Happy 2015! What happened to 2014?

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but these last few months have been absolutely crazy. My hubby and I both came back from an Arizona Thanksgiving being sick with this icky respiratory stuff, and are just now feeling better. So we worked through my busiest catering/cake/cookie December ever, being less than our normal selves and with my catering partner out of town. It was difficult, but somehow we made it through. Still trying to catch up on my rest. Whew! 

Every little girl is still into Frozen. I started off the season back in November with another Frozen cake. I love making Olaf... each one has a little different pose, but he's a cute character to design for a cake. Used more isomalt for detail. Oh, did I mention how much I love isomalt? I got creative on some of my wedding cakes with isomalt too, which I will show you a bit later. Love the stuff! 

Here's a couple of other birthday cakes I made in November...

Then came the crazy December...

Started off with cookies, lots and lots of cookies... 50 dozen for a PTA function for my grand-daughters' school. I always learn the hard way... will not do that again. Too many cookies for my smaller than commercial kitchen. 

And more cookies...

And cinnamon rolls...

And then the annual goodies for the friend and neighbors...

Chocolate covered Ritz peanut butter cookies, chocolate covered brownie bites, and toffee

All packaged and ready for delivery

This is something new I tried... chocolate covered bacon for my bacon loving friend...

It was actually very, very yummy!

At the end of November, I purchased some really fun new decorating tools... anything to make my work easier and a little more fun and creative... and used some of my old tools in a different way. That will be the subject of my next post, but these are some of the finished products...

Cake for my granddaughter's piano recital (which I had to miss by the way because of a catering job :( )

3 wintry wedding cakes, to go along with wedding catering gigs... I really enjoy decorating winter wedding cakes.

Last, but not least... a cute little gender reveal cake... by the way, it was blue inside...

We ended the month with a catering gig for 100 on New Year's Eve afternoon. And no, we didn't celebrate much that night. Just glad to be home on our cozy little couch, watching Back to the Future II to see what 2015 was supposed to be like! Happy New Year! 

Lots and lots of cookies!

This was one of those weekends that really made me appreciate the new double oven. I had a catering order for a cookie and punch reception for 100 people on Saturday night. That meant baking 17 dozen cookies on Saturday, after decorating a cake that morning. So I baked a variety of the large bakery style cookies... all my faves... marbles, snickerdoodles, peanut butter chocolate chip, and oatmeal coconut with cranberries, pecans, and dark chocolate chips (these went fast!). Anyway, however you look at it, that's alot of cookies! My kitchen looked like a little cookie factory for sure, and the house smelled heavenly for about 2 days afterwards. A side note... I was very proud of myself for staying on track with my Weight Watchers program... all those cookies and I didn't get into any. That's a first I think. Miracles do happen!

First of the cookies ready for the serving table

How to keep Home Teachers coming...COOKIES!

In our church, we have a couple of men who are assigned to visit certain families each month. They normally visit with us to see how we're doing and then give us a gospel message. I have found the best way to keep our home teachers coming each month. COOKIES! Yes, I bake fresh cookies right before they come to visit. They always make an appointment with us-usually on Sunday afternoon-so I bake cookies just before they come. Today I "killed two birds with one stone," or in other words, made cookies for the home teachers and another family as a thank you gift for helping Bruce with his pickup problems last week. Today's special cookies...Marbles! These have traditionally been the favorite cookie in the Leavitt home, even though some others are quick becoming favorites also...like the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. Marbles are soft and chewy, mainly because of the sour cream that is added along with the eggs and vanilla. This recipe comes from Mrs. Fields Cookie Book. The cookies are baked at a lower temperature-300 degrees for a longer time-22 minutes, but the result is amazing! You've got to try these. I'm sure they will become one of your family favorites too.

Marbles

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (4 oz.) sour cream

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in medium mixing bowl. Set aside. Combine sugars in large mixer bowl at medium speed. Add butter and beat until grainy. Add sour cream, egg, and vanilla and mix on medium until light and fluffy, scraping bowl as needed. Add flour mixture and blend at low speed just until combined. Do not overmix. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or in double boiler, being careful not to burn. Cool slightly, and pour over batter. With wooden spoon or rubber scraper, lightly fold melted chocolate into the dough. Do not mix completely into dough, thus giving the dough a "marbled look." Drop by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart onto   parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake approx. 22 minutes. DO NOT BROWN. Quickly transfer cookies to cool surface. Makes approx. 2 doz. 

Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever!

For those of you who follow my blog, you know that I have problems from time to time with high altitude baking since we live at almost 7000 feet here in Colorado Springs. Most of my cookies turn out fine, but every once in awhile, a cookie recipe will turn out a less than desired result... usually flat flat cookies. Such has been the case with my peanut butter cookies. However, not too long ago, I found this amazing peanut butter cookie recipe that works very well here in Colorado. Stock up on your peanut butter because this recipe calls for allot of peanut butter, but worth every bit. These cookies can be made with or without chocolate chips and they literally melt in your mouth... yum.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies(makes 4-5 dozen)
1 cup butter, softened2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar1 cup granulated sugar2 large eggs1 1/2 tablespoons milk1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt2 cups chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and peanut butter in large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and beat for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Mix in milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix briefly. While there are still spots of flour, add in the chips and mix until well combined. Let cookie dough set for a few minutes to firm up. Scoop tablespoon size balls onto parchment lined baking sheets. Criss-cross with fork dipped in water. Bake for 10-11 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes to firm before removing them carefully to the cooling rack. The cookies may look slightly underbaked, but will firm as they cool. 

Snickerdoodles!

It's been forever since I've made snickerdoodles, but I got an order a few days ago from a friend whose husband wanted 4 dozen large snickerdoodles for work, so this is what I ended up with...

Yum...the key is not baking them too long, so they will be crisp on the outside and still soft and chewy on the inside. These cookies were quite large, but still only baked them for 10 minutes. They can finish baking for just a couple of minutes longer on the cookie sheet after removing them from the oven.

Overbaking...

Rolls baked on silicone treated parchment liners

Rolls removed when golden brown to butter tops

Many people think that they have to bake items until they are brown, hard, and overdone. It makes me crazy!! First of all, I always bake my cakes at 325 degrees instead of the 350 degrees that it says on the package. This makes for a moister cake. Yes, you have to bake it a few minutes longer, but your cake is done when you insert a toothpick and it just barely comes out clean, and when you can touch it in the center and it will just barely bounce back. Chocolate cakes usually take a few minutes longer than other flavors. DO NOT bake cakes so long that they become dry and hard around the edges. They should be soft and moist. Also, why do some people think they have to bake cookies until they are hard as a rock, and almost burned on the bottom? Cookies should be gently crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Mrs. Fields recommends baking most of her cookies at 300 degrees, instead of 350 or 375. Also, you should almost always remove the cookies from the oven after the MINIMUM amount of time listed. If necessary, you can leave them on the pan for a couple of minutes to finished baking, but usually you can just remove them from the pan and put on a cooling rack or directly on a clean counter to cool. The cookies may look barely set when you remove them from the oven. Do not let your cookies get too brown. They should just barely be golden on the bottom. Same with rolls or cinnamon rolls. I usually bake my dinner rolls for 25 minutes instead of the recommended 30 minutes--they should be a nice even golden brown on top and barely brown on the bottom, not dark brown. They will be softer and moister. Also, remember that everyone's oven may be a little different. Before you start using your oven, you should test the temperature so you know how hot it is, and then adjust your baking temperature accordingly. Using silicone treated parchment paper also helps to bake your items more evenly.