Valentine Sparkly Sugar Cookies!

Sparkly, tons of buttercream and a soft thick sugar cookie?!?! The best!! Sugar cookies have always been my absolute favorite valentine treat, so Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Amy!❤️

Valentine Sparkly Sugar Cookies!

Cookies:

1 1/3 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse salt
3 1/2 cups flour

Vanilla Buttercream
Sugar crystals

Heat oven to 350 degrees

With an electric mixer, beat butter for 2-3 minutes.
Add sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Another 2-3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla, scrape down sides and beat until light and fluffy.
Add baking powder, salt, and flour and mix until just blended. Form into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured board roll dough to desired thickness. Cut into shapes and place about 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from pan to cool completely.

Pipe frosting using an open star tip, or frost cookies with a flat spatula. Sprinkle with crystal sugar.

Vanilla Buttercream

1/2 cup butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Beat butter until smooth, add 2 cups sugar, and milk, and beat again until well mixed. Add in vanilla and mix. Add remaining sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Recipes by Amy Richardson

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Sugar Buns!

Sugar Buns!

Danish Dough:

1/2 cup very warm water
1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp yeast
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbs butter, melted
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour
2 sticks of butter, frozen and grated

Sweet Sugars:
Blueberry&Lemon
Strawberries&Cream
Cinnamon&Sugar
Lemon Poppyseed
Raspberry

In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup or warm water, stir to soften. Warm milk in the microwave to just warm about 39-40 seconds, add butter and let melt slightly, add to water yeast mixture and add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on high, until frothy.
Add sugar and salt. Repeat.
With dough attachment, add about 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Stir until it forms a smooth elastic dough. Add the rest of the flour. Mix until the dough starts to pull away from the sides.
Grease bowl, turn the dough to coat. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

Grate frozen butter and divide in half, keep in the freezer.
Place dough on floured board and roll into a large rectangle. Working quickly, sprinkle half of the butter onto 2/3rds of the dough going lengthwise. Take the 1/3 without butter and fold over grated butter as if to fold a letter into 3rds. Take the remaining 1/3 with grated butter and fold over the top to create letter.
Turn dough 90 degrees and quickly roll into a large rectangle, repeat process with butter. Sprinkle remaining butter over 2/3 of the dough going lengthwise. Take the 1/3 without butter and fold over grated butter as if to fold a letter into 3rds. Take the remaining 1/3 with grated butter and fold over the top to create letter. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Prepare muffin tins with butter, then coat with sugar.

Roll dough into a rectangle, cover lightly with melted butter, sprinkle dough with desired sugar. Roll to form log, pinch seam to close, cut evenly. Place into prepared muffin tins, cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 1-1 1/2 hours.

In a medium sized bowl, put 1-2 cups sugar. You can also use flavored sugar if desired. Set aside.

Bake for 15-17 minute or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5-7 minutes. Carefully remove each from pan and roll rolls in sugar. Place on a cooling rack until ready to serve.

All recipes by Amy Richardson

Sweet Flavored Sugars! Strawberries & Cream, Lemon & Blueberry and more!

Sweeten up your day with these fun flavored sugars! So easy, and so good! The flavor combinations are endless, here are just a few to get you on your way!~Amy

Sweet Flavored Sugars

Strawberries & Cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries
1/8 tsp powdered vanilla

Lemon & Poppyseed
1 cup sugar
Fresh lemon zest from 1 large lemon
1/4-1/2 tsp poppyseeds

Cinnamon & Sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Blueberry & Lemon
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup freeze dried blueberries
2 package True Lemon, crystallized lemon

Simply Raspberry
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries

Lime & Coconut
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut, toasted
Zest from 2 limes

To make Sweet Sugars:
Place sugar into a small food processor or blender. Choose the type you want to make, add selected ingredients and pulse to coarse blend, then blend on high until even.
Store in covered container.

Recipes by Amy Richardson

Sugar Dusted Dark Chocolate Cookies

Lately I have been obsessed with these old fashioned type cookies, craving them seriously, pretty much everyday. Confession….they might be my favorite at the moment, give them a try and maybe they will be yours too!~Amy

Sugar Dusted Dark Chocolate Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
1 cup Ghiradelli Dutch process cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
4 cups flour

Powdered sugar for coating

Melt butter in a large saucepan or microwave in a large glass bowl. Whisk in the sugar. Set aside until almost cool, about 10 minutes. Whisk in eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Stir in soda, baking powder, salt and flour until well mixed.
Using a large scoop, make about 10-12 large cookies, or 20-24 small cookies
Place on baking sheet and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
Remove from refrigerator and roll in confectioners sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes. Rap the sheet to slightly flatten, and cool on sheet for about 5 minutes.

