Cupcakes Benedict - Maple Cupcakes Topped with Black Forest Bacon, Poached Eggs, and Maple Hollandaise Sauce

While cupcakes get some frosting lovin' on a regular basis, sometimes they get jealous of English muffins (or as I call them, stud muffins). Stud muffins are a key player in Eggs Benedict, where they are topped with bacon, eggs, and drippy, buttery hollandaise.  Cupcakes are used to playing it safe with perfectly coiffed frosting, but after years of dreaming, they were ready to get a little dirty.  They came to me for help and I arranged a cupcake and Eggs Benedict liaison - Cupcakes Benedict.

Maple Hollandaise Sauce

I'm a carbs girl - as if you couldn't have guessed that.  Come brunch time, you'll find me ordering the French toast, waffles, pancakes, or crepes (I barely take the time to the read the eggy options).  Because of my one-track brunch thinking, I rarely encounter hollandaise sauce.  Until I made it myself, I never even bothered to find out that the thick yellow sauce was made of egg yolks, butter, and lemon.  There I was, thinking that I was the unhealthy one eating a cake made in a pan and then dousing it with maple syrup (funny how we justify eating huge pancakes by not thinking of them as real cakes), when all along the person sitting across from me was making just as dubious a choice with their eggs slathered in butter-based Hollandaise sauce.  It's a good thing brunch isn't an everyday thing.

For me, brunch isn't brunch without maple syrup.  Despite my proclivity toward carbs, if eggs were more regularly paired with maple, I would show them more love.  This leads me to my creation: maple Hollandaise sauce - a thing of beauty.  Maple Hollandaise sauce tastes just like traditional Hollandaise, but with a distinct maple flavor and a bit milder lemon flavor. Maple Hollandaise makes eggs happy.

But, not just eggs...

As I was preparing my maple Hollandaise for the third time (I had to get it right so Jonathan could get the perfect photo), I happened to be making my dinner - a sweet potato prepared in the microwave.  Yes, this food blogger often has a simple, unadulterated microwaved sweet potato for dinner, sometimes with a bowl of Cheerios on the side.  On a whim, I dipped my sweet potato in the maple Hollandaise sauce.  Screw eggs.  This maple Hollandaise was made for sweet potatoes.  You may already put maple and butter on your sweet potatoes; maple Hollandaise is the same thing but with the thick and satisfying addition of egg yolks.  Have sweet potato and maple Hollandaise for dinner if you like, or fancy up a Fall brunch by serving a sweet potato hash topped with this maple Hollandaise.

Maple Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

Maple Pecan Cupcakes with Butter Pecan Buttercream Frosting for Paula Deen

Diving into these maple pecan cupcakes from the top, you’ll be met with butter pecan buttercream frosting that tastes exactly like butter pecan ice cream – so much so that you may be tempted to put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.  That wouldn’t be a bad choice, but then you would miss out on discovering how well the butter pecan pairs with the pecan-packed maple cupcakes made with a half cup of pure maple syrup.  Together, frosting and cupcake are pecan perfection!

I developed the maple pecan cupcake recipe for Paula Deen. So, you'll have to head over to Paula's website to learn how to make them.  Happy travels!

Madeleine Recipe with An Unexpected Twist

Madeleines are simple sponge cake-like cookies - so simple that you probably have all of the typical madeleine recipe ingredients in your house right now: eggs, salt, sugar, flour and butter.  The only thing that you may not have is a madeleine pan.

Isn't the madeleine a snotty cookie to require her own pan?  But, like a little girl in blue jeans and ratty T-shirt who puts on a princess hat and becomes royalty, the madeleine pan makes this simple cookie regal (more importantly, you can't make madeleines without it).  Get one (make sure it's non-stick - it makes it so easy) for the baker on your Christmas list.

What's the Unexpected Twist in My Madeleine Recipe?

