Almond Macaroons

My first (yes pathetic) attempt at making those beautiful almond macaroon cookies and cookie sandwiches, and it was a flop. They flattened and cracked.

What's the secret to getting beautiful macaroons like these:

Does anyone have a recipe that turns out well?

Father's Day Cake Creation

This year for Father's Day I decided to try something other than the standard cake, so I went with cupcakes, but not just any cupcakes - Pool Ball cupcakes!

Growing up my dad always enjoyed playing pool, and we even had a pool table for a time, so I thought this would be a fun thing to try.

Surprisingly they weren't hard to make. I used standard vanilla frosting which I warmed to I could dip the cupcakes for a smooth surface, then dipped them into colored sugar or cookie crumbs (for the 8-ball). For the circles with numbers I used fondariffic and edible markers.

Upcoming Baking Review

I plan to try some new combinations as the weather warms up like the following:

1. chocolate egg shells filled with chocolate mousse
2. Yellow cake with lemon pudding filling and lemon icing, topped with shredded coconut
3. Strawberry shortcake cake with whipped topping and blueberries (festive for July 4th)

Stay Tuned...