Easter Egg Cookies Made (Royal Icing)

My regular cookie client posted on Facebook about a current order she placed with me for her son's upcoming birthday. A friend of hers sent me a message for some Easter Egg cookies. I have done this cool trick before on royal icing for the Firework Cookies and the Leaf Cookies. So I thought I bet I could do on Easter eggs also, and BAM it worked out pretty darn cool!
 

What you Need:
Sugar Cookie Dough (See recipe below / this is my fav)
1 Egg Shape Cookie Cutter
Royal Icing - Non -colored (white), Pink, Yellow, Blue and Green (recipe below)
AmeriColor Gel Food Coloring (Pink, Yellow, Blue and Green)
Pipping Bag

NOW most people pipe the white on the cookie, I found a while back on Pinterest the dunk  and tap way. You place the cookie in the royal icing and tap off the extra, I then put on the table and tap again so no bubbles. I colored 4 batches of royal icing with Pink, Yellow, Green and Blue. Pipe a line of each coloring onto the WET white royal icing. I used 2 colors per cookie. Take a toothpick from the from the and pulled down of each cookie. I then would pull up next to it. I alternated up and down until I reached the edge. Let the cookies set up and serve, I found the best is to make these a day ahead so they have several hours to harden. NOW I LIKE thick cookies and my royal icing is a bit thicker than the normal person. So it takes longer to dry!

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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.

Alexis Note: I love this cookie recipe, but I add almond along with the vanilla extract. I also use clear of both.

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.

Egg-Cellent Teacher Gift!

I'm always on the look out for fun and easy Teacher gifts. Teacher's work so hard and we've been blessed with some amazing ones over the few years. Caden just loves his teacher and how she is lifting him up and showing him how to be a better version of himself!

 

I found this super simple gift on Lil' Luna with a free printable, AND it's not just for Teachers she has one for a Neighbor and Friend!

 

 

What you Need:

Egg Candy (I LOVE Malt balls so that is what I got .. JUST in case I had extra that had to be eaten)

Mason Jar (Found small version at Dollar Tree $1)

Easter Ribbon (Found at Michael's $1)

Cupcake Liner (I added for a little extra flair)

Card Stock (Print her FREE printable on Card Stock)

 

Fill your mason jar with the Egg candy. I wrapped the cupcake liner around disk part of the lid, she painted hers (I didn't have the extra time). Add the ribbon with the print out on card stock (I ran out of white and had to use yellow).  Done!

 

 Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Treats for My Peeps (Classroom Gifts)

I'm still alive I promise .. lol. I've been working and traveling to Boston more then I have ever. As soon as I got home from my last trip and just started to get my land legs and had to hop back on a plane to help and another event in Boston for work. I'm home this week trying to catch up family and all that fun stuff. I wanted to post a quick post to show the cute treats I made for Caden's classmates. This was the EASIEST thing I've done and so darn cute! I had everything at the house just had to grab peeps from The Dollar Tree.

 

I found this cute idea with a FREE printable on Simple as That, and true to the name of her blog it really was simple as that!

 

 

What you Need:

Peeps (Pack of 8 $1 Dollar Tree)

Bags (Pack of 40 $1 Dollar Tree - I had some in my crafting box)

Ribbon (I used Twin left over in my crafting box)

Lollipop sticks (or you can use paper straws - Used what I found in my crafting box)

Card Stock (I only had yellow, white would have been better)

Scissors

Hole Punch

She made a cute printable you can use then trim with scissors and add a hole w/ hole punch for ribbon/string. Take a Peep and push a lollipop stick into the bottom of the peep. Place in clear bag. Close with ribbon/string and the cute label. BAM done!!

 

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.

Hoppy Easter ... Jelly Bean Bark

And last on our Easter list is Jelly Bean Bark, I saw several different ideas but came across a Spring Candy Bark on Three Kids and a Fish. She used M&M's but I had jelly beans on hand so I used that instead. I think next time I'll make with the M&M's, I really like the look of hers!

What you need:

White Candy melts (I used 2 bags)

Orange Candy melts

Yellow Candy melts

Jelly Beans or M&M's

Parchment paper

Melt your candy melts in microwave safe bowls (I use my glass pampered chef bowls). I melted white first and spread on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I then did drops of yellow and orange. Using a knife I swirled making a marble look. Put the Jelly Beans on top of the melted candy (you may want to push them in a little bit).  Let the bark set up and then break it up and serve. I found bags at Micheal's and put them in that to hand out.

