Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Football Cake Pops

kelsey — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:55:56 +0000

The Super Bowl is just around the corner so it’s time for football cake pops. {Or you can forego the lollipop sticks and make football cake bites.} These cake pops would also be the perfect treat for a football-themed birthday bash or a football team party.

Shaping the cake pops is easy. Simply roll them into balls and then form them into the football shape with your fingers. I typically use a basic white cake or chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting but you can use the cake/frosting combo of your choice. Dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips are all great options for the chocolate coating.

Football Cake Pops

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 2 hours 10 mins

Serves: 8+

Football cake pops are the perfect treat for the Super Bowl, football-themed birthday bashes and football team parties.

Ingredients

Cake, crumbled
Frosting, to taste
Chocolate chips or Wilton’s milk chocolate candy melts
White chocolate or Wilton’s white chocolate candy melts
Lollipop sticks

Instructions

Once your cake has cooled, crumble it into pea-sized or smaller pieces.
Mix in the frosting a spoonful or two at a time, adding just enough so that when rolled the cake mixture stays in balls without crumbling apart.
Roll the dough into balls and then form them into football shapes.
Place them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet.
Refrigerate them for 15-30 minutes.
Melt a small portion of chocolate chips in a double-boiler. {If you don’t have a double-boiler fill a medium-sized saucepan halfway with water and heat it over medium heat. Place the chocolate chips in a small saucepan and rest it inside the medium pan. As the water boils, stir the chocolate occasionally until it melts and is smooth.}
Dip the ends of each lollipop stick into the chocolate.
Immediately insert a chocolate-dipped lollipop stick into each football cake so that it is inserted about half way through the football.
Place the football cake pops back onto the waxed paper and freeze them for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Melt the remaining chocolate in the double boiler and pour it into a deep glass or bowl.
Working with one cake pop at a time, dunk it in the chocolate and swirl it around until the chocolate covers the cake pop up past the point where the chocolate-dipped stick is inserted into the cake.
Swirl it and tap off any excess chocolate.
Place it in a short glass or in styrofoam with holes poked in it to allow the chocolate to harden.
Melt the white chocolate in a double-boiler or the Wilton’s white candy melts in the microwave.
Transfer the melted white chocolate to a cake decorating bag fitted with a small, round tip.
Once the chocolate on the footballs has hardened, pipe the football marks on each football cake pop.
Place them in a short glass or in styrofoam with holes poked in it to allow them to dry completely.

Oh, Toodles! Cake Pops

kelsey — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:43:32 +0000

After discovering how much my family loved cake pops this summer they were a must for the dessert menu for my son’s 3rd birthday party. Working with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme I transformed the cake pops into Mickey Mouse heads using Necco wafers. I sprinkled them with rainbow non-pareils in the spirit of Toodles and to fit the rainbow color scheme of the party. I used a basic white cake and buttercream frosting combo because that is one that my family loves but you could use the cake and frosting of your choice.

Oh, Toodles! Cake Pops

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 2 hours 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 3 hours

Serves: 8+

It’s easy to transform cake pops into the iconic Mickey Mouse head using Necco wafers. Decorate them with rainbow sprinkles for Oh, Toodles! Cake Pops or transform them into Mickey or Minnie Mouse.

Ingredients

White Cake
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
2 egg whites
1 2/3 cups milk
1/2 cup plain, fat-free yogurt
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
Buttercream Frosting
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk
Cake Pops
Necco wafers, 2 per cake pop
White Wilton candy melts
Rainbow sprinkles
Lollipop sticks

Instructions

White Cake

Cream the butter, oil and sugar.
Add the egg whites and beat well.
Add the vanilla, milk and yogurt alternately with the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Pour the cake batter into 3 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cake is a light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. The top of the cake should spring back to the touch.

Buttercream Frosting

Mix the ingredients and beat for several minutes until a smooth, creamy frosting forms.
Adjust the consistency of the frosting by adding more powdered sugar or milk as needed.

