Bat Cookies! with Steamed, Rolled Fondant

Our power was off all morning to mid afternoon so I’m a little late in posting to wish you a happy Halloween so “Happy Halloween” at last!

Late, late, late last night after we returned home from a wonderful dinner with our lovely friends I began this project- Yep, sometimes I can be a little batty when it comes to making and decorating cookies. When I’ve got an idea I’ve got to see it through.

The cookies were for a client for my hubby this morning so I needed it to be easy and quick with no icing drying time. By using rolled fondant instead of royal icing I was able to do it all within a few hours from start to finish.

I decided to make the cookies on sticks so the presentation would have more “wow” factor than a flatter basket of cookies. I originally thought of using a cauldron but since the bats were black I wanted a contrasting color. The plastic jack-o-lantern would be perfect! It was from my boys’ trick or treating days so it was a touch sad for me but I had to “carry on and decorate cookies.”

For the fondant shape to cover the cookies I used the cookie cutter. Cookies will always puff a little when baking so fondant cut from the cutter shape will not completely cover the cookie edges unless you "re-cut" the warm, baked cookies which I did for wedding cookies I made. When I decorate with royal icing I come out to the edge of the cookie. With fondant it’s a trade off for the time saved. I guess I could have rolled out the shape ever so gently to stretch it out after it was cut but I chose not to this time.

Another thing I learned with black fondant, it looks rather flat on its own and if you’ve been following my blog for awhile you know I love me some Disco Dust!!!

Rolled fondant does not hold on to the Disco Dust well and it does not like water so I wanted to see what would happen if I plugged in my little garment steamer and passed the cookie in front of the steam like I’ve seen on The Cake Boss.

I held one bat back last night so I could show you in the natural light.

It makes the fondant shiny and slightly tacky.

Tip: I also learned that if you steam the fondant on the cookie for a bit longer after you see the initial shine it will stay shiny. If you take it out of the steam just as the shine happens it will lose the shine it after it dries a bit.

I then dipped my brush into plum colored Disco Dust and rolled the tip of the brush on my index finger over the tacky cookie. This worked beautifully.

I individually bagged the bats and tied them with glittered purple organza wired ribbon.

There’s just something about these googly eyes starring back at me that I just love. It’s like having friends in the kitchen.

Oh, the eyes were made with thinned white and black royal icing I had left over from another project. Make 2 white dots and then 2 backs dots over the whites. Easy.

To finish the presentation I secured the bats by sticking them into a vertical brick of florist foam that I placed in the pumpkin. I also added weight to the pumpkin by filling a couple sandwich bags with rice. The cookie arrangement is still top heavy but weight in the bottom helps to stabilize it.

Wishing you a wonderful Halloween Night!

Sugar Cookie Recipe; Working with Fondant; Working with Fondant ll; Cookies on a Stick

Halloween Cocktail Time!

Question: “What do black Cosmo martinis garnished with sparkly disco dust and a beating heart on a wooden stake have in common”?

Answer: “It’s what for dinner come Halloween for me and my ghoul friends”.

This year I’m going ghoulie glam with a sparkling rim made with thinned candy coating or white chocolate tinted with icing colors and sprinkled with disco dust.

“Ghoulie Pink Sparkle Rim”

“Twilight Red Sparkle Rim”

I wrote a post on the particulars and challenges of the “Martha inspired” corn syrup technique, (see photo below), with a recipe for a Milky Way martini. Click here for the post and for the cocktail recipe. It’s definitely a treat and not a trick with Starbuck’s cream liqueur, chocolate vodka and cream yumminess.

Here’s the “Pink Martinis and Pearls Technique” ~

Things you’ll need for the glass garnish:

• Paramount crystal flakes (found at cake supply stores)
• White candy coating or white baking chocolate
• Disco Dust in pink, red or rainbow
• Thick bamboo skewers
• Maraschino cherries
• Martini glasses (or any other beverage glass)

Things you’ll need for the cocktail:

• Blavod black vodka
• Cranberry juice
• Triple Sec
• Crushed ice to mix

To make the sparkly glass rim ~

Start by melting a few paramount crystals. They take only about 30 seconds in the microwave. The purpose of the crystals are to thin out the chocolate making it more runny. Add either a couple squares of the white baking chocolate or some candy coating wafers. From here on I’ll also refer to the candy coating as ‘chocolate’.

Both chocolates will melt smoother and quicker when added to the melted paramount crystals. Just so you know how easy the crystals will make the chocolate flow, the photo below on the left is the melted chocolate with the tint color only. The tint color alone will seize up both the chocolates. Add the crystals and presto! like magic, all smooth out beautifully.

Take a small spoon (I like to use a baby spoon), a craft brush or place the melted chocolate in an icing bag and place it around the outside top of the glass rim. You might have to pull it down into drip shapes even with the chocolate being runny. It’s just the nature of this white chocolate to want to stay together.

Before the chocolate has set up hard, sprinkle with a like color of disco dust (pink chocolate-pink dust; red chocolate-red dust, etc.).

Rainbow disco dust can be used on everything. It’s just a clear sparkle and picks up any color. It’s my favorite all-around color but for this project I used pink and red.