Blueberry Granola Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes on Paula Deen

This month, the folks over at Paula Deen asked me to come up with a blueberry cupcake recipe.  Blueberry has never been one of my favorite flavors.  I didn't like blueberries at all until I discovered that not all blueberries are huge and flavorless - like most of the ones you can find at the supermarket.  Last summer, I bought a bag of fresh, tiny blueberries at our local farmers' market and ate almost the whole bag in one sitting. I'm now a blueberry believer!

I wanted to give Paula Deen's readers a blueberry cupcake that would be special (not interchangeable with all the mediocre blueberry muffins out there) and, as is always my rule, it had to be something that I would like.  I ended up with these:

These blueberry cupcakes have fresh blueberries, granola (I used my homemade blueberry granola), chocolate chunks, maple syrup, and apple butter, and they're topped with homemade whipped cream.

Head on over to Paula Deen's site to get the recipe!

Maple Oatmeal Mustard Muffins

I really wanted these maple oatmeal mustard muffins to be cupcakes. I even thought about calling them cupcakes, but in the interest of blog integrity, I must admit that they were muffins. The problem, you see, was the white whole wheat flour. I'd never used white whole wheat flour before, but I'd heard rumors that it tasted just like white flour while retaining the health value of whole wheat. Not true. Even though only half of the flour I used was white whole wheat flour (the other half was all-purpose), these wannabe cupcakes tasted like whole wheat muffins.

Despite the fact that muffins are the geeky friend of the hipster cupcake, these muffins have nothing to be ashamed of. They have the tender sweetness of maple, the in-your-face texture of oatmeal, and a surprise sassy kick from the mustard. They were a huge hit with my moms' group (winning out over a chocolate cupcake that I made for a Scharffen Berger contest and Panettone Cupcakes).

The Maple Oatmeal Mustard Muffin Recipe


Makes 16 muffins

First, make an oatmeal mixture:

• 1 1/2 C rolled oats
• 1/2 C maple sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 2 T whole mustard seeds
• 6 T unsalted butter, melted

1. Mix together oats, maple sugar, cinnamon, and mustard seed.
2. Mix in melted butter and stir well.
3. Set aside.

Then, make the cake batter, combine with the oatmeal mixture, and bake:

• 1 C white whole wheat flour (you could use regular whole wheat or simply all-purpose)
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 C maple syrup
• 1/2 C sunflower oil (you could use canola oil)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 C Greek yogurt (you could use plain yogurt)
• 1 t vanilla bean paste (you could use vanilla extract)
• 4 t whole grain mustard

1. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat maple syrup, oil, and eggs until well blended.
3. Stir in yogurt, vanilla, and mustard.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients all at once, and mix by hand until evenly combined.
5. Stir in oatmeal mixture.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out dry.

Last, top with a maple glaze:

• 1/3 C powdered sugar
• 3 T maple syrup
  

1. Mix powdered sugar and maple syrup and spread on cooled muffins.
   

Credits

• I got the idea of a maple oatmeal mustard cupcake from a salad dressing recipe that I found on A Bolder Table.
• I based the cake recipe on a maple pecan cake from Kitchen Sketches.
• Kitchen Sketches adapted the cake recipe from The Natural Health Cookbook.

Thanksgiving Cupcakes - Turkey, Cranberry, and Maple

 

Everyone expects to see cranberry sauce and turkey at the Thanksgiving meal, but won’t they be surprised to find it back on the table for dessert?  Before you balk at the idea of turkey in a dessert, consider other savory and sweet combinations that work: honey-glazed ham, duck with cherry sauce, and bacon with just about anything.

These cupcakes are baked directly in slices of turkey – no cupcake liners are needed!  When baked, the turkey slices get hard and chewy and become a perfect shell for the small cakes.  The cupcakes themselves are loaded with cranberries and they are topped with a decadent maple buttercream frosting.  For extra maple flavor and an elegant look, the cupcakes may be dusted with maple sugar.