Cake Pops

Once the cake has cooled, crumble it into pea-sized or smaller pieces.
Mix in the frosting a spoonful or two at a time, adding just enough so that when rolled the cake mixture stays in balls without crumbling apart.
Roll the dough into balls and place them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet.
Refrigerate them for 15-30 minutes.
Melt a small portion of chocolate and dip the ends of each lollipop stick into the chocolate.
Immediately insert a chocolate-dipped lollipop stick into each cake ball so that it is inserted about half way through the cake ball.
Dip the bottoms of the Necco wafers into the melted chocolate and insert them into the top of the cake pop for the Mickey Mouse ears.
Rest the cake pops in a glass or place them on their side on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet and place them in the freezer to set for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
Melt the white candy melts in a deep glass or bowl.
Working with one cake pop at a time, dunk it in the white chocolate and swirl it around until the chocolate covers the cake pop up past the point where the chocolate-dipped stick is inserted into the cake.
Swirl it and tap off any excess chocolate.
Decorate them with rainbow sprinkles.
Place them in a short glass or in styrofoam with holes poked in it to allow them to dry completely.

Chili Cornbread Cobbler

kelsey — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:32:18 +0000

Dress up your pot of chili and pan of cornbread by transforming the duo into a savory cobbler. This twist on the classic comfort food combo of chili and cornbread combines the two foods into one dish. The cobbler can be served in individual ramekins or in one large baking dish. The creative presentation makes it appealing for dinner parties, appetizer courses and potlucks {think Super Bowl!}. Make cornbread muffins with the leftover cornbread batter or refrigerate the chili and cornbread batter and make more cobblers to order another day.

Chili Cornbread Cobblers

Recipe Type: Main Course

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins

Total time: 2 hours

Serves: 8+

Dress up a pot of chili and pan of cornbread by transforming the duo into a savory cobbler. This twist on the classic comfort food combo of chili and cornbread combines the two foods into one dish.

Ingredients

Chili Meat
1 pound of ground turkey, chicken or beef
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chili powder
Chili
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pasilla pepper, chopped
1-2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, chopped
1 15-ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
4 Tbsp tomato paste
3 – 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 Tbsp chili powder (ideally a mix of chiles such as ancho and chile de arbol
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
Cornbread Topping
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey or sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening or low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup canned corn, drained

Instructions

Cornbread Cobbler

Mix the dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients and stir the batter until it is smooth.

Chili Meat

Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and heat at medium-high.
Brown the meat with the spices listed above (1/4 tsp salt – 1/4 tsp chili powder). The meat can still be raw in the center because it will continue to cook as the chili simmers.

Chili

Lightly coat a large pot with oil and cook the onion, garlic and peppers over medium heat until they are translucent.
Add the browned meat and the remaining ingredients to the pot.
Let the chili simmer for thirty minutes to an hour (or longer), continuing to season it to taste once the meat is fully cooked.
Spoon one cup chili into each of the oven-safe individual serving dishes.
Pour 1/3 cup cornbread batter over the chili.
Place the dishes on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the corn bread is cooked and golden and the chili is bubbling up around the edges.
Garnish the chili cornbread cobblers with light sour cream or Greek yogurt drizzled with honey.

Mini Heart Ice Cream Cakes

kelsey — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:18:32 +0000

I had some some beautiful pink peppermint ice cream so I decided to transform it into little ice cream cakes for a Valentine’s Day treat. In miniature form these cakes are basically ice cream sandwiches with cake instead of cookies for the crust. You can use the cake, ice cream and shapes of your choice. I made Valentine heart funfetti cake {a basic white cake with Valentine’s Day sprinkles} and then cut it out with heart cookie cutters. If you are a chocolate lover simply add the Valentine’s sprinkles to your chocolate cake batter. A basic vanilla buttercream frosting piped on top with Valentine’s Day sprinkles was the finishing touch.

Mini Heart Ice Cream Cakes

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 3 hours 30 mins

Serves: 8+

In miniature form these cakes are basically ice cream sandwiches with cake instead of cookies for the crust. You can use the cake and ice cream of your choice.

Ingredients

Valentine’s Day Funfetti Cake
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
2 egg whites
1 2/3 cups milk
1/2 cup plain, fat-free yogurt
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3 ounce jar pink and red sprinkles (confetti or heart shapes)
Peppermint ice cream {or the flavor of your choice}
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup crushed peppermints or candy canes
Buttercream Frosting
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk
Heart cookie cutters
Sprinkles

Instructions

Valentine’s Day Funfetti Cake

Cream the butter, oil and sugar.
Add the egg whites and beat well.
Add the vanilla, milk and yogurt alternately with the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Stir in the sprinkles.
Divide the cake batter into a 9×13 pan a 9×9 round pan.
Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown and springs back to the touch. A toothpick should come out clean.

