Confetti Birthday Party | Sprinkled Treats

Who doesn't love a sprinkled party treat?  Wait, let's make that 5 kinds of sprinkled party treats!  Today I'm sharing the eats & drinks from Caitlin's "3 Cheers" confetti birthday... and stay tuned for more details throughout the week.

Let's talk about this beautiful cake, shall we?  Michele of Cakewalk Baking created both the cake and cupcakes.  The inside was Funfetti vanilla and the cake was frosted with the most delicious fresh strawberry buttercream.  We topped it off with a variety of sprinkles and these awesome gold metallic birthday candles.

My favorite, though messy, creation was definitely the doughnut pops. I picked up 2 dozen glazed holes from our local donut shop and attached them to lollipop sticks wrapped in washi tape.  I just brushed on a little extra glaze and half dipped them in rainbow sprinkles for that happy confetti'ed look.

I took on the cookies from this lofthouse style recipe I'd been dying to try.  They were way more work than I would have guessed... probably because I waited to bake them until the night before and didn't realize the dough is supposed to be refrigerated overnight before rolling.  Friends, don't neglect that step and you'll thank me later.  In the end, the recipe made lots and they tasted far better than their processed grocery store counterparts, so it was worth the effort.

Rounding out the snacks we had a bit of gummy candy along with typical toddler food like circus animal cookies, fruit salad and goldfish crackers.

In addition to juice boxes for the kids and booze for the grownups, I also made my own fruit punch complete with 'fruit confetti'. I basically made up the recipe by pouring a few different juices (apple, white grape, cherry, pineapple) and some sparkling water into our large mason dispenser and filled it up with round slices of lemons, limes and oranges.  (ps: it would taste great mixed as a cocktail too... if you happened not to be entertaining a bunch of three-year-olds)

photos © sherry heck 

But wait, there's more... have you seen the rest of this party yet? Click here: Invitations + Decorations \\ Activities \\ Favors

Photography: Sherry Heck
Styling + Graphics:  CAKE. | events + design

Cake + Cupcakes: Cakewalk Baking

Honeycombs, Party Utensils, Paper Straws: Shop Sweet Lulu

These images are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please link directly to this post.

Coconut Key Lime Cookies

Hey you guys!  It's been a while... again.  Life is moving fast and I've been struggling to find the motivation to sit at my computer and post.  Whenever I have a quiet night at home, I feel more more inclined to relax on the couch with a book or a movie. I think I'm in need of a re-boot. Anyone else? I've got some pretty exciting projects coming up in June (think sponsored parties + birthday fun), so I guess it's time to get my butt in gear - and maybe I can actually share the good stuff with you before summer has come and gone.

But I digress. This post is supposed to be about cookies.  Delicious cookies that were a total happy accident.  I set out to make my mom some of my favorite lemon currant cookies for Mother's Day, only to discover that I'd forgotten to buy currants. After a slight meltdown I decided to see what other useable ingredients I had around the house.  I had some roasted coconut chips from Trader Joes (have you tried them?), but wasn't sure about pairing them with lemon.  Then I remembered we also had some key limes left over from Cinco De Mayo. Score. Lime and coconut always go hand in hand.  And kind of perfect for a summer party now that I think about it...

I followed the original recipe with my substitutions and somehow they were a smashing success. I think my mom described them best when she said "I would never think to call a cookie refreshing, but these totally are!". So there you go. When life hands you coconut in place of currants... go make some cookies. Profound wisdom for a Thursday.

photo + styling © cake. 2013

Coconut Key Lime Cookies

adapted from martha stewart

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for baking sheets
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
1 tablespoon grated lime zest

1/4 cup lime juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.
2. Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream and egg.
3. In a separate bowl; whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until they are well combined.
4. Stir in coconut and lime zest/juice.
5. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies are puffed and golden around the edges, about 20 minutes.
6. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

These images are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.

Love is in the Air | Valentine Treats + Printable

Today I bring you some printable Valentine's day goodness.  Hooray!  I was inspired by airheads red balloon logo and decided to try making a red balloon cookie topper out of their candy.  And guess what?  Cutting airheads with scissors is super easy and fun!  Pair that with a little valentine wordplay, some pink hearts and a simple sugar cookie recipe... and we've got ourselves one uplifting DiY.

Full disclosure: airheads is hosting a craft contest and the winner gets a ticket to Alt NYC.  Yeah, I'm down with that. Wait, scratch that... I pretty much never enter contests, so the fact that I'm entering this one and blogging about it means I'm pretty freaking over the moon psyched about that!  I have no idea if it helps my odds, but if you like this project, can you help a sister out and vote for it on the airheads facebook page?

You can vote HERE once a day until Feb 11th.

