Mickey Mouse Chocolate Sugar Cookies!!

The littlest member of our little family has just turned 3! I knew I would do something Mickey Mouse, because she’s a fan. About a year ago I purchased an expensive set of cookies cutters, from the Disney Store, that had a Mickey outline, glove, and star. Basically I thought it about time I used them.

As I was referring to the tried and tested sugar cookie recipe (from Sprinkle Bakes by Heather Baird) I took notice of the variation at the bottom. Chocolate Sugar Cookies! Then it occurred to me that if I used the chocolate variation I would only have to decorate the bottom half of the cookie. After this revelation I chucked the star and glove cutter!

I love baking, but decorating isn’t something I have a lot of patience for. So, to further make my life easier I used a pre-made icing/gel in a tube. Red of course! Then after icing Mickey’s shorts on I doted them with 2 white chocolate coated sprinkle things? Not sure what to call them?

So, here they are! Enjoy!! Baby.... ahem... my Big Girl baker did!! 

notes: Heather Baird is the author of the blog and book titled Sprinkle Bakes the recipe I used can be found in her above mentioned book and there is a recipe on her blog, but it’s different then the one in the book. I bought my cookie cutters from a Disney Store. Last year Baby Baker had Blueberry Cupcakes!! 

Diamond Jubilee Sugar Cookies!!

The Queen (ELC happyland people)

How did you spend your 4-day bank holiday weekend?!?!

I had bought fun crown and flag cookie cutters from Lakelands in preparation for the Jubilee, but as always I make them on the day so I was unable to share with you ahead of time. I didn’t make any fancy cookies with flooding etc… I want to do that one-day, but one day when I am kid free and I don’t have to worry about the impatience of children!

So, we used Dr. Oetker colour gels! We still had fun decorating them! My oldest Mini-Baker was very impressed with the Queen as we watched the coverage on TV. I’m not going to lie I was pretty impressed with the Queen too! Think of all the things she’s seen and done in her lifetime? She also looks extremely well for her age! I hope we get to see a Platinum Jubilee!!

This makes a lot of dough and we made some Mickey Mouse ones and butterflies too!

If you are looking for an easy simple sugar cookie recipe to use for decorating cookies look no further! Enjoy!!

Simple Sugar Cookies from Sprinklebakes: Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist

½ pound (2 sticks or 228) butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling

pinch of salt

With a stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar together until just incorporated. Heather from Sprinklebakes says not to over mix or the cookies could spread while baking.

Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed.

Add the flour and salt, mix on low until dough is formed and there are no longer any streaks of butter in the mixing bowl. Heather also says that if the dough clumps around your paddle attachment then it’s a good sign your dough is the right consistency.

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball (the dough will not be sticky) wrap tight and refrigerate for 1 hour.

On a well-floured work surface knead the dough slightly making it into a disc before rolling out. Roll to a ¼ -inch thickness. To get perfectly even dough use guide bands or two flat ¼ inch dowels as guides.

Cut out desired shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Heather says to be careful not to stretch the cutout, as it will warp when baking.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes this will help the cookies keep a crisp shape!

Preheat oven 350F/180C. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden around the edges. My baking sheet wasn’t big enough for all my cookies so I baked in batches I found the second and third batch only took 15 minutes where the first batch took the full 20 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes transfer to a wire rack and then decorate as you please when they are completely cooled.

I like simple easy decorations too!

Check out what I thought of Heather's book here!!

3D Cookies!! by Janet

My sister, Janet, sent me these pictures of her 3D Cookies she made for the cake walk at her kids' school.  She told me she used her favourite and most reliable shortbread recipe from Martha Stewart.

Last fall she made these fun snowflake cupcakes!

For those readers in the UK I am not sure these cutters are available here- will have a look next time I am in Hobby Craft. They carry a lot of Wilton brand stuff. Joann's in the states is where these are available or probably any other reliable baking store or site like this one!

Cake Decorating: Learn how to create beautiful cakes Issue 1!!

Magazine

cutters and non-toxic glitter (although they don't recommend you eat it)

cupcake stand

I have been absent this last week as my family and I are all sick! I think half of England is sick, I can say that because of the amount of kids absent from preschool, facebook status', and the line (queue) at the pharmacy was a freakin' hour!!

While I was waiting for my daughter's prescription I saw this magazine and free gifts for only 99p!! Bargain. It's a weekly magazine so the next issue is out next week at 2.99. I am more for baking then I am for decorating, but when you bake a good cake it is nice to have some decorating skills no? So, maybe this will get me on the right track. There are a few basic cake recipes (not that I need any more recipes) but it is good for people who rather decorate then bake.

I hope to be feeling better soon and back to baking!!

Happy Mother's Day!! (UK Sunday 18th of March)

Have a good weekend everyone!!