Final Fantasy Creatures

I know, another post today but I honestly cannot help myself. I have done a lot of sets of cookies this week and I really just want to show them all off but seriously cannot do them all in a single post. They all are just so different. I will say this though, this was my favorite set to do this week. 

How can it not be? I am a total geek, that much is more than evident from looking at the projects I take on. More than that I am an FF fanatic. I am talking buy the games, the sound tracks, map everything out and even know the b-days of the characters. Some people obsess over coins, I do FF.

So needless to say when my kids started playing FF I was just happy chocobo! They really have gotten into the game and are constantly searching for the older ones to play on console. ~geek mommy pride there~ My youngest is not playing the games as of yet but he is in the design process as it were. He is constantly drawing Chocobo's, Tonberry and Cactuar. Just to name a few. He is even constructing various Elementals and Aeons and creating his own now.

Well, this was for them. I had a lot this week, but had some extra so I went out on a limb for them and they were more than happy with the results mommy came up with. So here are their top five creatures as far as the kids are concerned right now. Mog, Chocobo, Bomb, Tonberry and Cactuar!

Chocolate sugar cookies with royal icing. All are hand cut and free handed.

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Super Mario Galaxy!!!

I don't even know where to begin with this....This past week has been just a blur and sitting now, looking back, I am actually kind of sad it is over. It was beyond busy with Memorial Day Cookie Sets, KV Portfolio Party Cookie Paws, Aquatic Center days for the two oldest back to back, canning cupcakes and of course the most important thing for me this week - Jack Jack's Birthday.

That is when things really started to blur, especially Wednesday night....I remember wrapping up around 3 am, I think and then waking up at 6 Thursday and it just didn't stop until the kids passed out that evening. I am so glad for my camera - photo and video setting. I was able to get so much this time that I hadn't been able to before and I am very very grateful for that.

I have been blankly staring at my computer today and got bupkis on what exactly to put here, so I am basically just rambling to fill in some space and then will post details. LOL Okay, onto that! Jack Jack asked for Mario Galaxy...I think Mommy delivered.

The Full Spread

- Everything was made by either Surreal Confections or Surreal Dream Designs except this...

The Boo Balloons - Created by Chef Gibson of Cynical Cuisine

Now, onto the close ups!

Can't start off without drinks can we?

Super Jack & Power Up Straw Tags

Mario Colored Ice Cubes for The Sparkling Star Sprite - Power Up!

And of course everyone loves cupcakes! Grab and Go!

Gotta have a few sweet treats that aren't cake.

But of course we have to have cake!

Where the game begins - The Palace!

Then there was a battle!

And then Galaxies to travel! (And this was my favorite, the pulled sugar was a first for me!!!)

And of course, decorations!

So, there you have it! I know a lot right? Well, not exactly finished! I went ahead and filmed it all, and added music. So sit back, watch and enjoy!!!

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Super Mario Cookie World

~Insert Super Mario World Music~

Daily Deviant Given On July 14th, 2012

Oh yeah, that is much better. Welcome to Super Mario World, well the cookie edition. Forget the paper. lol. My newest geeky creations for lovers of Mario, Luigi and even that pesky Princess Peach. Yes, I know I have done Super Mario Brothers Themed Cookies before but I felt it was time for an upgrade. 

So here you have it! Super Mario Brothers taken to the next cookie level! The 4 center piece "flowers" are made from cookies that are growing from a combination of graham cracker dirt and chocolate ice cream soil. All detail work is done either in royal icing or edible food color marker ink. The little figures were something I found at Hastings a bit ago and grabbed "for the kids." The background pieces are cookie as well that are suspended with string. Thought of it at the last moment and was honestly too lazy after 3 days of work to go back out and grab some fishing line. LOL

Now, grab some dough, color it and get to making your very own - Flower Power!!!!

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Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day! And what better way to show your love than with cookies!!! Forget the chocolates! Chocolate chip cookies are a must!  These quick and simple cookies are sure to please. They roll out thin, bake perfectly and taste wonderful. Sugar cookie easy, chocolate chip taste and the crunch of a shortbread all wrapped into one. Decorate and share with the one you love! (Or yourself, yum yum!) Recipe is not originally mine but has been tweaked a little.