Peppermint ice cream {or the flavor of your choice}

In a large saucepan, beat the eggs, milk and sugar until well blended.
Cook the egg mixture over low heat for roughly 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. It should smoothly coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Let the mixture cool.
Add the heavy cream, vanilla and peppermint extract.
Stir until blended and refrigerate the mixture until it is completely chilled, for several hours or up to overnight.
Use a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin to crush the peppermints/candy canes. I finely crushed some candies {these will help give the ice cream the pink color} and left others in larger chunks.
Following the instructions of your ice cream maker, pour the chilled mixture into your machine and stir it until the ice cream forms. It will typically be more like soft-serve when you first make it.
Once it reaches the soft-serve stage, stir in the crushed peppermints.
If you want firmer ice cream, transfer the ice cream to a sealed container once the peppermints are completely stirred in and let it freeze for several hours until it hardens.
Recipe makes 1 quart of ice cream.

Buttercream Frosting

Mix the ingredients and beat for several minutes until a smooth, creamy frosting forms.
Add food coloring if desired. {Using food coloring will affect the consistency of the frosting so you can add more powdered sugar as needed.}

Ice Cream Cakes

Once the cake has cooled, cut out hearts using cookie cutters.
Slice the hearts in half using a serrated knife.
Let the ice cream soften at room temperature for a few minutes.
Spoon some ice cream on the bottom heart and then place the other heart on top.
Gently press the sandwich together and smooth the edges of the ice cream with a table knife.
Place the ice cream cakes in a sealed container in the freezer as you finish them.
Once they have completely hardened, remove them one at a time to decorate with frosting and sprinkles.
Store them in a sealed container in the freezer.
Let them sit out at room temperature for a couple of minutes prior to serving them to allow the cake crust to soften a little bit.

For the largest heart ice cream sandwich that has a thick layer of ice cream I used a Tovolo heart ice cream sandwich kit. For the other ice cream sandwiches I used regular cookie cutters.

Roasted Tomato Bisque with Chipotle Cream

kelsey — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:13 +0000

Tomato bisque is comfort food. It is a soup that is thick, rich and typically butter and cream-based. My rendition of tomato bisque is on the lighter side and places roasted tomatoes at the forefront. A splash of cream gives the soup the creamy, comforting qualities for which bisque is known and loved without making it unbearably rich. The swirl of chipotle cream adds some visual pizazz and a subtle smoky and spicy flair that will entice your taste buds. The southwestern twist allows the soup to be paired with a variety of foods, from grilled cheese sandwiches to quesadillas.

Roasted Tomato Bisque with Chipotle Cream

Recipe Type: Soup

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 4

This roasted tomato bisque is creamy and comforting without being unbearably rich. The swirl of chipotle cream adds some visual pizazz and a subtle smoky and spicy flair that will entice your taste buds.

Ingredients

Chipotle Cream
2-3 Tbsp oil
4 tomatillos
2 Roma tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 white onion, cut in large chunks
6-8 cloves of garlic
2-4 jalapeno or serrano peppers
1 7-ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 bunch of cilantro leaves
1-2 tsp salt, to taste
1/4 cup light sour cream
Roasted Tomato Bisque
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
8 Roma tomatoes (or a 28-ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes)
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Dash of black pepper
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Chipotle Cream

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Add the whole tomatillos, whole jalapenos, onion chunks, tomato halves and whole garlic cloves.
Roast them until golden on all sides, flipping them occasionally so that all sides cook.
If they begin to stick to the pan, add a splash of water to the pan, reduce the heat and cover the pan to allow them to simmer and cook.
Add the roasted vegetables to the blender with the chipotle peppers and the cilantro.
Blend until a smooth salsa forms, adding salt to taste.
In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup chipotle salsa.
Save the remaining salsa for another use.

