Vampire cookies, anyone?

I originally got this idea from a link my friend sent me. We had a Twilight DVD party and wanted some themed goodies to enjoy, so vampire cookies seemed like the perfect treat. I had some issues with the original recipe (i.e., it dough wasn’t rollable, thus not cuttable, thus not usable for this endeavor), so I ended up modifying a basic cookie-cutter sugar cookie recipe from one of my favorite baking books.

The original recipe called for round cookie cutters and two puncture holes on each cookie, but any good Twilight fan knows that these vamps don’t have fangs. A good fan also knows that, unlike in the movie, Bella actually gets bitten on her hand (not her wrist). My bucket of 101 cookie cutters just so happened to have a hand-shaped cutter, so I thought I was on to something good.

However, due to the raspberry filling (to look like blood - a basic homemade jelly is really easy to make and so yummy), the hands looked way too swollen…as did my sad attempt at making an Edward and Bella. They both looked pregnant, and let’s face it - not even Bella is pregnant in Twilight. I was disappointed. After these batches came out, I decided to stick with circles like the original idea (but with the half-moon shaped bite mark)…and also incorporated some hearts. Hey, it’s a love story, peeps!

I didn’t get any great pictures of the cookies, buy my friend Schneiderdoodle did, so I apologize you don’t get to see more detail, but we’re lucky to have any picture at all.

See the sad little vamps on the side? Crushing defeat.

As you can tell, the dough started to dry out towards the end so the hearts are cracked a bit. That’s why I stuck to the traditional vamp bites on those. Okay, fine, that and I was getting lazy and running out of time. The first batch of dough that didn’t turn out chilled for an hour before I discovered it wasn’t going to work. You can also see that I left some of the hands in the oven a wee bit too long, but they were still delicious. They took forever (each cookie needed two cutouts, and I’m terrible at rolling dough, plus adding the filling, sealing the cookies, poking the holes and then adding more jam to the bite marks post-baking to make them look fresh…) but they were definitely worth it!

And, for the record, I baked up the failed dough last night. For regular sugar cookies, they tasted pretty good. Too bad the consistency wasn’t right for rolling. I think it’s because I used the Kitchen Aid. I mixed the flour into the second batch by hand and that worked perfectly. Another lesson learned!

I’m not sure what’s up next, but probably some spring cupcakes. For now, though, it’s SassyCakes, out!

My sister’s surprise party

This weekend was my big sister’s surprise 30th birthday shindig and I did all the baking for it. She loves cookie cake, so I made her one just how she likes it - soft cookie, fewer chocolate chips than usual (I know, she’s a freak, right?). The only problem was that she doesn’t like a lot of icing, so I was only planning on using a frozen buttercream transfer that I designed (okay, modified from an existing piece of artwork) and not icing a design on the edge. Unfortunately, I think my pan was smaller than what the recipe required and it baked over the sides of my disposable pizza pan. I had to trim off the excess, which left a ragged edge that had to be covered. (I started with a specific pattern, but once I saw the Xs weren’t working out, I changed the plan…I’m not thrilled with the edging, but it was okay.)

This was my first attempt at a frozen buttercream transfer. For my first try, I think it came out pretty well. The icing held air pockets, which is normally bad, but I think it added to the sassy skull I was making. It made it more pirate-like, and when you’re dealing with a skull and crossbones, that’s a good thing. My sister thinks girly skulls are cute (so do I), so I was really excited to do this for her. I also had some issues with the icing not smoothing completely, but that will come with practice. Here is the cake:

I know the edge is bad, but isn't she cute?

I also made strawberry daiquiri cupcakes, complete with liquor and all. The cupcakes had diced rum-soaked strawberries and strawberry puree in them, and the buttercream icing had rum and puree. I found the recipe online, made some very minor adjustments to the cake batter and added some food coloring to the icing. I iced and decorated them to look like little cups of frozen daiquiris. They turned out really well. In fact, the cupcakes themselves are hands-down the most perfect cuppies I’ve ever baked. Unfortunately, party-goers thought they were too pretty to eat and I came home with most of them. Come on, people! I don’t spend 8 hours baking and decorating something for you to not eat it! You’re stealing my joy. Punks.

I even used my cupcake tower to display them. I was so proud.

Close up - sorry about the glare.

It took forever to find the right candy to make the lime wedges.

All together - it was a success!

Now that my Wilton class was canceled, I don’t know what’s next. I’ll probably make another layered cake to practice smoothing buttercream and piping decorations. I also want to start playing with gum paste and fondant figures. I can promise that my next post will feature this blog’s first-ever GOOD picture. My friend Pamela is a talented photographer and decided to take some shots of my pink babies while she was over shooting jewelry for my sister’s website. I can’t wait to show off her talents and see my edible art represented in a good picture.

For now, though, it’s SassyCakes, out!

Busy, busy!

Wow, what a busy week! It’s my stepmom’s surprise 50th birthday party tomorrow, and I am doing all the desserts. I have planned quite a few yummy treats, but I’m most nervous about the cake. I’m doing a white cake with raspberry filling - 10″ round, 4 (thin) layers - and will be frosting it with purple buttercream and then decorating it with white scroll work (which I have never done before and hope I can pull off!). All of this is from scratch, so I hope it turns out well! Even if it doesn’t, I’ll post pictures.

I am also doing this wonderful brownie/cookie recipe with chocolate ganache. I’m using a brownie mix (oh, for shame!), but doing homemade chocolate chip cookie dough and ganache. I’m going to double the batter and make extra cookies, too.

Then I’m doing cake balls. I made a boxed devil’s food cake last night and homemade cream cheese icing. The richness of the icing really masks the cake, and it was a time saver, so I don’t feel bad about using a box for this one. I rolled all the balls last night (teehee), wrapped them really well with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge. When I get home, I’ll pop them in the freezer for a few to get them nice and firm (teehee again), and then dip them in melted dark chocolate candy melts. While that sets, I’ll melt purple candy melts and decorate the tops.

Whew, I’m going to have a long evening, but it will be SOOOO worth it. I can’t wait to see the final results! It’s weird to not be doing cupcakes, but that’s a good thing. I hope. Wish me luck.

Oh, and then I have my mom’s birthday on Tuesday and my sister’s surprise 30th birthday party on the 7th - which is the first day of my Wilton cake decorating class! I love it!

SassyCakes, out!