallows, only the goal was not to hit the opposing team, but to land 'throwing stars' in a bucket on the opponent's side.  

  

The party was fun for the boys, but very exhausting for Hubby and I.  Real Ninjas and Samurai have nothing on a rowdy bunch of 8 year old boys!

-K

P.S.  Here is the link to see the Ninja/Samurai party invitations.

Easter Bunny Cupcake Toppers

I decided to turn the bunny cupcake toppers I made for A's birthday into *Easter Cupcake Toppers*.  They are available for download here.  Now you can turn plain o' cupcakes into something festive and cute!  I placed my mini cupcakes on a bed of jelly beans for an extra special treat.  I might have to rethink the green jelly beans.  I was going for a grassy look, but instead they look like peas.

To make the cupcake toppers I used the Glue Stick Method:

1.  Print out template.

2.  Cut loosely around the image, but make sure you cut the bottom edge of the image (the ribbon   part) straight.

3.  Apply glue using a glue stick and place on top of another sheet of plain paper.  Make sure to sandwich your toothpick between the sheets of paper.  Also make sure to align the bottom edges of the paper layers, since it will not be easy to cut that edge with the toothpick in place.

4.  Let dry slightly, then cut around the image to trim off any excess paper.

5.  Insert into cupcake.  Admire, then eat.

-K

Bunny Cupcake Toppers

One of my sisterly duties is to bake a cake for A's birthday.  Even though her hubby is a fantastic chef, he is often working on the day of her birthday so I happily step in.  It doesn't come without a price, because every year the boys and I put up the same pretense: 'Cake?  oh <insert awkward pause> we thought grandma was bringing it.'  According to A, we don't fool her for a second.  After a few laughs we bring out the cake and enjoy.  

This year instead of a cake we made cupcakes with yummy cream cheese frosting (we used the Georgetown Cupcake recipe--so good!).  To add the necessary cutsy element I made little *Bunny Cupcake Toppers* inspired by Aranzi Aronzo's book Baby Stuff.  To make your own cupcake toppers just print out your design on cardstock (preferred, but you can also use regular paper) and sandwich a toothpick between your design and plain adhesive paper and cut around your design. 

 

 -K

Uglydoll Cupcakes, Cookies and Cake

In addition to the Uglydoll softies they also have great action figures available.  As soon as I spied them I knew I had to incorporate them into the boys' party.  Initially I was going to make the boys each their own individual cake and top it with one of the action figures, but I smartly decided the cakes + the cupcakes would be too much (work).  So instead of adorning cakes I used the action figures to adorn the cupcake stand.  The tiered stand is from Anthropologie ($19.99 on sale--not bad).  

To elevate the action figures I made little platforms using lids from the frosting containers (I love homemade frosting, but most of the time I go with the pre-made varieties), a toilet paper roll and paper that I printed out on the computer so it would match the color scheme.  The platforms were easily assembled using hot glue and double-sided tape.

 

Now...on to the baked goods...the only sane way I could think of to create *Uglydoll Cupcakes* was to make iced sugar cookies that resembled Uglydolls and top cupcakes with the cookies.  I briefly toyed with the idea of making Uglydolls out of fondant, but since I have very little fondant experience I quickly dismissed the idea.  To keep things simple I limited the cookie cutters down to only three shapes and one main icing color (A was very relieved with my limited choices since she was forced into servitude for the day).  White & red royal icing were used to add additional details and then finally edible black marker was used to add the pupils and mouths (thanks to Bakerella for that tip).  Here is the result:

 

 

Lastly, on the boys actual birthday I did make a cake and used the Uglydoll action figures to decorate it.  It turned out pretty cute (& ugly)!

 

-K

P.S.  Here are the other party details: Invitations, Goodie Bags and Party Treats.

This Buds for You!

This year for Father's Day I decided to get a little cheeky.  Poor Hubby had to work on his special day so while he was at work the boys and I made sure he would come home to his favorite comfort foods: Beer (he's Irish) & Brownies (he's human).   

I used my fabulous new Lotus Nesting Plates and cans of Bud Light (Hubby's fav) to create a two-tiered cake stand and loaded it up with brownies.  The mini-bundt cake brownies were crowned with chocolate frosting and sprinkles to make them extra special.  If this doesn't say "WE LOVE YOU, YOU'RE THE BEST", then I don't know what does.

In addition to the *Beer & Brownies* we made a bunch of "We Love You" signs and hid them all over the house.  The boys and I put a lot of thought into the places where we hid our *Notes of Affection*.  We wanted Hubby/Daddy to be reminded of our love when he least expected it.  Here's some of our hiding spots:

Happy Daddy's Day!

-K

P.S.  This would also make a great Valentine's Day surprise for your Main Squeeze.

Sweetheart Cupcakes & Bloggers For Good Event

If you are local to the Washington, D.C. area then please join us for a few drinks (and some Shepard's Pie) at the next *Bloggers For Good* event on Feb 19th.  Proceeds will benefit Loudoun Interfaith Relief, the area's largest food pantry.  Please click on following link for more details, I hope you can join us!  And many thanks to Suburban Fizz for organizing this event.

If you are local to the DC area then you are also probably familiar with the local cupcake hot spot: Georgetown Cupcake.  I used their delicious Vanilla Frosting Recipe to enhance some box-cake-mix cupcakes and the results were very well received.  When making the frosting as directed you may need to add 1-3 teaspoons of milk to get the perfectly smooth texture you see at their store.  Add some candy hearts and coordinating sprinkles to give the cupcakes some Valentine cheer.

-K

Inauguration Day

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the coverage and extended coverage of this historic *Inauguration Day*.  While Hubby and A braved the cold weather and crowds (separately) to be a part of the events in Washington, D.C., the boys and I stayed nestled in our home and glued to the television.  It has truly been an honor to live through these times and to see the unity and sense of purpose Obama has already brought to our country.  I am thankful I could share this day with my boys.

Since today is a day of parades and balls I thought it would be fitting to have our own intimate Inaugural Celebration...just the boys and myself.  My contribution to our celebration was, of course, the *Obama Cupcakes*.  The boys came up with a *Presidential Carnival Game*of throwing ping pong balls into a fish bowl with past + current Presidents.  Here are the photos:

Please ignore the wrinkled tablecloth (I promise I did iron).  If you have any ironing tips they would be most welcome.

All my Obama 'details' are thanks to the color printer.  The logo picks were made by printing one sheet of logos on label paper and another on plain paper.  The logos were then punched out with a circle punch (Fiskars makes a great one) and then sandwiching a toothpick between a sticker logo and a paper logo (no need to use two stickers, save your label paper).  These picks could be customized to any theme.  The hokey plate logos were simply printed and cut out using Martha's handy circle cutter.

The boys enjoying their game...

Peace,

K