Sprinkles | A Lifestyle Craving

{Christmas} Day 21: Winter Luxe Part II

December 23, 2011 § 2 Comments

Do you want to Winter-Luxe your Confections? Here are some simple ways to play dress up with your store-bought desserts. Transform these everyday desserts into glistening edible art.

Photography by Jessica Downey Photo

These white chocolate trees were a breeze to make. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Transfer white chocolate into a small pastry bag & cut a small tip off end. On wax paper, drizzle outline of individual white chocolate trees. Use a swift motion to create the whimsical outline. Dust with clear & silver sprinkles. Use edible iridescent glitter to finish. Once cooled, lift carefully with spatula. Place trees on top of a store-bought cake.

These trees are stunning in person!

Photography by Jessica Downey Photo

Want to beautify store-bought sugar cookies? These cookies are absolutely gorgeous! My photographer, Jessica, couldn’t believe I whipped these up in just minutes.

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Place 1/2 of the store-bought sugar cookie into the chocolate & carefully tap excess off. Place on wax paper to cool. Let stand for a minute or two before applying sprinkles. Use a mixture of clear sugar sprinkles & metallic silver sprinkles to coat white chocolate side. Allow to cool on wax paper before transferring.

Serve these custom cookies at your next dinner party or package individual ones as a small gifting. Your friends & family will ooh & ahh! For more ideas & inspiration, view the holiday issue of The Party Dress magazine!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Jill

{Christmas} Day 15: Small Giftings

December 15, 2011 § 5 Comments

I’ve been in search of little cookies for little ones. I found the most charming cookies earlier this week & thought they would make the perfect gift for my little one’s friends. They are dark chocolate, wafer-thin cookies coated in teeny tiny sprinkles. E said they reminded him of sprinkled donuts because of the hole in the center. Every child loves cookies & sprinkles.

Yes, I do have a baking business. Yes, I do bake from scratch but this time is an exception. These were the perfect shortcut for our small giftings.

Photography by Modern Cupcake

We will wrap some cookies in small individual cellophane bags & tie with a coordinating ribbon. I also came across some adorable Christmas cards at my local TJ Maxx store that E will include with the cookies. He is excited to make his special deliveries.

Photography by Modern Cupcake

I hope this post brings you some cheery inspiration for your small giftings!

Warmly,

Jill

{Bake} Winter Luxe Confections

November 9, 2011 § 4 Comments

Winter Luxe Confections is the title of my latest magazine contribution. Sweet treats infused with a glistening wintery palette. I set out to inspire readers to think beyond their store bought confections. Think custom. Think {Winter Luxe Confections}.

Photography by Jessica Downey Photo

Add shimmer to your confections with metallic edible trimmings. Dip store bought cookies in white chocolate & glitz with sprinkles. Note to self: I will include a cookie tutorial on the blog as we move closer to the holidays.

Photography by Jessica Downey Photo

Don’t you just love the stylistic white chocolate trees? They are even more beautiful in person. So beautiful that I displayed a few in my kitchen for a whole week. They were too pretty to toss! Plan for a separate tutorial on how to create these shimmering trees. With a few easy steps, I guarantee your guests will {oooh & aaah}!

Photograpy by Jessica Downey Photo

I had my local bakery create a 3-tiered marble cake finished off with smooth buttercream. For less than $20, I had a cake base to work with. I purchased 2 metallic tones of satin ribbon from Michael’s, pinned it on the cake & topped with the white chocolate trees. Voila!

The {Peppermint Icing} recipe is found in The Party Dress magazine on page 33. I will also post the recipe on my blog at a later date. Growing up, my mother used this recipe for her brownies. It marry’s perfectly with the chocolate fudge. Once frosted, cut the brownies into bite sizes & place in small papers. Serve or package up for a sweet delivery to a friend.