Once upon a time....in a land not so far away....there lived a chocolatier. By day she would toil away in her shop, making beautiful chocolate covered cordial cherries. Her whimsical creations brought joy to all the people....those nearby and those in faraway lands. She spent years perfecting her art...detailing tiny smiles, chocolate floppy hats, and candy butterfly wings. And, while she loved her chocolate art, she had another passion....fabric.
The chocolatier also longed for the warm glow of her sewing machine light...the soothing, rhythmic dance of the needle and bobbin...the feel of soft cottons and delicate silks as they slid through her fingers on their way to another masterpiece.
With visions of both her loves frolicking in her mind she thought to herself, "What if my two passions, chocolate and fabric, could join in a harmonious union of beauty and flavor? They'd make the most beautiful gifts!"
She imagined chocolate wrapped in a sensual blend of textures and colors...tied with ribbons and bows. So, she searched her collection of fabrics, selecting some passed down from her beloved grandmother and others collected over many years of sewing endeavors. Not yet fully satisfied the chocolatier traveled the land in search of rustic textures and soft patterns to compliment the lovely French toile on her signature chocolate boxes.
And, with the passing of many moons, her vision was realized...
| Rich, 65% Dark Chocolate Bars... | Assorted Chocolate Cream Truffles... |
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| Milk and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups... | White Chocolate Snow Almonds... |
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| Cocoa Dusted Almonds... | Bundle of Chocolate Truffles, Toffee, Turtles... |
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We celebrate nearly everything here at The Cordial Cherry and that includes football season. Our gourmet chocolate covered cherries are hand-sculpted in the shape of footballs, dipped in creamy milk chocolate, and then hand-painted. Our football cordial cherries are packaged in a beautiful gift box and can be delivered anywhere in the continental U.S. and make a festive addition to any football gathering.
A Nebraska football game is so much sweeter with our chocolate covered cordial cherries....hand-sculpted in the shape of footballs, dipped in creamy milk chocolate, and hand-painted for the final details. If chocolate covered strawberries are more your thing....we have our chocolate dipped football strawberries or our amazing chocolate cream strawberries available by special order for in-store pick up. (6-Piece ~ $12.00 and 12-Piece ~ $24.00).
I like to make simple sugar cookies into beautiful gifts by adding a pretty ribbon and assorted toppings....and, these are some of my favorites!
Here's how I did it...
1. Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe (I've included mine below found on www.inkatrinaskitchen.com) and roll out your dough as usual.
2. Using a large round cookie cutter, cut out your cookies and then use a small round cookie cutter to cut out the centers.
3. Bake according to your recipe's instructions.
4. I used white confectionery coating and assorted candy toppings to create various color and textural effects.
5. When cool and dry, select any ribbon of your choice and have tying the cookies up. You can add gift tags, jingle bells, and other embellishments to really make these cookies special. By just switching out the ribbon, these cookies can be perfect additions for your Christmas, Easter, or Valentine celebrations.
These ribboned cookies were made much the same way only instead of punching out a hole with a cookie cutter, I used a toothpick to make a hole in the dough about the diameter of a pencil before baking. When they were done baking, the hole was just large enough to fit a piece of thin ribbon through. This idea is great for hanging cookies on Christmas trees, festive garland, or even gift boxes!
YIELD: 3 dozen cookies
30 minutes 6-8 minutes 38 minutesSoft cut out sugar cookie recipe that keeps its shape and dough does not need to be chilled before baking- perfect edges every time!
{ recipe from www.inkatrinaskitchen.com }
Few things get me more excited than pretty ribbon. It's often the difference between something ordinary and a beautiful gift. In this case, I took simple muffin loaves, wrapped them with strips of parchment paper and tied with pretty ribbon. Voila! Breakfast is now really special! Use this idea to make Christmas or Easter continental breakfast festive. Or, tie pink or red ribbon for Valentine's Day for a simple breakfast in bed. A picnic basket with ribboned muffins or sweet breads makes the outing so sweet.
