St. Patrick's Day Treats Roundup!

You know, St. Patty's Day is one of my favorite holidays.  And do you know why????  It's because it is my oldest niece's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!  And this year is a BIG one!  She's turning 12!  In fact, I can't believe it....but it's true, she's turning the big 1-2 in just a week!  So here's some cute green inspired treats for your fest!

Leprechaun Pie recipe here

Recipe here.

Tutorial here.

Rainbow (pot o gold cake) recipe

Love this cake!

Easy and cute!

Cute!

Love these!  Clever!

Isn't this just darling?????

And this has got to be my very favorite find....

credit

Hope these give you some ideas for treats for school parties, birthday parties or just St. Patty's Day parties!  :)

Homemade Oreos

Oreos.  You know, I never really liked store-bought oreos that well.  The "chocolate" cookies never really even tasted like chocolate to me, and the only ones I would eat were double filled. (Which are somehow addictive though....)  Anyway, I had wanted to try my hand at making them at home but couldn't ever get my hands on the special cocoa (Black Onyx) that makes them so super dark!

That is, until I discovered that there is a Savory Spice Shop in Raleigh, NC!  I fell in love with Savory Spice back in CO (where there are a few on the front range) but had NO idea, until this week, that there were any in other states!!!  So, on Wednesday I ventured over to their store and bought some (actually 8 oz.) of Black Onyx Cocoa Powder as well as some other spices and seasoning.  If you haven't ever heard of, or been to a Savory Spice, I highly recommend them!  :)  It's more than just a spice shop, it's a whole experience!  On to the recipe, so you, too can make these delicious sandwich cookies at home! :)

Cookies:
1/2 c. Butter, softened (1 stick)
1 c. Sugar
1/2 t. Salt
1 Egg
1/4 c. Water
1/2 c. Black Onyx Cocoa
1/4 c. Your Favorite Cocoa
1 t. Vanilla
2 c. Flour

Cream Filling:
1/2 c. Shortening
1 T. Cold Water
2 c. Confectioners Sugar
1 T. Vanilla

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.  Cream together the butter and sugar.

 

 3.  Mix in salt and the egg until well combined.

 4.  Add the cocoas (see the difference in color to regular cocoa and the black onyx?) and mix well.

 5.  Add water and vanilla mixing.

 6.  Add flour and mix until well combined.  It will be pretty dark still.  Yummy. :)

 7.  Place balls (either from a scoop or just make them in your hands) on a lined baking sheet.

 8.  Flatten with something like this above, until they are your desired thickness or about 1/8" thick.  (See pics below for alternate way of making thin cookies. :)

 9.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes.  Check every few minutes to make sure they don't burn.  :)  Cool on cooling rack.

10.  While the cookies are baking you can start on the filling.  First combine shortening and water in your mixer until somewhat fluffy. (like pic below)

 11.  Mix in vanilla and confectioners sugar until creamy and well combined.

 12.  Once cookies are cooled you can start filling them.  Yum.  You should probably taste one just to make sure they are alright at this point.  Or two, or three.   I'm just saying you might want need to.  ;)

 I made some regular (small) ones, medium ones and bigger ones.  Although the bigger ones remind me more of a whoopie pie even though they are crispy....

Remember you can fill them with as much or as little filling as you want too!  :)  Just the way you like 'em! :)  Joys of baking them yourself!  Enjoy!  I found these to be much better than the original.  They taste like chocolate, look super cute and the filling is fantastic!  :)

Here's another (and probably easier/better) way to get thin perfectly matching cookies to sandwich together!  :)

Once the dough is all mixed together, roll it out on a floured surface.

 Then use a small glass (or circular cookie cutter) to cut out perfect little circles.

 Dust off excess flour and peel away the scraps of dough (to roll out later) and place the cookies on a baking sheet.

 Bake as directed above (325 for 8-10 minutes) and let them cool before filling.

