Elephant Cookies for Charity (Birthday Dreams) ... Royal Icing Cookies

Another fun cupcake delivery for my favorite charity that brings birthday's to homeless kids in shelters around Washington State. If you ever have extra party supplies or toys please think of Birthday Dreams, we can all make a child's special day be just that special! 

I've made Elephant Cookies for a baby shower before. This time I got to make fun ones for a special one year old!

What you Need:
Elephant Cookie Cutter
Royal Icing - Grey and Pink (see recipe below)
Black Edible Pen
Decorating pearls
Pipping Bag (w/ grey and pink royal icing)

I first outlined the elephant and let that dry to create a barrier. I then filled in with grey and smoothed out to fill in the elephants, BEFORE that dried I added the toes. I used small pearls on the feet to be the toes. I waited for them to dry to add the other details. I took a bag of pink to make the ears. When those finished I started on the last details. I added a tail, mouth, Eyes and details for the trunk. Since these were part of a cake delivery, I used as the toppers on cupcakes.

Click HERE to see who I link with.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Julie Usher, she has a GREAT YouTube video on how to make, color and make consistency adjustments. 

Royal Icing what you need:

2 lbs Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

5 Large Egg Whites (or equivalent) 

Flavor to Taste

Gel Icing Color

Mix powder sugar and cream of tartar in your mixer, just to make sure it is incorporated in. Slowly add egg whites, then whip start of slow then go to very high speed. She says around 2 minutes, my friend had an older mixer so it took almost 10 minutes. You want stiff peaks that hold on and won't fall off the spoon. Add in your flavor, I would suggest you use a clear flavoring.  This would be the glue texture great for ginger bread houses etc.

Take 1 cup of royal icing in a smaller bowl then add your coloring, lightly mix so you don't get air into the the icing. I'm like her and like the gel coloring. 

For Top Coating - Add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp Water (This is if you don't want to outline and flood)

For Outlining - Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp Water

For Flooding  - Add 2 to 3 tsp Water

WATCH her video on How to Top-Coat, Outline, and Flood Cookies. YES it is around 7 minutes BUT if you have never done this technique it's a MUST she explains it perfectly.

1st Birthday Giant Cupcake (Chocolate bottom)

Yesterday I showed you the 1 cookies made for a special 1 year old homeless boy in a shelter close to home. Many of you know I bake for a charity that brings birthday's to homeless kids in shelters around Washington. If you ever have extra party supplies or toys please think of Birthday Dreams, we can all make a child's special day be just that special! Since a First birthday NEEDS a smash cake or a special cake for the baby. I had to make a giant cupcake!

I had a large cupcake pan that my mother in law bought me a few years back and I put it to use. I started first with a chocolate base to fit my cupcake in! After I had chocolate poped out I filled my giant cupcake pan with the cupcake mix an baked up my cupcake.

What you Need:

Wilton Chocolate Melts
Giant Cupcake Pan
Frosted Cupcake

Sprinkles if you want

Melt your chocolate melts in the microwave (mine took around 30 sec). I sprayed my pan first with pam. I then put melted chocolate into the pan. I used a spoon to coat the pan. I put the pan in the freezer to harder fast. After that I resprayed the pan and baked up the giant cupcake. NOW ou can cut down the bottom to fit into the chocolate better but I just shoved it in. I frosted it to the MAX and added some special sprinkles!

Click HERE to see who I link with.

Dora The Explorer Star Cupcakes (Sugar Cookie Royal Icing Toppers) for Charity

The week of Christmas I was signed up for a cake delivery for a special 9 year old homeless girl in a shelter close to home. Many of you know I bake for a charity that brings birthday's to homeless kids in shelters around Washington. I know when we get close to the holiday's the volunteers go down so I always make sure I pick up any during this season. If you ever have extra party supplies or toys please think of Birthday Dreams, we can all make a child's special day be just that special!

