Lemon Almond Wedding Cookies

These are the first cookies I made in 2017 and they have set the bar high for all cookies to follow.  If you make just one cookie recipe this year - this is the one to make.  I know that is a rather bizarre statement to make when we are only two months into the year, but I just know that nothing will surpass the light lemony goodness of these little gems.

I hope you enjoy these delectable delights and I look forward to sharing more recipes with you in the coming weeks and months.  We will see if this one remains #1 in my kitchen and yours too!

Lemon Almond Wedding Cookies

adapted from The Pioneer Woman Food and Friends

2 sticks butter, unsalted and softened
 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 t. lemon extract
1/2 t. almond extract
1 T. lemon juice
2 lemons, zested
1 c. almond flour
2 c. flour
-------
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted (sifting is optional)

Cream the butter and sugar well with a stand or hand mixer.  Beat in the salt, lemon and almond extracts, lemon juice and the zest.  Mix in the almond flour.  On low speed, add the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing just until blended. 

Refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes. (you can make this the night before and let it chill overnight).  Just bring it out about 30 minutes before you want to start scooping the dough.  Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 325.

Use a 2 tsp. scoop and place the dough onto the parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.  Wait a minute or two (no longer) and toss the baked cookies into the sifted powdered sugar and then let them cool on a wire rack.

When they are completely cool, toss them again in the powdered sugar so they are well coated.
Makes about 4 dozen.

These are a little extra work, but soooooo worth it. They melt in your mouth!

I shared a small plate of cookies with each of my two neighbors and they raved for days!  Now that is what I call a cookie baking success!

Just this past week I made another batch, shared with the same neighbors and they were grinning from ear to ear!   I love doing things that make people happy!

ENJOY!!!

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Valentine Fun!

I hope everyone is feeling loved and special, especially today.

The best part about today, for me, is reminding my grandchildren that they are loved.  And making cards for them is a fun way to do that.

I relied on the images from Miss Kate's Cuttables again to create their Valentine cards.

First of all, Carter is totally into trucks - ALL BIG TRUCKS and the noisier the better. He loves trash trucks and dump trucks and bulldozers - well you get the idea.  So when I saw this file I knew it was what I had to make for him.  I hope he likes it!

This is the cute little "digger". I have glossy accents on the

deeper yellow to make it shine and colored little rocks

being picked up.  So much fun to make!

Here is a side view so you can see some of the dimension and shine.

And the final product - I love it!

As for the girls in northern CA, I am really feeling their age gap now when I make cards for them. I used to be able to make similar cards, but now with Kendra (16) and Haley (10), I cannot get away with two too cutesy cards!!  I need to be a little more grown up with the teenager; at least I think I do!

So Kendra's card is feminine and bright and a tad simpler. 

I love all of the dimension and sparkle in this one. I hope it makes it through the mail in one piece!!

I have just recently started adding sequins to cards. They are fun to play with and add a nice touch!

Haley's card is still cute and a bit more playful.  I don't know how many more years I can get away with that!

This little bee has double wings with a layer of vellum over them.

He is really cute in person!

I thought the marbled vellum over the hot pink gave this a bit of a fantasy look and added

to the floating format.

I hope all three of them have a GREAT day!!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

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February 2017 - Carter is TWO!

Where oh where did January go?  The new year has barely begun and I am already a month behind!  Yikes!

I had the best of intentions and I blew it.  January came and went and so many things that I had planned/wanted to do just didn't happen.  I am not going to let myself label that a failure, which is progress for me!  Sometimes life just doesn't go the way you plan.  So you regroup and start anew. And that is what I am doing. It's a new year - a month late!

Happy February! I have been busy baking and card making and m eager to start sharing again. 

First up is the card I made for my rapidly growing grandson, Carter.  He is SUCH a delight and is full of the joy and inquisitiveness (and boundless energy) that are typical of two year olds.  He brings such joy into all of our lives.

His birthday was actually the beginning of the month, but I am playing catch up for a while. Forgive me.

So here is his birthday morning!  I think it is the perfect way to start a birthday - I would just add a nice LARGE cup of coffee (and would definitely stay in my pjs!!)

For his card I used a cake design from Miss Kate's Cuttables to celebrate this second birthday.

I ran the frosting layers through embossing folders to

give them a little interest and added colored brads to

the dotted sprinkles for dimension and interest.

This little greeting was all done on the Silver Bullet.  I used the pen tool with

Staedler fineliner pens (love them) to "write" the message and then

cut the little banner greeting out - all on the machine. Fun and easy!

I got this stamp years ago to put on the back of the cards

that I made my granddaughters.  Now Carter gets it on his cards

too.  I stamped this on a sheet of 2" square labels so I

have them all ready to go!

The only way to start a birthday!

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY DEAR CARTER! 

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