Darcie Bakes //

Random Sides // Baking is My Love Language. <3

It’s true. Baking is my love language. What does that mean? Well, there’s a theory out there that says we all show love and affection to others – whether it be romantic or platonic or familial – in a particular way, that is unique to us. The five “love languages” are as follows: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch… Or something like that.

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Of course, we all have a combination of the five love languages in how we interact with our loved ones. However, we all lean toward one way or another. It’s been awhile since I have taken a quiz on love languages, so I can’t even remember what categories I fall under the most.

Anyway. It’s pretty interesting to read about, and I think it can be helpful to learn about when it comes to our relationships. It’s a good way to understand our own needs, as well as our loved ones’ needs, and how we show love and vice versa. That being said, I always like to say that baking is my love language.

Baking is my love language because I love to bake, and half of the reason why I find baking so enjoyable is that it brings so much joy to other people. If I like/love you, I’m gonna bake for you. If I don’t care for you, then you’re definitely not getting any tasty treats from me! 😛 It’s that simple. I show people love by baking for them. [Really, I’m not trying to make you “fat!”]

What is your love language? What skills do you have that show others your love for them? 🙂

/ End random stream of consciousness. <3

{Vegan} Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Muffins.

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Three fun facts about me:

1. I have had bananas getting overly ripe and taunting me from the counter for quite awhile now.

2. Also, I was out of eggs for about a week.

3. In addition, I go through extremely lazy phases in which I don’t even want to drive ten minutes to get some eggs from Trader Joe’s. {Please tell me I’m not the only one?}

So what’s a girl to do in such a dire situation? Make vegan nanner muffins, that’s what!

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Personally, I’m not vegan, but I do love experimenting with vegan baking from time to time. It’s especially convenient during times in which I am too lazy to go buy eggs/milk/real butter, as aforementioned. I’m a sucker for a good muffin, but I am also somewhat of a muffin snob. You won’t see me eating just any muffin. To me, muffins need to be flavorful, relatively light, and definitely moist. {Sorry for the usage of the word “moist,” but there’s really no other way to describe a good muffin…} Dry or dense muffins can get outta here.

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{Just look at that melty chocolate chip dripping down. In the words of the Koolaid Man: OHHH YEEEEAAAHHH.}

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These muffins are my ideal muffins: they’re moist, they’re packed with flavor, and they are not overly dense. They prove that vegan baking is, in fact, awesome. Vegan baked goods (well, vegan anything, really) often still get a bad name, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that they are vegan unless you already knew. They’re bursting with enough banana flavor, and the oats and chocolate chips add just a little extra somethin’ to them. I also added a bit of cinnamon, just because any type of banana bread-related baked good that I make has to have cinnamon. But you don’t have to add it if you’re not feeling it. You should make these muffins if ya know what’s good for ya. They are very tasty, even if you aren’t vegan. Perhaps best of all: they are quite healthy, aside from the brown sugar. But there’s not much sugar in them, and they still taste great!

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{I love how the muffins look on my jadeite cake stand!}

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Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins.
Yield: About 10-12 regular sized muffins, depending on how full you fill the cups.
Ingredients:
– 2 flax “eggs” {Note: To make a single flax “egg,” combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water. Stir it around, then allow it to sit for about five minutes so it thickens up. Just double that to make two “eggs.” This is the binding ingredient in the muffins, as we’re not using real eggs.}
– 4 medium ripe bananas [don’t worry about measurements – it’s forgiving]
– heaping 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon {I had to add it; I can’t have banana bread/muffin anything without it!}
– 2 tsp. baking soda
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1/4 cup vegan butter [such as Earth Balance] or coconut oil, melted
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour {I used whole wheat pastry flour, but I’m guessing most people don’t exactly keep it lying around their pantries… So regular, unbleached all-purpose flour will work fine too!}
– 1/2 cup rolled oats
– 1/2 to 3/4 cups chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, and set aside.
2. Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl; set aside for five minutes to thicken.
3. Add bananas and mash, but leave a bit of texture.
4. Next, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and then whisk those ingredients for about one minute.
5. Stir in the vanilla and melted “butter,” and mix until combined.
6. Add the flour and oats, then stir with a spoon until it’s just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, if you’re using them.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, and fill them about 3/4ths of the way full.
8. Bake for 17-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool for several minutes.
9. Remove from muffin tin, and serve warm. Once they’re completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. You may also freeze them for longterm storage.

– Recipe slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker’s Vegan Banana Crumb Muffins.

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Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.

As usual, I am a day late – or more like four days late – and a dollar short.

