Thursday, April 16, 2009

All Play and No Work

I've had lots of events at work lately. This week, we celebrate my work friend, Sarah's baby shower. We planned on ordering cupcakes from this cute little bakery. But of course, I started thinking- I could make those for way cheaper.

They don't look exactly like the cute little bakery cupcakes, but I had lots of fun making them! It took forever and I don't want to see any baby bottle sugar cookies for a while, but I think it was worth the effort.

I made vanilla mini-cupcakes and sugar cookies. The cookies were surprisingly delicious! They do spread just a little bit, so beware with some cookie cutters. They are soft and not too sweet- the way they are meant to be!




Sugar Cookie Cutouts


Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Powdered Sugar Icing (optional)
Decorative sprinkles and/or small candies (optional)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill about 30 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.


2. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/4 inch thick. Using a 4-1/2- to 6-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.


3. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.


4. If desired, prepare Powdered Sugar Icing. Spread and/or pipe the icing (if using) onto cookies. If desired, top iced cookies with sprinkles and/or candies.


Me with the mom-to-be

Later that night, we celebrated all the success of the 2 Minute 5K. As much fun as we had planning and getting ready, I think we were really glad to put it all behind us. At least until next year! 2 Minute 5K 2010- are you in?!!?

Me and Karla


For the record, I think blogs are a little "fake." They paint these perfect pictures of perfect families in perfect houses where the recipes always turn out perfect. I've had more than my fair share of kitchen mishaps and I usually blog about them. What you don't ever see- my kitchen!!! When I finish a project like the baby shower cupcakes- my kitchen is an absolute disaster!
Maybe through my pictures, you've been given the impression that I am neat and tidy- ha! Far from the truth. So here you go: a look at my kitchen . . .


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