Happy First Day of Summer! This post is brought to you by ALL the gluten and sugar. Yes, this is quite a departure from my usual low carb posts, but I have co-workers and family who are willing to taste-test! These cupcakes and cookies are perfect for those summer birthday parties, cookouts and pool parties.
These are the pastry decorators and tips that I used. I prefer the plastic decorator over the vintage, aluminum one, because the plastic handle plunges more smoothly.
They were made by my niece when she was three and the perfect height for table-gnawing.
She turned this piece of furniture into a family heirloom!
Clam Shell Cookies
Did you know that clams can make pearls? They are not as prolific as oysters, but they make them as well!
Materials: Shell shaped cookies (two for each completed clam shell), white frosting, candy pearls, blue food color, mini chocolate chips, pastry decorating kit with star tip and medium round tip
Divide the cookies into tops and bottoms. The tops will face up, and the bottoms will face down. Using white frosting and the round tip, pipe dots for eyes onto the top cookies. Press a mini chocolate chip into the frosting circles. Tint the remaining frosting pale blue. With a star tip, pipe the frosting onto the bottom cookie in waves. Pipe a second row of waves on top and a thin row of frosting along the back of the cookie.
Top with the upper cookie, positioning it so that the clam shell appears to be hinged in the back. Place the pearl candy in the frosting on the front of the cookie.
Sea Turtles
Materials: Cupcakes in tan papers or sleeves (unbleached parchment papers would be great), white frosting, peach ring candies, assorted gumdrops, candy fruit slices, mini chocolate chips or gummy blackberries, pastry decorating kit with star tip and small round tip
I followed the instructions linked here, except that I do not have a fondant cutter. Any cookie cutter with a small, rounded shape will do. Santa’s sack worked just fine. For eyes, I piped the tiniest dot of white frosting onto each side of the head. Then I pressed on a drupelet (learned a new word!) from a gummy blackberry.
https://family.disney.com/recipe/squirt-happy-turtlecakes/
Pirate Ships
Materials: Cupcakes in pirate themed papers, 6″ wooden skewers, decorative paper of your choosing, washi tape, scissors, small hole punch, (I found that a regular size hole punch was too large. If you don’t have a small hole punch, you could carefully cut slits in the sail using an x-acto knife.) pastry decorating kit with star tip
Cut scrapbook paper to 2.5″H x 2.25″W. Trim into sail shapes as pictured. Punch small holes into the sails, top and bottom. Fold washi tape over the skewer at the blunt end and press to seal. Trim the tape into triangle flags. Slide the sail onto the skewer below the flag.
Using the star tip, frost the cupcakes. Skewer the ships with the sails toward the front of the cupcake.
Sand Dollars
Materials: Round cookies, white frosting, slivered almonds, pastry decorating kit with medium round tip, milk or cream for thinning frosting
A note about the frosting: If you are thinning this type of pre-made frosting, it will not set up firmly. That was fine with me, because I did not plan on stacking the cookies. If you need to stack or transport your sand dollars, use royal icing instead. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/royal-icing-recipe-1941917
If you’re pressed for time, make these! I piped frosting in a circle to create a border edge. Then I mixed whipping cream into the frosting, one teaspoon at a time, until the frosting flowed smoothly.
Fill the center of the cookie, and add the almonds in a star shape.
Here’s your homework: Go fix some sweet treats, and see how often you can insert the word ‘drupelet’ into casual conversation! Have a great weekend!
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