Makes approximately
1 1/2 dozen large cookies

What’s Popping?! Sweet Sriracha, Coconut Curry, and Maple Smokehouse BBQ, Savory Popcorn

Looking for a new savory snack for your movie or game night?! Well, this might be your winner. Go team! ~Amy

Coconut Curry Popcorn~
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 tbsp unfiltered coconut oil
2-4 tsps curry powder
1 tsp fine sea salt

Sweet Siracha Popcorn~
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 tbsp unfiltered coconut oil
2-4 tsps Sriracha powder
1 tsp fine sea salt

Maple Smokehouse BBQ~
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 tbsp unfiltered coconut oil
2-4 tsps McCormicks Maple Smokehouse BBQ seasoning
1 tsp fine sea salt

Whirley Pop Stovetop Popcorn method:

Place oil, seasoning, and salt into stove top popper and pop according to manufacturers instructions

Air popper method:
Pop popcorn, melt coconut oil, and 1/4 cup butter, stir in seasonings and toss to coat. Additional butter and salt can be added if desired.

Recipes by Amy Richardson

Whirley Pop available at:
Target, Amazon, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Wal mart

Romance, Roses, and a Radiant Bride! “A Classic Cake Reception”

What’s more wonderful than a beautiful wedding? This classic style wedding reception will be remembered as the celebration, and beginning of the Bride and Groom’s own happily ever after! Simple and elegant, and relatively easy, I hope this will inspire you too. Let the wedding bells ring!~Amy

Romance, Roses, and a Radiant Bride!

“A Classic Cake Reception”

Beautiful Brides Cake*

Party Cakes:

8 inch bakery ordered

10 servings per cake

Chocolate Rum

Lemon Vanilla Swirl

Carrot Cake

Black Tie

Decadent Chocolate

Orange Vanilla Swirl

Vanilla Custard

Almond Poppy

Caramel Spice

Macarons:

Honey Ganache Almond Macarons*

Strawberry White Chocolate Macarons*

Rolled Wafer Cookies

Salty Snacks:

Roasted Salted Nuts

Cashews, Almonds, pecans

Fresh Strawberry Platters

Fruit water:

Fresh strawberries, halved

Water

Ice

Serving ware, and linens:

Black Tablecloths

Assorted napkins

Clear dessert plates

Silver forks

Striped straws

Small polka dot containers

Monogram labels

Glass Votives

Silver ribbon

Small silver frames

Cake plates

Silver platters

Recipes, photos, and party ideas by Amy Richardson

*recipes and many more, can be found on http://www.greattastebuds.wordpress.com

Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese, with Mix-ins and Savory Sprinkles

Fun flavor mix-ins and something you can hardly wait to try … savory sprinkles… will make this classic comfort dish your new party favorite!

Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese, with Mix-ins and Savory Sprinkles

Mac and Cheese:

4 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
4 cups Tillamook Cheddar Cheese

1 1/2 pounds pasta

Salt for water

Savory Sprinkles:

Diced avocados
Fresh green pepper
Fresh red pepper
Bacon Crumbles
Crispy Jalapeños
Crispy Onions
Fresh diced tomatoes
Brown buttered Panko bread crumbs

Fresh Snipped, sage, basil, and rosemary

In a large sauce pan bring salted water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Rinse and dry pan. Melt butter, when just melted, whisk in flour and cook for about 3 minutes.
In a separate sauce pan, heat milk until almost boiling. Slowly whisk about a cup of hot milk into the butter mixture. Whisking until smooth, continue until all the milk has been added and the mixture is smooth. Stir in cheese. When melted whisk in sour cream and salt.

Add pasta, stir to coat evenly cooking over medium heat until steaming, about 5 minutes.

Serve with assorted toppings.

Makes 8-10 servings

*to make buttered bread crumbs, drizzle a small amount of butter over bread crumbs. Toss to coat, place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees or until lightly browned.

*Mac and Cheese Variations:
To make variations, decrease cheddar cheese to 3 cups and add 1 cup grated, crumbled or cubed cheese from below.

Mac and Brie
Mac and Pepper Jack
Mac and Smoked Gouda
Mac and Bleu
Mac and Goat

Recipes and party ideas by Amy Richardson