A Few of Our Favorite Things

   There has been lots of hustle and bustle in the Sugar Britches kitchens this week! Cupcakes, cake pops, smash cakes oh my! So many fun projects were created in our kitchens this week. We thought we'd share a few of our favorites with you.

   Our big kids had their school Christmas program this last Thursday. What a bunch of cuties! Especially when they performed their rendition of I Want a Hippopotomus for Christmas....cutest thing ever! Of course, the kiddos needed a special treat to help celebrate after the show. Here's what we came up with:

This cute little reindeer was the hit of the celebration! Yummy, delicious  yellow cake with buttercream and decadent chocolate frosting. We'd like to thank Pinterest for the inspiration!

   One of our other favorites this week was a Smash Cake for a sweet little girl celebrating her very first birthday. This was a fun little cake to make, girly and sweet! Take a look:

 

Happy 1st Birthday Lily! We hope you had fun digging in!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, Mint Chocolate Delight Cookies....I'm sensing a trend these last few days! Delicious mint!

Mint Chocolate Delights

2 cups All- Purpose Flour
2\3 cups Nestle Toll House Baking Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1\2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Butter softened
2\3 cup Granulated Sugar
2\3 cup packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 large eggs
1 2\3 cup Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate and Mint Morsels

Preheat oven 325.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 11-13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set.
Makes about 4 dozen.

Jingle Bells and Polar Bears

We were so excited to get our hands on the new Cake Pops Book by Bakerella! It was like unwrapping a gift on Christmas morning. We spent the next hour or so, pouring over its pages and debating on which project we would start with. There were so many fun and whimsical ideas for the holidays to choose from. We could start with the Soldiers or the Wreaths....Oh look at the Jingle Bells! They are adorable...and WAIT! Check out the Polar Bears...these are way too cute to pass up! It was finally settled. Our first projects would be Jingle Bells and Polar Bears.

Just look at how they turned out. The Jingle Bells turned out beautifully. We couldn't help but be reminded of one of our favorite Christmas stories, The Polar Express.

And check out our Polar Bears. Aren't they just the cutest things ever?! We decided to have a little fun with them and play off of a naughty/nice theme with them. Bet ya can't guess which ones have been naughty!

The Eleventh Day of Christmas

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies!...mmm....bliss!!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks.

2. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

 

**Adapted from bettycrocker.com

The Tenth Day of Christmas

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, homemade Peppermint Patties!....ahhh...pepperminty goodness!

Homemade Peppermint Patties

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra, as needed
• 1/4 cup pasteurized liquid egg white product
• 1 teaspoon water, plus extra, as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
•  Food coloring, as needed, optional
• 2 (4-ounce) bars 53 percent cocoa dark chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (recommended: Nestle Chocolatier)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the powdered sugar, egg white product, 1 teaspoon water, peppermint extract and 1 to 2 drops of food coloring, if using. Mix on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture forms a stiff dough (if the mixture becomes too stiff, add extra water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time and beat until smooth). Put the mixture on a work surface dusted with powdered sugar and roll it into a log about 12-inches long and 1 1/4-inches in diameter. Slice the log into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces, form them into balls and flatten into discs. Arrange in single layers on the prepared baking sheets. Let the candies dry, uncovered, at room temperature for 3 hours.

Put the chocolate and vegetable oil in a small bowl and set it over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Dip 1 half of each candy into the melted chocolate and return them to the parchment paper until the chocolate has set, about 3 hours.

**Adapted from foodnetwork.com

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The Ninth Day of Christmas

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, yummy salty and sweet cookies!

Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips

 

 

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces
• Preztel Salt or Sea Salt

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

**Adapted from sugarcooking.blogspot.com

On the Eighth Day of Christmas...

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, Kisses Candy Cane Blossom Cookies....ahh...peppermint!

Kisses Candy Cane Blossoms

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  

48 Hershey Candy Cane Kisses

1\2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1\2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1\4 tsp. baking soda

1\4 tsp. salt

2 tbsp milk

Red and Green sugar sprinkles

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 375.
2. Remove any wrappers from kisses.
3. Beat butter , sugar , eggs, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended.
4. Stir flour , baking soda, and salt in small bowl.
5. Add alternately with milk into butter mixture, beating until well blended.
6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls.
7.  Roll in red or green sugar.
8.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
9.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown and cookie is set.
10. Remove from oven , cool 2-3 minutes and then press candy cane kiss in center of each cookie.

About 4 dozen cookies.