Maple Cinnamon Peach Ice Cream Cupcakes

There is a lot going on with these cupcakes, so let's start with a description. These are maple cinnamon cupcakes with baked peaches. The cupcakes were then cut in half to create a cupcake sandwich with homemade maple ice cream in the middle. The top half was frosted with peach whipped cream and then sprinkled with maple sugar.

Every messy forkful of this cupcake was so mmm mmm good that it had me questioning whether it was my drool I saw on the plate or whether it was some melty ice cream. These cupcakes were stellar, and if I could enter my own Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup, they would surely be my entry!

What Did My Friends Think?

I served these cupcakes to a bunch of friends and here were some of the comments:

• "These are my favorite cupcakes yet! My second favorite were the plum cupcakes."
• "These are the best maple flavored anything I have ever had!" This, of course, prompted the question as to what her favorite was before this. The answer: "McGriddles at McDonalds." All I can say is at least I wasn't beaten out by Mickey D's - I would not have been happy.
• "Love the maple flavor in the ice cream. It goes really well with the dense cupcake."

Maple Cinnamon Peach Cupcake Recipe

The maple cinnamon peach cupcake recipe is a Cupcake Project original. It's yummy even without the ice cream, as shown above.

Makes about 16 cupcakes

• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 t cinnamon
• 3/4 C butter, room temperature
  
• 1 1/3 C maple sugar
  
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C whole milk
• 3 T maple syrup (the real stuff)
  
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t maple extract
  
• 15 oz peaches, chopped finely

1. With a fork, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and maple sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, milk, maple syrup, and extracts until blended.
4. Mix in flour mixture.
5. Fold in peaches.
   
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
7. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

Cupcake Assembly

To assemble your ice cream cupcakes:

1. Cut the cooled cupcake in half. (You can probably cut the cupcake in a straighter line than I. I tended to go kinda crooked.)
2. Frost the top half with peach whipped cream. (I found it easier to frost after cutting, rather than trying to cut the frosted cupcake.)
3. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. When you are ready to serve, stick a small scoop of maple ice cream between the two halves of the cupcake and sprinkle some maple sugar all over!
   

Reminders

1. You have until the end of May to create your own ice cream cupcake and enter the Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup.
   
2. You also have until the end of May to vote for my black bottom cupcakes with goat cheese in the Ile de France recipe contest - while this task doesn't help you in anyway, I would be most grateful! Thanks!

Maple Sugar - Sinzibukwud

Maple sugar can be used to replace cane sugar in baking by using 2/3 cup maple sugar in place of every cup of cane sugar. The smell of maple sugar is irresistible - it smells just like maple syrup. However, despite its strong smell, don't expect the maple sugar to make your baked goods overly maple flavored. You'll still need to add some maple syrup or maple extract to your recipe if you want it to have a strong maple flavor.

The maple sugar shown above was sent to me by Coombs Family Farms. I met them at the Fancy Food Show. They were as sweet as could be and very keen on me trying to bake with their maple sugar. They didn't have to twist my arm too hard!

Places to Use Maple Sugar

Here are some places that I use maple sugar:

• Use it instead of cane sugar in a cupcake recipe - I used it in my maple peach cupcakes.
• Sprinkle some on top of frosting instead of sprinkles for a little color and slight maple taste.
• Use it instead of cane sugar in pancake, waffle, or French toast recipes.
• Mix it with plain or vanilla yogurt to give it a nice maple sweetness.

Do you have other ideas? How have you used it?

Fun Fact About Maple Sugar

Native Americans called maple sugar "sinzibukwud," which means "sweet buds." I encourage you to call it that when you use it at home. It is quite fun to say!

Where to Buy Maple Sugar

If you can't find maple sugar near you, you can buy the Coombs Family Farms maple sugar online. On a somewhat related note, Coombs Family Farms also sells maple candies. If you have never had maple candy before, it is definitely worth trying. I've never had the Coombs Family Farms maple candy before (perhaps they'd like to send me some?), but I am a huge maple candy fan. I like it so much that we actually gave it away as favors for our wedding.

