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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Star Wars Lego

Okay, finally sitting down and taking a quick breath to post this. I just dropped off the Star Wars Lego Birthday cake and from the looks of things, everybody loved the design.  Yay!  Very glad the birthday boy looked excited about it. ^_^

Would say more about this but in all honesty I just want to sit back and relax for the rest of the day.  Between getting the Turkey cookies and the cake this week I am beat. So, see you all later next week and if I don't get to say it later - Happy Thanksgiving!

Cake: White
Icing: Buttercream, Fondant, Decorator
Death Star Foundation: Rice Crispy Treat
Figures: Fondant

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Strawberry Shortcake

Before I even begin this post there is something I want to say...

Happy Veterans Day!

^_^ Just had to put it in there even though I have been blasting it all over Facebook today, made the family actually shut up for 2 minutes for a moment of silence (that is a feat in a home with a toddler) and been posting over and over again videos and images to all the veterans. ^^ What can I say I have a soft spot for all those that have served, do serve and will serve. 

But I know you are not here for that, you are here for sweets! And boy do I have some today! Some strawberry sweet treats! And inspired by the Miss Strawberry Shortcake herself! 

You see I grew up on Strawberry and all her friends. I loved it! It was the only thing pink that I could stomach as a girl growing up. Well, here we are decades later and Strawberry is back once again! The Hub has new episodes of Strawberry that are on every morning in this home. Both myself and my daughter love her. 

So, here we are with a plethora (I love that word) of little treats. Now, they all are a Chocolate Strawberry Sugar Cookie with a slightly tart lemon royal icing. Even some of these cookies have a wonderful strawberry cream cheese frosting in the center.  

Granted, after finishing these up, all I could think of was that I really need some better tips. I just couldn't get the control I wanted with the dots on all of these that I wanted. 

         Oh well, practice does make perfect and it just means that I need to practice some more. (Though I don't think I am doing too bad for only have been doing this for what? Like 6 weeks?) 

Anywho, as you can tell I branched out of the normal circles and did some other shapes and designs. But as you can also see I did still do some royal icing transfers. I love them. Okay, gonna move on from ramble to purpose. Promised to share the recipe for the cookies when I posted...So here it is!

• 2.5 Cups Unsalted Butter
• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 3 Tablespoon Strawberry Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 4.5 Cup All Purpose Flour

Gently cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and strawberry extract. Sift together the salt cocoa powder and flour. Fold dry and wet ingredients until they come together. Roll out, refrigerate until still, cut out designs. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 F for 8-11 minutes. (Large circles 11, small 8). Allow to cool fully, decorate and enjoy!

I know, wasn't exactly the best instructions but you get the point, lol. If you have any questions just ask!

 

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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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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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