Florentines

So I made some Florentine biscuits because they look so fun and unique. Not your everyday bake.
The Florentine recipe normally is a mix of finely chopped nuts with cherries and other fruits but I'm not a fan of fruits in cookies so I decided to leave them out and decided to make my Florentines just a caramelized nut biscuit coated in chocolate. You can't go wrong with that and it didn't disappoint. Au Contraire! I had to fight the husband away with a chair so I could get a picture before he devoured them.
I actually put the chocolate on in a few different ways to decide which was the tastiest. The half chocolate covered Florentine won the taste test due to the balance of chocolate and biscuit so that's the way I will do them in the future.
These were actually not difficult to make either (bonus!). It was fast and fun so I would highly recommend this for any event or gift.
I've been watching the Great British Baking Show and the base of this recipe is from that show.

Half Chocolate Florentine

 

(The color difference between the pictures is less than a 1 minute baking time difference so watch your Florentines carefully!)



 



Chocolate-backed Florentine.

 

The back picture is done by spreading the chocolate on parchment paper and then placing the caramelized biscuit in the chocolate until it dries. The front picture is just taking a spatula and spreading the chocolate onto the back and allowing it to dry chocolate side up.

 

They were ALL tasty so you really can't go wrong but we liked the half chocolate Florentine best.

 

Here's the recipe! Enjoy!

 

Florentines

Ingredients:
1.75 oz Unsalted Butter

1.75 oz Brown Sugar

0.88 (7/8) oz Honey

0.88 (7/8) oz Corn Syrup

1.75 oz All-Purpose Flour

1 oz Almonds, Finely Chopped

1 oz Walnuts, Finely Chopped

8 oz Plain Chocolate (I used 56% Semisweet Baking Chocolate)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 (or 4) baking trays with parchment paper. Heat the butter, sugar, honey and corn syrup over low heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and add the flour and nuts and stir until well mixed. Make 18 (or 24) Florentines by spooning a heaping teaspoon (or a flat teaspoon for a little smaller Florentine) onto the trays with 6 to a tray. Give them plenty of room to spread. They will spread surprisingly! Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Watch them at the end. They can overcook quickly. Leave the Florentines to cool on the tray for a few minutes and then move to a cooling rack to harden being careful not to break the biscuit. They are quite delicate...well at least mine were. :) If the Florentines become to hard to remove then pop them back in the oven for a minute or two to soften and try again.

Use a double boiler or a heat proof bowl over a pan with simmering water to melt half the chocolate until it reached 127 degrees F stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the remaining chocolate stirring gently until the chocolate has melted. Using a spatula, spread the chocolate onto half of the front of the Florentine. Simply wipe the back of the Florentine to remove the excess chocolate and swirl the chocolate on the front of the Florentine. Place the Florentine on the pan to harden (back side down). Voila! Store in an airtight container if they don't get devoured immediately.

 

Here is the original recipe.



Baking Cookies {Oatmeal Chocolate Chip}

Who likes oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?! 

I do believe that this variety can be one of the tastiest.

These were pretty tasty.

Tip of the Day: The worst offense one can make towards the cookie is overbaking. 

Resist! It should not look done when you take it out of the oven. The edges should generally just barely start to golden up.

Barely!

The recipe I used was this one.

I would decrease the white sugar and cook a single tray for 8 minutes. I prefer them to be a bit softer after they completely cool so I will be trying a different recipe but this one was good and wouldn't disappoint. 

I use a mini cookie scoop roughly a tablespoon size. Cookies are also best, in my opinion, if they are NOT cooked on parchment or non-stick so they don't spread and become flat. Cook them on an ungreased cookie sheet for a thick, deliciously textured cookie.

Happy Cookieing!

Cute as a Button First Birthday Party! {Fondant Cake}

This party idea was cute as a button! 

No. Really... it was a cute as a button party.

This theme was really fun and the buttons were way fun to make!

It was for a first birthday party. Very fitting.

I did a big fondant cake, button cookies, and cupcakes.