I know St. Patty’s [or is it Paddy’s? I don’t really know…] Day has already passed, but I wanted to share the Irish car bomb cupcakes that I made for the occasion anyway. I guess I’m a rebel like that.

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{I just had to show you the insides of these cupcakes. Ohhhh yeahhhh!}

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This recipe is pretty much the same as the previous chocolate stout cupcakes with whiskey ganache filling and Bailey’s buttercream frosting that I have shared here before. I just cut this recipe in half so that it only makes twelve cupcakes. And then I topped them with pretty green sprinkles and cute little St. Patrick’s Day cupcake toppers from Bake it Pretty. Aren’t the cupcakes just so adorably festive?! I am happy with how they turned out, and of course, as always, this is a solid cupcake recipe. I loooove using stout beer in chocolate cakes, as I’ve mentioned before. And these are just my favorite boozy cupcakes. ‘Nuff said.

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Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.
Yield: I reduced the recipe in half to make just twelve cupcakes!

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
– 1/2 cup stout beer [I used 4 Hands’ Chocolate Milk Stout, as usual]
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 6 TBS. Dutch-process cocoa powder
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 3/4 tsp. baking soda
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1 large egg
– 1/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
– 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate [I used a Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate bar]
– 1/3 cup heavy cream
– 1 TBS. unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 1 tsp. Irish whiskey, such as Jameson

For the Bailey’s Frosting:
– 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
– 3 TBS. Bailey’s Irish Cream

Instructions:
1. For the cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line twelve cupcake cups with liners and set aside. Bring the stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until it’s smooth; remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt until combined. Using an electric mixer [or in the bowl of a stand mixer]. beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until they’re combined. Add the cooled stout/chocolate/butter mixture to the egg mixture, and beat until just combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture. Beat briefly, then fold the batter with a spatula until completely combined.

3. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, and bake the cupcakes for about 15-17 minutes, or until a thin knife/toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.

4. For the whiskey ganache filling: Chop up the chocolate, and place it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it’s just starting to simmer, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute, then using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center toward the outside until it’s smooth. Add the butter and whiskey, then stir until combined. Allow the ganache to cool until thick but still soft enough to pipe.

5. To fill the cupcakes: Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter or a knife, cut the centers – about two thirds of the way down – out of the cooled cupcakes. Set the small pieces of cake aside. Spoon or pipe the whiskey ganache into the cupcakes, then top them with the little cake pieces that were removed.

6. For the Bailey’s Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer [or with an electric mixer], whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low, then gradually add the powdered sugar until it’s completely incorporated. Add in the Bailey’s, then beat at medium-high speed for another 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the filled cupcakes and top with sprinkles as desired.

– Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker.

Saveur Peanut Butter Cookies.

There are times in which I just have neither the time nor the energy to dedicate to food photography.

It took me awhile to actually get over myself and start working consistently on this blog. But once I did [sorta], I realized just how damn hard it is to take good photos with a digital SLR camera.

I have a whole new level of respect for all of the really super talented food bloggers out there, especially those who still have day jobs.

I don’t get how you do it. I’m always freaking out, wondering when I’ll be able to get the best pictures of food. I know I could do a better job at an artificial light setup, but I just love that natural sunlight! Lucky for me, the days are getting longer, and I’ll have some time to take a billion photos of my baked goods after I leave the office for the day.

And despite the fact that I’m pretty terrible at photography, I gotta say that I think I’m starting to improve. There are days in which I feel terrible about my “work,” and I just can’t get it right. But the most beautiful part about any art – photography included, is that you truly do learn something new everyday. I may never love photography as much as I love baking itself, but just like baking, it’s a process.

If I keep working hard, I’ll get better at it. I’ve been terrified of starting a food blog for too long. But now that I’ve bitten the bullet, I’m sorta on a roll. I found that once I dove in and just started to do it, I have been able to get myself into a little rhythm – a routine [eww, routines!], if you will.

I may never be as amazing as some of the food bloggers out there, and I may always have to work a separate day job. I’m okay with that, for now. I’m just happy to be sharing my work on a tiny little space on the Interwebs. It might seem insignificant, especially in comparison to all of the other food blogs out there. But that’s okay. It’s something I’m deeply passionate about, no matter how many times my brother makes fun of me for taking 348 pictures of some brownies at different angles.

Oh yeah, where I was I going with this rambling? Oh, right: It’s that sometimes, there’s just not time to take pictures of everything, and spend an hour fussing over props and angles and lighting. Sometimes, I just like to snap a simple picture with my iPhone. And that it’s okay for people to think you’re batshit insane when you’re passionate about something. I’d rather go through this life being a weird, goofy mofo who is passionate about something positive. It makes everything a lot more enjoyable, if nothing else.