Photo from my wedding by Alisha Clark

A Maple Tale

Maybe it's because I've got a baby on the way, but my favorite part of the Coombs Family Farms website is an old legend entitled "How Mother Nature Fooled the Bears". It's just the kind of story that I envision that I will enjoy reading to my son. Some say that I should be reading to him in the womb, so perhaps I should stop writing and go read my unborn child a story.

Maple Ice Cream Recipe

This maple ice cream recipe might be just the thing to top some Mother's Day brunch waffles. Why just have maple syrup when you can have maple ice cream?!

But, of course, my maple ice cream didn't top waffles - it went in an ice cream cupcake.

Maple happens to be one of my favorite flavors - it's right up there with honey. I must admit that I have even been known to put maple syrup on pasta. It's really good on just about anything. The same applies to the maple ice cream. It could enhance just about any meal. Picture pork chops with maple ice cream on top. Yum! OK - maybe it's just me.

Maple Ice Cream Recipe

I found the recipe for maple ice cream on Serious Eats. I am reprinting it below with my notes. The recipe requires an ice cream maker. I have a really cheap model that I borrowed and never returned from Groom 2.0 (it's similar to this ice cream maker). It works quite well.

Makes about 1 quart

• 3/4 C pure grade A maple syrup (Do not use the fake stuff!)
  
• 1 C whole milk
• 2 C heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 t maple extract (I just used 1/2 t because that seemed mapley enough.)
  

1. In a medium saucepan over moderately high heat, boil the maple syrup until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
   
2. Lower the heat and stir in the milk, cream, and salt.
   
3. Cook until just under a boil (you will see bubbles along the edges of the pot and steam rising from the surface).
   
4. Remove from heat.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until lightened.
6. Slowly add a few tablespoons (no more than 1/4 cup total) of the hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly.
7. Add the yolks back to the rest of the milk, whisking constantly.
8. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (if you run your finger across the spoon in a line it shouldn't drip; a candy thermometer will register 170°F). Be careful to not let it boil. (For me, this took just a couple of minutes.)
9. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl.
   
10. Add the maple extract. (At this point, you have maple custard. You may be tempted to eat it all before turning it into ice cream. I wouldn't blame you. It is crazy tasty!)
    
11. Chill until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
12. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
    

Reminders

1. You have until the end of May to enter the Ice Cream Cupcake Roundup. You don't have to make your own from-scratch ice cream - but it's fun to do!
2. You also have until the end of May to vote for my black bottom cupcakes with goat cheese in the Ile de France recipe contest - while this task doesn't help you in anyway, I would be most grateful! Thanks!
   

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Rum and Maple

Pumpkin cupcakes are good on their own, but this pumpkin cupcake with rum and maple kicks it up a notch. The cupcakes smell distinctly of rum, but when you bite into them, you can taste the pumpkin and just a tiny hint of the maple. They are moist and lighter than you might expect from a pumpkin dessert and they're filled with Fall spices.


The best part is that I didn't have to throw the pumpkin cupcakes in the trash. I actually made two batches of pumpkin cupcakes before this one that were so bad that I threw them out. They weren't even good enough to bring into to an office full of people who eat anything. I would have completely given up on pumpkin were it not for the fact that my cupcake class (that I am teaching this weekend) includes pumpkin cupcakes. I needed to get a recipe that I loved. Found it!


Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

makes 12 cupcakes

• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3/4 C pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/4 C dark rum
• 1/4 C maple syrup

1. Whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, and eggs. Beat until smooth.
3. Mix in the oil, rum, and maple syrup.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
6. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin Cupcake Frosting

I frosted my pumpkin cupcakes with apple butter frosting. These cupcakes would also be good with my cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

Fall Into Winter Roundup

I am entering these cupcakes into Ivy's Fall Into Winter Roundup.

I was so excited about the roundup . Not only did I have to ask if it was OK to get my entry in late, but then I completely forgot to enter. I had to go back and add to this to the post. Sorry, Ivy! You're the best!

