Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments

        I had oringally found the recipie on Pinterest and traced it back to the oringal post (visit Freutcake to see the original post) and have been talking about Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments on Facebook for a few weeks now. And we finally got around to making them! The girls had so much fun!! We kept it pretty simple this time. Next time we will be stepping it up a notch with paint, glitter, and rhinestones! But this momma was sick with a head cold and I got a little lazy. But, to be honest. The girls didn't even mind. They loved "making" the dough as much as they loved playing with it.

                     Salt Dough Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour- plus more for the board

1/2 cup salt
3/4 – 1 cup water (you may need less)
food coloring (optional)

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper . (I used a cookie sheet without the parchment paper, and it worked just fine.)

2. Combine flour and salt and mix well.

3. Add in the water slowly until dough comes together in a ball. (If you are wanting to add food coloring, make sure you add it to the water before you mix it with the salt and dough. This will keep it from having an uneven color.) You may need as little as 1/2 cup of water or as much as 1 cup so pour slowly and stop when the dough comes together and feels like cookie dough.

               

4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 10 minutes to firm up.

5. On a very well floured board, roll dough out to 1/4″ thick. Cut out ornament shapes using various cookie cutters. I used a small star cookie cutter.

6. Transfer ornaments to prepared cookie sheets and poke a small hole in each using a toothpick. Make hole large enough for an ornament hook or ribbon.

 7. Bake for 30 minutes. The ornaments should only harden but not brown.

**The girls wanted to give these as gifts to family members, so we made hearts out of thumprints on each decoration. One of the girls thumb prints was the left of the heart, the other was the right.**

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For the Love of Cupcakes

          I have a love/hate relationship with cupcakes. I just think that they are the perfect party dessert. I love them so much, that I have a tendency to go over board when throwing parties. I just make too many. I love giving my party guests options, and I end up making too many. This leaves me with 2 problems. One, I end up spending so much more money than I should have on the ingredients. And two, when the party is over, I am left with a boat load of cupcakes. And you know, you can't waste a good cupcake. Sooooo.... they get eaten (hence, the "hate" part of the relationship). 

        These mini cupcakes are the perfect solution to my problem. Not only would a table full of different mini cupcakes look adorable, but it would be SO cost effective too! Think of how many mini cupcakes you could get out of one batch! Another plus, these are perfect for little fingers who are always asking for "just one more" cupcake.               

            I saw these adorable mini cupcakes on Pinterest. They were originally posted on Marion's Vintage Bakeshop. She has a TON of amazing recipies. Here is her recipe for her "Old Fashion Chocolate-Sour Cream Cupcakes". It sounds DIVINE! She also has an amazing recipe for her "1960's Creamy Butter Frosting". I can just imagine how much fun my girls would have decorating these mini cupcakes. They will definitely be making an appearance at the next party I throw!

                                               "Old Fashion Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes"

1 C. All-Purpose, unbleached flour

3/4 C. Swans Down Cake Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 C. Butter or Oleo ( Margarine)

1/4 C. Crisco Shortening

1-1/2 C. White Sugar

1-1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla

2 large eggs

3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 C. Dairy Sour Cream

1 C. room temperature, black coffee

Directions

1. Combine the flours, salt and Baking soda, set aside.

2. Beat Butter ( or Oleo) and shortening. Add the sugar and the vanilla and cream until light and fluffy.  Scrape the bowl.

3.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat one minute between the addition of each egg. Scrape the bowl again.

4.  Add the cooled chocolate and sour cream, and blend until no white streaks remain.

5. Blend in the coffee and dry ingredients alternately, mix briefly until smooth and blended.

6.  Line 24- 28 muffin cups with liners. Spray the liners with Baker’s Joy spray, and using a small pastry brush, brush the inside folds and bottom of the cups to ensure even coverage; they will peel off more easily.  Fill each cup halfway with the battter. Bake 28-30 minutes, cool on wire rack completely and then frost. ( Garnish with sprinkles while the frosting is still fresh-otherwise a crust will form after being frosted and the sprinkles will not stick to the buttercream)

*Use a medium or small star tip to pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes

* Oven temps. vary; keep a timer handy and watch the cupcakes after 15 minutes to record how long they take to bake in your own oven.

1960′s Creamy Butter Frosting

1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter or Oleo ( margarine)

9 to 9-1/2 Cups icing sugar ( confectioner’s sugar)

1/4 C. warmed Heavy Whipping Cream ( you may also substitute evaporated milk or buttermilk)

1/4 C. hot water

1 Tbs. Pure Vanilla ( or almond or lemon)

1 tsp. Butter flavoring

1. Cream the butter or margarine until light and fluffy.  Add one half of the sugar, beating until combined, and scraping the bowl once or twice  during the process.

2. Add one half of the heavy cream,the rest of the sugar and blend in, then add remaining heavy cream and hot water ( not boiling water), vanilla and butter flavoring.  Whip until the consistency is what you are looking for, frost cupcakes, or use to frost the tops and sides of  an 8 or 9 inch four layer cake.

Now….Baking time will differ according to your oven, but it took only about 15 miutes to bake these cupcakes and it made a WHOLE bunch…about 6 dozen

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