Roasted Tomato Bisque

Coat a pan with 1 Tbsp oil and place it over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until they are translucent.
As the mixture begins to turn golden and once it starts to stick to the pan, add 1 Tbsp butter and continue cooking them.
Cut the stems off of the tomatoes and cut them in half.
Add the tomatoes face up and let them roast in the pan, stirring the veggies occasionally.
Flip the tomatoes once the skins start to roast.
Reduce the heat and cover the pan, allowing the tomatoes to cook down so that they can be easily mashed.
The juices from the tomatoes will keep the onion and garlic from sticking to the pan so they should be soft and golden at this point.
Remove the veggies from the heat and blend them for 30 seconds on high or until smooth.
Return the blended tomato mixture to the pan and add the chicken broth and seasonings.
Stir in the cream and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Ladle the soup into the serving bowls.
Garnish with a swirl of chipotle cream.

Chipotle Salsa

kelsey — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:54:05 +0000

Chipotle seems to be one of those flavors that you either love or hate. It wasn’t until recently that I started to appreciate the smoky flavor of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce {smoked and dried jalapenos in a tangy red sauce}. And now that my family has been turned on to the flavor, we have been adding chipotle peppers to many of our dishes {beans, chilis, soups and this salsa}.

For this salsa we used our salsa verde recipe {which is a staple condiment in our house} and added some roasted tomatoes and canned chipotles. You can tone down the spice by using fewer jalapenos or by adding only some of the chipotle peppers, to taste. Another way to ease the spice is to stir in some light sour cream to make a salsa cream dip. This batch makes a lot of salsa but it can be used in many ways – marinating meats, seasoning chilis and rice dishes, and garnishing soups such as my Roasted Tomato Bisque with Chipotle Cream. It will keep for several days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it for later use in rice dishes, chilis and marinades.

Chipotle Salsa

Recipe Type: Salsa

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 8+

This chipotle salsa has a perfect blend of smoky flavor and spice. You can tone down the spice by reducing the amount of peppers and/or by adding sour cream to make a salsa cream dip.

Ingredients

2-3 Tbsp oil
4 tomatillos
2 Roma tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 white onion, cut in large chunks
6-8 cloves of garlic
2-4 jalapeno or serrano peppers
1 7-ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 bunch of cilantro leaves
1-2 tsp salt, to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Add the whole tomatillos, whole jalapenos, onion chunks, tomato halves and whole garlic cloves.
Roast them until golden on all sides, flipping them occasionally so that all sides cook.
If they begin to stick to the pan, add a splash of water to the pan, reduce the heat and cover the pan to allow them to simmer and cook.
Add the roasted vegetables to the blender with the chipotle peppers and the cilantro.
Blend until a smooth salsa forms, adding salt to taste.

Peppermint Ice Cream

kelsey — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:00:39 +0000

Peppermint ice cream has always been one of my favorite flavors. It has a reputation of being a Christmas flavor but it doesn’t have to be reserved for the winter holidays. Its beautiful pink color is just right for Valentine’s Day and its cool peppermint flavor makes it a refreshing choice when you’re trying to beat the summer heat. And it is actually a perfect flavor for January and February because you can use up all of your leftover peppermints/candy canes from the holidays.

I used homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream as the base and then added crushed peppermint candies. Peppermint extract is optional. The ice cream is still delicious without it but my family thought that the extract helps to round out the peppermint flavor. A little bit of peppermint goes a long way, though, so don’t go overboard.

Peppermint Ice Cream

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 3 hours 20 mins

Serves: 8+

Peppermint ice cream has a reputation of being a Christmas flavor but it doesn’t have to be reserved for the winter holidays. Its beautiful pink color is just right for Valentine’s Day and its cool peppermint flavor makes it a refreshing choice when you’re trying to beat the summer heat.

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup crushed peppermints or candy canes

Instructions

In a large saucepan, beat the eggs, milk and sugar until well blended.
Cook the egg mixture over low heat for roughly 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. It should smoothly coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Let the mixture cool.
Add the heavy cream, vanilla and peppermint extract.
Stir until blended and refrigerate the mixture until it is completely chilled, for several hours or up to overnight.
Use a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin to crush the peppermints/candy canes. I finely crushed some candies {these will help give the ice cream the pink color} and left others in larger chunks.
Following the instructions of your ice cream maker, pour the chilled mixture into your machine and stir it until the ice cream forms. It will typically be more like soft-serve when you first make it.
Once it reaches the soft-serve stage, stir in the crushed peppermints.
If you want firmer ice cream, transfer the ice cream to a sealed container once the peppermints are completely stirred in and let it freeze for several hours until it hardens.
Recipe makes 1 quart of ice cream.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cupcakes