Read on below for a simple tutorial on how to make these balloon toppers, along with the printable and recipe for some pretty addictive cookies.  Happy love day!

Here's what you'll need:

- printable 5x7 valentine card (download HERE)
- cookie & icing ingredients (see recipe below)
- heart shaped cookie cutter (I used a 2" heart)
- airheads candy in cherry & white mystery flavors
- scissors for trimming candy
- cello bags for cookies
- pretty tape for attaching treats to card

Here's what to do:

1. Download the free printable and print/cut as many as you need.
2. Bake sugar cookies as directed below and pipe with icing when cool.
3. To make airheads balloons: take a cherry airhead and trim out a small oval about a 1/2" in diameter. Cut a tiny corner off the end and press together with the oval using your fingers to mold into a small balloon tip.  Trim a thin strip of the long end of a white mystery airhead.  Roll along a clean surface until a thin 'string' is formed.  Cut a 2" piece and form a small loop near one end.
4. Place balloon on upper left of iced heart cookie. Place string below balloon tip and run to edge of cookie (trim end if needed).  Gently press into icing.
5. When cookie icing is hardened, place cookie in a cello bag and attach to Valentine with tape along top.
6. Don't forget to write in a valentine message to your loved ones before you give away these treats.

Tip: If you're short on time, substitute the handmade cookies for a handful of mini airheads candy bars and you still have a cute valentine!

These printables and images are ©Merry Happy by CAKE. and are for personal use only. If sharing them on your site, please credit CAKE. events blog and link directly to this post.

Valentine Hearts Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Heart shaped cookie cutter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until incorporated.

3. Gradually add flour mixture on low until combined. Wrap dough in plastic; chill 1 hour.

4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/16 inch thick. Cut out hearts. Transfer 6-8 cookies to an un-greased cookie sheet. Chill until firm, 15 to 30 minutes. 

5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until cookies are firm but not browned. Transfer cookies on pan to wire rack to cool, about 20 minutes. 

6. Repeat until all dough is used.

Pink Cookie Icing

Ingredients

1.5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp light corn syrup

red food coloring

Squeeze bottle or piping bag
Toothpicks

Directions

1. Whisk together sugar, milk and corn syrup until smooth.

2. Add a few drops of red food coloring until desired tint is achieved.  

3. Pour icing into squeeze bottle or piping bag fitted with a small nozzle.

4. Outline cookies first, then fill with icing. Use a toothpick to fill in small gaps and air bubbles.

Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Labor day weekend is just around the corner and these cookies might just be the perfect addition to your BBQ. I made them for an Olympics party earlier this month and nicknamed them 'Ugly Americans'.  Because really, what could be more self indulgent at an event promoting athleticism and good health than eating a cookie filled with bacon, chocolate and booze?  Yes, I'm kind of a jerk.  It's just that I pinned them forever ago and was dying for an excuse to give them a try.  Anyway I'm pretty confident these cookies are worth their weight in judgement... they are truly, ridiculously good.

photo © cake. 2012

Bacon Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from whisky disks

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 strips bacon (thinner bacon cut is recommended for crispiness)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
2.Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings and set aside to cool. Crumble the bacon.
3. Beat the butter and reserved bacon drippings in a large bowl with a mixer on until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the granulated and light brown sugar until creamy, about 4 minutes, then add the egg and bourbon and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.
4. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed, until just combined. Stir in bacon and chocolate chips. Form the dough into 1″ balls and arrange 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes.

Duchess Grey Tea Cookies

These tea cookies make a terrific dessert for a spring garden party or Easter brunch.  They are traditionally a buttery shortbread with a mild Earl Grey flavor, but using the Duchess Grey tea adds just a hint of citrus that lightens them up in the most wonderful way.  The best part is that they're incredibly easy to make, and when dipped in a cup of tea they melt in your mouth.  Now go and bake some... you can thank me later.

photos © cake. 2012

Duchess Grey Tea Cookies
adapted from Real Simple
makes 6 dozen cookies

Ingredients 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons Duchess Grey tea leaves, approx 6 tea bags (I bought the Duchess Tea from Trader Joes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions 
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Pulse together all the dry ingredients in a food processor until the tea leaves are pulverized. Add the vanilla, 1 teaspoon water, and the butter. Pulse together until a dough is formed.
2. Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a 12-inch log, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Slice each log into disks, 1/3 inch thick. Place on parchment- or foil-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
4. Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

Snickerdoodles

Fall is in the air and cinnamon + sugar are on the brain.  These snickerdoodles are a favorite recipe and so simple to make... comfort in a cookie.

photos © cake. 2011

Snickerdoodles
adapted from Martha Stewart
makes three dozen 3 to 4-inch cookies

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 stick or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine. (tip: chill the dough for an hour or two before scooping).
Once dough has chilled, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after five minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about five minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack.