Happy Baking: A guest post by Tiffany

We asked our long-time friend Tiffany do a guest post on our blog. She lives in Nebraska and reguarly makes cakes and cookies for special occasions. She does a great job so we asked her to give us some favorite recipes and tips.

From Tiffany:
I was asked by these gals to do a guest post, and I will say that I feel honored! I will start off by saying that often times I find fun ideas off of the internet, and then adapt them to my style or tastes, so I am thankful for the creativity of others. One of my favorite sites to learn off of is Karen's Cookies. That woman is amazing, and I only hope some of my things turn out half as good as hers.

So, that being said, I will give you some fool proof recipes, baking tips that I have learned with time, and fun decorating ideas!

I am going to start off with cut out sugar cookies. This is the recipe that I use, and have never had a problem with it. They taste wonderful, and are just that right texture to hold together without breaking, but also soft to chew. It is a family recipe that was passed down to me.
Cut Out Cookies
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1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. cream of tarter
Mix butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients. Roll 3/8 inch thick and cut with cutters. Bake at 350 for approximately 8 minutes.

I will say that you must use real butter, and that the 8 minutes can depend upon the size of your cookies, and your oven. You may also add 1/2 c. cocoa in place of 1/2 c. of the flour to make these chocolate.



A few tips to making this easier and less messy:
Tip #1: Use parchment paper or a baking mat on your cookie sheet. Your cookies will bake more evenly, and it is a cinch to clean up your pans. If you do your cookies on a stick, it also helps the cookie to hold to the stick better.

Tip #2: Use a rolling pin that has spacers, so that your dough is all even in thickness.

Tip #3: When it is time to clean up your flour mess on the mat or countertop, take a paper towel, or something dry, and clean it all up before using your wet rag. Then you don't have paste to clean up.
Now I will give you a frosting recipe that is super easy, and always gives your cookies a nice smooth shiny finish. You can then sprinkle them, or use decorater icing to do detail. I got this one from Wilton.

Poured Cookie Icing
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1 c. sifted confectioner's sugar
2 t. milk
2 t. light corn syrup
Place sugar and milk in bowl.Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add corn syrup, Mix well.

This is one you kind of have to experiment with to get the right consistancy for what you are doing. I find that this is usually too thick for me, so I just add corn syrup gradually until I achieve the consistancy I want. To pipe around the edges of a cookie put frosting in a plastic squeeze bottle or cut the tip off a baggie and fill with frosting. Squeeze around edges of cookie.






Rice Krispy Bouquet
Mix up rice krispy treats according to package directions. Sprinkle them with whatever you would like. Let them set, then cut with cookie cutters and poke a stick into the bottom part to create a lollipop effect. I used a heart for Valentine's Day, and it was about a 3 inch cutter. It can't be too big, or it will fall off the stick. I also tried dipping them in chocolate melts (almond bark would also work.) and they were so pretty! Something that is super fast, easy to throw together, and who doesn't like them?



I love to bake and create in the kitchen, and it is my favorite thing to hear people say " This is just too pretty to eat!" Then I know I have accomplished what I wanted. Happy Baking!