Sugar cookies...

As I promised, here is the recipe for the sugar cookies that you so beautifully did today.


Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup of room temperature margarine or butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. flavouring (vanilla or lemon)
2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
And then...

1. Cream margarine or butter and add sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and flavouring and beat until smooth.
3. Sift flour. Measure and resift with baking powder and salt.
4. Mix dry ingredients with creamed mixture until a stiff dough is formed.
5. Refrigerate dough at least one hour.
6. Roll and cut shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes until delicately browned.
7. Cool completely and layer and freeze or decorate and serve.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It was given to me by my dear sister in law, about 5 years ago, for Christmas. I had to make about 300 cookies for the school, so I became quite familiar with this recipe, and I have been using it ever since. It works all the time!

Gluten-Free Cake and more sugar lillies...

I used a gluten-free recipe for this cupcake. The recipe is quite good, but the result is a much more dense cake, cookie-like. Nevertheless, for those students that are looking for a gluten-free cake, this is really worth trying. The recipe uses white rice flour and was taken from "125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes" by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt. I used the White Cake recipe, but they have a whole section with Pies and Cakes, with quite a few other recipes like a Chocolate Fudge Cake, Angel Food Cake... They even have a Cheesecake recipe!

Gluten-Free White Cake Ingredients

2/3 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/3 cup cornstarch

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening or butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cider vinegar

1/2 cup milk

*All ingredients available at either Whole Foods or Superstore

1. In large bowl, sift rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, xanthan gum, GF baking powder, and salt. Resift and set aside.
2. In separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream shortening or butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Stir jut until combined after each addition. Spoon into prepared 8" pan. Spread to edges and smooth top with a moist rubber spatula. Let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes our clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.

Due to special requirements, I had to make this cake without cornstarch, milk, vinegar or vanilla extract. I replaced the cornstarch for tapioca starch, the milk for soy milk, left out the vinegar and vanilla extract all together, and even then I obtained quite a good product. My husband and children (always eager to be my judges) loved the cake, and the cupcakes I made with the full recipe were long gone before I could finish decorating them!

Sugar Lillies...

This stunning cake with sugar Lillies and butterflies was created by BC Cakes for a very unique wedding, coordinated by Angela Girard from Reflection Events All the Lillies and butterflies were hand made.

Lillies and butterflies... Sneak preview...

A different kind of shoes...

I just wanted to show you how quickly times goes by... One day you are loving these baby shoes, so sweet... and then all of a sudden, that little girl is looking for bridal shoes... Anyhow, this is just a sugar world... sugar and spice, and everything nice... Enjoy it!

Gerbera and cupcakes...

Sunflowers for a country wedding...

Images via Where Brides Go, Country Living, BC Cakes , and Western Weddings. Sunflower cupcake decorations done with tip #365 and chocolate chips for the center.