Chocolate Mint Oreo Cupcakes

One of my all time favorite cookies are Oreos! Who doesn't love these chocolate sandwich cream-filled cookies? The variety of flavors sure have come a long way since I was a little kid! One of my new favorite flavors is the Cool Mint. So here's to enjoying one amazing cookie inside of a delicious cupcake jam-packed with chocolate and mint! Head on over to Half Baked to check out the recipe for these Chocolate Mint Oreo Cupcakes!

Did you know this month Oreo celebrates it's 100th birthday! What is your favorite Oreo cookie flavor?

Thomas the Train Birthday Cake

Here's a cake I made back in January for one of my favorite birthday boys...Joshua, who turned 4! This is the 3rd year in a row I've made his birthday cake! Let's just say he's giving me some good practice on boy-themed cakes since our little boy will be arriving in about 18 days and then for years to come I'll get to make his birthday cakes too!

Apparently Thomas the Train is the new trend with little ones these days, and I'm sure I will come to find this out very soon as well! I picked up a few Thomas the Train toys at the store to add to the top of the cake and then thought it would be cute to make some train tracks all around the edge.

The birthday boy was super excited when he came to pick up his cake!

He was wearing his Thomas the Train shirt in preparation for his party...how cute is that! Of course I had to get him a few toys to go with the party theme as well.

He loved his new Thomas the Train puzzle and book! Isn't that the best face ever! Love that little smile!

Happy Birthday Joshua! Sorry I'm just now getting your cake posted to the blog...I know you've been anxiously awaiting for it to go up!

I also made him some tractor cookies to share with his friends at school for his birthday!

Bow Tie Cupcake Toppers

Bow Tie Baby Boy shower themes seem to be a new trend these days! I was so excited when my friend Hannah contacted me about making some bow tie cupcakes for her sister's baby shower! She sent me the shower invite for color inspiration and I absolutely fell in love! I think it's because her colors for the shower featured some of the same colors...green, blue and orange that we are currently decorating our nursery in for the arrival of our little boy in just over a month!

Unfortunately I didn't snap photos of the step-by-step process of making these bow ties but the they are super simple.

Bow Tie Supplies:

-fondant (tinted in the colors of your choice)
-a 1.5" square cutter
-a round cutter (I used the end of a decorating tip)
-a Pastry Wheel
-fondant roller & cutting mat
-paint brush
-water

1.Tint fondant desired colors.
2.Roll out colored fondant using fondant roller on cutting mat.
3.Use 1.5" square cutter to cut out square shapes.
4.Use your pastry wheel to cut diagonally through your square shapes to make an "X". This will create 4 triangles within the square and give you 2 bow tie shapes.
5.Pull apart the triangle shapes opposite each other to use for a single bow tie.
6.Place triangle shapes tip to tip with a little space in between.
7.Cut out your round fondant shapes to create the center of the bow tie.
8.Using a small dab of water and your paint brush place water on the triangle tips of each bow tie and place the round circle on top. Allow to try overnight.
9.Once fondant bow ties have hardened then place on top of cupcakes.

If you want to create some custom bow ties with different patterns such as stripes or polka dots then start by rolling out white fondant and making the bow ties following the steps above. To paint designs on them you will need a little vodka, color gel and a paint brush. Put a small dab of color gel on a paper plate and add the tiniest drop of vodka to the color and mix with your paint brush. Then start drawing your patterns on the bow ties. The vodka/gel mixture will dry overnight and you will have some super cute bow ties!

I was thrilled with how these turned out and just couldn't help snatching a ton of pictures! Hope you enjoy! I definitely think I'll be using the bow tie theme sometime in the near future with a party theme for our little boy!

Ombre Red Velvet Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and I've got the perfect sweet for you to share with your loved ones this year! Decorated with ruffles in shades of pink to red, these are a fancy version of your typical Red Velvet Cupcakes. I've also swapped out the traditional cream cheese icing for a white chocolate buttercream which I think you are going to LOVE! These are absolutely delicious and a must make for your sweetie!

