Tribal Chic Cookies

Just as I was scheduling this Tribal Chic themed cookie class, my lovely friend Lauri from Treat Boutique added tee-pees, feathers and arrows to their cookie cutter range.
Such great timing! I couldn't wait for the class to arrive so that I could get tee-pee decorating.   

But after I made the initial demos, I wasn't thrilled with my results. They were too blah. Missing something. Just... blah.  

So I went looking for inspiration on Google and Pinterest. (Thank goodness for Google and Pinterest!)

These cookies by Bee Sweet Confections had already caught my eye.
I wasn't going to make them, however, because I don't (didn't!) have a fox-face cutter. 

But I kept on being drawn back to them. They were so appealing. I loved the angularity of that face...

And eventually it dawned on me that I could make the fox face. It was all in those angles!

I suspect that this is the way that Bee Sweet made them, too. (Such a clever fox!) 

Using a set of hexagon cutters (also from Treat Boutique)... 

....cut out a large hexagon, then use a small hexagon to cut out a portion of the cookie dough. 

Perfect! 

  

   

As it turns out, the fox face and wood-look plaque (also a later addition) turned out to be two of my favourites in this set. 

And can you see that the dream catcher is the same plaque as the wood-look cookie just with the one side taken off? 

As much as I love getting new cutters, I also love making cookies from creative use of the cutters I already have. So foxy  ;o)

Happy decorating!

xxM

Flamingo Cookies

It's only twice a year that I make multiples of a cookie design (for each of my children's parties), and every time I do, I'm grateful that its only about 25 of them. I don't know how bakers/ decorators make dozens and dozens of a particular cookie and still maintain their creative passion (and not develop a serious case of the cookie-crazies!)

So when I do make multiples, I try to come up with ways to make it as easy as possible.
Like keeping the design and colour palette simple, using royal icing transfers, or a using a template like I did with this design.

 It looks like multiple steps (and it is!) but the guess work and fiddle-factor is taken out of it by having an outline to follow. The background icing (green and airbrushed gold dots) were done on one day, and the flamingos the next.  No cookie-craziness required!

 ... Well, no more than usual!


Happy decorating!

xxM

Flamingo & Watermelon Birthday Party

By now you probably know that we (meaning my daughter) plan our parties way in advance.
Pretty much as soon as this years balloons are being taken down, ideas for next year's bash are being suggested.
This one was supposed to be a Woodlands theme. (I love a woodlands theme!) With horses. (Not so much...)
But then she decided that she wanted a foam slide instead, and so we had to think of something summery to go with it. (She's like her mom in that way... everything must be theme-appropriate.)
 I suggested watermelons or flamingos.
So of course Sabrina chose watermelons and flamingos.

See the token flamingo on the top of the cake?  (It was hand drawn onto a  CMC/ tylose paste cut-out.)

And then pretty much watermelon-everything-else....

I loved working with this colour combination. I felt the same of her party last year. But this combination of green, white and pink is particularly fresh and refreshing. 

And fortunately the weather played along. 

Oh, look - there were more flamingos!
Those are supawood cut-outs from Everything Laser.
But I did paint them myself! 😅

Actually I made flamingo cookies too, as party favours. But more about those in another post.

Happy end-of-summer-decorating!

xxM

Vintage Tea Party Cupcakes: Mini-Macarons Tutorial

So we had a Vintage Tea Party themed cupcake class. And you can't have a tea party theme without a tea party. Which means pretty cake stands brimming with cake and cupcakes... and macarons. 

I dusted off my nerves and made some macarons again (you know I have a love-hate relationship with these confounding confections!) 

And, actually, they didn't turn out badly. Yay me! 😅

Let me introduce you to the easiest macarons you'll ever make, though.

They are oh-so-simple. And cute.
And not real.
But you can eat them....

Here's how to create this pretty platter of miniature sugar paste macarons...

(all made with a modelling chocolate fondant blend, with some tylose/CMC paste added to it.) 

Miniature Sugar Paste Macarons Tutorial:

For the platter: 

The edge of the platter is made in a mould, using grey modelling chocolate/ fondant/ tylose paste blend. 

Roll out your grey paste and cut out the base of the platter using a small circle/ scalloped cutter. 

Allow to dry. 

Dust with silver luster

Stick edging and base together with edible glue

Now for the macarons: 

Use a small circle cutter to cut out small rounds of paste - two in the same colour and slightly thicker than a third in a different colour.  

Use a cocktail stick or the sharp point of a frilling tool to gently create the foot of the macaron... it's just a bit of texturing along one edge of the paste. I hold the small disc of paste gently between thumb and index finger and score the edge, pushing it outwards slightly at the same time to create a tiny frill. 

Sandwich together with edible glue. 

Assemble on the platter 

When dry, place onto a disc of fondant on top of a pretty swirl of icing. 

So easy!
Have you tried making the real things yet? Let me know if you have, and how they turned out - I love hearing macaron success (and horror) stories!

You can see the macarons that I made for the tea party here . 

Happy baking!

xxM