Cookies, Cookies, Everywhere!

Whew!  I have been baking up a storm....happily, I may note!  Here's a little sample of my handiwork!  I made this first platter for a fundraiser we had at our house.  Sadly, she lost in the primary...but the cookies were winners!

Royko!

 These are for another friend.  She is running in the fall election.  This is a tireless woman who does soooo much for our community!  I support her fully!  It was fun to see these all over Facebook and Instagram from people at the party!

Gibson aka MAG

 These were for a daughter of a gal I know.  They watched movies outside...how fun is that!?
Notice I got that airbrush out again.....addicted!

An 8th birthday!

 A sweet cookier named Lila Lola did a post on quick flower cookies.  I stashed that info, and suddenly found myself using it.  We lost a very dear friend and neighbor.  He was surrounded by his family in Pennsylvania, but our hearts ache.  His wife is a devoted cookie fan, so I decided to whip up a quick batch and mail them out.  They were so fast!  It was a great tip...I found it here.

cookies for Nina

 A friend needed a way to say thanks to some teachers...a sweet thank you is the best!  We bagged these and she slipped in a gift card.

my favorite thank you

 A sweet couple in our neighborhood went to DC and got married.  So some neighbors got together to celebrate after they got home.  So exciting!  Newlyweds! (More airbrush work...)

Yea!

These cookies were no easy feat!  But I was pretty happy with the result!  My poor friend had to seriously describe these to a T for me.  I was so confused when she wanted an APP cookie!  I kept thinking APP was an acronym I should know! Glad we cleared up that confusion!

Apps...

Coming up...grads.  Lots of them!  Stay tuned!

Me and My Airbrush!

So after Cookie Con in Salt Lake City, I decided I needed an airbrush.  After all, what was I going to do with all the stencils I bought!  This is the new thing in cookies for sure.   I wish it was as simple as just buying it, however!  I had to find it in stock, order some airbrush colors, make a gizmo for my stencils (it's a technical thing), and then practice.  So I took out every baked cookie in my freezer and gave them a basic base coat.  Then I dug around in my scrapbooking box (I have ZERO finished scrapbooks mind you, but all the stuff!), cookie convention folders and the art bin and I found all kinds of cool stencils.  So I loaded the airbrush and went to town.  This is fun!  And my hairdresser was delighted to receive all those random cookie shapes!

Then I took out my blank Easter bunnies and iced and stenciled them too!  My family oohed and ahhed over them, and the truth is, they were ridiculously easy!  Finally,  I was lucky enough to have a friend working on her granddaughter's birthday favors, and they were Doc McStuffin themed which meant...chevron stencil!

I don't make character cookies (unless it's was for a display at Williams Sonoma like Sesame Street or Star Wars) so I went with the chevrons and a 3, which worked well with the invites.  Baby shower...okay, stencil!  Grad party....woohoo, stencil!  Truthfully, I have airbrushed everything!

Even a baby shower, and they were just the perfect sheen under the lettering.  I am so happy with this thing, I can't wait to make more cookies.  I am hosting a political fundraiser this weekend and am looking for a star stencil that fills my need!  What are you waiting for....bake and airbrush!!!

Gluten Free Almond Butter and Chocolate Cookies

Just a few weeks back I made some gluten free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies,  Whew, that's a mouthful!  Well, they were delicious, and when I posted the recipe, a friend said she was going to make them with almond butter.  Hmmm.  Me too!  The consistency was much different than with peanut butter, a little heavy, so I added 1/4 cup of coconut oil to make it a little creamier.  I also scaled back the amount of chocolate.  The original cookies had..too much.  I know, hard to believe.  But these are really more like a cookie, less like a bunch of chips!  Here's how they went.

1 cup creamy almond butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup old fashioned oats
dark chocolate chips (not a whole bag)



Cream the almond butter sugar, vanilla and coconut oil.  When mixed, add dry ingredients and stir well. The batter is really sticky (and pretty tasty), and I made smaller cookies this time, baking on a Silpat.  350º, for 10-15 minutes.





These were a little fluffier than the peanut butter version, and honestly, I think I like them better.  Almond butter is not a flavor that is in your face like peanut butter, so the subtlety is perfect for me.  The recipe will make about 4 dozen smaller, perfect size cookies.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get in there and bake!