neapolitan new year's eve cupcakes....!

...so this is it....done, done, and done for 2010 after the rest of these are iced for a party this new year's eve....!....the christmas layered cupcakes worked out really well....so decided to layer them up again to ring in 2011...start with these...

....your favorite chocolate, strawberry, and white cake recipe (or boxed cake....whatever works for you)....then cool and freeze them for a couple hours.....so you can slice them up...(pretty much impossible to slice unfrozen moist yummy cupcakes evenly without smooshing them all up).....

.....add some of your favorite frosting in between the layers....and some on top....then dress them up fancy.....went with some coconut....that seemed pretty festive and new year's eve'ish....

....it's hard to believe 2010 is almost over.....it seems like the months continue to fly by faster and faster....does time really speed up as you get older?....maybe....but it's all relative... (right einstein?).....in any case.....my new year's resolution this and every year is to enjoy every day to the fullest....and let go of stuff that is totally unimportant....(i'm talking about you type A personality.....you are taking a back seat this year....at least i will try my best....!).....

...i truly hope everyone had a great holiday with family and friends and will have nothing but a 2011 covered in awesome sauce.....oh and hope you like the cuppies....you definitely should use a fork to enjoy these to the fullest......!

....and this is for my better half (who reads the blog to find out some interesting tidbits about me ...which is tough after 18+ years)....

1. when i come home and the bed is made....it's like a birthday present :)
2. love love love it when you call the boys "son"
3. you know the Queen song you think is so corny....i think of you every time i hear it...."you're my best friend"

Tidy Mom's Im Lovin It

holiday treat boxes.....!

.....holiday treat boxes to hand out this year....hope everyone had a happy holiday weekend...and is enjoying the massive snow on the northeast coast...!

1. white chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting-topped with candy melt star "trees"
2. red velvet brownies

3. chocolate peppermint cupcakes with peppermint buttercream topped with crushed candy canes (boxed cake with 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract, vanilla buttercream with 1 teaspoon of the same extract)

4. candy melt coated marshmallows
5. sugar cookie bars
6. gingerbread drop cookies
7. chocolate cupcakes topped with candy melt grinches
8. same as 3 but edged in crushed candy canes
9. same as 7 but tinted buttercream and candy melt eyes and santie hat
10. candy melt "cupcake" truffles
11. gum drop snowmen (gum drops glued and accents with candy melts and royal icing)

frosted cookie bars.....!

....ran out of time for more decorated cookies....so went with bars....been seeing these on a bunch of blogs....but this recipe on annie's eats seemed like a goodie....and it was....!.....the lemon zest made the recipe...and i didn't even have the vanilla bean....and it was super quick and easy too.....the icing is my go to vanilla buttercream....and then topped with some white non-pareil sprinkles and medium sized sugar pearls.....

.....they were for the kiddos "holiday tea"...but would be great for a new year's eve party too.....!

simple marshmallow truffles...!

....or maybe christmas mushrooms.....since i was going for something that looked like a "cupcake"....but ended up more mushroomy...! either way...should be cute in the goodie boxes....start with these....

....dip bottom in candy melts.....and let harden a few minutes.....

...dip the other half in the candy melt color of your choice.......


...sprinkle with your favorite sprinkles......and your done...!

...another super simple treaty treat.....only a couple more treats to go......how many days left....?

simple cupcake truffles....!

....making some holiday treat boxes as thank you's for the kiddos teachers and for others....and besides the obvious cupcakes....needed some other fillers to mix it up a bit.....looking for cute and pretty stuff...that's also relatively simple.....so came across these the other day posted here....

....they are super simple and all you need are some candy melts...and if you happen to be a candy melt hoarder.....(not that i am at all...not obsessed with having every color made....definitely not)....you can probably make a bunch of these in no time.....

....used the tiny cupcake liners....they are even smaller than mini cupcake liners.........maybe they are really for candy concoctions.....anyway....used chocolate for the "cupcake" base...filled about half way up....and let set a few minutes.....

....then top with swirls of different colors of candy melts.....nuke in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until nice and melty....sprinkled with white sugar crystals....and a edible pearl as the topper....like i said...super simple and so pretty....!


....i just hope they peel out of the liner ok.....haven't tested that yet.....!

star wars gingerbread men....!