To make the button cookies, simply make round rolled sugar cookies (recipe found HERE). The button is made of a fondant circle so just use the same cookie cutter to cut out the fondant and then poke button holes using the end of a decorating tip. Wet the back of the fondant slightly so it becomes slippery and then put it on the cookie and tap down lightly. Allow to dry and it will stick very well.

The cupcakes and cake were made of yellow cake (the BEST ever yellow cake recipe found HERE) and yellow vanilla buttercream frosting with little decorative fondant buttons. Awwww,,,,, fer cute.

To get the ruffles, use a petal tip with the small end facing out. Spin the cupcake while applying even pressure to your pastry bag and move the tip up and down. When coming back around to where you have already piped the icing just continue on top of that layer and continue the ruffles until you come to the middle. Take a few tries doing a ruffle before going to your cupcake. 

To get the plain swirl use a large round tip (I think this one was a half inch) and starting in the middle of the cupcake cover the whole bottom in a swirl and then continue on top of that swirl and then again once more. Top it with a few cute buttons and done. Magnifique!

 Now for the big boy. The cake.

So I am no master of fondant but I got 'er done and you definitely can to if you choose to go this route. Here are a few tidbits for you to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible. I have seen many different methods of applying fondant so here is how I did it.

First off, bake your cake. This one was a 4 layer 8 inch cake. I actually did 2 purple layers and 2 white layers alternated so you got a pretty surprise when you cut into it. Then layer it up with frosting in between the layers. Cover the whole cake in a crumb coat and stick it in the freezer if possible or else just the fridge will do. Get it really cold so the buttercream doesn't smear easily. You are now ready to put fondant on your cake.

 I used Satin Ice white fondant that comes in tubs of different sizes. It's kind of pricey so you can also make your own but it's messy. I'll have to try it again sometime to see if it's worth it. I only did it once and it was back before I really got into baking seriously. Anyway...

When tinting your fondant use water-based concentrated food gel (also called icing food coloring). You can always add more but you can't make it lighter unless you have enough to add more white fondant, so keep that in mind. You can get gel coloring at craft or baking supply stores. Walmart actually has some too in their specialty baking section by the wedding stuff. These (see below) are the colors I used (Violet, Soft Pink, Electric Yellow). Poke a small hole or indent into the fondant ball and then fold it over on itself so the color doesn't get all over. You might want to use gloves if you don't want your hands to get dyed. Knead the fondant until the color is evenly dispersed. Try to do it fairly quickly and don't let the fondant sit out because it dries out VERY quickly. This is the bane of my existence with regards to fondant. I think it is the toughest part of using fondant. So just try to work quickly. When you aren't using it, put it in an airtight bag or container.

 

 I bought this fondant mat to help me measure how big I needed to roll my fondant and it was definitely a good purchase. When using these it is recommended to rub the top with a very small amount of shortening to "season" it and make it more non-stick.



This was a big cake (I know...this is no wedding cake but for someone with next to zero fondant experience, this definitely made things trickier than it would have been had it been a smaller cake.) You want to measure the top and sides of the cake to see how large the diameter of your fondant circle needs to be. Add about an inch on each side to give yourself some wiggle room and find that number on the mat. You don't need to roll the fondant in a perfect circle but you need to cover that line around the whole mat. Make sure you have plenty of fondant to work with. That will also make your life easier. You can use the extra that you cut off for something else... like the buttons. Fancy that.

So, when you are rolling it out, do so very quickly or else you will get what is called elephant skin on your fondant. This is where the top of the fondant dries out and as you try to handle it it streches and looks like elephant skin like so.

Picture located HERE

 Roll it pretty thin but not so thin that it will tear when handling (decide based on your own comfort level). I rolled it too thin the first time and it tore so I kept it a little thicker the second time. I would recommend watching a few youtube videos before you try so you don't destroy your fondant. Some people use shortening on the fondant to keep it from sticking. I did not do that but maybe it would have made it easier. I'll try it next time.

Fondant is actually really fun to work with aside from the frustration that can occur so it would be really fun to be really good at fondant because it so pretty and I really like the look of it.

