Strawberry Butttercream Recipe {Simply Sweet Saturdays}

Before I share my recipe with you I would like to let you know that after a lot of soul searching I have made the hard decision to end Simply Sweet Saturdays. Today will be the last one. I don't know if they will be gone forever but at least for the foreseeable future. If you read my personal story and follow my blog then you know that I mention my health and doctors appointments from time to time. Since I wrote that post things have progressed and I experience a lot more pain than just in my wrist. I've been told that I have Fibromyalgia but I wanted a second opinion so I went to see a neurologist last week. After several tests I found out that I have bulging discs in my spine, in various spots, from my neck to my tailbone as well as arthritis. She believes that based on other symptoms I described that I could still have Fibromyalgia in addition to the disc problems. Thankfully it is not at a point that surgery is needed but she suggested that I get chiropractic care.

Having a full-time job it's tough for me to meet blogging deadlines. I started Simply Sweet Saturdays even though I knew it would be hard because I wanted to get exposed to new bloggers and not just bloggers in the sweets world. I have gotten introduced to some very talented bloggers and I thank all of you that linked up each week. Having to fit in chiropractic treatments into my already busy life is not going to allow me to be able to meet a weekly deadline without a lot of added stress. I need to be able to post on the blog whenever I can without the pressure of having to come up with something to share each week on a specific day. Thanks for your understanding. 

Now let's get to the fun stuff. Today I'd like to share a recipe with you for strawberry buttercream but this recipe could also be adapted to raspberry or whatever other flavor you think will work. I'm not a huge fan of adding fresh fruit to icing because the water content in the fruit can really effect the consistency so I like to flavor my icing with preserves. I get a lot of compliments on my buttercream so I simply adapted my recipe with strawberry preserves. Hope you enjoy it.

Strawberry Buttercream

Print Recipe

1/2 cup {1 stick} salted butter

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening {I use Crisco}

1/3 cup seedless strawberry preserves

2 tsp clear vanilla extract {I use Wilton}

4 cups powdered sugar {approximately 1 lb}

1 tbsp milk

In the bowl of your electric mixer add the butter, shortening and preserves and mix until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add powdered sugar and milk and mix for 6-8 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. 

*I was able to pipe 24 cupcakes with rose swirls. Amount may vary based on how much icing you use per cupcake.

I'd love to see what you've been working on. 

Rules:

1) Link up your recipes, sweet creations, crafts, DIY projects, etc. 

2) This party is open to both bloggers and FB pages. Put the name of your project on your link and make sure your link goes directly to your blog post {permalink} or FB photo and not your homepage.

3) The reason for the party is to get to know other participants so be sure to visit as many pages as you can and leave them comments. 

4) Have fun, spread the word and thanks for joining the party!

A link back to http://simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com is appreciated. If you'd like a blog button for Simply Sweet Saturdays it is on my sidebar.

My Favorite Cupcake Tools

Today I'd like to show you some of my favorite tools for making cupcakes. They are how I get all my cupcakes uniform in size. The first tool is a 1 5/8 oz #20 disher. I bought it locally at Ace Mart Restaurant Supply but you can search online and find them at many places. This size is perfect for standard size cupcakes. I loved this scoop from the first day I used it and I never make cupcakes without it. I also have a spatula on hand when filling my cupcakes. I scoop the batter and level it off with the spatula. This way all the cupcakes are uniform. Finally, I love to use grease proof cupcake liners. I find them to be sturdier than ones you buy at the grocery store or craft stores. They hold their shape well and don't get greasy. I purchase mine at a local cake supply shop.

This weekend I bought a new pan for my cupcakes. It's a 24-cup pan that I purchased at Ace Mart Restaurant Supply. Before this pan I used two standard 12-cup pans and had to bake one at a time because my oven can be a bit temperamental sometimes. I used it for the first time Wednesday night and let me just say that I love, love, love this pan. All my cupcakes done at once. Bam! Now I'm not saying that you need to rush out and buy this pan to make great cupcakes because my cupcakes came out just fine with the regular pans but if you choose to get one I think you will love it too.

Look at these beauties. My oven slightly bakes uneven but they are beautiful. When I shared this picture on Facebook I had recommendations to turn my pan halfway through baking. I have done that in the past with my other pans but I find that when I open the oven door and turn them that it causes the cupcakes to fall a bit. The uneven baking is really not that bad and they always taste great so I just leave them be. They get covered with icing.

Thanks for stopping by today to see my favorite cupcake tools. It's almost the weekend. Woot!

Lime Cookies {Simply Sweet Saturdays}

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose in baking. It's been a losing week for me. With Cinco de Mayo this weekend I was set on making something with limes. My first attempt was lime bars but those were a bust. I've never made lemon bars and let's just say the lime bars didn't come out the way they should.

My next attempt was these lime cookies.

They are supposed to be soft like bakery style sugar cookies but the texture is not what it should be. So there is no recipe to share. Don't get me wrong they taste good but I'm very particular about how I want things to be. I think that instead of always presenting my successes that it's good to show the failures too because that's real life.

