Alien Invasion!

So, I experimented with a chocolate sugar cookie dough. I made it mostly because I just wanted to try out something new. Now I have this dough, what do I do with it?
I keep an inspiration folder on my computer for cookie designs. I was inspired by a similar alien design I saw on Etsy.com. I decided that my sister needed some alien cookies.
Why would Lisa want alien cookies, you may ask. When we were children my brother and I convinced our little sister that she was dropped off by aliens. At first this upset her, but then she embraced her "alien heritage" and began make believe games about contacting her home planet.
Now as adults its a joke amongst us that Lisa is of another world.

Here is a close up of the alien ships.

Here is a close up of the aliens...or is it really a portrait of Lisa?

The chocolate cookie dough turned out to be delicious and Lisa loved the "heritage" design!

Let Them Eat Cake...And Celebrate!

Are you ready for a post with lots of pictures?! This is it!
This weekend marked my 29th birthday. Every year I throw myself a little party with a different theme. This year I took a cue from Marie Antoinette. Good old Marie only had it half right though. My theme was "Let Them Eat Cake...And Celebrate!"
I've been dying to try my hand at a dessert buffet, so I decided to go all out. I mean, hey, if you cant go all out for your own birthday...who can you go all out for?!
I spent several days preparing desserts. Some I've made before, some I hadn't.
This is how the end result turned out...

I know, insane right?! We had SO MUCH food! Delicious!
I also put my scrapbooking skills to work on most of the decor.

The menu was mostly home baked goods, but I did have some lollipops, skittles, jelly bellies and M&M's!

These cake stands were a steal at Marshall's. I scored these three for $20. Total cost. How cool is that?

LeJess is my nickname, so its only appropriate! On top of the stand, I tried out Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Cups. Amazing. My favorite dessert of the night. I'd never made them before. The crust is a chocolate chip cookie, topped with cheesecake. Heaven!

How cute is this? I took a silicone cupcake liner and put in a foam ball. I bought some spider mums and make a flower cupcake! I did one with pink carnations too, and faux cherries.

My favorite project to do was all the sugar cookies. I think this is my new favorite hobby! Interested in having me do cookies for you? Send me an email and we can make arrangements. My cookie cutter collection is growing! The best part....I can ship cookies! Look how delicious they look....you want to try one....come on!

These little cakes were my favorite. The pink ones even have a little shimmer to them!

These peppermint candy cookies were fun to swirl. Unfortunately the gray turned out darker than I expected. Since they were just for me, I decided not to correct the shade.

How adorable are these cupcake cookies?! The pink and green ones were my favorite!

Ice cream cookies! How much fun are these?! I loved the "mint chocolate chip" ones. These were so fun to do!

I made mini Apple pie and Pear-Raspberry. I've made the normal sized version of the Pear-Raspberry before. They were a big hit.

I couldn't resist making Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites! Yum!

I made mini chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cake bites and I also tried my hand at gummy candies and hard candies. The gummys are here in the strawberry dish. They were simple to make and one of the favorites. The hard candies were pretty easy, but I wasn't prepared for them to break my molds! I had to part with 2 molds. Thankfully Michael's sells them for cheap, so it wasn't too heartbreaking of a loss.

Here is a close up of some of the other cupcakes I had out. The pink ones were white chocolate, filled with fudge, and topped with vanilla buttercream and marshmallow fondant.

These are my little "petit fours". I used some left over cake batter in a brownie bite pan. Then I melted some canned icing, tinted it green and dipped the cake bites in it. I piped on some buttercream flowers for some adorable mini cakes!

How cute are these trees?! They are white chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. The tree trunk is a chocolate dipped pretzel rod, and the "tree" part is a sugar ice cream cone with buttercream piped on. I had a few more made, but I didn't trim the pretzel down far enough so they topped over. These were the survivors.

Oh yes, it is what you think it is....a chocolate dipped strawberry topiary! I swear these strawberries were on steroids! They were ginormous! But, delicious! I was really pleased with how this project turned out.

