HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Cherry Almond Cupcake

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Yummy Caramel Corn



Caramel Corn


Four Bags Microwave Popcorn, Popped.
Or 1 cup unpopped popcorn, popped in air popper
 ( Discard all unpopped kernels )

1 -2 cups pecans, peanuts, or mixed nuts

1 cup Dried Cranberries



Spray 2 large shallow roasting pans lightly with non stick cooking spray and mix popcorn, nuts and dried cranberries. Set aside. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.




1 cup butter

2 slightly packed Cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp Caramel flavored oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
Melt butter in a 2 quart saucepan. Add sugar, syrup and salt.


Bring to a boil and continue to cook for 5 minutes

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, caramel flavoured LorAnn Oil and baking soda.



Pour over popcorn mix and stir well.

Place in oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and continue to stir as mixture cools to keep from sticking together.


These delectable treats can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container.
They are a great idea for holiday gifts.

Jacque Benson
All rights reserved 2009
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Fairy Flower Toppers for Cookies, Cakes or Petit Fors


Marshmallow Fairy Flowers
This was my tutorial originally published in Faerie Magazine.
Fun, easy, little flowers that you and your children can make together.


Items Needed:





Fruit Flavored Mini-Marshmallows

Granulated Sugar

Water

Rolling pin

Wax Paper

Toothpick

Clean Artist Brush

Clean Scissors



Rose Bud

1. Liberally sprinkle sugar onto wax paper. Using light pressure with rolling pin, roll out one green marshmallow. Flip and roll again into an oblong shape. Set aside.


2. Take three pink or orange marshmallows and press flat into sugar. Gently roll out each one, flipping and rolling again to create a round circle.


3. Line the three circles, over lapping edges about ¼”. Dip brush in water and lightly dampen the edges of the overlapped circles.


4. Placing the toothpick on one end, begin rolling the rose bud. Remove toothpick, and pinch one end of the rosebud together.

5. Using scissors cut off pinched end. (Place the cut end into an airtight container for later use.) Dampen the cut end. If petals release, just brush a bit of water to secure.



6. Lay rosebud on one side of prepared green oval. Brush a little water over the other side of green oval, and wrap the dampened side over the dry side.

7. Twist the bottom to create a stem.



Full Rose

1. Roll out green marshmallow in the sugar. Flip and roll again, creating a circle.


2. Using scissors snip a ¼” diagonal cut around the circle in a pinwheel fashion. Set aside to use as the calyx.

3. Follow steps 3-5, but this time using 5 to 7 marshmallows to create a full rose.

4. Lay the rose, dampened end down onto prepared green calyx. Using toothpick, gently open the petals for rose.



Flower

1. Following the same procedure as rose, roll out two yellow marshmallows into circles.

2. Using scissors cut six petals being careful to leave the center of marshmallow intact.


3. Dampen the center of one marshmallow, and place the second on top overlapping petals.



4. Using some of the saved used marshmallows from roses, pinch off a small piece and roll into a ball, then roll into sugar.



5. Dampen the bottom with water and place into center of flower.



Leaves

1. Roll green marshmallows in sugar to create an oblong shape.



2. Lay toothpick flat lengthwise over oblong and press gently.



3. Pinch both creased ends to create leaf.

.





For a little extra fairy sparkle, try using gold and silver dragees, or edible pearls as centers for flowers.



To create a richer look, make a rose using white marshmallows; gilding the edges of petals by lightly touching with a brush dipped in edible gold luster dust. Gilded white roses are especially pretty on chocolate cupcakes or cookies.



Your flowers can be made ahead of time, then placed on cookies, cupcakes, or petit fours when ready to serve. Just arrange the leaves and flowers on prepared confection, securing with a bit of fresh icing.

Oh... And don’t forget a leave a few out for the fairies before you go to sleep!
They love flowers!




Tutorial and Photos By
Jacque Benson 2010. All Rights Reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Faerie Magick

"The world is full of Magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."

~Bertrand Russell~

I have always loved faeries and magic. I still love them today.

Fairy tales enthralled me as a child.  They still fill me with joy.
It's no wonder that these wonderful, magical creatures have permeated my art.

So when Faerie Magazine called and asked me if I would write a tutorial for their next publication,
I was delighted!

Faerie Magazine is a wonderful publication celebrating the fairy kingdom.
It is beautifully done, with stories of the little folk and beautiful art of the fae.
And in an issue a few years ago, they added a new section called,
 "Magical Sweets and Enchanted Treats"--

where they published the complete tutorial to create
Marshmallow Fairy Flowers.
I have since added it to my tutorials on my blog. 
These little flowers that will be a great topper for any confection,
such as cookies, candy, mini-cakes or petit fours.




If you want your children to be brilliant, read them fairy tales.
 If you want them to be geniuses, read them more fairy tales.
 ~Albert Einstein
 
Have a magical day!
 
"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December." ~J M Barrie