• 1 1/3 Cup Butter, Unsalted
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Extra Large Egg Yolk
• 2 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2/3 Teaspoon Salt
• 3-3 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1 Twelve Ounce Bag Mini Chocolate Chips

1. Cream the butter until soft
2. Add in both sugars and beat until smooth
3. Add egg yolk, as well as the vanilla and salt, and mix until well combined
4. Add flour one cup at a time and mix until just combined. Stop adding when dough forms. Some days you will need 3 cups, some days more, some less.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
7. Cut out shapes and bake at 350 F for 8-12 minutes, just until edges are browning lightly. 
8. Remove from oven, place on wire wrack and cool fully.
9. Decorate with your favorite topping or use to make ice cream sandwiches. 
10. ENJOY!

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What man? Megaman!

Oh how I love old school games, if you couldn't tell. I am hooked on making these 8 bit game cookies and I have a lot more that I want to do. So many more that I want to do. I think I have only just begun to scratch the surface of what all is actually possible to make with cookies and icing. Guess I have found a new canvas! Oh yeah! How sweet it is!

The hubby, Chef Gibson, and I have been talking about a lot of old school things these days because of the cookies. Not just old school games but shows as well. Things we watched growing up and every time something comes up in conversation all I can say is - COOKIE!

So many cookies and so little time. Actually time doesn't seem to be the major factor right now. With it being the holidays I was going to be baking and decorating like crazy as it was.

This is just giving me practice and something to actually bake instead of wondering what I should make. Though I will admit that none of these cookies are holiday related. Next batch will be. Already have them baked up.

Going to be trying yet another technique that I have used before. Okay, this one isn't totally new. I used it with my daughters birthday cake - Painting with Luster Dust. Granted that was on a cake and cookies are a bit different. Plus I am not sure how it will work on Royal icing instead of fondant but we will see.

I took some of the dough from the chocolate batch and cut out some lovely fall cookies with it. I cannot wait to get started on icing those and decorating them but gonna have to wait because I do have a slight problem....

Anyone want a cookie? LOL I have so many sweets in the house lately and I cannot let the kids just devour them constantly. So, if you are in the are and want cookies, let me know. I might just have an extra batch sitting around, LMAO!

Anywho, I am out and will see you later! Enjoy the main man himself - Mega Man! Along with the stage villains from MM2!

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Super Mario Brothers

Another day, another cookie. Sadly the pictures for these really turned out like crap but gonna post them any way. Anyone that wants to donate a better camera for macro photography will forever be on my - You Rule - list. ^^ LOL Anywho, back to the topic at hand.

It's a me! Mario! 

That's right my 8 Bit fiends! We have another in the 8 bit cookie series. This time the main man himself, Mario is making the grand entrance. Along with him comes his entourage Luigi, Peach and others.

We also have Bowser and some other creatures that seem to always like getting in the way. Better watch out because the Princess is in this castle but that just means she is going to die like the rest of them.

Hey, they're cookies! They live the sweet life well! :P

I also have a bit of a nice treat for you! A cookie recipe! That's right! Yummy yummy cookies that you can make at home with you and yours. Now, the base sugar cookie recipe for these cookies is not mine. I got it from a goddess in the cookie world, Marian from Sweetopia!

Seriously, you should read her, she is wonderful. I took her base Sugar Cookie recipe, some tricks for keeping the dough from spreading and added my own personal twist. And what did we get for all this? Only the most divine Chocolate Sugar Cookies I have ever had. ^_^ Granted I am biased but hey, my blog! LOL :P

Anywho, here you go!