 

I found on Dora Explorer Stars on Sweet Sugar Belle that I felt would be perfect. I have NOT mastered the ability to do faces, so I skipped doing Dora herself and went for her stars. I must say I was pretty happy with how it turned out. NOTE to self for next time DON'T put so much frosting on that when you put on a big topper you can't close the lid on the cupcake holder .. lol. I have done Dora the Explorer Before using modeling chocolate.

 

I'm a bit obsessed with royal icing cookies right now. I've been using the cookies as the toppers for my cupcakes I make. It's like the best of all words a cupcake with tons of frosting and a cookie to eat also!! My youngest is obsessed with this technique, yup he's so my child all about the sugar (I have no clue where he would get this from ... as she whistles and looks away .... lol).

 

What you Need:

Star Cookie Cutter (I have a 4 set I used the 3rd Largest one)

Frosted Cupcakes

Royal Icing - Yellow, Green, Pink and Purple (see recipe below)

Candy Eyeballs (I use Hobby Lobby's)
Piping Bag of darker Royal Icing (for Mouth and Eyebrows) - Yellow, Green, Pink and Purple

I used the dipping method with my royal icing. I started to do the dipping method about 6 months ago to speed up my decorating time. You can pipe each cookie which is a little cleaner but I find the dipping method to be the best. You get your royal icing to the outline consistency and put into a pie dish (I find this is not too deep). Once you dip the top of the cookie you tap off the extra icing! BEFORE the icing starts to dry, add on your candy eyeballs. This way when the icing drys it will hold the eyes on. Nothing like an eyeball falling off if you lift the cookie up. You can add on with icing once dry, but I found this way there is no chance of fall off. Once dry you can add your details.

For the mouths and eyebrows, I took the royal icing I used for dipping and added some more color to make it darker. I added the mouths a crescent moon shape and the little lines above the eyes for the eyebrows.

 

Click HERE to see who I link with.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Julie Usher, she has a GREAT YouTube video on how to make, color and make consistency adjustments. 

Royal Icing what you need:

2 lbs Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

5 Large Egg Whites (or equivalent) 

Flavor to Taste

Gel Icing Color

Mix powder sugar and cream of tartar in your mixer, just to make sure it is incorporated in. Slowly add egg whites, then whip start of slow then go to very high speed. She says around 2 minutes, my friend had an older mixer so it took almost 10 minutes. You want stiff peaks that hold on and won't fall off the spoon. Add in your flavor, I would suggest you use a clear flavoring.  This would be the glue texture great for ginger bread houses etc.

Take 1 cup of royal icing in a smaller bowl then add your coloring, lightly mix so you don't get air into the the icing. I'm like her and like the gel coloring. 

For Top Coating - Add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp Water (This is if you don't want to outline and flood)

For Outlining - Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp Water

For Flooding  - Add 2 to 3 tsp Water

WATCH her video on How to Top-Coat, Outline, and Flood Cookies. YES it is around 7 minutes BUT if you have never done this technique it's a MUST she explains it perfectly.

Pokemon Cookies used as Cupcake Toppers (Royal Icing)

One more fun cookie project made! As you most know that I work with a charity that brings birthday's to homeless kids staying in shelters. Please check out Birthday Dreams (they can use all donations). I had a request for an 9 y/o little girl wanting a Pokemon Theme. I've done a few Pokemon themes before for them so I thought I would try to do something different. I'm really loving royal icing and how the cookies make the perfect toppers.

  
What you Need:

Sugar Cookies cut into circles

Royal Icing in yellow, red white and blacj(recipe below)

AmeriColor Gel Food Coloring yellow, red and black (to dye Icing - This is my fav brand)

Food Pen in black and red

I used the dipping method with my royal icing. I started to do the dipping method about 6 months ago to speed up my decorating time. You can pipe each cookie which is a little cleaner but I find the dipping method to be the best. You get your royal icing to the outline consistency and put into a pie dish (I find this is not too deep). Once you dip the top of the cookie you tap off the extra icing and then you let dry! Once dry you can add your details.

