Sugar Swings! Serve Some: May 2014

Friday, May 23, 2014

Red White And Blue Frosted Cookie Stacks


Holy Cow, Memorial Day is almost here! And if you are like me, the long weekend totally snuck up on you and you may not have any time to prep for a last minute invite to a BBQ or party.  


That's ok, these super simple treats can be thrown together in about 15 minutes.  I'm not sure who first came up with frosting cookies, and stacking them, but it's pure genius. I love anything easy and cute, and these are most def both. 

Start with some store bought cookies.  Of course you can use home made if you just happen to be so inspired, but I always seem to have a packs of cookies laying around, you know, in case of emergency.


PLUS I found these gems at Trader Joes, Speculoos Cookies.  How have I never had these before?? Crisp caramelized cinnamon spiced cookies? Heck yeah.  AND they have such a cute little design on them.  AND this is also the stuff they use to make cookie butter.  Come on, Cookie Butter!!?


Start with some vanilla icing and tint some red and blue.  Pipe onto the cookies.  And sprinkles (optional).  The End.  

I used some homemade buttercream for this (I always seem to have some leftover in the freezer) but you can use store-bought too.  The piping makes them look "fancier"!


Use any assortment of cookies you have around. Add some sprinkles.  Sprinkles make me smile so I try to put them on everything.  Don't put them on meat, meat + sprinkles is just weird.  


These little cookie stacks even make a neat birthday treat in a pinch.  


Happy Memorial Day to you all and I'll be thinking of all the women and men who have served and their families that have lost loved ones while in service.   Enjoy the long weekend and be safe.


Tidy Mom's I'm Loving It
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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Hot Air Balloon Rainbow Madeleine Cookies


So if you follow the blog and all my blog ramblings, you may know that I like to re-use my baking pans for other purposes.  I got a madeleine pan a few years ago and it has definitely gotten it's monies worth.  Ever since I made these rainbow madeleines, I've been thinking these little buttery cookies/tea cakes would make neat little hot air balloons.  So I had to try.


I love the stripy and blocked colors!


They even stand up!

See more and the full tutorial here at SheKnows

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Thursday, May 15, 2014

Watermelon Blondie Bars



Is the 80+ degree weather on the East Coast making you think Summertime? Well it is right around the corner which also means everyone's fav summer fruit should be showing up in your local food stores and on farmer markets stands everywhere.  Woohoo!  Doesn't everyone love watermelon? Well if not they should!


Until it's officially in season, bake up some watermelon flavored and shaped blondie bars.  I know right?? Super fun.  

Check out more including the complete tutorial here at SheKnows. 

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Saturday, May 3, 2014

Star Wars Bundt Cake - Happy May the 4th Be With You Day!


Happy May the 4th Be With You aka Star Wars Day! 

You all are probably all to aware that we have huge (I mean HUGE) Star Wars fans in the house.  I can't tell you how much SW stuff we have, but lets just leave it at a lot.  And we can't just not celebrate the official un-official Star Wars Day.  So I made a cake.  A STAR WARS BUNDT CAKE!!!


AND because I love you all, I put YODA in the CAKE. 

OK in any other context that's a weird and creepy statement - so I'll just let you look at the cake!


I hope you can tell that's Jedi Master Yoda.


1) Because they are way cool
2) They were also on sale for half off
3) Yoda is da bomb (do kids still say that?)


Start by baking a tinted green boxed cake in a jelly roll pan.  Once cooled, cut out the shape (in this case Yoda heads) from the cake with the cutter.


And you get a bunch of Yoda heads.


Next, mix up another boxed cake mix (or your fav homemade cake recipe).  I used chocolate, because the official Star Wars cake flavor is chocolate.  Well maybe not but it should be.  Add a little of the cake batter to the bottom of a greased bundt cake.  Then add your cut out shapes (upside down so when you flip the bundt over, the shapes will be right side up).  Try to keep them as close together as possible.  Then cover with the rest of the cake batter.  

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 mins.  


Once cooled I iced with this icing and added some star sprinkles and blue tinted non-pareils, which were cool, but I thought it needed something else.  So I made some tiny light saber sprinkles.  

LIGHT SABER SPRINKLES!


They are made from blue, red, and gray candy melt.  (You could also use royal icing too).  Just pipe small lines with each color, and add some more black or red dots with candy melt as accents.  Once the candy hardens, sprinkle these on top while the icing is still wet.  

I couldn't wait til' the 4th to cut in.  


Yay!  A Star Wars Yoda Inside Bundt Cake!


And did you see they announced the cast for the new movie due out in 2015? Woo! Me and the other gagillion SW fans will be hoping for good things (and maybe a little cgi for Han, Luke, and Leia!)

Happy Star Wars Day to All! Have an Awesome Week!

Tidy Mom's I'm Loving It
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