Cutouts that KEEP THEIR SHAPE

Sugar Cookie Cutouts, BEFORE.

YES. REALLY. Just like those professionals that you see on instagram. [which are not, and never will be me.] I’m just here to hopefully give someone in the world some advice, tips, enjoyment, 5:00PM Tuesday/Thursday reading & whatever knowledge I can find in the world worth sharing. Today’s knowledge is cutout cookies that actually keep their shape. You’ve done it, make some adorable cut out cookie flowers, cats, leaves, dinosaurs & you put them in the oven for 8-10 minutes and they come out as, a large blob, small something, and a medium oh no. WELL, I’m here to save the day. [hopefully]. & these taste good, [super bonus]. [left, raw dough – real shapes]

Sugar Cookie Cutout Recipe

Ingredients: 

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup unsalted butter [room temp]
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions: 

**Preheat oven to 360 Degrees. [yes. 360. not a typo]

— Cream butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs & extracts. Then, add your salt & gradually mix in your flour. Take your bowl of dough & wrap in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Roll out [to roughly 1/4 ” thick]& cut out. 
** If you roll your cookies out in between parchment paper, [instead of on the counter with flour] this will keep the cookie’s from getting too dry. Lay your parchment on the counter, then your dough, and another layer of parchment paper between your dough and roller. A parchment sandwich if you will. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes. THEY WILL NOT BE GOLDEN BROWN. [see photo example below] You might want to conduct a test to see how many minutes your oven needs. Mine needs 9 1/2 minutes. You won’t see the light brown edges like typical cookies, so make sure they are baked, but not overdone. 

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Let the cookies cool, and you can frost them with buttercream flowers, royal icing, or whatever your little heart desires. The most exciting part is that they will keep whatever cutout shape you make them. It took me [& my mom] about 4 recipes and trial and error to find this gem of a cutout, so… your welcome. Kisses.

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Margarita’s.. a global shortage.

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SO BASICALLY…. this is a PSA more than anything. If you are into fruity drinks [mostly margaritas] of the strawberry, watermelon, & pineapple variety… [pictured above when I was on Catalina Island] BEWARE. Long story short there is a shortage of Tequila in the WORLD. The agave plant [used to make tequila] takes about 7-8 years to mature before the farmers can harvest. The supply is not meeting the demand for this liquid gold [or silver if you’re me] so the farmers are harvesting early at 4 years [which makes for not so good tequila] in turn, causing even more of a problem. If you’re into really reading from sources that aren’t from a pink haired glitter queen at a desk [spreading the word] then you can read what the New York Post said about this tragedy here.

Continue reading “Margarita’s.. a global shortage.”

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy [cheat on your diet] day! I hope you eat all the heart shaped things your [actual] heart desires. So, Valentine’s day for me is nothing special because my husband works noon to midnight… although I am making strawberry waffles [cut into hearts] It’s not gonna be the flowers & food I shouldn’t be eating dream it could be. There’s something about a romantic breakfast that isn’t that romantic.

If you’re single, YOU ARE NOT MISSING OUT. It’s just as lonely actually having a Valentine and they aren’t even around. Its not his fault or anything, but it still makes me feel lonely and abandoned. SO. Here I am, with you… my favorite company on earth.

Here’s a fun little DIY you can do for your BFF, your work wife, your spouse, your mom… you get where I’m going here.

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Buy [at your local grocery]:

  • 4 different Valentine’s candies
  • Starbucks 4 pack of frappuccino bottles
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Buy [at your local crafty store]:

  • Valentine Paper [to wrap the box]
  • Valentine Paper [different prints for lids]
  • Solid Red/White/Pink Cardstock
  • Glue stick
  • E6000 [also glue]
  • Heart stickers, beads, rhinestones etc.
  • Cute 1/4″ ribbon [4 kinds if you want each jar different like I did]
  • Glitter

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I’m not going to give too much instruction, because it’s a lot of measuring & cutting.. but I’ll give you a general idea on how to attack this project. ***[If you just want to give the single bottles to 4 different people & not the 4 pack to that special someone, then skip Steps 2, 3, & 4.]

  1. Empty, rip off label, wash & dry coffee bottles. [If you aren’t in the mood for 4 frappes then just put them in a pitcher in the fridge, they’ll stay good a few days]
  2. Cover your box with the Valentine Print Paper.
  3. Cut out 4 hearts & put cute Valentine phrases on them. [one for all sides of the box]
  4. Now, cutting the paper for the outside of the box is super wild & not that fun so I just covered it really well with glue & threw glitter on it.
  5. Trace the lid of the jar for your perfect circle on your solid colored paper.
  6. Trace 4 smaller circles on your Valentine print papers using something around the house [shot glasses make great circles]
  7. Cut 4 small hearts for the lid.
  8. If you found beads or rhinestones you’ll need to use the E6000 glue to put those on.
  9. ASSEMBLE. Glue together your lid circle, smaller circle, hearts, & letters/beads/etc. onto the lid with E6000.
  10. NEXT… which you cannot see pictured here is the paper on the bottle. You’ll measure the space you need and wrap a print or solid paper around where the label used to be. Decorate with your stickers, something similar to the top of the bottles [like circles & hearts], or make your version of conversation hearts & decorate the front of your new label.
  11. Fill your bottles with candy!
  12. Measure your ribbon so it fits around the bottle, you can tie a bow or just a nice knot, but you’ll also want to glue the ribbon with E6000 onto the lid of the bottle.

Good Luck! You can always use this idea and change it to any Holiday theme. Maybe do some nice rainbow, green & gold ones for St. Patrick’s Day! [Lots of] Kisses.

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Started from the bottom, now we’re here.

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It’s funny when you look back in life on things you thought you were so great at. My mom & I have been learning and exploring all things cookies. We have always been bakers and love to make all sorts of treats, but lately [idk if you’ve noticed] there’s been a cutout cookie craze!!! SO, obviously, in true jump on the bandwagon fashion we tried it.

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Here: A lovely example of our “started from the bottom” cookies. Cutouts, yea… but some white frosting and heart sprinkles when you’re 5 come a long way in [plus 20 or so years]  I’m going to be a number that ends in 0 this year, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it.

If you’re lucky [and you are cause I really like that you actually read my blog] I’ll share the recipe for these delicious little babies soon. [*EDIT See “COOKIES THAT KEEP THIER SHAPE” Feb. 22, 2018] [hopefully before you’ll need to shake your shamrocks]

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HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!! [early] I hope your day is filled with love and chocolates and all things you shouldn’t be having on your “new year, new me” 2018 diet. Kisses.

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