For Pikachu I dipped in the yellow royal icing. When that was dry I took the food pens and drew on different Pikachu face's. I started with red cheeks using a red food pen (little circles toward the bottom of cookie). I than took a black food pen to draw on the eye's, nose, mouth and tongue (on a few). For the ones I added a tongue I used a red food been to color it in. for the open eyes I used white royal icing it add a dot like a twinkle in Pikachu's eye.  I'm no artist and was very worried about how they would turn out.

For the Pokemon balls I had to use the piping method. I started with white and made a half circle. I then piped on red for the other half of the circle. When that was dry I took black in a pipping back and drew a line between the red and white halves. I then added a black circle in the middle. After that dried I added a white circle in the middle of the black circle. I did this last part right before I left so when I put lid on some of the white came off (make sure you do this with time for it to dry!!). I let those dry before moving or adding to the cupcakes.

Once the cookies had dried I then added them to the top of frosted cupcakes. I'm obsessed with royal icing and love the way they come out. This way the kid not only gets a cupcake but a cookie, best of both worlds.
 

Click HERE to see who I link with.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3.	Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Julie Usher, she has a GREAT YouTube video on how to make, color and make consistency adjustments. 

Royal Icing what you need:

2 lbs Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

5 Large Egg Whites (or equivalent) 

Flavor to Taste

Gel Icing Color

Mix powder sugar and cream of tartar in your mixer, just to make sure it is incorporated in. Slowly add egg whites, then whip start of slow then go to very high speed. She says around 2 minutes, my friend had an older mixer so it took almost 10 minutes. You want stiff peaks that hold on and won't fall off the spoon. Add in your flavor, I would suggest you use a clear flavoring.  This would be the glue texture great for ginger bread houses etc.

Take 1 cup of royal icing in a smaller bowl then add your coloring, lightly mix so you don't get air into the the icing. I'm like her and like the gel coloring. 

For Top Coating - Add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp Water (This is if you don't want to outline and flood)

For Outlining - Add 1/2 to 3/4 tsp Water

For Flooding  - Add 2 to 3 tsp Water

WATCH her video on How to Top-Coat, Outline, and Flood Cookies. YES it is around 7 minutes BUT if you have never done this technique it's a MUST she explains it perfectly.

Minion Cupcakes (Modeling Chocolate Toppers) for Birthday Dreams Charity

Here's another post I'm behind on posting. These cupcakes I made a few months back. I signed up for for a Minion themed party for Birthday Dreams (bringing birthday's to homeless kids). I did a little searching on Google and found some minion faces and I went to decorating. Some modeling chocolate and bam cupcake toppers!

What you Need:
Modeling Chocolate in yellow, purple and black (See Recipe at the bottom)
Circle Cookie Cuter

Square Cookie Cuter (formed into straps for eyes)
Candy Eyes
Black Food Marker 

Frosted Cupcakes

I had modeling chocolate in several different colors made up before from previous projects. I took yellow and purple and cut out circles. For the faces I cut out black for the straps of the eyes. I added candy eyes to the faces, for the circles around the eyes I added circles around they eyes. For the yellow faces I took some silver dust and went around the eyes. Purple I left purple around the eyes. I took the black food marker to draw on hair and mouths. I then put the toppers on top of frosted cupcakes.

Click HERE to see who I link with.

Modeling Chocolate

12oz Candy Melts

1/4 Cup light corn Syrup

Melt your Candy Melts in microwave (mine takes about 2 minutes). Stir them to become smooth and add the corn syrup.  It will become thick and form a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit out and dry.  Takes a few hours or over night is best. (Alexis note: I found to roll this out use a little powder sugar (like you would do with flour), also you have to kneed it a little like you would dough to make it easy to roll out).