The word "cookies" comes from the dutch word kockie, meaning "little cake". Cookie is used only in North America, although Britain uses the term biscuits in the same content. English buiscuits are usually smaller than North American cookies and almost always are crisp rather than soft and chewy.

   Cookies come in infinite shapes, sizes, flavors and textures. Crispness, softness, chewiness and spread are the characteristics that vary in each cookie. Cookies are classified by their makeup methods as well as by their mixing methods. No matter which cookie method you use, theymust be made of uniform size and thickness. This is essential for even baking.

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• Bagged/Pressed : made from a soft dough that can be piped or put through a cookie press.
• Dropped : a soft dough that are the same as bagged, but deposit cookies with a spoon or scoop.
• Rolled : cut out from a stiff dough usually those cute cookie cutters are for this sweet dough.
• Molded : a fast and accurate way of dividing cookie dough into equal potions. Press the dough into the desired mold. This also includes rolled out dough that is pressed and then cut.
• Ice Box/Refrigerator : great for longterm storage to be baked fresh later. Cookies can easily be sliced and baked as needed. This method is also used to make multicolored cookies in various designs, such as checkerboard and pinwheel cookies.
• Bar : the dough is baked in long - narrow strips and later cut crosswise into bars.
• Sheet : they are almost like sheet cakes, only denser and richer, they may even be iced like sheet cakes. Some consist of two or three layers that are added and baked in separated stages.
• Stencil : a special technique used with a particular type of soft dough. This batter is often called stencil paste. It is used not only for making this type of cookie but also for making ribbon sponge cake for decorative work in delicate cakes.

  To test out some of these cookie styles checkout Alton Brown's sugar cookie recipe as a base.

I was given the great pleasure of participating in Rhodes Jr. High School's fundraiser for the second time. This year’s comic con was fantastic! The event was organized into different universes ranging from Star Wars to Harry Potter.  I was lucky enough to be in the Harry Potter themed section of the grounds, where all the food and beverages were held.

Naturally, my stand was a little part of Honeydukes from the world of Harry Potter. I created Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Wands, Chocolate Frogs and Golden Snitch Cake Pops. I used dark chocolate to make the Chocolate Frogs using a frog shaped candy mold. Each frog was filled with caramel before being filled with more chocolate. The Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Wands were simple enough, but I knew I had to make them! And for the Golden Snitch Cake Pops I made red velvet cake and mixed it with cream cheese frosting - just enough to get it to stick together. Once the cake was on a stick, I dipped them in white chocolate. The wings are made out of Gum Paste using a mold to get the perfect wings. I used white chocolate to stick them onto the almost finished pops. Once the wings were set, I used a food safe air brush to paint them with gold.

Clearly all my hard work paid off because as soon as I arrived, I was ambushed and was barely able to change into costume! Everything was sold out within the first hour, clearly people love catching Golden Snitches! I can’t wait to see what their next event holds for me!

   I had the pleasure of creating over 9 dozen cupcakes for this amazingly cute wedding reception. It was in the backyard of the bride and groom’s house that was transformed into a wonderland of twinkle lights and fun. There were four flavors of cupcakes at this venue; Chocolate with Oreo frosting, Chocolate with salted caramel frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

   There was a cupcake dessert stand already set up for me to use, but I’m glad I brought my own as well! Cupcake stands are becoming more and more popular at weddings. Yes, it takes away from the traditions of the bride and groom cutting their first cake and saving the top tier for their 1st year anniversary, but who would want to eat old frozen cake anyway?

   Cupcake towers and stands at weddings give a more whimsical feel that everyone can enjoy. It also gives the bride and groom the opportunity to have more flavors for their guests to enjoy. Another great thing is that it cuts down on wedding costs. Of course you could easily turn it into a thousand dollar cupcake tower with crazy detailed decorations, but my cupcakes don't need much to be beautiful!
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  It's just proving to be more of a challenge to get my processes onto pages. This project has also introduced me to a new subject matter, Disney's Descendants. The cake is a spell book form the movie that I recently discovered and I love the challenge of something new and foreign to me! I am a huge Disney nerd and am so excited for this cake!

   In case you're wondering what Disney Descendants is, it's about the kids of all the princesses, heroes, and villains of all those classic bed time stories. This movie is a bit too "High School Musical" for me but it's still an interesting subject. 

   Since this is a job, I had to do all the research I could, including watching the movie four times so far... It is great to have such an in-depth project again. I always have to do a lot of research on the subject matter before I even come up with a cake design so the customer can get exactly what they want and I know what it is that I am making.

    Have you ever come across a recipe with Buttermilk and thought "what is that?  milk and butter? " well,  ponder no longer!  today we learn the how to's and what's about the mystery that is Buttermilk.

     What is it? Buttermilk is regular milk with emence amounts of lactic acid produced by bacteria. So, it's milk turned sour in a controlled environment. Buttermilk can be drunk straight, and it is used for cooking. The role of buttermilk in almost any baking recipe is to add tenderness and lightness to the batter. Once the acids in the buttermilk get in contact with the baking soda or baking powder in the batter, a giant fizz-fest takes place. The reaction with the baking soda or powder cancels out the sourness of the buttermilk, leaving our baked goods airy, tender, and tasty beyond reckoning.

    How it came to be:


   In the old days, buttermilk was simply the liquid left behind after cream was churned into butter. As unpasteurized cream sat “ripening” for a few days before churning, naturally occurring bacteria caused it to ferment by converting milk sugars into lactic acid, which made the resulting buttermilk mildly sour and slightly thickened.

     How to make it at home: 


Ingredients
1 scant cup milk (whole, 2%, or heavy cream)
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar

Instructions

1. Combine the milk and lemon juice. Measure 1 scant cup of milk. Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.
2. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. When it is ready, the milk will be slightly thickened and you will see small curdled bits. (This substitute will not become as thick as regular buttermilk.)
3. Use the buttermilk. Use this substitute (including curdled bits) as you would buttermilk in your recipe.

     Buttermilk Substitutes: 

• Yogurt : mix 3/4 cup plain yogurt with 1/4 cup water to thin. Use as you would buttermilk.
• Sour Cream: Mix 3/4 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup plain water to thin. Use as you would buttermilk.
• Cream of Tartar: Mix 1 cup of milk with 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tarter. Let stand 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened and curdled.

  Donuts! A fabulously sweet phenomenon that has swept through like a storm. Constantly changing and giving us new options, Custard filled to covered in cereal. You can even find them as a bun for and ice cream sandwich or burger now! 
   I have had the pleasure of trying to create a jumbo donut cake recently and it was very interesting. I found myself owning a giant donut mold so why not put it to use? I decided on a chocolate sponge as my cake base, just like some donut shops have. After baking with one of these jumbo molds all I have to say is "don't forget to spray every inch". This particular mold was designed so that it would bake as a donut in one piece, not separate halves that you glue together later. So I guess no jelly filling for this donut. At least not without cutting it in half or puncturing it with a pastry bag. Decorating was simple to give it the classic donut feel I gave it pink icing on the top with some rainbow jimmies. Cute as a jelly filled button. 
   Next time donut day rolls around I think I'll try frying a giant donut. Let me know what you think I should try next!

   It's that time of the year when family members are graduating. With every graduation party or celebration comes a cake! Some people got their cakes from not so reliable sources. There are some awful cakes out there. So, take notes on what not to do from them. Let's stray away from being featured as one of these epic fails: