Something I look forward to every spring is strawberry season! Bright, sweet, strawberries lend themselves so perfectly to so many different desserts. These soft and delicious Strawberry Shortcake Cookies would be the perfect treat to welcome strawberry season!
These beautiful cookies were made by my talented friend Shelly, of Cookies and Cups. I “met” Shelly on-line several years ago, and have the pleasure of spending some time with her in person as well. She is just as sweet, beautiful and funny and her lovely blog!
While I am currently (crazy busy) in the process of completing my cookbook (as I just shared this week) Shelly is helping me out by sharing some sweetness on my site!
Here’s Shelly….
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Hey Glorious Treats readers!
I’m Shelly from Cookies and Cups, and I am crazy excited to be squatting in Glory’s gorgeous internet space today.
While I am certainly not an expert cookie decorator, or really capable of making anything look as beautiful as Glory does, I do think I know a good dessert when I try one.
While I was trying to think of something that you guys over here might like I decided on something a little spring-ish.
Glory popped by my site a few years ago and shared a fabulous recipe for Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes in Jars… so I wanted to share something equally as sweet.
Annnnd I think I did it with these Strawberry Shortcake Cookies.
I really really loved these and I hope you do too…
It’s a yummy soft vanilla cookie frosted with fresh strawberry buttercream and topped with a strawberry.
I recently made these Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies which I loved, so I thought simplifying it slightly and making it an open faced cookie would be a fun twist.
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup Challenge butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/3 cup flour
Strawberry Frosting:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
4 - 5 cups powdered sugar (depending on consistency desired)
Strawberries, cut in half to top cookies
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Line baking sheet with parchment, set aside
In mixing bowl cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed.
Lower speed and add eggs and vanilla, continue mixing on medium until incorporated.
Turn speed back down to low and add in flour, baking powder and salt, mixing until dough just comes together.
Roll into "large-walnut-sized" balls and place on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 8-9 minutes until edges are just golden.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Frosting:
In a food processor puree strawberries until they become a liquid.
In mixing bowl with paddle attachment beat butter until fluffy. Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree, beating until completely incorporated. If desired, add more powdered sugar and beat, until desired consistency is reached.
Frost each cookie with a heaping tablespoon of frosting.
Top with a fresh strawberry.
Recipe Source- Cookies and Cups
Thanks so much Glory for letting me take over for the day!
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Thank you Shelly for the gorgous post! These cookies look so delicious and would be perfect for so many occasions!
Be sure to keep up with Shelly on her site, Cookies and Cups, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
I’ve recently been buying quite a few new photo props.
And also somewhat ridiculous amounts of ingredients…
Both of these things are not really that out of the ordinary. But, if you’ve noticed, I haven’t been posting much in the way of new posts recently.
So, what am I doing with my new plates, and all that butter?
Well, I assure you I’ve been making things. Certainly, the almost constant mess in my kitchen would suggest so!
And yet, I still have nothing to show for it. Well, nothing yet.
The things I’ve been making are for a book. My book. Yep, I just said it. I was going to drag it out a bit longer, but I hate being strung along, so I couldn’t do it to you any longer!
I’m writing a book.
Over the past few years of blogging I’ve received quite a few notes from sweet readers asking when I was going to write a book, promising they’d be first in line to buy one.
Well, I hope they were serious, or the joke’s on me.
So… for the past 6 weeks (and for the next few) I have been working nearly constantly on this project. For a variety of reasons (which I will likely explain in more detail later) I’ve been given a very tight deadline to complete the book. Very tight!
At some point when I realized I was in over my head (to write the book and keep up with the blog) I enlisted the help of several friends (who also happen to be awesome bloggers) to prepare blog posts for me. This has been the only way I’ve been able to post anything on the blog at all!
So, for the next couple weeks I have a few more friends who have been working hard to prepare some beautiful treats to share here.
And hopefully by the end of April I’ll be back with some new posts of my own.
Please show lots of love to the bloggers who have worked hard to prepared special things for me (and you!).
And for now, I’ll get back to doing lots of this…
No, that’s not me. And yes, I normally take all my own photos. I’ll give you all the details on this set up soon.
For now, you can keep up with me on Instagram (@glorioustreats), which seems to be the only place I have time to snap a quick photo to share!
I’m sure you may have lots of questions, but if you could refrain from them asking just for now. I will be glad to share lots more details on this project, and the process, but for now… I have to finish it!