So form your fondant ball into a smooth ball and flatten it slightly and start rolling it out. You don't want any creases on top so make sure there aren't any before starting to roll. Roll it out quickly until it is as thin as you want. Now you can roll it up on your rolling pin or just stick your arms underneath it (I did this) and transfer it to your cake. Make sure you set it down right where you want it to stay. Get the middle of your fondant onto the middle of the cake. You can't slide it around on the cake.... it will likely destroy your cake (Having it frozen helps). You have to lift it off completely and then reset it if necessary. If you get buttercream all over your fondant and then have to completely start over... that's not good. You need to scrape off as much of the buttercream as possible, especially if the color of the buttercream will change the color of your fondant. What I am trying to say is do it right the first time.... and do it quickly. :) Easier said than done. It takes practice to do a good job.

So now quickly smooth the top of the fondant on the cake so it is level. Sometimes the buttercream will get distorted and smooshed so just make it level now that the fondant is in place. You can use your hand/fingers or a fondant trowel but just make sure to keep it light so you don't get dents and divots. Those will be there forever. :) now quickly smooth over the sides. You can make the corner sharp or smooth. It's up to you. I kept this one smooth and I like it a lot. Now on the sides lift the bottom of the fondant very slightly away from the cake and take your other hand and smooth the fondant onto the side of the cake. Go around the cake continually smoothing the fondant lower on the cake until you reach the bottom. This is the hard part. I always get wrinkles. You can smooth them out after they are there. Again, they are there forever. I need to practice more and then I can give you tips but until then I will have to refer you to youtube. Luckily....many fondant cakes have thick ribbons on the bottom because they just look beautiful so that hides most of the wrinkles. 

Lucky me. :)

So now place your ribbon on your cake. I like to use long pins. Just take them out before you cut into the cake and eat. :) You should be taking off the ribbon too... unless you made an edible one.

Now you are ready for the fun part! The buttons!

The buttons on the cake were the funnest and easiest part of the whole process. I separated my fondant into 3 balls and dyed them different colors. I used a mini fondant roller with a spacer (the little rubber band like thing that keeps the thickness even when rolling) to roll out a sheet of fondant. I then actually just used my icing decorating tips to get the different sizes of holes and designs (using both the small and large ends). I even used the "hair/grass" tip for a fun decorative button. That's it! I left them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper for them to firm up a bit before I man-handled them onto the cake.

 

They will not harden. That's where gum paste comes in...

 

If you want to make a decoration that hardens and can "stand up" on a cake like this number 1, then you need to involve gum paste. Gum paste hardens when left out. Fondant just gets chewy and becomes less elastic but will not harden enough to stand up on its own. You can use all gum paste or do a 50:50 mix of fondant and gum paste. Ether should work fine (depending on the humidity in your local area so make it ahead of time just in case. This is usually not eaten so it will last until you destroy it or the elements do.) I mixed the fondant and gum paste together and then tinted it to the color I wanted, rolled it out to a thickness where I wasn't worried it would accidentally break and then cut it. I drew a number 1 on a piece of paper the way I wanted it and then cut it out, placed it on top of the rolled out fondant and used a knife to cut it out. Be careful cutting on the fondant mat. It is not meant to be cut on. Once it was cut out I just let it harden overnight. Voila!

One thing you actually don't see in the picture above is that when I was cutting out the number 1, I left a piece on the bottom that would let me stick it into the fondant so it would stand straight up. Kind of like so.... :)

I love paint. :)
 Use a knife to cut a small slit into the cake and then insert the number 1. When you are ready to place your buttons, slightly wet the back side and apply it to the fondant. Smooth it out.You can place them however you want to. Cake is done!
With regards to refrigeration. I personally do not have experience because I have not refrigerated my fondant cakes. However, I have heard that Wilton fondant does not refrigerate well while Satin Ice does. It depends on the humidity of your fridge as well. Refrigeration right after you put on the fondant can prevent bulges and allow the cake to keep its shape but may also produce sweating. Bulging can definitely be an issue in fondant cakes. So if it is a really important cake then you may want to give it a trial run in your own elements and conditions first.
So there you have it.
Awww....

The perfect party theme for your cute little button.