• 2.5 Cups Unsalted Butter, room temp
• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Egg
• 2.5 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• .5 Teaspoon Almond Extract
• 4.75 Cup All Purpose Flour
• .5 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Salt

1. In a bowl sift together the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar on slow speed until just creamed. 
3. Add in the eggs and extracts.
4. Mix until just combined.
5. Fold in the flour mixture until everything comes together. Be careful not to over mix the dough or get too much air into it. You don't want these to rise or lose shape.
6. Take the dough and roll it out between 2 pieces of parchment paper until .75-1 cm thick. I use dowel rods on each side to rest my rolling pin on. This gives me the perfect equal thickness for each cookie. 
7. Place the rolled out dough into your refrigerator for 3 hours. 
8. Remove and cut out shapes. Arrange on cookie sheet 1-2 inches apart. Return to refrigerator for another hour. 
9. Repeat steps 6-8 till all the scraps are used up and chilling.
10. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Make sure oven is to temp before baking.
11. Remove each cookie sheet from the refrigerator 1 at a time and bake for 12 minutes. 
12. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before placing on wire rack to cool fully.
13. Decorate!
14. Serve and Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my kiddos are right now! 

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Over 1000 Visitors!

Holy crap! I cannot believe it, well I do believe it but it is hard to believe. I have had over 1000 visitors to this blog since I started it less than a month ago! Just wow! I don't know what to say except THANKS!

 I know the Takei cookies, as well as the 8 bit series that have been posting about is a huge reason for all the views and trust me, it is just the beginning! I am having so much fun sharing all the confectionery treats I am doing around here for the holidays it has become a minor addiction, lol.

In fact right now I am Jonesing to get back to it but having to wait till a little later in the day. Out of wax paper to work on more transfers with. (So gotta go shopping later today.) I am not exactly sure what all I will be doing over the next couple of weeks but I do know there are several possible projects.

1. Thanksgiving! Oh yeah, the mother of all Food holidays is coming up and I am all over that! Hubby might actually be off work that day, so if it is it is going to be huge in the Gibson home! Already planning on cookies for the 1st grade class and who knows what else!
2. 8 Bit Love! Oh yeah, I have to do more 8 bit cookies! They are such a hit and I haven't even scratched the surface of all the wonderful games out there that so many of us grew up on. The next two I really want to do is Super Mario Brothers and Megaman! ~grins~
3. Birthday coming up! No one in the family but a friend of the family, her sons is coming up. I am waiting to hear word back but I might be doing his birthday cake for the next weekend. Not this upcoming but the one after that. Really hope so! He wants the Death Star! Oh yeah, I can do that!
4. Then of course there is the holiday I refuse to say out loud until the day after Thanksgiving, lol. Yeah, that one. Got a lot that I will probably do for it but we will get to that on Black Friday! 

Okay, so for now I have a lot planned and going for me. The book is selling well! YAY! Please buy it! Proceeds from this first quarter of sales will be going to hosting the next Baking For Our Soldiers Day! I had to sadly cancel the one for this fall because I just didn't have the funds to cover all the costs of it myself. So, since I won't get a royalty check for my book sales until like Feb I will be taking that and turning into many many sweet treats for our soldiers!!!!

So, head here - Jenn's Books - And buy a copy! There is a print as well as an ebook version! Get some great recipes for the holidays, gifts for friends and help support a great cause and our soldiers!

Okay, heading off now, will see you later! I will leave you, as always, with a sweet treat! I give you the First Lady of Gaming - Samus Aran. (If you don't know who this is I cannot endorse your geekship.)

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Legend Of Zelda

Blah I cannot seem to get my thoughts straight this morning, everything is just a big jumbled mess up there. That is nothing new, what is new is that I cannot even figure the mess out....Which is driving me bonkers. So if this posts makes even less sense than usual, there's your reason. 

Anywho, started on the 8 Bit cookies last week and still am enjoying that. What can I say, cookies bring out the geek in me. First was Final Fantasy and I seriously doubt anything will top Red Mage but a girl has to try. Last was just a quickie, some Bubble Bobble because I like it! And now we have even more. 

What do you do when you want to be up there with the same legendary status as Final Fantasy? Well, you pick a Legend! The Legend of Zelda that is! Oh yeah! Here comes Link and his hat! Not to mention a fairy, some potion and a few bad guys along the way. 

