Pink Zebra Heart Sugar Cookies

One day while looking through pictures on Pinterest, I came across some adorable sugar cookies. I followed the link to the website and found this great site called glorioustreats.com. This site has tons of great recipes, beautiful pictures, and step-by-step instructions on how to assemble and decorate all different kinds of cookies, cupcakes and a bunch of other cool things. There was a recipes for the sugar cookies that the website's owner Glory uses for all of her cookies, as well as the royal icing that she uses to decorate them with. She also posted helpful decorating tips for working with the royal icing. I decided to try the recipes out and made these pink zebra heart sugar cookies.

The design and colors for these cookies were inspired by a birthday cake that I did just the day before. I sprinkled a little disco dust on them to give them a pretty sparkle. This was my first attempt at making homemade sugar cookies and royal icing. I thing that I should have made the black icing slightly thinner, but overall I think the cookies came out nice for my first try. I love the color combination, and the disco dust really enhances the appeal of the design.

Glory even posted instructions on how to make your own cute packaging labels for the cookies using cardstock scrapbook paper. I found some really pretty glitter cardstock at Hobby Lobby, as well as some really cute bubble stickers that had a pink zebra design on them. I really like how the labels came out. There is enough room in the center if I chose to put a personal message of some sort. This a great, fun and pretty idea to have a nice presentation for a party, or to give as gifts during the holidays. I will definitely use these recipes again, and I've learned a lot from Glory. If you love to bake like I do, www.glorioustreats.com is definitely worth checking out.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

Cheesecake is my absolute favorite dessert. I am always experimenting with different recipes and flavors to come up with fun and delicious new cheesecakes. One day while surfing the web for a new recipe to try, I came across a photo of a cheesecake just like this. The photo instantly caught my attention, and I just knew that I had to try this recipe out. I have been a Reese's cup lover since I was a kid, and love pretty much anything that has chocolate and peanut butter. Combining my love for cheesecake and Reese's seemed like a match made in heaven, not to mention a yummy brownie layer on the bottom. This is my re-creation of the original recipe.

Of all the kinds of cheesecakes that I've tried, peanut butter is definitely my favorite. This 1 is paired with a rich chewey brownie bottom made with double strength Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract (ordered from The Pampered Chef). In between the brownie and cheesecake layers is a layer of milk chocolate and peanut butter chips, as well as chopped up Reese's cups. Milk chocolate ganache is drizzled on the top, and Reese's cups are cut in half and arranges around the top border.

This is definitely my most popular cheesecake that customers request, as well as a big hit with my family and friends. This cheesecake can also be made without the brownie bottom, and used with a crust bottom instead. I usually use a pretzel crust to add a little saltiness and crunchiness to the delicious chocolate and peanut butter (kind of like a Take 5 candy bar). If I use a crust, I also use regular granulated sugar instead of light brown sugar. Either way you make it, it is a real treat.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I'm a sucker for anything that has chocolate and peanut butter, especially when it comes to Reese's. This delicious chocolately peanut buttery combo is like a marriage made in heaven. (hehe) One day while working, a co-worker of mine began talking about these amazing cookies that her mom would make that consisted of a peanut butter cookie base, much like when making peanut butter blossoms, but the cookie dough balls are placed in small muffin pans rather than on a baking pan. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, a mini Reese's cup is immediately pushed down into the dough. Once the cookies are completely cooled and removed from the pans, these incredible little cookies are born.

This specific recipe that I used was one that I found on the Taste of Home website. It is an extremely easy recipe to make, and the cookies bake in just 7 minutes so a batch can be easily whipped up for a last minute treat.

Ever since I've made these cookies, I've been completely hooked. They have been a huge hit with family and friends. They are definitely my favorite new favorite cookie.

Carter's Candy Cake

I'm always trying to find fun and creative ways to incorporate my favorite snacks and candies into recipes that I try, especially anything with chocolate. This deliciously chocolately cake was inspired by a similar cake photo that was liked by a friend of mine on Facebook. Once I saw the photo, I was like "OMG I have to make one of these!" (hehe) I posted the photo on my Facebook feed stating that it was my next project that I was going to try to attempt and within a few minutes I had someone requesting that I make the cake for them.

The Hill family (featured in the posts Hill Wedding Cake and Hill Wedding Anniversary Cake) were throwing a party for their son Carter, and asked me to make the cake for him. For this cake, I used chocolate fudge cake, and chocolate chip buttercream filling and icing. The outside of the cake was lined with Kit Kats, and original M&M's were used to create a fun colorful rainbow swirl on top of the cake as well as a bottom border at the base of each of the Kit Kats.

The cake was a big hit at the party. It was really fun to make, and one of my most favorite cakes that I've made. I am looking forward to attempting this cake again around Easter time with some pretty pastel colors.

Hill Wedding Anniversary Cake

In honor of Heather and Anthony Hill's 1 year wedding anniversary, I suprised the couple with this cake. I made their wedding cake for them the year prior (posted under Hill Wedding Cake).

For this cake, I used Frech vanilla cake, raspberry filling and buttercream icing. I decided to use red roses for the decor since they symbolize love, romance, passion and beauty. I sprinkled some edible glitter flakes on the roses to give them a little sparkle.

Happy anniversary Heather and Tony! May you have many more happy years together!

Hill Wedding Cake

This is a wedding cake that I did for an old co-worker's best friend. The bride wanted a very simple cake which was convenient for me since this was my very first wedding cake and I was a nervous wreck (hehe). I was able get some experience making a wedding cake without having to attempt anything too complicated for my first try so I was happy. I thought it came out nice, and the bride and groom liked it too. 

For this cake, I made marble cake made from French vanilla and chocolate fudge cake batter. It was filled and iced in buttercream. The border of each layer was wrapped with a pink satin ribbon that matched a ribbon worn by the bride. The white and pink colors also match the colors of the tiger lillies that made up the bride's bouquet. The cake was stacked on columns, and topped with a beautiful jeweled H that represented the newlyweds last name "Hill".

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Princess Destiny's 11th Birthday

For my daughter Destiny's 11th birthday, I made her these Disney Princess themed cupcakes. We had a small party in a nearby park with some family and friends. Since the party was outside, I thought cupcakes would be easier to serve to the guests rather than dealing with a larger cake.

I made half of the cupcakes French vanilla, the other half chocolate fudge and iced them all with pink buttercream.

I decorated the cupcakes with rose colored rosebuds, rings featuring an assortment of Disney Princess pictures, and princess crown cupcake toppers. I set the cupcakes on this cute cupcake tower that I found at my local Walmart.

Here is a photo of the birthday princess.

Tropical Wedding Cake

This is a cake that I did for a friend of a co-worker of mine. The flowers chosen for this cake were inspired by the tropical beach themed colors from the wedding. This cake was made up of white cake, lemon filling, and buttercream icing.

The cake was decorated with silk ribbon and various silk flowers.

I love all of the bright tropical flower colors.