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So for this peanut butter cookie recipe, I didn’t feel like taking a billion pictures. I felt like making cookies, taking a quick pic of said cookies on my cute little yellow gingham tray that I got from Portland, and then sharing my cookies with my loved ones. And you know what? I think that’s a-okay.

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Saveur Peanut Butter Cookies.

Yield: Makes about thirty larger cookies.

Ingredients:
– 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
– 1/2 tsp. baking soda
– 8 TBS. softened unsalted butter
– 3/4 cup granulated sugar
– 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1 1/4 cups chunky peanut butter [I used creamy.]
– 1 large egg
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Whisk the flour and baking soda together in a medium bowel, then set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, put the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt and mix on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy. You should mix for about a minute, but make sure it’s not fluffy [I did this all by hand, and it worked out fine].
2. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla to the butter and sugars, and beat until it’s smooth, about 30 seconds. {Note: My only gripe with this recipe – assuming I didn’t make a mistake – is that I felt it was too dry. If you find the dough to be a little too dry/crumbly, feel free to add some 2% or whole milk to the dough. I’d suggest only adding about a tablespoon – just until the dough is a little less dried out.} 
3. Stir in the flour and baking soda combination with a wooden spoon, until it’s just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least two hours, or up to twelve hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, then line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Break off heaping tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, and roll them into balls. Arrange the balls about 2 1/2″ apart on the cookie sheets. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the balls to a thickness about 1/2″, and make a grid pattern on top.
5. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

– Peanut butter cookie recipe from Saveur.

Baked Maple Bacon Doughnuts.

Have you ever tasted something that was kinda ridiculous? And by ridiculous, I mean rich, simultaneously savory and sweet, and just plain awesome all at once?

If you haven’t experienced that kind of intense taste, then I feel bad for you, son. But there’s good news: you can make these baked maple bacon doughnuts, and then you too can experience that culinary ridiculousness/awesomeness.

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The moment I spotted these doughnuts on Tracy’s blog, I started drooling [except not really, because that imagery is kinda gross]. Of course, I immediately pinned the recipe. As usual, I forgot about it. Then a week or so ago, I finally got the courage to make the doughnuts. And as soon as I took them out of the oven, I knew they were gonna be amazing.

Some people think that putting bacon on sweets is kinda weird. And perhaps it is, but it is actually quite tasty. It’s that savory and sweet combination. To me, it’s one of those things that you just have to try to believe in. I believe in putting bacon on baked goods. There, I said it. I mean, I used to be apprehensive, but now that I’ve seen the light… I’m okay with it.

And these doughnuts, well, they’re basically browned butter cinnamon doughnuts, so they’re rich and sweet to begin with. Topping them with homemade maple glaze and bacon just takes them to the next level.

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Baked Maple Bacon Doughnuts

Doughnut Ingredients:
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 3/4 tsp. baking powder
– 1/4 tsp. baking soda
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
– 1/3 cup granulated sugar
– 2 TBS. unsalted butter
– 1 large egg
– 1/2 cup buttermilk
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Maple Glaze Ingredients:
– 1 cup powdered sugar
– 2 TBS. maple syrup [gotta be real, none of that Aunt Jemima garbage!]
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1-2 TBS. whole milk [I used 2%, which works just fine]
– 5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled [I baked mine; see this nifty method on The Kitchn for more details on baking your bacon!]


Instructions:

Make the Doughnuts:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and grease your doughnut pan. Set pan aside.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Set the dry mixture aside.
3. Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Continue cooking it until it starts to brown. It will begin to smell nutty; remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Watch it closely; it can burn very easily.
4. Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl: the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Add the browned butter once it’s cooled, and whisk the wet ingredients altogether.
5. Next, add the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients. Stir together until well-combined; there should be no bits of flour remaining [but be careful to not overmix the batter].
6. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a plastic ziplock bag. Snip the tip of the bag with scissors and pipe the batter into each doughnut cavity.
7. Bake doughnuts for about 8-10 minutes; do not allow them to over-bake. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool briefly in the pan before removing to put on a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Glaze:
1. While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze: mix the powdered sugar with the maple syrup and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Add milk to thin out the glaze as necessary. [I had mine too thin for my liking; next time I will allow it to be a bit thicker.]

2. Next, dip doughnuts in glaze to coat, or spoon glaze over each doughnut. Sprinkle bacon crumbles on top of each doughnut while the glaze is still wet. Store doughnuts in an airtight container for up to two days [they’re best the day they’re made, though]. Enjoy!