One last note…
Glorious Treats is currently in the running for a local contest (put on by our local news station) for “best local blogger”. I would love to do well (and yes, win), but I need your votes to win! You do not have to be local to vote, anyone can vote! Here’s the link to vote in the KCRA A-list “best local blogger” contest. When you vote, you do have to enter your e-mail address (just for the contest, you shouldn’t expect any spam), then you have to click “vote” and then also click on a second (pop up) screen for the category ”best local blogger”. A third pop-up gives you the option to write a “tip”, this is optional.
If you can get all that worked out, feel free to leave a comment below (here on my blog post) that you’ve voted, and I’ll randomly pick one comment and send you a little surprise goodie box (nothing huge, just a little thanks). Vote HERE.
I’ve mentioned my love for tea parties in the past. There is something so special about enjoying dainty and delicious food displayed on beautiful dishes. In addition to the pretty treats, one of my favorite aspects of a tea party is the opportunity to enjoy leisurely time with friends.
Spring is such a perfect time to host a tea party! It could be for Mother’s Day, a Bridal Shower, or just a fun day to enjoy time with friends.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes, perfect for tea parties….
Lemony Lemon Bread
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Pretty Lemon Cake
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Fresh Fruit Tart
My favorite Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Cucumber Tomato Sandwiches (and photos from a small tea party)
Now that you have a few menu ideas, it may be time to find a few goodies to spruce up your table display!
Roses and Teacups is a great place to start! From beautiful tea pots and tea cups, to small favors and gifts, Roses and Teacups has all of the accessories you need for a beautiful party!
One lucky Glorious Treats reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Roses and Teacups, to shop for the items of your choice!
Ready to win?
Here’s how to enter…
Simply leave a comment below telling me the nicest place you’ve ever had tea (a tea shop, someone’s house), or tell me who you would love to enjoy a tea party with.
*E-mail subscribers- If you are viewing this post in an e-mail, please click HERE to view this post on-line and enter using the comment form below.
Details- One entry per person. Giveaway ends Wednesday, April 3rd, at 9pm Pacific. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only (due to shipping costs). Winner will be chosen by random.org, and notified via e-mail.
Be sure to follow Roses and Teacups on Facebook to keep up to date with sales and new products.
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Winning comment #26, Krystel
Aren’t these colorful Easter bunny cookies cute? They’re easy to compliment, because I didn’t make them… my friend Lisa, of from The Bearfoot Baker did!
I’ve recently found myself in over my head in a few areas of life (ever feel that way?), but I am so lucky to have some generous and talented friends who will be stopping by to help me out!
Today’s post is from The Bearfoot Baker. I first “met” Lisa online about 3 years ago, but have been lucky enough to also meet her in person and spend some time with her. She is sweet, fun, generous and so down to earth! Not to mention, she has the cutest southern accent, so that’s just a bonus! I’m very blessed to count her as a friend.
Now, let’s talk cookies! Take it away Lisa…
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Hi, I’m Lisa, AKA The Bearfoot Baker, and I’m so happy Glory asked me to stop by today to share some Easter cookie with you. I am super excited to be here because Glory is one of my all time favorite bloggers. I had the privileged of meeting her a few years ago and it was like meeting my favorite superstar. She is an incredible decorator and sweet as can be!
Supplies:
Wilton Sitting Bunny Cutter
2″ Heart Cookie Cutter
Your favorite icing colors
White Icing
Rainbow Disco Dust
Ribbon
I like to make cookies that stand up and as I was looking through my cookie cutters, I saw a heart and decided it was the perfect shape for rabbit legs.
Cut 1 bunny and 2 hearts for every rabbit. Trim a little off the bottom of each heart. To make the bunny stand, the hearts need to be facing the opposite directions so when they are attached, they will be facing the right way.
Outline and flood the bunny body and legs but, not the tail and let it dry completely.
Next, airbrush the pattern onto the cookie. I have a full tutorial on The Bearfoot Baker on how to airbrush on cookies.
The stencils are from a set by Sunny Side Up Bakery I picked up at Hobby Lobby. You can also find food safe stencils in the bakery section of your local craft store.
As you can see, the stencil is smaller than my cookie so I made a cookie guard. I use it every time I airbrush to keep the cookie nice and clean. It works perfectly. Place the stencil on the cookie and gently spray until you reach the desired coverage. Continue to re-position the stencil until the design is complete on the body and legs.
