My French Rolling Pin
I LOVE my French rolling pin. For years I used my Grandma Grace’s rolling pin, that she gave me. It was the rolling pin she & I used to roll cookies when I was a little girl. While her rolling pin holds so many sweet memories, my French rolling pin is “the bomb!” It makes rolling cookies, bread dough and everything so much easier. If you have never tried one, I encourage you to get one. You will love it.
My grandma’s rolling pin and her recipe box with recipes in her handwriting. These things are two of the most precious items I have.
Spooky Halloween Cookies
I love decorating sugar cookies for all seasons. Here are a couple of my go to cookies for Halloween. See my Fruit Pizza Cookies for my go to sugar cookie recipe. It is tried, true and delicious! Easy to make and won’t crumble when packed and transported. It took me awhile to perfect this recipe, but numerous incidents with crumbled cookies, this seems to work.
I love this royal icing recipe!
ROYAL ICING
1/2 cup meringue powder
2 lbs powdered sugar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 c. water
Beat meringue powder with water to soft peaks. DO NOT OVERBEAT!! Add powdered sugar and lemon juice. Beat on high until shiny. Use paste food coloring to tint.
Making spider web cookies is so simple.
Start with a base coat of white.
Use black icing and make a spiral starting in the center. I use a #2 piping tip.
While the icing is still wet, use a toothpick, starting in the center drag the toothpick out to each point. This creates the spider web effect.
Seriously, so easy peasy!!! I added a fun purple spider to my cookies!
I also made this fun spooky faces. Beware!!! Eating these cookies will make your teeth turn black – eeeek!!
ENJOY!!
Mini Fruit Pizzas
I love entertaining! When my girlfriends come over I pull out my Great Aunt Marie’s violet china luncheon plates and my silver dessert forks. I love using white linen napkins and my great grandmother Hilliard’s crystal water goblets. It is so much fun to pamper my friends.
I had a small gathering at my house this weeks and I made these cute dessert pizzas. My guests assembled them to their taste.
Making them is as easy as making sugar cookies, cream cheese frosting and cutting up fruit. Then displaying everything on pretty dishes.
This recipe is great for sugar cookies that hold their shape during baking and hold up after being decorated. My favorite sugar cookie recipe tastes better, but crumbles easily when decorated 🙁
COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamed and smooth – about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes.
2. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high until fully combined, about 2 minutes.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer down to low and add about half of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined.
4. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Don’t skip this step. Chill up to 2 days.
5. Once chilled, preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerator and roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut in shapes.
6. Bake for 9 – 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Makes 36 3″ round cookies.
Unfrosted cookies freeze well, you can also freeze the uncooked cookies dough.
FROSTING:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 heaving whipping cream
4 tsp. vanilla
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar.
Beat the cream cheese, cream and vanilla together. Add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
Natural Face Wash
My hubby Scott swears by this face wash. He has fought adult acne for years and this magic concoction seems to be the answer.
Recipe:
1/2 jar coconut oil
1/2 cup baking soda
1 T honey
6-7 drops lavender oil
10-12 drops tea tree oil
You can lower the amount of baking soda if you have sensitive skin. I can’t use it at all because of the baking soda, but if you have tough, manly skin you should be just fine.