kelsey — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:50:45 +0000

Mickey Mouse and his Clubhouse gang were the centerpiece of the dessert table at my son’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 3rd birthday party. Instead of trying to exactly duplicate the Clubhouse characters with detailed fondant and icing techniques I wanted to highlight certain iconic features of each personality to make simple yet recognizable characters. I used chocolate and white cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream frosting and went back to the basics of decorating using candies and other sweets to create the characters. I also made cupcake liners out of construction paper as the finishing touch for each character.

I’ve made “critter” cupcakes in the past using candies so I had a basic understanding of which candies work well for decorating. In the months leading up to my son’s party I made many trips to the candy aisle at the grocery store to brainstorm ideas and I did a couple rounds of experimenting. I also learned a few pearls of cupcake decorating wisdom from the New York Times Besteller What’s New, Cupcake? {Who knew that doughnut holes are perfect for building forms and that you can use a rolling pin to roll out tootsie rolls and starburst candies to form into decorative pieces ?!} I did most of the fine-tuning, however, the night before the party as I made the cupcakes.

I have listed the candies that I used for each character but there is no magic formula. If you have older kids, make a decorating party out of it and let them help select the candies and create the characters.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cupcakes

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 6+

Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse! These Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cupcakes will be the star of your party.

Ingredients

Cupcakes
Buttercream Frosting
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk
Mickey Mouse Cupcakes
2 Oreo cookies
2 pretzel sticks
Crushed Oreo cookies
1 large marshmallow
2 large black jellybeans
Red and white construction paper
Minnie Mouse Cupcakes
2 Oreo cookies
2 pretzel sticks
Crushed Oreo cookies
1 large marshmallow
2 large black jellybeans
2 bright pink or red Starburst candies
Pink and white construction paper
Donald Duck Cupcakes
2-3 large marshmallows
1 pretzel stick
1 large black jellybean
Blue sugar sprinkles
2 orange Starburst candies
Blue and red construction paper
Daisy Duck Cupcakes
1 large marshmallow
1 large black jellybean
Blue sugar sprinkles
2 orange Starburst candies
1 large lavendar or purple gumdrop candy
Lavedar or purple construction paper
Goofy Cupcakes
2 large marshmallows
2 large jellybeans
Bright green sugar sprinkles
Black gel icing
3 pretzel sticks
2 black licorice pieces, roughly 2-inch cylinders, such as Australia’s Darrell Lea Soft Eating Liquorice Original
Crushed Oreo cookies
2 small marshmallows
Blue and orange construction paper
Pluto Cupcakes
1 large marshmallow
2 large black jellybeans
2 pretzel sticks
2 black licorice pieces, roughly 2-inch cylinders, such as Australia’s Darrell Lea Soft Eating Liquorice Original
Butterscotch chips
Chocolate gold coin
Green construction paper

Instructions

Buttercream Frosting

Mix the ingredients and beat for several minutes until a smooth, creamy frosting forms.
Adjust the consistency by adding more milk or powdered sugar if needed.

Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

Scrape the filling out of the Oreos and put the plain cookies on a cutting board.
Crush them using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer until they are in fine, even pieces.
Pipe Mickey’s forehead with white buttercream frosting. I referenced a head-on picture of Mickey Mouse’s head when piping the forehead area that will be black.
Dip the frosted forehead portion of the cupcake into the finely crushed Oreo cookies, ensuring that the frosting is completely covered.
Then, using a round or star tip, pipe the rest of the cupcake with white buttercream frosting.
Separate 2 Oreo cookies.
Using the sides without the filling {so that they aren’t as heavy}, secure a pretzel stick on the back of the cookie with icing and then insert the pretzel stick into the top of the cupcake, positioning the Oreo cookie “ear” in place.
Repeat the process with the other ear.
Cut the ends off of a large marshmallow and shape them into ovals for the eyes.
Cut a large black jellybean in half lengthwise, frost the back of each half and position the halves in the marshmallow pieces for the eyes.
Place a large black jellybean on the cupcake for the nose.
Cut a band of red construction paper to wrap around the cupcake liner.
Cut white circle buttons out of paper and tape them to the front of the red liner.

