Christmas wreaths - the edible kind!

Photo by: Little Birdie Secrets

There are plenty of stories about how the Christmas wreath tradition started.

But what I love is how one thing stands out so clearly in all the different stories - the wreath is an unwavering symbol of hope and light.

Now that is Christmas beauty.

Some wreaths have candles that are lit in the weeks leading up, with the final candle bursting to light on Christmas day.

Just lovely.

Now there are all sorts of wreaths.
Pine, fir cones, paper, garlands, fabric, twigs, twine, laurel leaves, gold, silver, blue, green, red...

So many awesome manifestations.
> Red is Christmas!
* Rich, red velvet cake
* Never too much red with Elmo
* Baked with love

I worked on my lemony version for Christmas, cuz I like edible wreaths best!
> What's baking this Christmas?

The recipe I used was from one of the happy COOKIE
books (it's literally titled 'Cookies'!) I have on my bookshelf,
which makes it a little hard to transport to share here.
But Martha Stewart has an amazing version, check out her recipe here.

Another recipe for Christmas: Sugar Cookies - perfect for festive icing!

Start by rolling out little lengths of dough ropes. Take 2 ropes,
twist them together like you're braiding hair. Circle the braided
ropes to form a wreath, tucking the ends together where they meet.

The dough softens when it's been out of the fridge for a while,
just pop them back in to firm up if it gets too soft to handle.

When they're slightly browned, they're ready to be taken out.
The final baked wreath is still fairly pale in color, so don't get alarmed. 

As it bakes, the braids expand so remember to
leave a little space in the center for the dough to fill out.

After cooling, the braids are ready to be glazed (see recipe for Lemon Glaze).
While the glaze is still wet, add your sprinkles and decor to make them
Christmassy. I added little fondant angels and stars to mine here,
great variation that's quick to make and keeps well.

Bag the little rounds of Christmas spirit in clear
pouches so they can peek out and say hi, and you're all set!

Get on daddy's sweet side!

It's a myth that women like desserts more. 

According to our highly-reliable in-house research done in the Petite Pops kitchen, men have that same secret dessert compartment in their stomachs. 

They may scoff at us girls. But really, they have a space for dessert. Even after a full meal. 

That mysterious kangaroo dessert pouch exists. 

Even for men. 

Especially after they become daddies. 

So get on daddy's sweet side with our Father's Day bakes, leave the neckties and tool kits to the rest of them. 

> Click above mailer for clearer pop up

Related stories:

> A golf-y birthday

> Bicycle pops... challenge accepted!

> I love birthdays

> Sweet, sweet strawberries

Happy, Sweet Father's Day!

Baked with love

This tin was my inspiration over the weekend.

I'd picked it up a couple of months back (how do you say no to "Baked With Love"??), but hadn't had a chance to use it. The fine-engine-red top signaled to me from the avalanche of baskets and supplies I'd been steadily accumulating (I can't help it, things call out to me...), and I thought it was time.

Looking for more red?
> Gotta be Elmo!
> Poppin' red cherries, even the jackpot ones

A girlfriend had reached a milestone in her life, the perfect time to bake her a little something to celebrate.

Related reading: happy things in life
> Happy Dayz
> My OLPT: Official Little Pops Tester
> What in the world are Cake Pops?
> How to share a good pineapple tart

I decided on some lemon & poppy seed cookies, a recipe I'd been mentally pinning on my 'to try' list for a while.

Cookies can be a little quirky, like kids. Or dogs. Or just human beings in general.

They kinda surprise you when you first try them out,  keep you guessing till the time you bite in. And then - you discover: this is a crunchy cookie recipe just what I expected, or darn that one's too soft, a nightmare to decorate.

That's the fun with cookies.
Ok I have to qualify that... it's only fun when you're not up against a delivery deadline!

Back to my lemon poppy seed dough... I wanted the cookies rustic, and I had a hunch these were going to be light and crumbly, just what I was looking for...

Not the prettiest photo but I wanted to show you the
chilled dough log before they got dissected into 4cm circle patties

Fresh from the oven, yes they did indeed turn out light and crumbly!

Food twine does wonders in prettying bakies,
just handle with care cuz those cookies are fragile! 

These made someone smile today, now it's your turn
- pass the smile on, spread the happy (not a typo, I do mean 'happy'!)