Cupcake Love Connection Update

I have been talking to Minko and her cupcake for Groom 2.5 will be done soon! I can't wait for the recipe! She said she should have it next week. Read the original Cupcake Love Connection post if you don't know what I am talking about.

Oatmeal Raisin Cupcakes with Maple Glaze

This oatmeal raisin cupcake was a hit across state lines. In Missouri: Oatmeal raisin cupcakes were not a flavor that Bride and Groom 2.0 originally requested, but they both said it was good enough to be a wedding contender. In New York: My pseudo-cousin, Donna, was left speechless from her first bite to her last. Everyone agreed that the oatmeal raisin cupcakes were just like oatmeal raisin cookies, but more moist and with less oatmeal texture.

What's All of the Stuff With the Oatmeal Raisin Cupcakes?

Since oatmeal and raisins are typically breakfast foods, I decided to turn the oatmeal raisin cupcakes into complete breakfast cupcakes by topping them with a maple glaze and maple bacon lollypops. Just for good measure, I threw in some chocolate covered raisins, too. Unfortunately, the raisins ended up looking a bit like little turds, but perhaps we can ignore that fact?

The Oatmeal Raisin Cupcake Recipe

Makes about 24 cupcakes

• 1/2 C butter (1 stick)
  
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
  
• 8 oz applesauce
• 1/2 C honey vinegar (I love the flavor of honey vinegar, but I do realize that it's not a common pantry item. If you don't have any, you could substitute apple cider vinegar.)
• 1 1/2 C oats
• 1 C flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t allspice
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 C raisins (I used half golden raisins and half dark raisins)

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
3. Add vanilla extract, applesauce, and vinegar.
   
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
5. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, a little bit at a time.
6. Fold in the raisins.
7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
8. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched lightly.

Maple Glaze Recipe

• 2 3/4 C powdered sugar
• 2 T corn syrup
• 1/2 t maple extract
• 4-6 T water

1. Mix together powdered sugar, corn syrup, and maple extract.
   
2. Add in water 2 T at a time until the glaze is sticky but spreadable.

Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy is having a blogiversary bash. She expects it to be a big party. I am submitting these cupcakes. What's a party without cupcakes?!

Maple Bacon Lollypops and Absinthe Lollypops from Lollyphile

Visit Food Interviews to hear from Jason Lewis, founder of Lollyphile.

Maple bacon lollypops from Lollyphile are the first excuse I've had to give some tongue on this blog. We've had our share of foreplay. The post that comes to the top of my mind is one of me in an absinthe fairy costume. Is it coincidental that the other Lollyphile lollypop flavor is absinthe? I think not.



After I asked Jason of Lollyphile really nicely and told him about the absinthe cupcakes (I didn't mention the costume), he was kind enough to send me samples of his two lollypop flavors. I was VERY excited about them!


You should know though, that my tongue didn't come out right away. The lollypops and I started off with some simple caressing and there was lots of eye contact (it may have been only one-sided, but in this case, I'm OK with that).

The maple bacon lollypops were heavenly. I love anything maple and I'm also a huge fan of the sweet and salty combination. The little bacon bits in the pop were, shall I say, orgasmic.

The absinthe pop was a bit too licoricey for my tastes, but fans of absinthe certainly enjoyed these lollypops.

What's a Girl to Do With Maple Bacon Lollypops that She Hasn't Licked Yet?

I had to resist the temptation to jump all of the lollypops at once.

I had some raisins and I now had maple and bacon. Things were beginning to sound like breakfast.

Coming up next: Oatmeal raisin cupcakes with maple glaze, topped with chocolate covered raisins and maple bacon lollypops.

Orange Carrot Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Maple Cookies: The Goodbye and Hello Cupcakes

This weekend was the going away party for a dear friend of mine who has left STL to be back with her family in LA. I don't think I've ever used the expression "dear friend." It sounds so formal and British, but I'll stick with it.

