{Parties} Spring Babyshower

Last year I had the pleasure of working on a dessert table for a girlfriend's girlfriend's babyshower.  No that wasn't a typo it was for my friend who was helping host another friends babyshower :-)

The colors were mint green and light blue.

The goodies included mini-chocolate mints, decorated sugar cookies....

..my signature brownie pops.

Can't have a dessert table without the cupcakes!  These were chocolate, vanilla and red velvet.

Most of all the decorations can be found at Joann's and the display dishes were found at HomeGoods.  The tags were from a babyshower scrapbooking kit.  I could have purchased them online or made them myself but because of the lack of time, this option was much easier and faster and it still turned out super cute.

{Recipe} Sugar Cookies, REGULAR, with NO EGGS, NO DAIRY and NO EGGS

I have recently found alot of different variations on the sugar cookie.  I decided to include a traditional recipe along with two others that cater towards those with food allergies.  So have fun making them for the ones you love, whom normally wouldn't be able to eat them.  Such a relief right?

Traditional Sugar Cookies
This recipe makes about 30 cookies
Ingredients
* 3/4 cups butter, softened
* 1 cups granulated sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
* 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 tspn baking powder
* 1/2 tspn salt

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
3) Roll out dough on floured surface or on a large piece of parchment paper to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4) Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven.  Cool completely before removing from cookie sheets.




Sugar Cookies without Eggs
Ingredients
* 1 lb. butter (4 sticks)
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 cups flour
* 1 tspn baking soda
* 1 tspn salt

Directions
1) Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2) In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
3) In a seperate bowl sift dry ingredients together and then mix into creamed mixture.
4) Roll into small balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
5) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven until lightly browned. Cool completely before removing   from cookie sheets.



Sugar Cookies with no dairy and no eggs
Ingredients 
* 1-3/4 cup flour
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
* 1/4 tspn baking powder
* 1/8 tspn salt
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup applesauce, smooth
* 1/2 tspn vanilla extract


Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In large bowl mix flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
3) Slowly mix in the vegetable oil, applesauce and vanilla.
4) Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet.
5) Bake in preheated oven 7 to 8 minutes until edges are golden brown.

*Note: if you plan to roll and cut, allow to chill for atleast 1 hour

Christmas Cheer

This past weekend I had the opportunity to create a dessert table for a mommy group christmas party in Irvine, CA.  It was a christmas party for the mommy's night in get-together.  It was also a small group of no more than 20 moms so not alot of desserts were requested, only enough to make a good impression.

The desserts on the menu were...

Snowflake Brownies....Chewy brownie bites dipped in milk chocolate and sprinkled with shredded coconut.

Gingerbread cookies....these were snowflake shaped but none the less, gingerbread.

Peppermint Candy....peppermint candy shaped into stars and round christmas tree ornaments.

Red Velvet Cupcakes.

The table was adorned with snowmen provided by the host, a couple candles and chocolate bars wrapped in christmas cheer.

I will post the recipe on how to make the Snowflake brownies in another post so check back soon!