Baby girl 10 month photo shoot.

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Halloween sugar cookies.

These are absolutely the best tasting sugar cookies I have ever had.
And I mean that.
I am a huge fan of the daisy cookies from Smart Cookie.
And I promise these are just as good.
Plus they really are so easy to make.
The frosting is the time consuming part if you want make them all detailed and stuff.
You don't have to though.

So let's get started.

In a bowl, combine 6 cups of flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a bigger bowl cream together 1 cup shortening and 2 cups of granulated sugar.

Beat in 3 large eggs.

It will look like this.

Now mix in 1 cup milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
(Okay it will look really gross like chunky soggy stuff. But I promise it's okay!)

Finally add the flour mixture. I added about 1 1/2 cups at a time and beat like crazy.
It will look like dough...obviously haha!

You do not have to chill this dough. Yay! So spread some flour out and cut out cute things with your cookie cutters. They don't necessarily have to be Halloween obviously. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. I like to pull mine our right before they turn golden brown that way they are very soft and just so yummy.
That's it for the cookies!

Now for the cream cheese frosting.

Combine 2 8 oz package of softened cream cheese and 1 cup softened butter.
Make sure they are softened.

Sift in 4 cups of powdered sugar. Our sifter was being stupid so I did it the old fashioned way. But it worked!
Then add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. And mix until combined.
Make sure the frosting is the consistency you want. You can add a little bit of milk if it is too thick or a little bit more sifted powdered sugar if not thick enough.

Frost away!

Oh they are just so cute and taste so good!


The recipes.

No chill cut-out cookies.
(I got this recipe from my great grandma)

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
cream together
3 large eggs
beat in
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
beat in

In another bowl.
6 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add flour mixture to other mixture. Spread flour on counter and roll out dough and then cut out the cute shapes you want. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool before you frost.

Cream cheese frosting.
(I found this online and sadly I don't remember where so if this is your recipe let me know and I will give you proper credit.)

2 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in vanilla and mix again.
Frost!

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Applesauce spice cupcakes with Cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Yep that is a mouthful but they are soooo good.
And really not too hard to make.
The cupcake recipe I found here.
And then the frosting recipe was something I put together.

For the cupcakes:

You will need canola oil, eggs, packed brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
See end of post for amounts.

Line your muffin/cupcake tins with paper liners.
(About 24)

With an electric mixer beat eggs, sugars, and oil.
Then add dry ingredients and continue mixing.

Finally mix in applesauce.
(Make sure you get a very good can opener otherwise you might have an explosion of applesauce like this!)
(Or just get the applesauce you don't have open with a can opener.)

It will look something like this!
It is a little runny.

Pour into lined cups.
About 2/3 full.
Bake at 350 for 16-20 minutes.

Cool completely before frosting.


For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting:
(I was bad with pictures sorry)
You will need sugar, flour, milk, heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and cinnamon.

In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar and flour together. Add milk and heavy cream.
Then cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until mixture comes to boil and has thickened. About 20 minutes.
(Make sure it is thick)

This is the part I forgot to take pictures at.
Transfer mixture to bowl and mix with electric mixer on high until it cools.
Reduce speed and add cream cheese and butter. Mix until combined. Add vanilla and cinnamon. And mix.
If frosting is too soft, chill in fridge and then beat again. If too firm, place bowl over pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it's the proper consistency.

Frost.

Enjoy!!


Applesauce Spice cupcakes with Cinnamon cream cheese frosting

For cupcakes:

1/2 c. canola oil

4 lg eggs
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. applesauce

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners. (24) With an electric mixer beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Add dry ingredients and continue mixing. Mix in applesauce. Pour in lined cups and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely then frost.

For frosting

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/4 pkg. cream cheese, straight fro, fridge
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 t. cinnamon. (You can add more if you taste it and you want it more cinnamony)

In a medium sauce pan, whisk sugar and flour together. Add milk and heavy cream and cook over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. About 20 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl and beat on high until it cools. Reduce speed and add cream cheese and butter. Mix. Then add vanilla and cinnamon and mix until combined. If frosting is too soft, chill in fridge and then beat again. (I had to do this.) If too firm, place bowl over pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until proper consistency.

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My baby girl Olivia's newborn photo shoot.

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Birthday banners.

For my baby girl's first birthday I of course had to make a cute banner.
One big one and one little one for her cake.
See below for pictures.
They are super easy to make.

The big banner says Happy Birthday Olivia.
This was super easy to make, but a little time consuming.
I went to Roberts and got my cute paper.
You need about 10 sheets if you want your triangles to be as big as mine.
If you want them smaller you could probably get away with 7.
Trace or draw the size triangle you want onto a scratch piece of paper and then use it to trace it onto the 10 sheets. I did 2 per page on mine.
Cut it out.
Now for the letters, I just used plain white card stock.
I used my cricut but I am sure you could trace magnet letters or get some from your computer.
I cut out 2 different sizes-one just a little bigger so it looked kind of like a shadow.
I glued them onto each triangle.
(The 2 H's on one and so on.)
Then I got some cheap ribbon at Walmart and just placed each triangle onto the ribbon and did a little swirl stitch straight down. I didn't pin them on because I didn't want to put a hole in the paper so I just placed them on as I went.
Trust me, it really is easy.
I am definitely not talented in the sewing department.
So if I can do this anyone can.
Anyway, I did the Happy Birthday on one ribbon and the Olivia on another.
But really you can do whatever you want.
That is just what I did.
Super easy and super cute.
Even cuter in person, I promise.
This will definitely be used for every one of her birthdays.

Okay so for the little one.
I did pretty much the same thing but it is way less time consuming.
I traced my little triangles.
Cut them out and then modge podged the tops of them onto some rick rack.
And tied the ends of the rick rack onto some cute paper candles.
(I'll do a post soon on how to make those.)
That's it.
Cute huh?

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