Lollipop Birthday Party

I LOVE themed parties because it turns a good party into a memorable party.

This party was no exception! 

You only turn ONE once so why not start off those birthday parties with a POP!

 That's what my friend, Marci, thought too.

Nothing says "You're 1!" like a Lollipop Party!

  She did such an awesome job of organizing and creating an amazing party for her cute carrot-topped one year old, Lily.

I love her cute little personalized tutu outfit.

 

Join me for a walk down Lollipop Lane!

The theme colors were pretty pastels. As you will see, color is one thing this party did not lack!

 The entrance started the party off fabulously. I love festive entrances because it just tells you to get your party pants on 'cause we're not joking!

 

Marci made these pennants herself out of paper from a scrapbooking store. Made with love.

... and matching balloons. Can you really have a party without them?!

One of my favorite things about this party is that Marci used old fashioned candies to create a candy bar. Not a real candy bar but a candy candy bar... you know what I mean. I LOVE the concept of old fashioned candy and if I could make a living owning an old-fashioned candy store with the cute glass candy jars and little scoops and scales... I'm pretty sure I would pick up and do it right now. 

Yes, I like candy. How could you tell?

First Stop

Lemon Drops and Cake Pops

Made from a lemon pound cake, these cake pops have the perfect texture and flavor combo.

The lemon flavor is pure and fresh and perfectly balanced between the cake and buttercream frosting.

To tip onlookers of the delicious lemony surprise inside, I showcased the pastel vanilla candy coating with yellow jimmies in a whimsical swirl. Place some lemon drops in a jar with a cute little tag and insert that inside a ribbon lined foam ring filled with these little lemony daisies and you got yourself a lemon party. Sweet Huh?!

Next up is a picture of the cute little cake. I absolutely love these little 4 inch cakes because they are the perfect size for a personal cake, especially for one that a 1 year old is about to destroy!

This cake was covered in fondant and trimmed with a few different colored ribbons. To attach the fondant circles, just dip your finger into a little bit of water and spread it on the back of the fondant circle. This makes it tacky so it will now stick to the other fondant.You are ready to create a masterpiece.

Marci supplied me with this super cute lollipop candle that finished the cake off perfectly.

Vanilla dipped rice krispie treats are always a great addition to a dessert bar.

A huge hit with the kids was the automatic bubble blower. It blows 1,000 bubbles per minute! I need this for my dog!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pink and white lanterns. I'm trying to figure out how I can incorporate these around my house somehow. Come on, now every day's a party!

Another super cute idea was using clothes pins to clip pictures onto a clothes line for all to admire. These pictures were filled with a whole year of memories!

{Beware the wind...wind is not your friend with this} 

You could also do this concept with the wire zig-zagged down an antique shutter so it has some stability on one side.

These were one of the hottest items on the dessert table.

Mexican Chocolate Cake Pops in the shape of a "1".

Oh my goodness. These. are. tasty.

They were gone fast. We should have made more.

Mexican Chocolate Cake Recipe can be found HERE.

The other pops are chocolate dipped oreos. Mmmhmmm. I did.

Also so tasty.

Let me warn you that these should not be placed in direct sunlight. Yes, they will melt.

But only if they don't get eaten first....so you may be ok.

These little mini lollipops were the perfect size! It was so cute seeing tots walk around with a mini-me sized lollipop. Just one of those cute little details that totally makes the party.

And who doesn't love a good old fashioned sugar stick. Mmm... strawberry.

I love granulated sugar for suspending lollipops, candies and cake pops. It's recyclable {not for baking....that's gross. You can reuse it for another party though!} and cheap plus it works quite well and was perfect for a sugar-filled lollipop party! Why not?

This is one of my all-time favorite candies. The perfect amount of sour mixed with cherry flavor and sweet goodness. Mmm... mmm... good.  And really addicting. Be warned. The cherry sour.

And then comes the chocolate. Need I say more to you chocolate lovers out there?

I remember going to the penny candy store with my mom for movie nights and ALWAYS buying these little guys for about 5 cents. I miss the good ol' days of penny candies but I love the fact that they still make the candies I love from my childhood. Warm fuzzies. :)

I also remember how I would eat so many that my tongue would get raw. Oh, the sacrifices I was willing to make.