Minnie Mouse Cupcakes

Scrape the filling out of the Oreos and put the plain cookies on a cutting board.
Crush them using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer until they are in fine, even pieces.
Pipe Minnie’s forehead with white buttercream frosting. I referenced a head-on picture of Minnie Mouse’s head when piping the forehead area that will be black.
Dip the frosted forehead portion of the cupcake into the finely crushed Oreo cookies, ensuring that the frosting is completely covered.
Then, using a round or star tip, pipe the rest of the cupcake with white buttercream frosting.
Separate 2 Oreo cookies.
Using the sides without the filling {so that they aren’t as heavy}, secure a pretzel stick on the back of the cookie with icing and then insert the pretzel stick into the top of the cupcake, positioning the Oreo cookie “ear” in place.
Repeat the process with the other ear.
Cut the ends off of a large marshmallow and shape them into ovals for the eyes.
Cut a large black jellybean in half lengthwise, frost the back of each half and position the halves in the marshmallow pieces for the eyes.
Place a large black jellybean on the cupcake for the nose.
Using a rolling pin, roll out one or two bright pink Starburst candies. You can microwave them for a few seconds to soften them and make them easier to roll out if need be.
Cut out a bow and then fold over some of the excess candy to give the center of the bow some dimension.
Pipe some white buttercream frosting polk-a-dots onto the bow and position it between Minnie’s Oreo ears on the cupcake.
Cut a band of pink construction paper to wrap around the cupcake liner.
Cut white polk-a-dots out of paper and tape them on the pink band.

Donald Duck Cupcakes

Using a round or star tip, pipe white buttercream frosting on the cupcake.
Cut the ends off of a large marshmallow and shape them into ovals for the eyes.
Dip the sticky side of each eye into bright blue sugar sprinkles.
Cut a large black jellybean in half lengthwise, frost the back of each half and position the halves in the marshmallow pieces for the eyes.
Using a rolling pin, roll out one or two orange Starburst candies until they are thin and pliable. You can microwave them for a few seconds to soften them and make them easier to roll out if need be.
Shape the sheet of orange candy into a beak and position the beak on the cupcake.
*Next time I would experiment with adding a hat {similar to Goofy’s hat} done in Donald’s colors.
Gently stretch out a large marshmallow to shape it into Donald’s hat. You can use two large marshmallows if that works better, remembering that the less you work with the marshmallows the better because they get really sticky.
Ice the marshmallow hat with white buttercream frosting and dip it in bright blue sugar sprinkles.
If desired, use black gel icing or rolled out licorice to make the black sash on Donald’s hat.
Insert a pretzel stick into the marshmallow and then stick the pretzel into the top of the cupcake, positioning the marshmallow hat on Donald’s head.
Cut a band of blue construction paper to wrap around the cupcake liner and place a red paper bow on the front.

Daisy Duck Cupcakes

Using a round or star tip, pipe white buttercream frosting on the cupcake.
Cut the ends off of a large marshmallow and shape them into ovals for the eyes.
Dip the sticky side of each eye into bright blue sugar sprinkles.
Cut a large black jellybean in half lengthwise, frost the back of each half and position the halves in the marshmallow pieces for the eyes.
Using a rolling pin, roll out one or two orange Starburst candies until they are thin and pliable. You can microwave them for a few seconds to soften them and make them easier to roll out if need be.
Shape the sheet of orange candy into a beak and position the beak on the cupcake.
Using a rolling pin, roll out a large lavender-purple gumdrop candy and cut out Daisy’s bow, wedging it into the cupcake above her eyes.
Cut a band of lavendar-purple construction paper to wrap around the cupcake liner.

