Christmas baking pans

I took a different approach to my Christmas baking this year. Instead of scrambling to make something the day I needed it, I spent the better part of a day baking pan after pan of cookies and cakes and then froze them for later. 


So on the chosen morning, I pulled out several of my Christmas-themed baking pans and matched them up with the cake and cookie mixes I wanted to use. You'll see I have two silicon pans - the green Christmas trees and the red snowflakes - and several nonstick pans - the holly wreath, snowmen, mittens, penguins, Santas and miniature spoons.


I started with my mini bundt pan, which I found for a dollar at the local thrift shop. Click here to see how I decorated them.


For our church's cookie exchange, I made salted caramel spoons dipped in chocolate. (More on that tomorrow.)


And I put together my favorite of all, the holly wreath. This stack is two packages of snickerdoodle cookie mix. The pan is shallow enough that they come out all sugary and crispy, just the way I like them.


A good rule of thumb is to fill the pan 2/3 of the way full so they don't ooze out the top and lose their shape.


The takes on the shape of whatever it's pressed into, so you can see the veins of the leaves and the round berries on one end.


A little bit of icing on the top layer and you have a beautiful wreath of cookies. I only decorated the top layer, knowing full well that any layers underneath would just smear when they were stacked.

Having them frozen and on hand makes it easy to pull them out and have them ready to decorate without rushing. The girls in our teen Bible study are going to decorate the snowflakes this weekend for Sunday's fellowship, and I plan to make up some for friends in the upcoming days before Christmas.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Simple DIY Beaded Keychains

Image
We're having so much fun putting together goodie bags and door prizes for our upcoming ladies retreat at the church. So many of our ladies have donated craft supplies, decorations, time and energy to treat our visitors to an amazing time. These keychains are just one of the gifts some of the attendees will find in their bags. All you need to make them are a variety of beads, some fairly thin yet sturdy cord and a jump ring. Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and string it through the jump ring. String matching beads on both sides. And tie it off with a double knot. So simple, yet so pretty. Here's another variation: Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and thread it through a jump ring. Tie one or two beads on one side and tie it off with a knot. Make the other side longer with additional letters and beads before tying it off. Make a variety of lengths, colors, patterns and phrases so no two are alike.
Read more

Debilitating Disappontment

The things of this life tend to disappoint us. People aren't who we'd like them to be, events we'd hoped for never occur and things we'd expected to happen in a certain way never come to pass. I've tried relying on everything else in this life - relationships, career, better finances. When we look to mankind for answers or for hope, we will surely be disappointed. Our own misconceptions of life's circumstances leads us down a long, dreary path. What we plan and see inside our head doesn't always match what others see, or what may actually be reality. Looking into ourselves for "clarity" directs us straight to depression and failure. Have you ever heard yourself say, "I couldn't care less" and truly meant it? Having confidence in our own power to change our outlook means that we care more about the circumstances themselves rather than how to grow as Christian women. God is the only unchanging factor in our uncertain world. Focusing on
Read more