Recipe from Tracy of Shutterbean.

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Yes. 

 

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream.

I never knew that it was possible to love a boozy cupcake as much as I love these. Holy crap. I first had one that was made by a fellow baker/coworker – Kelley – at a party awhile back. And it was just love at first sight.

chocstoutcupcakesYou might be wondering what it is about using a stout beer in cake that makes the cake so amazing. I don’t know the exact science behind it, but something about that stout added with the cocoa powder adds an extra depth of flavor and richness to the final product. It’s hard to explain; it’s just one of those things that is awesome.

I have made these cupcakes several times, but I recently made them again for an ugly sweater party with some friends. Usually I prefer to use one of St. Louis’ local brewery’s stouts in these cupcakes – 4Hands’ Chocolate Milk Stout – it’s seriously one of my favorite stouts. This time, however, I opted for another local brew: Schlafly’s Coffee Stout. I think that the coffee in the stout really added another nice depth of flavor to the cupcakes; coffee and chocolate are always a good pair. Of course, you could use a common stout, such as Guinness. I’m just a fan of using local products in my final baked goods wherever possible, and the 4Hands and Schlafly stouts are solid choices. 🙂

schlafly Since these cupcakes were for a Christmas party, I got pretty festive with them. I have an overabundance of sprinkles, so I used some of my Christmas-y sprinkles. I then added these cute little plastic pine tree cupcake toppers to several of them. I think they turned out pretty well, and that’s my absolute favorite part of baking: when treats turn out tasting delicious AND looking awesome. It’s just the bees knees.

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Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Chocolate Ganache Filling + Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 24 regular sized cupcakes. I actually cut the recipe in half for the Christmas party, which is easy to do with this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup stout beer [such as Guinness, or opt for an awesome local stout if you can]
1 cup [2 sticks] unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder [preferably Dutch-process]
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Ganache Filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate [I used the Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bars]
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 TBS. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 to 2 tsp. Irish whiskey [Optional – I used Jameson.]

For the Bailey’s Frosting:
3 1/2 cups (14 oz.) powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 to 8 TBS. Irish cream [I used Bailey’s… Creamy beige!]
8 oz. (1 block) full-fat cream cheese, COLD and cut into 6 to 8 chunks

Instructions:
Make the cupcakes!
1. Line 24 regular muffin tins with liners, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Over medium heat, bring the stout and butter to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the cocoa powder, then whisk the mixture until it’s smooth. Allow it to cool slightly.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer [or with an electric hand mixer], beat the eggs and sour cream until blended. Add the stout-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, and beat until it’s just combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and beat briefly on a low speed. After that, use a rubber spatula to fold the batter until it’s totally combined.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the way full, and bake the cupcakes until a toothpick comes out clean, about 17 minutes [mine only took 15 minutes, but oven times vary]. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a rack.

Make the Filling + Fill the Cupcakes:
1. Chop the chocolate [or use chocolate chips], and transfer it to a heatproof bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it’s simmering. Then pour the cream over the chopped chocolate. Allow it to sit for a minute, then stir it until it’s smooth. Add softened butter and the whiskey, if using, and stir until combined. Allow the ganache to cool until it’s thicker but still soft enough to pipe. [You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process, but you will need to stir it every 10 minutes.]
3. While the ganache is cooling, you have two options for preparing the cupcakes for filling: either use a Wilton No. 230 tip to fill them [it is a tip that kind of resembles a bird’s beak, used for filling cupcakes], or cut the centers out of the cupcakes and spoon ganache into them, then replace the tops with the cake you cut out of the top. For a more detailed post on filling cupcakes, this post on Annie’s Eats is a good one.
4. Fill the cooled cupcakes with the ganache, then prepare them for frosting!

Make the Frosting:
1. Into a small bowl, sift the powdered sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar. Mix until it’s fluffy and thoroughly blended.
2. Next, add more of the powdered sugar along with 3 TBS. of the Irish cream, and mix again until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the remainder of the Irish cream, and the vanilla extract. Mix until evenly incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Finally, turn the mixer up to medium high speed, and then add the cold cream cheese a chunk at a time. Wait about five seconds after each addition so that the mixer can incorporate each. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat the frosting for about one minute, until it’s smooth. Be careful to not over beat.
4. Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag and tips or spread on with a knife. Be sure to use the frosting within 30 minutes or it may become too soft.

Recipe Source: This recipe was given to me by one of my former coworkers, Kelley. I think the chocolate stout cupcake + Irish whiskey ganache recipes are from Smitten Kitchen. I’m not sure where the Bailey’s buttercream recipe comes from, so if you know… please tell me!

lightscupcakeOne more photo for good measure: some bokeh from the Christmas tree in the background, plus my friend Katie being an awesome hand model! 