I have been dying to try the ombre technique ever since I came across these stunning cakes over at Half Baked last year. I knew February would be the perfect month to have some fun with various shades of icing and my piping tips!

Although the various shades and layer upon layer of icing may appear a bit intimidating these cupcakes really are super easy to make! I'm sharing the recipe and all the tools & tips you will need to recreate this decorating technique over at Half Baked!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Have you ever decorated something sweet with the ombre technique...I'd love to hear all about it!

XOXO

Sugar Cookie Disaster + Minnie Mouse

Baking these days seems to be all about cookies in my kitchen! I've made my sugar cookie recipe a million times and have it memorized...however with this batch of cookies (well actually the 2 batches prior to the ones pictured above) something just wasn't right and I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. So get ready for a good laugh...as I am blaming this sugar cookie disaster on my "pregnancy brain" and being forgetful and clumsy these days!

So I started off making sugar cookies like I always do...I beat the butter and sugar as normal, added the eggs, vanilla and dry ingredients and realized the batter was a little on the sticky side. Telling myself it was because I used a different brand of butter this time around I proceeded to roll and cut my cookies. I put the cookies in the oven to bake, however the cookies were not getting done and I had to add an additional 5-6 minutes to the normal baking time. Still just blaming this out of the ordinary baking experience on using a different brand of butter. Then as the cookies continue to take forever to bake they are spreading out into unrecognizable blobs and no longer Minnie Mouse ears. Still I'm blaming the butter and have no clue what is going on with my recipe. So what do I do, proceed to make a second batch of cookies...and still I get the same results...baffled at what is going on. It was not until I was pulling the last pan of cookies from the second batch out of the oven that it dawns on me...I only used 2 cups of flour instead of 3 cups! I couldn't believe I had just spent an hour baking and had made such a stupid mistake!

I laughed it off, took a little break and then proceeded to remake 2 batches of cookies with the proper ingredient amounts and came out with these super cute Minne Mouse ears! I will now forever remember that I need 3 cups of flour in my sugar cookie recipe!

What kind of baking disasters have you had lately in your kitchen!

Due Date Cookies

As you may remember from this post I am expecting a little one coming in March! Well since that last post we have found out we are having a little boy! I can't believe the time has flown by so fast and he will be here in just under 9 weeks! To share the exciting news I thought it would be fun to create some "due date" cookies. This is my spin off of some wedding save the date cookies I came across one day while browsing the web. Our little boy will be here on or around March 22! There's still lots to do with decorating the nursery and coming up with a name!

I'm so excited that I get to share in this exciting time with my great friend Jennifer who is also pregnant with her first child, a little girl coming just 6 weeks before our boy! You may remember the gender reveal cake I made for Jennifer! So of course I had to make Jennifer and baby Cora some of their own cookies too!

Jennifer and I have had a great time being pregnant together and sharing all kinds of crazy stories about our growing bellies and nursery plans! I'm so glad I have a great friend to share in this amazing experience with! Our kids will be instant friends and we always joke and say they will get married some day!

Stay tuned for more baby updates! I'm excited to see if these due date cookies are accurate for both of us!

If you have any suggestions for little boy names I'd love to hear them!

Italian Cream "Snowball" Cupcakes

Happy New Year! WOW it has been a LONG time since I have posted, and I am so sorry! Things were a little hectic with the holidays, work, traveling and family during the month of December so my baking adventures were very sparse...unlike past years! I am happy to finally be back on the blog today to share with you a new cupcake recipe for Italian Cream "Snowball" cupcakes!

I did get to experience one crazy snow day while visiting my family in KY a few weeks ago...lets just say the roads were covered in ice and I got stuck on a hill and couldn't get up it for about 30 minutes. I do not miss the the snowy cold weather at all...boy am I glad to be back in Mobile where the temps are in the mid 60-70s during the winter!

I had a great time making these cupcakes in KY with family a few times over the holidays. Head on over to Half Baked for the recipe. You have gotta try these fluffy little cakes packed full of coconut and walnuts and topped with cream cheese frosting! It's a family recipe and one that we absolutely love!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2012!