....or maybe gingerstar men....or starbread men....or starwarsmen.....or.....ok you get the picture....right?

....so 'tis the season for royal icing decorated holiday cookies....!....they are all over the blogosphere......and who doesn't love a good cookie with some hardened icing all over it....and if it's gingerbread...even better!.....if i haven't mentioned....we have star wars freaks living here.....lots of star wars paraphernalia all over the house.....like these coloring books......

.....for 3po, artoo, and the clone trooper "cookie cutters"....started with parchment and traced the dudes....cut them out and then traced onto cardboard....or some cardstock will do too....

...roll out your favorite cookie dough and cut out (just used a knife).......and bake....to get these unidentifiable cookie blobs.....

.....will leave the explanation of how to make royal icing and how to best decorate cookies to the pros (and there are definitely great experts out there---you make it look so easy!)....anyway...did the piping freehand by looking at the coloring book picture.....it took a bit of time...definitely get set up and have your royal icing colors ready to go.....picked the characters with the least amount of colors so i didn't need a ton of different colors for these......definitely amateur as you can see the black outline bled onto poor artoo.....(didn't have the patience to make sure the first layer was totally dry....lesson learned)....his red light is a cinnamon candy.....

....for those of you going...."but star wars doesn't scream christmas or hanukkah or even kwanzaa".....maybe you can say 3po is kinda santa and artoo....his little elf friend....that works right...?.....actually if you are a star wars freak as well.....you probably don't really need a holiday to celebrate these guys anyway.....

....and actually.....these little guys were so much easier and so much more fun....the kids actually picked these to eat before the other ones......had i known that i would have saved myself a couple hours this weekend.....!

.....would have done more characters too.....maybe set up a star wars scene....!....and for those of you hard core episode 4, 5, and 6 fans....screaming...."i can't believe she did a clone trooper and not a storm trooper!".....will tell you the same thing i told the 40 year old kid living here....these are not for you....they are for the real kids....and you know they really like episode 1, 2, and yes 3......sorry......!

grinch cupcakes....!

...ok now it feels like the holidays....!....so loving the 25 days of christmas on the abc family channel...and can't wait til the grinch comes on next week.....made these for the kiddos since they love the old cartoon..(yay!)......doesn't everyone love the grinch....?

....these are chocolate peppermint cupcakes with a peppermint buttercream (basic buttercream plus 1 teaspoon of extract)....one of the best cupcake flavors ever....if you like peppermint that is....but it's not over pepperminty at all.....the cake is a doctored paula deen chocolate cake mix (that was found in a cvs for like 99 cents...)....in place of the water.....used chocolate milk and added 2 teaspoons of this....

....the grinch heads and details are made with these.....(store bought candy melts/wafers)

.....and the "spooky green" found at michaels around halloween......worked out great for the grinch color.....!

....printed out some grinches (thank you google images!)...and traced him with the melted candy....(add candy wafers to a zip lock bag, microwave until candy is just melted, then snip off an end of the baggie and trace your design)

....it took a little time to do the detail....but it was fun...and candy melts are great because you can do them ahead of time and store them for when you need them....did these a couple nights ago....but then got another idea.....an awful idea....a wonderful, awful idea....!

....same cupcake and icing (tinted grinch green..which btw is some kelly green food gel to get a nice light green then add canary yellow food gel until you get the chartreusy color)....with his mean yellow eyes and a santie hat.....

eyes and santa hat are also candy melt

...ok ok ok...you *may* think he looks like a grinchy frog or grinchy jabba the hut......but i'm going with THE GRINCH....

....and what happened then?....well, in whoville they say that the grinch's small heart grew 3 sizes that day...and then....the true meaning of christmas came through and the grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus 2!....

heart is made with fondant tinted red

....maybe christmas doesn't come from a store....maybe christmas....perhaps...means a little bit more...happy holidays everyone....!

...oh yah....so i'm bringing cupcakes into the little's holiday party....leave a comment and let me know which grinch you like best....!!

Edited to add since there have been a lot of questions: the heart inside is made from fondant (store bought not homemade), tint red and shape into a heart....for these i baked the cupcakes first for about 6-7 minutes or so, then took them out and slide the fondant hearts in, and finished the baking....the hearts held their shape for me that way....you could also try hard heart shaped candy and see if that will work!