Monday, October 31, 2011

Homemade Twix

   So it's Halloween time!  But I have run into a bit of trouble these last few years... my favorite candy... Twix... is glutinous :-(  So what's a girl to do?!
   Make her own!
   I found a recipe for "Thousand Dollar Bars" by King Arthur Flour on pinterest. (my newest obsession!)  You can find their recipe here!  However, I didn't really follow their ingredient list, just the idea of how to make the bars.


   First I doubled Annalise Roberts' recipe for "Shortbread Cookies" and baked it in a 9x 13 pan.  (recipe at end of post)


   Then I made homemade caramel using My Mother's Apron Strings recipe here.  I should've cooked my caramel a little bit longer before taking it off the heat (I guess my idea of what is "golden brown" is a little off.  Ooops!)  I usually make caramel with a candy thermometer.  I think I will do it that way next time to ensure the caramel is perfect... this time mine tasted more like toffee!
   Lastly, I melted a good amount of bittersweet chocolate and poured it on top.


   To be completely honest, this candy doesn't quite taste like Twix... but something even more elegant and rich!  Possibly if you use milk chocolate (and let the caramel firm up longer) it will be more like a Twix bar.  But for this g-free wifey (and hubby and his Coastie friend that visited) these were a huge hit!  Messy and delish!


"Shortbread Cookies" adapted from Annalise Roberts
this is the doubled version of the recipe
Ingredients
1/2 c sugar
2 sticks butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 c flour mix (2 part rice flour, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca starch)
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum


Method
1)   Preheat oven to 350 F.
2)   Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla extract.
3)   Add dry ingredients and beat until well mixed.
4)   Place mixture in greased 9x 13 pan and bake for 25 minutes or until it starts to get golden brown.  










A Halloween Kitty Cat Made Spice Cupcakes!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN RAWR!
Hehe, I decided to be a kitty this year for Halloween... so I made some ears out of sparkly black felt and sewed them onto a headband... added some whiskers, a nose, and kitty cat eyes...

(here's a close up of my hair for those of you who are interested in seeing the new color)

Bama and I are waiting for the kiddies to come Trick-or-Treat so we did a photo shoot!  (Khloe and Hubby are taking a nap...)

Oh!  And this kitty made spice cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream to celebrate this Autumn event!
 Blood and spiders and scary ghost Kitty
Oh My!












Saturday, October 29, 2011

Pumpkin Pops!

   I love having left-over cake... I just pop it in the freezer and take it out when I get in the mood for some cake!  I had some left-over g-free chocolate fudge cake so I decided to make some Pumpkin Pops!


   I mixed the cake with chocolate frosting and dipped it in vanilla candy melts I dyed orange.  Then I piped some leaves on top (with the wrong tip, oops, but they still look cute!)


   Happy Halloween!!!!










Ladybird Ln

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Halloween Cake Contest... Winner!

May I present to you the winner of Hobby Lobby's Disney Halloween Contest... Yours truly!
Unfortunately I still don't have a camera so these phone pictures will have to do...

Everything on the cake is edible (except for the styrofoam inside the coffin!)  The cake is two-layer with red velvet and yellow cake, the three cupcakes are my "famous" apple cupcakes, and the kitty cake pops are chocolate cake balls dipped in bittersweet chocolate. 

I donated the cake to the Ronald McDonald house in Pensacola so all the children and their families can treat themselves to some a spooky Disney Halloween treat! 

Happy Halloween!













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Happy Wonka Eve!!

It's a Keeper





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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Disney Sugar Decorations!

   Ahh I am so sorry I've been MIA with my blog lately... during Columbus weekend we went to Amelia Island for my brother-in-law's (Gorgeous!wedding and I just haven't gotten my groove back!


   However, no worries... I have been playing with sugar still... A LOT of sugar!


   This Saturday is the Disney Halloween contest  eeeek!  My theme is "Mickey's Halloween Nightmare."  Here are a bunch of my decorations I've made over the past week and half!  (We haven't been able to eat at our dining room table for about a few weeks now oops).
Here's Mickey... my first time ever "sculpting" with gum paste.  I painted his colors on by mixing my gel colors with vodka.
Minnie the Witch with her brood of pumpkins.

Boooo!  Mickey ghosts!

Royal icing spiders, bones, hands, and eyes.


Marshmallow fondant coffin with royal icing spookiness.

Last but not least, possessed Pluto with crazy eyes and vampire fangs!


It's a Keeper


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Fondant Cake

My first ever fondant cake!
I love it.

Simple.  Elegant.

 It's a 12 inch chocolate cake and 8 inch gluten free
butter cake... covered in homemade marshmallow
fondant and buttercream frosting...


Simple buttercream dot borders easily
complete the classy look.

My cakes will never be complete without 
homemade sugar flowers... love making them!


Anyone want me to make them a cake!?!




















Gluten-Free Wednesdays



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It's a Keeper