Don't worry I didn't forget my piece of the Tri-Force or Zelda herself. (On a side note, did you ever feel like Mario and Link should get together and discuss their similar problems with Princess's?) What can I say, I enjoy old school games and what better way to show that than to combine it with my current obsession cookies? Yeah, you will probably see a lot more of these over the months in between all the holiday stuff I will be doing. 

Think cookies will be the presents from this home this year, so don't be surprised if you get a package from me in the mail eventually telling you to open now. LOL 

Anywho, I better get going. I have some royal icing I don't want to go to waste, so gonna jump on some transfer designs that I can let dry and then tuck away till later. ^^ 

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Tired.....

Well today was a long day and it still isn't over yet. I am taking a small time out from things to get some much needed rest. I think yesterday I went beyond the limit for me and now am paying the price. Wish the hubby was able to be home today but sadly he has to do the 9 to 5 thing. Or 7. Or 9. Whenever. Being married to a chef means never knowing when he will be home from work.

Anywho. Even though I took the day "off," it was still a busy day. School meetings about the kids, the yearly thing, hubby catering 3 events today and trying to get all the Halloween stuff picked up and put away. Not to mention starting planning for Thanksgiving and a cake I am doing for a an upcoming birthday party. Very excited about that but gonna have to wait at least a few days before I start anything.

On a huge up note, I posted about the It's Okay To Be Takei  cookies on the actual movements Facebook page and they went and posted about them to all their followers! So awesome! That just really made my day and sorry if it sounds bad but it made me feel FABULOUS!

But on that note, just gonna leave you with one quick cookie I did with some of the spares from this weekend. One of my favorite games growing up was Bubble Bobble, so here is Bob! Enjoy the little cutie! Tomorrow for grins and giggles I will show you something a little more feminine.

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Final Fantasy 1 Character Set - Cookies

Well in the middle of doing all this decorating for Rhi's Birthday and Alex's 1st Grade Class I have found a new love.....Cookies! Okay. I have always adored cookies, who doesn't!?! They're cookies for crying out loud!!




But this is a new love, a true love, and oddly enough a love that isn't putting inches on my hips. You see, I have found a love of cookie decorating! (And honestly when you are around that much sugar all day for days on end the last thing you want to do it eat one, no matter how good they are. Anyone that has worked in the food industry knows my pain.)

It all started with those Royal Icing transfers I did for the Halloween Cake, pictures will be posted of that come Monday. Found tips and tricks on various cookie decorating sites, not cake ones. Funny how that works. One thing led to another and bam, I found myself doing an entire set for the 1st grade class even though I was already doing a cake. 


No worries, get it out of my system and move on. Yeah, well that didn't happen. As soon as I got done with one batch I made another....And another. 


Ended up with over 80 cookies for Alex's class and home munching. Yeah, had to at least make sure there was enough for the kids to eat here and there otherwise I think they were going to hog tie me and make me watch them eat all the cookies I was supposed to take to the school. They are evil like that. 

Anywho, I figured once I got done with all of those that would be it.....Yeah, freaking wrong again. You remember that Tootsie Roll song from way back, eons ago - Everywhere I think I see, becomes a tootsie roll to me! - Yeah, that one! It has been playing in my head non stop for a week now! Except the lyrics in my head are a tad different... - Everywhere I think I see becomes a cookie design to me!


Mother of mercy!!!!! I am serious! I turn on the TV, cookie! See a ribbon with a design on it...Cookie! Song on the radio...Cookie! I have cookies on the brain so much I make Cookie Monster look like a 12 stepper! (I think I need help.) 


That or who knows, maybe after all these years of trying nine million different things only to move on because it just wasn't "it"...Who knows maybe I found my calling. That or I will move on to something else later. Who knows. We will just have to see. 


So, here we are.....my most recent set of cookies - 

Final Fantasy 1 Character Set:

Red Mage, White Mage, Fighter

Black Belt, Thief, Black Mage

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