Hope you all had a GREAT Easter!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Hoppy Easter ... Bunny Bait Polish

And again yes I'm late with this post but save it for next year  .. lol. I found this perfect idea on Homemaking Hacks for Bunny Bait Polish. Super easy to make and was a perfect gift for our tutor and my best friend!

What you need:

Orange Polish

Green Construction Paper

Clear Bag

Ribbon

Hot Glue Gun

White Card Stock

Peep (optional add on)

Wrap the green construction paper around the top of the nail polish.  I used a glue gun to glue it down. I folded my construction in half so it gave a little extra paper to work with. I then made cuts on the paper to look like the top of the polish.  Fluff it up so the paper separates. Print the free printable Dawn made, I printed on card stock then took a hole punch to add to the bag with a piece of ribbon. I use the clear bags (25pk $1) from the dollar tree. I added a extra peep into one bag. Easy and perfect gift!

Hope you all had a GREAT Easter!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Hoppy Easter ... Easter Coffee Gift

I was grand plans to post this Sunday AM, well it of course got a little busy .. lol.  I know I'm a bit late but this will be a great one to save for next Easter. I wanted to do something fun and easy for the Teachers and came across Bunny Brew Mini Coffee Cup Easter Treat Holder on Sue Stampfield's blog for Stampin Up. NOW I love stamps but that is not one of my strong suits so I took her idea and created it with my Cricut machine.

What you need:

White Coffee Cup (Target 6pk $3.99)

White Coffee Lid (same pack)

White Card Stock

Pink Card Stock

Cotton Ball

Blush

Pink ribbon

Black Sharpie

Glue

Hot Glue

You can use Oval cutters or punches to do this.  I'm on the let's make this quick so I used my Cricut.  I used my George and Basic Shape Cartridge that came with my machine. I swear I use this cartridge for almost every project.

With your white card stock cut 2 large ovals (I used the skinny oval option - 4") for bunny ears. 2 medium ovals (I used the fat oval option - 2") for the feet.  I also cut a tag out (it even cuts out a dot for you to put the ribbon through). 

With your pink card stock cut a small heart (I used the skinny heart option - 1") for the nose. 2 medium ovals (I used the skinny oval option - 2") for the inside of ears. For the dots on the feet I couldn't get a circle small enough so I printed a B (4") and used the bottom dot of the B for the dots :).

I attached the heart for the nose.  Then using a sharpie I made a mouth and eyes.  NOW her's were perfect and amazing mine had a little character .. lol.  I wrote Hoppy Easter in the card tag.

I glued the pink on the white for the ear, then added the pink on the oval for the feet.  I then glued the ears (the back outside top of the lid) and feet on to the cup. I took my hot glue to glue a cotton ball on for the tail. I made a bow and hot glued it to the top lid.

I took some blush and a cotton ball to add the cheeks. I then took a hole punch to a Starbucks gift card made a hole and a then made a hole in the top side of the cup. I then attached to my tag and gift card with a ribbon to the cup. Put the lid on and done!

Hope you all had a GREAT Easter!

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Easter Peep S'Mores ... Easy Classroom Treat

Easter is just around the corner and I had big plans to get the treats for the class done in advance. I also had an idea to do one for Caden's class and one for Cole's class. WELL time has gotten the best of me and I'm done to the wire and having only one project to do!

I kept seeing Peep S'More's all over pinterest, so forgive me if I don't link the right person but I'll post the one that came up the most. Peep S'mores found on Confetti by Lexi. Since I needed to make like 45+ of these I needed a print out that had a lot on one page. I searched and searched but couldn't find the exact one. WELL I found some on Etsy but I didn't want to pay for a class gift on top of what I've bough already. My husband is already all over me for making treats for every holiday. So I found a great free printable on Craftibilities for Peep S'More's I copied her one square pasted into a word doc and made it the right size to have 6 per page. I added a text box and typed the boys name and put on top of the printable next to the From:. 

What You Need:

Peep's (12 Per Pack $1 Dollar Tree)

Graham Crackers

Hersey Bars (I used Crunch Bar's)

Plastic Bags (25 pk $1 Dollar Tree)

Ribbon ($1 Michael's)

White Card Stock Paper

Whole Punch

Scissors

Ink Jet Printer

Add one Peep to your plastic bag, add 2 graham cracker squares to the middle of the botto of your bag and then add a chocolate bar.  (I couldn't find Hersey bars, after 2 stores I resorted to Crunch Bars). Cut your tag out and add a whole with your whole punch. Tie up bag with a ribbon and add your tag to the bag. BAM your done!