So that's what I've been working on folks. I'm enjoying some much needed time off from work. I have some medical testing scheduled during this time off so it's not all fun and games but it's a vacation none the less.

I'd love to see what you've been working on. 

Rules:

1) Link up your recipes, sweet creations, crafts, DIY projects, etc. 

2) This party is open to both bloggers and FB pages. Put the name of your project on your link and make sure your link goes directly to your blog post {permalink} or FB photo and not your homepage.

3) The reason for the party is to get to know other participants so be sure to visit as many pages as you can and leave them comments. 

4) Have fun, spread the word and thanks for joining the party!

A link back to http://simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com is appreciated. If you'd like a blog button for Simply Sweet Saturdays it is on my sidebar.

Inspiration Challenges: A Look Back

I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the year of challenges that Stephanie from Ellie's Bites Decorated Cookies and I did. I got a little emotional looking at all the pictures. It was a fun year.

June 2012: Fabric Patterns

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2012/06/inspiration-challenge-month-1-fabric.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/inspiration-challenge-june-fabric/

July 2012: Home Decor

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2012/07/inspiration-challenge-july-home-decor.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/inspiration-challenge-julyhome-decor/

August 2012: Staying Cool

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2012/08/inspiration-challenge-august-staying.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/inspiration-challenge-august-staying-cool/

September 2012: Pirates

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2012/09/inspiration-challenge-september-pirates.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/inspiration-challenge-september-pirates/

October 2012: Halloween Candy

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2012/10/inspiration-challenge-october-halloween.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/inspiration-challenge-october-halloween-candy/

November 2012: Show Me Your State

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2012/10/inspiration-challenge-november-show-me.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/inspiration-challenge-november-show-me-your-state/

December 2012: Winter Wonderland

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2012/12/inspiration-challenge-december-winter.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/inspiration-challenge-december-winter-wonderland/

January 2013: New Year, New You

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2013/01/inspiration-challengejanuary-new-year.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/inspiration-challenge-january-new-year-new-you/

February 2013: Famous Couples

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2013/02/inspiration-challengefebruary-famous.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/inspiration-challenge-february-famous-couple/

March 2013: Spring Is In The Air

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2013/03/inspiration-challenge-march-spring-is.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/inspiration-challenge-march-spring-is-in-the-air/

April 2013: April Showers

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2013/04/inspiration-challenge-april-april.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/inspiration-challenge-april-april-showers/

May 2013: Cookies You Fear

1. http://www.simplysweetsbyhoneybee.com/2013/05/inspiration-challenge-may-cookies-you.html

2. http://elliesbitesdecoratedcookies.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/inspiration-challenge-may-cookies-you-fear/

Inspiration Challenge: May {Cookies You Fear}

The final month of the inspiration challenges is here. I can't believe that a year has come and gone. When Stephanie first approached me about doing these challenges I was unsure about doing them but I'm so glad that I did. As the world of cookie decorating has grown it has become harder and harder to come up with original ideas. These challenges helped me to think outside the box and grow.

This month's theme is "Cookies You Fear". I think I've said it several times but I hate characters. I have a no characters rule after I've made some for friends a few times and totally stressed myself out. I will make characters for fun but that is rare. For some reason I can't wrap my brain around character cookies. I over think them and can't envision how to simplify them.

My favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz. There is something so magical about this movie. It takes a dreamer like me on a journey where you believe that there can be something better over the rainbow. I have wanted to make Wizard of Oz cookies for a long time but they scared me. The characters are detailed and I never knew how to go about making them in a simplified way until now.

When I saw this post by Sweet Sugarbelle {aka Callye} it gave me hope that I could find a way to simplify The Wizard of Oz. The only problem is that my drawing skills are limited. I decided to ask my sister, who is the artist of the family, for help. I told her that I was looking to capture the essence of the character but simplify their features. She did a brilliant job with her sketches. Thanks sis!

With the sketches in hand I was ready to tackle the cookies but doubts crept in. I started over thinking how I was going to make them. That's when Callye came to the rescue again with this post. It's like the cookie decorating powers that be were telling me you can do this. You see I own a Kopykake but owning one does not mean that you are going to put an image in it and automatically make gorgeous cookies. You have to plan out how you are going to get the image on the cookie. One of my problems with characters is that I always thought that I had to outline everything first and then go back and try to fill in tiny areas. A nightmare is how I saw it. Callye's post opened my eyes to a simpler way. 

I forgot to picture the Tin Man but you can see in the pictures below how I went about getting the base of each character. 

So what's the moral to the story? It is that if you fear making a particular cookie to utilize help from people you know or the great tutorials that are out there by amazingly talented cookie artists. Do I still have a fear of character cookies? Yes, but I'm more open to them now and I think with practice that I'll fear them less.

Enough of my jibber jabbering. Let's go see what Stephanie {Ellie's Bites Decorated Cookies} came up with. I don't know how these cookies are a fear because she totally rocked them.

Thanks again Stephanie for asking me to be a part of these challenges with you. You are an amazing friend and I'm so happy that cookies brought us together.

As with all the previous challenges there is a link party below where you can link up the cookies you've made that you feared.

Thanks to everyone that played along with us all year long. It means the world to us.