I wish I were the Ace of Cakes...

I love to make cakes...I'm definitely no professional cake maker, walking around making 5 tier master pieces for weddings and parties, but nonetheless, I have a genuine passion to create decorations with frosting. Here are a couple of the many cakes that I've made over the years...
This is the most recent cake I've made - a pretty standard and simple chocolate on chocolate layer cake for my friend Sarah's birthday.

I figured out a long time ago that using gel frosting for lettering got messy and ugly quickly so I decided to make my own frosting bags out of plastic sandwich bags. You just have to fill the bag with frosting and then snip off one of the ends! SOOOOO simple! And clean up is a snap because when you're done, you can just throw the bags away and not have to worry about cleaning out a reusable frosting bag or pump.
This is a cake that was for an "Earth day Birthday" party for two of my friends that share there birthday with earth day (well, duh).
This is a cake featuring David Bowie from the movie Labyrinth for my dear friend Cait. This was such a fun cake to make, and I even made the nose three-dimensional with frosting!
I frosted this cake for a friend who really loves edamame (how could you not?!!). I love the little faces on the soy beans, particularly the singing one!
I made this Vatican City cake for my good friend Megan who is Theology major - it just seemed fitting.

The best part for me about making and frosting these cakes isn't so much to creation, but the reception. There is nothing better than seeing the smile or the laughter of a friend when you present them, say, a Vatican City in cake form for there birthday...

So, even though I might not be an Ace of Cakes, maybe I am at least a 5 of hearts? Someday though, I'll make it to the top!!

Heaven = Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are easily the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had in my whole. entire. life. ever. Since I want you too to enjoy a bit of heaven, I'll indulge you with the delectable recipe!!

My mom has been brewing up batches of these savory cookies since long before I was born. I have literally heard so many stories about these heavenly cookies from her college friends that I'm starting to wonder if she perhaps added a little something special to her recipe at its inception that gained these cookies such a glorified reputation...

Either way, below lies the recipe of the best chocolate chip cookies. ever.

• This recipe yields approximately 25-30 cookies.
  

Time: Quick and delicious

• Prep: 10 minutes
• Bake: 15 minutes
  

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups of butter (I know that's nearly 3 sticks of butter...just don't think about it)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped walnuts*
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* Can be eliminated depending on preference and allergies - Cookies will spread more so make into smaller balls.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add dark brown sugar and granulated sugar.
4. Add flour and mix all ingredients thoroughly.
5. Add chocolate chips and mix (with hands is easiest)
6. Add Walnuts and mix, again with hands
7. Place on a greased baking cookie sheet in heaping tablespoons.
8. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
   

All I Want fo Christmas is...Sugar Cookies!

With the holidays in hand, I decided to bake and decorate sugar cookies with the girls I nanny. This dough came out PERFECT and created delicious cookies that were just crisp on the outside and still soft on the inside...Yum! I used Royal Icing and Gel Food Coloring for the frosting and we had a wonderful afternoon baking, decorating...and of course...eating!!

Sugar Cookies:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  
• 2 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar (instead of flour for rolling out the dough)

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, place the sugar and butter together. Mix with a stand or a hand mixer until sugar is no longer loose.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of milk, vanilla and egg. Mix to combine.
   
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl.
5. Add second tablespoon of milk.
6. Depending on how warm your butter was, you may either have a very mealy mixture or a relatively smooth mixture.
7. Use you hands to gather mixture together and kneed gently into two separate disks. Don't over-kneed!!
8. Place each disk into wax paper and place in the refrigerator for AT LEAST 2 HOURS...You can leave it overnight if you like.
9. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
10. Take one disk of dough out of the refrigerator and sprinkle it, your rolling pin, and your rolling surface with powdered sugar.
11. Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes. Notice how we placed all of our cutters onto the dough first - this way, you can make sure to use your "dough space" to its maximum potential.

1. Place on a non-stick pan about 1 inch apart and place in the oven for approx. 7-10 minutes.
2. Repeat steps 10-12 for second disk.
3. Cool and enjoy, or frost!

Royal Icing:

• .375 cups of pasteurized egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar

1. Place egg whites and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until foamy.
2. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar at a low speed until mixed.
3. At a high speed, continue to mix until the frosting peaks (should take 5-7 minutes)