So these jelly belly candies aren't just your typical jelly belly candies. They are Snapple flavored people. SNAPPLE FLAVORS! Oh. my. goodness. I had a jelly belly bezoar in my stomach after this. 

You have to order them online but I am telling you that you should. Do it and try it and tell me how much you love them. You will never see me go nuts over chocolate like I do pure sugar. Gaahhhhh... drool.

Remember candy buttons {which until recently I thought were called "dots"} ?

 

They are pretty disgusting (I think they taste like food coloring) but they have such character and history that I can't help but love them. I remember loving these as a kid. What? It's pure sugar. Nothing wrong with that as a child.

We featured these cute-as-a-button candies {baha.... get it?} inside the circle of lollipop cookies. These here cookies received the approval of Marci's sister, who says she is quite a connoisseur of sugar cookies. I'll take it. :)

These are quite simple to decorate actually. You give the whole cookie a base coat of colored royal icing and allow to dry very slightly and then swirl in a second color of your choosing. Voila.

Be careful not to use too much icing on your base coat or it will overflow when you swirl in your second color. Just do a little less than you think you need.

Recipes of cookie dough and royal icing may be found HERE.

One of the funnest parts about themed parties is planning the little details. I remember sitting with Marci looking at millions of little baggy designs trying to decide which one would be the perfect compliment to a lollipop party. :)

These baggies were for kids of all ages to collect their candies in. These looked like little lollipop circles and had the same pastel color theme.

Marci's husband's favorite old fashioned candies are root beer barrels so those were a must since this party was really for him. ;)

In addition to the huge dessert table was a whole second table filled with food! Oh la la!

A party fit for a king...or queen!

I just love fruit. It's tasty. It's healthy. It's sweet and hydrating. A good alternative to those who don't want to stuff their faces in the candy bar.

Sandwiches, veggies, and chips. oh my!

I love large beverage jars for some reason. I don't own any... but I probably will soon. They just make me happy.

And here is the infamous Marci digging into the lemon cake pops before the party even began!

and that's me.

Here is Marci's husband, Jeremy, displaying their HOMEMADE Pinata!

I was so impressed. I'm pretty sure it took her hundreds of hours to make this. Maybe not that long but look at this thing! It's HUGE!

Marci goes big or goes home!

If you weren't sure, the birthday girl's name is Lily.  :)

I so love the detail in this pinata. Notice how they used 2 different tissue paper techniques. Fancy!

I think I will have to have her do a guest tutorial for us all. So awesome. What a talented lady.

Marci and Jeremy before the games began.

I still think it is hilarious that we choose one of the most dangerous games possible for children's birthday parties. Haha. I would give anything to have been a part of that first conversation inventing the pinata. 

"Yeah... and then after we fill the box with candy, we should hang it from a tree and put blind folds on the kids so they can't see anything and give them a large heavy bat to swing at it with!" 

But seriously, you really can't beat how much fun a pinata is at your birthday party.... even if you are only 1. I am sure Lily thought it was the best part of the party.

Here is a picture of the back of the pinata... notice something?

Yup. It's a GINORMOUS LOLLIPOP!

Luckily there were no casualties. Some near-misses, but no casualties. I call that a win.

And the moment we have all been waiting for!

Look how cute she is!

She had no problem digging right in (once mom helped puncture the fondant barricade).

Sweet goatee!

and some cake in the eye, why not?

Besides being all over the table and Lily, most of the cake was actually eaten by a certain sneaky aunt. ;)

My personal favorite pic is of her eating the cardboard.... the cake was THAT good!

So I just wanted to show you how I secured the ribbon to the cake. It all depends on the type of ribbon you have. I had a really silky ribbon so I couldn't glue it to the fondant with some icing. You can get some sort of fasteners that look like pearls made for wedding cakes but I didn't have time to go get any so I actually used some long sewing pins (wash them first if you do this). We just took them out when it was time for Lily to dig in.

Awwwww.......

The End