Random Sides // DIY Baking Themed Christmas Tree!

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OMG. I am so excited about this that it’s ridiculous.

My roommate was teasing me a few months back, because I claim to not be “that into Christmas,” yet I’ve been planning for this since the end of October. As I’ve said before, I’m not exactly a Grinch. But I don’t get as excited about Christmas as I once did. I think it probably has something to do with that elusive thing called “adulthood.” I also really dislike how Thanksgiving basically gets overlooked, especially in all of the stores. It seems to me that we often forget about Thanksgiving because we get too wrapped up in Christmas/end-of-the-year shenanigans.

*steps off soapbox*

Okay. I have a valid excuse reason for planning ahead on this. I’ve been wanting to do a baking themed Christmas tree for over a year now, but I didn’t properly plan for it last year. And we all know that without proper planning and preparation, most projects are doomed to fail. So in order to execute this tree project well, I had to start thinking about how I would go about it a month or two in advance. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

Here are some close up photos of the different ornaments on the tree – prepare yourself to be bombarded with pictures [better than text bombardment, I reckon]:

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wisk1The main theme colors are as follows: candy apple red/light pink, mint green, and gold. I wish I could have had more mint green, but alas, I did not end up with as much as I’d like. Oh well.

I’ll admit that this project got a tad bit pricey… But to me it’s an investment: I will love having a baking themed tree every year. Or if I don’t, then someone slap me. 😉

muffintinpantreepanhandmintgrncupcakeornamentbowcinnornamentcookiecuttercupcake2Most of my ornaments were all DIY. So even if you don’t want to invest a ton of money into a baking themed tree, you can still make some of your own nifty baking themed ornaments, if you so choose. I’ll do separate posts for all of my DIY ornaments so that you can see how I made them, but for now I just wanted to share pictures of my awesome tree!

I think the only thing I forgot was oven mitt ornaments… 😉 Dang.

sprinkleornamnetmixercloseupdonutcloseup1My DIY donut ornaments! Love.

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// The Baking Tree – Resources:

– Christmas Tree: This is just an old, hand-me-down tree that my dad gave me. It’s not really a mini tree, but it’s not quite full-size either. It’s kinda janky, but it works for now. I would love to have a white or bubblegum pink tree. But that will have to wait, as I can’t spend all of my disposable income on crafts. 😉

– Garland / Lights / Other:

  • Gold Garland: This is just your average gold garland. I got it from Target.
  • Pink Pom-Pom Garland: I spotted this at my local Anthropologie the other day, and just had to grab it. Isn’t it awesome?
  • Lights: These are LED string lights from Target. They’re a bit larger than your average Christmas lights. I like them.
  • Red Bow Topper: I couldn’t think of anything to have as a cool tree topper, so I just went with a stereotypical Christmas bow. You can find these just about anywhere.

– Purchased Ornaments:

  • Red Kitchen Aid Mixer Ornament: I spotted this at Michael’s a few months ago and snatched it up. I was searching high and low for a mint green mixer ornament to match my actual mixer, but had no luck. Note to Kitchen Aid: y’all would make BANK if you would produce and sell mixer ornaments. Just saying. 🙂
  • Sparkly Cupcake Ornaments: I saw these at Urban Outfitters and once again, snatched ’em up.

– DIY Ornaments:

  • Donut Ornaments: These DIY ornaments are made out of plaster of paris and then painted. I got the idea from Studio DIY, and I absolutely adore them. I’ll be doing a separate, more detailed DIY post on these soon.
  • Sprinkle + Mint Green Ornaments: I simply took clear ornaments [mini sized] and filled them with acrylic paint or sprinkles, and tied them with baker’s twine. Again, I’ll go into more detail on this later.
  • Cinnamon Dough Ornaments: My lovely friend Jordyn and I made these aromatic cinnamon dough ornaments a few months back. All the dough is made out of is cinnamon and applesauce! You can find recipes for them online pretty easily.
  • Baking Tool Ornaments: For all of these ornaments, I took miniature baking tools and either hot glued or tied a ribbon around each item and hung them from the tree. Boom! Instant ornaments.

– Inspiration: General inspiration for my baking tree came from Bake it Pretty [One Charming Party] and Studio DIY. 🙂

Even for someone who is not quite so enthused about Christmas, I must admit that this was SO MUCH FUN. I hope you enjoy this tree and I hope that it inspires you to make your Christmas tree awesome!

PS: I still hate Christmas music. This is most likely a result of working in retail for three years. WOOF.