Christmas Piñata Cookies

Merry Christmas y'all!

I'm back with a vengeance! School is finally done for good and I will finally have the time to dedicate to sharing my mindless crafting with the world!

This year, instead of Christmas cards, I decided to make Christmas cookies. Not just ANY cookies- I scoured the internet for ideas to really make these cookies the best! My friends deserve THE BEST!

Now I will share this with you!

These cookies are absolutely to-die-for. They taste wonderful and were easier to make then they look.

First, I baked a double batch of these no-fail cut out cookies that I found on this blog here. I copied it below. So easy. So yummy!

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

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YIELD: 3 dozen cookies

PREP TIME: 30 minutes

COOK TIME: 6-8 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 38 minutes

Soft cut out sugar cookie recipe that keeps its shape and dough does not need to be chilled before baking- perfect edges every time!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Cup granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in extracts and egg.
4. In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
5. DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
6. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

Now we prepare a batch of royal icing to assemble the cookies!

I used this recipe:

RECIPE

Now, using a smaller cookie cutter, cut the centers out of 1/3 of your cookies. 

**TIP** If you find that the cookies are too hard to cut through, microwave them at half power with a cup of hot water**

Trace the outline of a whole cookie and place your cut cookie on top.

Now fill them with sprinkles!

Pipe another outline of royal icing on the cookie to seal it and place the top cookie on

FROST AWAY! I even added the centers that I cut out of the cookies at the little heart in the front.

Wrap them in something pretty!! I downloaded these printable tags from HERE

ALL DONE!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Two-Toned, strawberries and whipped cream filled low-fat cupcakes.

I couldn't think of a shorter title...

 

 

Are you ready for some blow-your-mind cupcakes?!

 

Yeah, neither was I. But it happened...OHHHH yeah, it happened.

 

Two-toned icing, Strawberries and whipped cream filled, low-fat cupcakes

 

 

 

 

So, now that you've seen their beauty. Let's break it down.

 

 

 

I'm pretty simple. No need to make them from scratch, you can use the $1 mix from Publix and still make them taste like heaven on earth.

*To keep the fat content low, I prefer to use unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil.

This drops the calorie count by half and typically make much more moist cupcakes*

 

BAKE AS DIRECTED...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour yourself some wine while you wait.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's prepare our filling.

This strawberry filling is AHHHmazing and has never failed me.

It's super easy and always a big hit

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (16 ounces) frozen sliced strawberries , packed in sugar and thawed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Makes:

2 cups of filling.

Instructions:

Step 1

Drain strawberries; reserving liquid. Add enough water to liquid to equal 1 1/4 cups. In large saucepan, combine strawberry liquid, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice; mix well. Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Cool completely. Stir strawberries into the cooled mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigerate until ready to serve

 

(http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Strawberry-Filling-1)

 

 

Whipped cream filling

1 Cup of heavy whipping cream

1 Tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbl Powdered Sugar

 

Whip the cream until it starts to stiffen.

DON'T OVER WHIP OR YOU WILL FAIL.

Add vanilla and sugar and whip until peaks form.

DID I MENTION: DON'T OVER WHIP!?

 

OK- Set these aside.

 

NOW- frosting!!

 

I believe that I have mastered my icing recipe. It is based on this recipe.

 

You need:

1/2c Crisco

1 stick of butter (1/2c)

4c Powdered Sugar

1t Vanilla extract

1t Almond extract

 

Whip together the crisco and butter and extracts. Add sugar slowly. (Go ahead, try and add it fast...see what happens. HA! Powder face!!)

 

This icing will appear almost dry when done correctly. Add a small amount of skim milk to soften it up.

 

Now, split the icing into 2 batches and color them. I chose pink and yellow because it is a baby shower.

 

Alrighty, are your cupcakes cooled? Freeze them or something. Get them to be cool. Now.

 

Now, return to your filling. I DO NOT like to use to filling tip

 

I think it's too long and narrow. Remember, we are using REAL strawberries in our filling. They will clog this tip. Use a wide plain 'ol icing tip and fill your bag.

 

Shhh--Spoiler alert!

 

TIRED OF THE MESS INVOLVED IN GETTING FILLINGS AND ICINGS INTO YOUR PIPING BAG??

 

GOT ONE OF THOSE MASSIVE PLASTIC CUPS FROM RESTAURANTS (IE. DICKEYS) LYING AROUND??

 

Game changer!! Welcome to the simple life.

 

Ok, poke the middle of your cupcake and squeeze until the cupcake puffs up just a teeny bit.

 

OK, I know what you're thinking. IT CAN'T BE THAT EASY.

Um, it so IS!

 

OK, return to frosting. I use the large closed-star tip

Returning your piping bag to the big cup, carefully spoon in your pink frosting on one side of the bag

yellow on the other

 

 

Knead it slightly to get excess air out.

Here's what you should look like:

 

 

Now check it out!!!!!

 

 

How pretty!

 

 

Marbled two tone filled cupcakes.

 

Now, if you're planning a baby shower, here's a cute little decorating idea:

 

Use Jelly Beans and Gummy Life Savers to make little pacifiers to decorate the cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

How pretty!

You're welcome!

Now go enjoy!