I also made a signature cocktail for the party, called "Raspberry Rain". It's actually a spin on drink I had while on vacation last month. It was a refreshing, fruity concoction!

One last glimpse and the table of sugary delight! Your mouth is watering isn't it?

This is me, officially 29 years old. The last year of my 20's. I'm making sure its a good one!

Life is unpredictable....eat dessert first....and from one of my buffets! =)

Todd's Toolbox

Today I gave a cake to a coworker named Todd. Todd is leaving our company due to some health related issues. I work with mechanics, so I thought a toolbox cake was appropriate for him. The cake is dark chocolate, with a chocolate fudge filling. The "tools" are sugar cookies frosted with royal icing. Todd loved it! He couldn't wait to get home and show his kids. I hope the whole family enjoys it. We will miss you Todd!

Birthday in Santorini

This weekend, one of my very best friends celebrated her 29th birthday. Heather and I travel the world together. One of our more memorable trips included a trip to the island of Santorini in Greece.

I thought it fitting that Heather receive a chocolate cake inspired by the beautiful buildings in Santorini.

Happy Birthday Heather!

Just to reminisce a little, here we are in the city of Oia. Heather is in the front, followed by my sister Lisa and myself.

What a fun trip! And a delicious cake!

Its A Holly Jolly Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Its been some time since I've posted, so get ready for an extra long one! I have been a busy little elf this season. Let me take you to where it all began...

Aren't these little Santa's cute?! They are delicious too! I saw a similar idea online somewhere (I don't remember where!) and this appetizer caused me to get crafty!
These little Santa's are Ritz Crackers, cream cheese, celery, pepperoni and capers. Let me tell you the tangy and salty taste is delicious! These were a big hit!

Since Santa is such a jolly fellow, I moved on to Cookie Pops!

This sugar cookie fellows are decorated with royal icing and M&M's. Yummy on a stick!
I couldn't stop there. I've just begun dabbling in cookie decorating and 'tis the season for sugar cookies!
My lucky coworkers got some snowflake cookie bouquets!

Here are a couple of close ups of the snowflakes.

Of course, it didn't end there. I had this cute holly cutter that was just begging to be used. Besides, I did buy that whole bag of Holiday M&M's!

I was on such a baking kick, I had a lot of left over sugar cookie dough. What else could I do? Make melting snowmen!!

Don't you just want to gobble him up?! His little head and carrot nose are made from fondant. These little guys were very popular at a recent holiday party.

Now you're probably thinking, Fish? At Christmas? Yes they are! My girlfriend Jorden has been begging me to make her a Fish Cake. However, she lives in WI and I live in MN and I haven't quite figured out how to ship a Fish Cake to her. Shipping cookies, now that's another story! Jorden got a tiny little box with these cuties bubble wrapped inside! Merry Christmas Jorden!

I've also been obsessed with Peppermint this season. I even tried my hand at homemade peppermint marshmallows! Along with the theme, I made these "peppermint candy" cookies to go in my Peppermint Gift Bags.

I'm starting to get a little cookied out when an epiphany strikes! If any of you follow Bakerella you know that she is famous for her Cake Pops. Taking inspiration from her amazing work, I made these precious Elf Cake Pops!

Almost too jolly to eat!

That's my holiday baking adventure for this Christmas season!

Wishing everyone a warm and happy holiday!

Merry Christmas!!

Another Happy Meal

I was lucky enough to be asked to do a cake for a coworker. His adorable little boy, Levi turned 1 earlier this week. Levi got a giant hamburger cake and a whole lotta sliders. Who knew those little burger cupcakes would get to be so popular?!
Thanks Matt and Sara! Happy Birthday Levi!

Happy Halloween!

My friend Melinda has a Halloween party every year. This may be her last year hosting, so I wanted to give her something special. I had cake scraps from another project so I turned them into Halloween cake pops!! Check out my ghost, creepy eye, pumpkin, mummy and skeleton! Scary and delicious!