Then, with the white icing, make a tail and immediately cover with Disco Dust. Tap off the excess and use a paint brush to remove any unwanted particles.
Next, line the legs with the bottom edge of the bunny. Attach them with a small amount of icing and let it dry overnight. You can use an extra cookie propped under the bunny head so the body will be flat and dry without sliding.
Add a bow and you have an Easter Centerpiece your guest will love. I think these would be cute name setting for Easter. You can paint the name on it or use a cute tag attached to the bow.
Don’t worry if you don’t have an airbrush gun. Sweet Sugar Belle just did this tutorial on how to stencil with icing and it would work great on this project.
Happy Creating,
Lisa
Thank you so much Lisa for sharing your beautiful work with us! Here’s all the places you’ll find Lisa and her “sweet” ideas…
The Bearfoot Baker (blog)
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
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An extra little side note… Glorious Treats has been nominated in a local contest for “Best Local Blogger” and the winner is chosen by popular vote, so I need your help to win! I’d really appreciate if you have a minute to vote for me! Here’s the link. Thanks so much!
Spring is one of my favorite times of year to decorate cookies! These cute and easy decorated Easter egg cookies are such a sweet way to celebrate this beautiful time of year. With just a few colors of icing and a simple egg cutter, the decorating options are endless!
In fact, this batch of cute cookies came together for me in almost no time… well, that’s mostly because I didn’t make them! This sweet set was made by my talented friend Bethany, of Auntie Bea’s Bakery.
I’ve recently found myself in over my head with a few different projects, and asked Bethany if she had time to share some of her talent here on Glorious Treats. I’m so happy she said yes!
Now I’ll pass it over to Bethany and she’ll walk you through the details of these pretty cookies!
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Hi there! My name is Bethany, I’m known here in the cookie world as Auntie Bea.
When Glory asked me to be a guest blogger on Glorious Treats, I VERY excitedly said yes! She was looking for something fun for Easter that would be cute yet simple. We came up with these adorable Easter egg cookies that can be done using only one icing constancy and only one piping tip!
Easter Egg cookies are literally one of my favorite cookies to make. They can be decorated in so many ways, from elaborate and filigreed to simple polka dots. These eggs are somewhere in the middle, but super easy! Your Easter guests will think you spent DAYS on them!
I started with a basic sugar cookie dough. Using the good ol’ Wilton egg cookie cutter (found in the 101 cookie cutter set) I cut out my cookies. Once the cookies were cooled, I made my icing. I prefer “20 second” royal icing instead of outlining and flooding. It’s quick and easy and you can do both steps with one bag!
Ok, now comes the fun stuff…..
Color your icing with your desired egg colors. I chose pink, white, yellow, green and purple. Fit your piping bags with #2 tips (I only used 1 bag per color). The #2 tip is my favorite! It’s large enough to fill in background color but small enough to pipe details. That being said, now it’s time to “color” your eggs.
(1.) Once you have filled in the background color you will need to let it dry completely. I like to let them dry overnight. But if you don’t have the time, try to wait at least 4 hours. They need to be dry to the touch otherwise the colors can bleed.
(2.) After the background has dried, start by piping the center outline. I like to divide the cookie into thirds. That way I get nice, even spacing.
(3.) Now add some simple details around the center. I used polka dots, lines and zigzags.
I fill in the center area last. This is really the focal point of the cookie and I like to make that part extra special! You can add a message or a name or pretty “dot” flowers (to make: start by piping a dot with your tip then drag the tip down using the same amount of pressure so the dot becomes a petal). Add a couple extra polka dots and wha-la! A pretty, detailed cookie that is simple as pie!
These cookies would be perfect wrapped individually in Easter baskets or simply placed on a pretty platter.
I hope you all enjoyed my little tutorial. Thank you Glory for giving me the opportunity to share it with your readers.
Happy Decorating, Auntie Bea
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Thank you so much Bethany! I love these sweet and perfect Easter Egg Cookies so much!
To keep up with all of Bethany (Auntie Bea’s) beautiful sweets, be sure to bookmark her site Auntie Bea’s Bakery, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
And if you’d rather order cookies than make them, you’re in luck! Bethany sells her beautiful and delicious cookies in her Etsy Shop!
(images in this post by Glorious Treats)