Goofy Cupcakes

Scrape the filling out of the Oreos and put the plain cookies on a cutting board.
Crush them using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer until they are in fine, even pieces.
Pipe Goofy’s forehead with white buttercream frosting. I referenced a head-on picture of Goofy’s head when piping the forehead area that will be black.
Dip the frosted forehead portion of the cupcake into the finely crushed Oreo cookies, ensuring that the frosting is completely covered.
Ice the bottom of a plain doughnut hole and place it on the unfrosted part of the cupcake as Goofy’s snout.
Using a knife, fill in the gaps with frosting and make sure that the doughnut hole is securely attached.
Place the cupcake in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to allow the frosting to chill and the doughnut hole formation to set.
Remove the cupcake from the freezer and using a round or star tip, pipe the rest of the cupcake and the nose with white buttercream frosting.
Cut the ends off of a large marshmallow and shape them into ovals for the eyes.
Cut a large black jellybean in half lengthwise, frost the back of each half and position the halves in the marshmallow pieces for the eyes.
Place a large black jellybean on the cupcake for the nose.
Ice the ends of two mini marshmallows and stick them onto the front of the cupcake for Goofy’s teeth.
Ice a large marshmallow with white buttercream frosting and dip it in bright green sugar sprinkles.
Using black piping gel, ice a black line around the center of the hat.
Insert a pretzel stick into the marshmallow and then stick the pretzel into the top of the cupcake, positioning the marshmallow hat on Goofy’s head.
Using a rolling pin, roll out two black licorice cylinders just enough to shape them into Goofy’s ears.
Use a skewer to poke a hole through the top end of each licorice piece.
Insert a pretzel stick into the licorice and then stick the pretzel into the side of the cupcake, positioning the “ears” in place.
Cut a band of blue construction paper to wrap around the cupcake liner.
Cover the blue with a band of orange construction paper that is half the width of the blue band.

Pluto Cupcakes

Spread a thin layer of white buttercream frosting over the cupcake.
Ice the bottom of a plain doughnut hole and place it on the front of the cupcake as Pluto’s snout.
Using a knife, fill in the gaps with frosting and make sure that the doughnut hole is securely attached.
Place the cupcake in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to allow the frosting to chill and the doughnut hole formation to set.
Pour butterscotch chips into a glass that is just a little wider than the cupcakes.
Microwave the chips in 30 second intervals, stirring them well after each time, until they are runny and smooth. Be careful not to overcook the chips or they will become hard.
Remove the cupcake from the freezer and dip it into the melted butterscotch chips, using a knife or a spoon to help completely cover the cupcake.
Let any excess butterscotch drip off and then set the cupcake aside to allow the butterscotch to harden.
Cut the ends off of a large marshmallow and shape them into ovals for the eyes.
Cut a large black jellybean in half lengthwise, frost the back of each half and position the halves in the marshmallow pieces for the eyes.
Place a large black jellybean on the cupcake for the nose.
Using a rolling pin, roll out two black licorice cylinders just enough to shape them into Pluto’s ears.
Use a skewer to poke a hole through the top end of each licorice piece.
Insert a pretzel stick into the licorice and then stick the pretzel into the side of the cupcake, positioning the “ears” in place.
Cut a band of green construction paper to wrap around the cupcake liner and tape a gold wrapped chocolate coin on the front of the green band to resemble Pluto’s dog collar.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday Party

Edible Art: Snowman Snacks

kelsey — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:32:55 +0000

Make snowmen out of peanut butter snack balls for an easy, healthy and fun snack that will give your kids the energy they need to play all day in the snow. This is another edible art project that can keep your kids busy on a cold winter day and allow you to have fun transforming an everyday snack into something special.

Edible Art: Snowman Snacks

5.0 from 1 reviews

Recipe Type: Snack

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2

Peanut butter snack balls formed into snowmen make an easy, healthy and fun snack that will give your kids the energy they need to play all day in the snow.

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup powdered milk
Coconut flakes
Carrot nose
Black licorice hat, buttons and eyes
Pretzel and shredded wheat broom

Instructions

Combine the peanut butter, honey and powdered milk in a bowl and stir until a smooth, creamy mixture is formed. You should be able to handle it without it sticking to your hands.
If it is still sticky, add a little more powdered milk and blend it well.
Then, let your kids help shape the peanut butter mixture into balls.
Roll them in coconut flakes and powdered sugar to make them look snowy if desired.
Stack the balls to form snowmen and decorate them as desired or store the balls in a sealed container in a refrigerator and assemble and decorate them when you are ready to eat them.