Any Easter Treat Plans?

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Bunny Buns (Easter Treats)

Next on our list for the Easter Egg Hunt was a fun treat Bunny Buns that I found on Melissa's Cuisine. These turned out so cute, now mine were a little on the fluffy bunny side ... but that is the way this lady rolls ... lol. No literally it was my rolling technique didn't make them skinny enough .. hehehe (what a little baking humor didn't kill anyone). 

These were pretty easy to make and didn't take to much time.  I thought since they weren't something decorated they may not be a big hit. I was happy to see almost all were gone with in 20 minutes!  They were so yummy I probably could eat them all day long ... you know if I didn't want my jeans to ever zip up again!

Makes 14 buns

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

1 heaping Tablespoon yeast

5-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 cup butter, melted

1.  Pour milk into a small microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, until warm.

2.  Sprinkle the yeast on the warm milk and set it aside to proof while you mix the other ingredients.

3.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

4.  Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

5.  Pour the milk and yeast mixer into the dough and mix using the dough attachment until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

6.  Divide the dough into 15 equal sized pieces.

7.  Roll each piece of dough into a long rope (like you're making pretzels).  Set aside 1 strip to use for the bunny tails.

8.  Form a bunny with each piece of dough by twisting the top of the dough together and leaving a "keyhole" at the bottom.

9.  Divide the reserved dough strip into 14 equal pieces and roll them into balls to use for the bunnytails.  Place the tails in the opening at the bottom of the buns.  

10.  Cover the bunnies with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

11.  Remove the plastic wrap and bake the buns at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown.

12.  Brush the hot rolls with melted butter after removing from the oven    

Any Easter Plans?

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

Bunny Puffs (Sweet Easter Treats)

Every year my friend holds a 1,000 egg hunt, it's something we look forward to every year. This year she had moved out of state, we all were very sad not only to see her go but our annual party. Then surprise surprise she fly's back in to visit and hold the party!  It was great to have this early so we could attend!  I flew back in Friday PM / Saturday AM so I was a little jet lagged but was able to make a few things for the party on Sunday.

I had these Bunny Puffs from Pillsbury saved on Pinterest and gave them a try.  NOW I went for the regular sized peanut butter cups. So mine were a little on the chubby side probably be better with the mini peanut butter cups. But over all they were cute!

Ingredients

1

can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

8

miniature chocolate-covered peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped

8

white miniature marshmallows, cut in half

4

pink miniature marshmallows, cut in half

16

blue miniature candy-coated semi-sweet chocolate baking bits

Step

• 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper; spray paper with cooking spray.
• 2 Unroll dough and separate into 8 triangles. Place 1 peanut butter cup in center of 1 triangle. Gently stretch corners closest to and farthest from cup together at top of cup, pinching edges together to seal around cup. Pull up third corner; firmly pinch edges to seal. Place on cookie sheet; twist 2 longest tips of dough to make ears. If desired, bend down longer ear. Repeat with remaining dough triangles and peanut butter cups, shaping and trimming dough as needed for desired shape.
• 3 Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until puffs begin to brown. Place 2 white miniature marshmallow halves and 1 pink marshmallow half on center of each for bunny nose. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until puffs are golden brown and marshmallows are slightly puffed.
• 4 For eyes, immediately place 2 blue baking bits on white miniature marshmallows for pupil; remove puffs to cooling rack.

ALEXIS NOTES: I picked up jumbo crescent rolls and large peanut butter cups. I used large candy eyes and some black decorating gel for whiskers. I couldn't find pink marshmallows so I used mini white ones.

Any Easter Plans?

Thanks for Stopping by!

Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE. 

It's a Wrap!

It's been a crazy week with a lot packed in.  We had Easter, Cole's 10th Bday and Me trying to put finishing touches on the coming party.  Plus a little gym funny!

We had a Egg hunt at my parents house.

All Money man to be a kid again .. lol

YES I know this is not what Easter is about

But I love our Church has a bunny.

This is probably the last year I'll get Cole

with the bunny so I'm taking it!

I surprised Cole with my dad for his birthday.

We delivered Pizza and the creeper Cupcakes.

I don't know what it is about me, BUT every day I start my class at the Y and then the late comers come in.  AND they always decide that my personal bubble is where they must be.  I actually had to walk away Wednesday due to 2 ladies who where so close they were touching me.  I have a big thing with my personal bubble .. lol.  Instead of having a panic attack or doing something I would regret I moved :).

This was so me! I swear they were glued to me!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!