Also this weekend, a friend (I'd call him a dear friend too, but can I really use the expression twice in one post) who moved to Seattle a while back was here to visit.

I wanted a cupcake that would show my moving friend that we would miss her and my visiting friend that we were glad he was here.

The visiting friend has a passion for carrot cakes, so I really felt obligated to go that route. I knew at some point I would want to try a carrot cupcake and it would feel all kinds of wrong trying it while he wasn't around.

As for the moving friend, I'd figured I focus the accoutrements on her. First, I thought about spelling her name out in carrot strips and putting them on top of the cupcakes. While that would be cute, maybe, not everyone loves raw carrots. I gathered this after looking at many many pictures of carrot cakes each adorned with a fake icing carrot on top of it. If people liked real carrots that much, why would so many people bother creating fake ones out of icing.

I then saw a picture of cupcakes for someone's birthday where each cupcake had a little candle sticking out of it, and inspiration hit me. I decided to make cookies which spelled "Good Bye Naomi" put them on little sticks and stick one in each cupcake.

What frosting? What cookies? I opted for both maple frosting and maple cookies. That part was for me. There has to be a me component. I love maple. I think maple syrup could go on anything and be yummy. I've even had it on pasta.

Overall, I was really pleased with the creation and particularly pleased with the comment of one friend who said, " These look like they are straight out of party magazine." I know I said at the beginning of the project that I was only going to care about taste, not looks. Well, call me shallow, but appearances are starting to matter to me.

The details

The cake
For the cake I used a carrot cupcake recipe from Diana's Desserts.

http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.recipeListing/filter/dianas/recipeID/4271/Recipe.cfm

These didn't really taste like carrot cake. Oh well. Orange was definitely the predominant flavor. Guess I should have realized that with all the orange zest and orange juice. However, they were the perfect level of moistness and bursting with flavor. If you think of them as orange carrot cakes vs just carrot cakes you'll be in for a treat.

The Frosting
For the frosting, I returned to All Recipes.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Maple-Icing/Detail.aspx?strb=1

The only thing I changed was to follow the advice of one of the commenters on that site and use 1/2 t vanilla and 1 1/4 t maple. This was to give it a stronger maple flavor. The consistency of the frosting was spot on. It had a perfect smooth texture and was really easy to pipe. As you can see in the pic, I piped on far more icing than I have in any past cupcakes.

Everyone keeps requesting that I use more icing, so I finally listened. It is clear that I like much less icing on my cupcakes than the average person so I guess I'm just going to have to cave a bit on that on to please the masses. I can always wipe some of it off directly into my husband's mouth with no complaints.

I would definitely use this as a cream cheese base for future creations.

As for the maple flavor, it turned out this was a true test of just how much love of maple you have. Some said it was maple overload, but others and most importantly the bride and groom to be really liked it just as it was. If you aren't such a maple fan, just don't up the maple in the recipe as much as I did.

WARNING: The maple extract seems to some how get into your pores. For days after baking these, despite multiple showers and many other meals, I could smell maple on my skin. Good thing I like the smell of maple.

The Cookies

I knew I wanted a flat cookie that would hold its shape when made into a letter.

I opted for a Canadian Maple Leaf cookie found on Recipezaar minus the frosting. Figured I already had frosting.

http://www.recipezaar.com/64633

Never having made cookies on sticks before, I was a bit skeptical of how they would stick on the sticks. I cut out my little letters and just pressed them lightly into wood skewers. When they came out of the oven, they were stuck. It's just that easy.

I was reminded though of what a pain cookies are, mainly because you can't make that many at a time. Cutting out all those suckers and doing all those batches can get old fast. My solution, just stop when you get bored. As it turns out, I still have 3 times as much dough as I used sitting in my freezer for future use. You may see more maple creations coming so I can have an excuse to use some of it.

For those reading and viewing closely you may note that I said the letters would spell "Goodbye Naomi". Somehow I lost my D cookie cutter, good thing her name didn't have a D in it.