Yum!  :)  Even more like the original--but better because they are homemade!  :)

Pin It

Dessert Ideas for Royal Wedding View Parties

From Marzipan candies to cupcakes and more!  I've come up with some ideas fit for your Royal Wedding Viewing Party! :)

Cupcakes.  We all love them.  There is just something about that little personal sized cake that gets us everytime....or am I just talking about myself?  :)  Either way, here's a couple of ideas for treats for your party.    You can make designs using food color and a toothpick like I have done below....  And then frost them as usual then with a heart on top with frosting or invert the whole cupcake and frost with this rose-like pattern.  (If you'd like to do a whole cake this way here's the tutorial for that.)  Then you can top that creation with some silver sprinkles or some marzipan candies like below! :)

 I thought cute little wedding themed (and love of course) candies would be fun so I molded these out of Marzipan.  You can get Marzipan lots of places like grocery stores and specialty food/craft stores!  :)  get creative!  I tried to!  You can see rings, love birds, hearts, a wedding cake and a pretty funny looking rose below.  :)

Finger foods are always great for parties and British finger foods would be best here!  So think scones, jams, marmalades, lemon curd and lots of tea for your party!  

Hot Cross Buns.  If doing them for the viewing party why not put circles for rings on top?

Valentine's Day Post

 "My funny valentine.  Sweet, comic valentine; who makes me smile with my heart..."  ~Frank Sinatra, Funny Valentine
Here's a guide to practically everything you'll need to ensure your and your sweetie have a memorable St. Valentine's Day.  This post contains:  breakfast, desserts and some decor for the big heart day that's just around the corner!  <3  So whether you like it simple or more complex--there should be something here for ya!  :)

Make someone's heart melt with these cute brownies!  <3

 Just make your favorite brownies, then when you are ready to serve cut a heart shape out of the middle of a little paper plate. (below)  Then hold the heart over each brownie and sift powdered sugar over it.  Super cute right?  And super easy! :)  

Chocolate Crescents. Simple and yummy.

 Chocolate Fondue.  Yum-O!  :)  or cheese fondue too.

Or you could just make chocolate dipped strawberries.

Crepes.  A definite fave in our house.  :)  Great for breakfast or dessert!

 Chocolaty Coffee Cheesecake.

 Red Velvet Cupcakes.  Red and chocolate?  Perfect!  :)  Top these off with heart sprinkles. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispie Treats  Chocolate and PB? Sweet!  These would be super cute cut out as hearts! <3

Chocolate Candies, etc....

Buckeyes.  Now Chocolate and really, really creamy peanut butter?  Yum.

Chocolaty treats you can make....yum :)

Easy Chocolates and Truffles

Heart Napkins/centerpiece/runner

Heart Banner.

And here's a little something in case you two cuddle up by the fire.  :)  Hot Chocolate Williams-Sonoma Style.

Or how about a Valentine's Pizza?  You could either by a heart shaped one like this from Papa Murphy's or make one at home!  :)

Hope these ideas and recipes help you to have a great and memorable Valentine's Day this year!  Happy Valentine's Day!!  I love my readers!!!  :)  Here are more dessert recipes.

Easy Chocolates or Truffles

"Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone.  I love you, and that's all I really know.  I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress, It's a love story, baby just say yes."  ~Love Story by Taylor Swift
Yep, I think that's my very, very favorite song e.v.e.r!  :)  And here's another idea for treats to make for your sweetie or kids for Valentine's Day!  It's just under a month away, and these are easy to make for someone special or with someone special!  :)

 Easy Peasy Chocolates or Truffles:

4 oz. Chocolate* (chips or bars, your choice)

14 oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Vanilla optional (1-3 t.)

Toppings like....coconut, chocolate jimmies, sprinkles, non perils, cocoa powder, etc...
Optional:  Mini cupcake cups

*Add more chocolate (3 c. choc. chips according to this) if you are making truffles so they will set up nicely.  
(I used 4 oz. of 85% cacao Lindt Chocolate and it was just perfect for the chocolates I made!)

 These are the toppings I used for my chocolates. As you can tell half are V-day themed and the others aren't.  

 Mini cupcake cups.  These came in super handy, but you don't have to use them...it just makes it much less messy and more professional!  :)

1.  Start out by slowly heating the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan.  Stir frequently.

2.  Once it is all combined and melted, mix in vanilla if you'd like.  Then pour into another dish and refrigerate for 1-2 or so hours.

Transferring chocolate from pan to dish...yum... :)

 3.  Once the chocolate is chilled, you can scoop it out by the spoonful and roll in toppings...

 Be sure to have fun while you are doing this...

 Don't take yourself too seriously either....

 After all, it's ok if the sprinkles get a little mixed up... :)

 These are going to taste chocolaty and amazing!  :)

 4.  Arrange on a platter/plate and then place in the fridge for another hour or so.  (Don't they look so cute and Valentinezy?!  (Yep, I like to make up words...)

Then...you can dig in and enjoy.  Or give them as gifts.  :)