Making Gingerbread Houses

kelsey — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:23:56 +0000

Growing up we made gingerbread houses just about every year using graham crackers and milk cartons. As I kid, I really didn’t care what they were made out of because I was so focused on all of the candy. These days you can buy gingerbread house kits that come with candy, frosting and the works. But I have always wanted to try making them from scratch so this year my three-year old son had a couple of friends over for a gingerbread house decoration party. I figured that at three years old, even if the houses were a disaster, they wouldn’t care because they would just be excited about the candy. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it turned out to be to make basic gingerbread houses.

They definitely take more time than buying a kit but by making them from scratch you can customize your design and candy supply. And if you have older kids, they can help with the baking and construction, too.

I planned to start making the houses during the week before the gingerbread house party but, as is typically the case, life got in the way and I ended up baking and building four gingerbread houses the day before. I made the dough in the morning, let it chill during the afternoon, and then started baking in the evening. Admittedly, I was stressed at first, thinking that I wouldn’t get them done or that they would be a disaster. Then I got into the therapeutic baking mode and realized that it was a piece of…gingerbread. I was able to eke out four houses from three batches of gingerbread cookie dough using a pattern that I got from an old newspaper clipping.

I used a basic Gingerbread Cookie recipe with buttercream frosting. Royal icing is typically the icing of choice for gingerbread houses because it dries really hard. I didn’t want to mess with raw eggs knowing that the kiddos would most likely sample the frosting so I opted for my basic buttercream frosting. It ended up being stiff enough to hold the houses together without any problems. {I can’t comment on how the buttercream frosting would hold up if you are planning to store your house and keep it for years to come.}

I made patterns out of waxed paper and then used a pizza cutter to cut the house shapes out of the dough. I knew that I wasn’t going to have much extra dough so I cut out the pieces prior to baking them so that I could roll out the scraps for additional pieces. If you have plenty of dough, I have read that baking the gingerbread in large slabs and then cutting out the pieces while the gingerbread is still soft and warm works well, too, and allows you to get really accurate with your patterns. My way worked fine because I was making such basic shapes and houses. Even though the pieces puffed up a bit while baking the houses still fit together without any problems and the icing trim covered up any major holes.

Maybe some year I will decorate a house again but this year it was all for the kids. I bought a variety of candy and then we let them loose with a cup of buttercream frosting. I am already planning ideas for next year because I think we have a tradition in the making!

Making Gingerbread Houses

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies

Prep time: 5 hours 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 5 hours 30 mins

Serves: 1

Making gingerbread houses definitely takes more time than buying the pre-made kits but it allows you to customize the design. And if you’re planning to eat the house, the homemade gingerbread and buttercream frosting taste a lot better than packaged store-bought kinds, too!

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cookies
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 Tbsp vinegar
2 1/2 cups flour
Gingerbread House Patterns in Waxed Paper or Cardboard
2 5×6-inch rectangles {for the roof}
2 4×5-inch rectangles {for the sides of the house}
2 trapezoids measuring 5 inches across at the bottom, 6 inches tall to the peak {for the front and back of the house}
Buttercream Frosting
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies

Beat the shortening and the sugar on medium speed until they are creamed together.
Mix in the baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves.
Stir in the molasses, egg and vinegar.
Gradually add the flour and mix the batter until it is blended well.
Divide the dough in half, cover each part with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 3 hours.
Working with a small portion of dough and leaving the rest covered in the refrigerator, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface.
Cut the dough into the shapes of your choice using patterns out of waxed paper or a thin cardboard and a pizza cutter.
Place the shapes on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until the edges are just turning light brown. You want them to be soft enough so that the houses don’t crumble but you also don’t want them to be so soft that they fall apart.
Let the cookies cool for one minute and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting

Mix the ingredients.
Beat them for several minutes until a smooth, creamy frosting forms.

Assembling the Gingerbread House

Cover a piece of cardboard with foil or decorative paper for the base.
Pipe buttercream frosting along the bottom and edges of one of the sides of the house and the front.
Stick the pieces together on the base. They will help to hold each other up.
Then do the same with the other side and the back of the house and stick the pieces together.
Let the base of the house rest until the frosting hardens to ensure that it is sturdy enough to hold the roof pieces.
Pipe frosting along all of the top edges of the house and then carefully place the roof rectangles on top.
Fill in any gaps with icing and make sure the house seems secure.
Let the frosting harden for several hours or overnight before decorating it.