Tip: One nice thing about working with chocolate on glass, if you don’t like where the chocolate drips have landed, before they set, you can wipe them away with a paper towel and fill in the gaps with more chocolate. It’s very forgiving.

Once the chocolate sets, the disco dust isn’t going anywhere and the combo basically becomes water proof unless you wash the glass with warm to hot water. Barely any sparkles come off on your lips which can be good or bad depending on what you’ve got planned for your Halloween amusement.

To make the wooden stake garnish with the beating heart ~

(Use your imagination here)

I used thick bamboo skewers I found in my baking junk drawer. Uh-oh. Did I say that out loud? I actually have three baking junk drawers. Now my dirty little disorganized secret is out.

Grab a fresh maraschino cherry heart and slip it over the pointed end of the stick. I love how it drips it’s own juice over the red chocolate.

Now, we’re ready for the cocktail itself. Have you heard of black vodka?

It’s called Blavod. I found it at BevMo.

I am loving how it comes in its own zippered wet suit. Tres Twilight chic with its stand-up vampire collar!

When I took the cover off the bottle it naturally curled away. Kind of edgy with the spider web and zipper, don’t you think? If you go through a few bottles of Blaovd you can start your own collection of can cozies!

I know you’re probably thinking how many did I have to think of that little odd idea but I had none! It was well past the witching hour and that may have had something to do with it. lol!

Still, don’t you love martinis that multi-task?

Black Cosmo

• 2/3 Blavod black vodka
• 1/3 cranberry juice
• splash of Triple Sec
• Ice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and go to town and shake your boo-ty. Strain and pour.

Here are more recipes that use Blavod but you can search online and find one that shakes or stirs YOU!

Boo!

Always remember to drink and ride your broom responsibly.

I Heart Martha!

I know you've seen this picture before from a recent post on decorated fall leaf cookies but today it is featured on Martha Stewart's Dreamers Into Doers!


It is such a thrill for one of my babies to be featured.

Thank you Martha, & staff, for this honor!

A Vineyard Wedding - Part 3

As the wedding dinner in the vineyard was transitioning into evening, Adirondack chairs painted specially to complement the colors of the wedding were set up around the large fire ring. Plum colored pillows added coziness when the sun fell as did a basket full of purple and blush hued pashminas for the ladies.

Such a thoughtful touch.

One last push on the swing.

A perfect dinner.

With perfect company.

Magic.

Enchantment.

Good conversation.

Music.

Dancing.

And what kind of a wedding would it be without a dancing hotdog?

Such relish! lol!

Later in the night when the band finished playing, everyone gathered around the fire ring.

One of the groom’s men and another friend took out their guitars and began to play. They were excellent.

Warmth.

Serve yourself S’mores station.

One word. Genius.

Even hand wipes and telescoping forks were thought of.

Uncle George. There’s always one expert roaster in the bunch!

Wishing the bride and groom a lifetime of happiness.

Scott and Lela, thank you for letting me be a small, itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny part of making a sweet memory for you!

Part 1

Part 2

Happy Birthday to A Best Friend!

When making party favors for my dear friend Suzi’s birthday party hosted by her equally lovely sister, Kathi, last Saturday, I thought of what images I could capture in a cookie that reminded me of her.

Specific images came to mind when thinking of her style – simple elegance, sparkle, mirrors, silver balls, purple and white.

Suzi, I love having you be a sweet part of my life and the icing on my cake. (I know, corny).

Wishing you many, many happy years to come shared with all who love you.

And my friend, you will be happy to hear you are spared from the premier of your party video on my blog today only because the program froze on my iPad. I don’t know how you managed to do this but I'm blaming you. Hmmm.

Love.

A Vineyard Wedding ~ Part 2

The ceremony and garden party.

Scott’s 5 o’clock shadow was a bride’s request.

Happy wife. Happy life.

I love this photo. Lela’s veil floated to embrace Scott’s face at the moment of the kiss to give them just a hint of privacy.

Soon it was time for the sunset dinner in the vineyard. Guests were seated at one long elegant table.

Our wine charms pointed us towards the tables we were to sit at.

Mirrors with our names at our place setting reflected the cottonwood trees and the golden light of the late afternoon sun.

Simple and beautiful flowers.

Crystal bowls of plum hued fruit.

Candelabras.

Champagne with blackberries.

We sat across from Randy and Sally, the groom’s parents and my husband’s brother.

Our beautiful niece, Laura, the groom’s only sister.

Did I share with you that my cookies were used to decorate the out-of-towners goodie boxes? Since this was a destination wedding there were lots of them to deliver to 5 hotels. Loved the scorpion in the lollipop for the southwestern touch.

Thank you to Christine of Christine Kay Photography for sharing her beautiful photo of Lela and Scott and to my photog-maven-friend Susan of Susan Keller Photography who took my two underexposed photos of the bride and groom and created her magic and made them so much more interesting in black and white.

A special hello to wedding planner Monica McQueen of Tres Chic Weddings and Events. I was amazed with all her special touches and thoughtfulness.

Part 3, the evening party, to come.

Part 1

Part 3