Wicked Witch of the West Cookies

Who doesn't love the Wizard of Oz?

I have to admit that when I decided I wanted to

make these

Melting Wicked Witch of the West 

cookies,

I thought 

Beaulah would throw a fit.

But.....

she quickly let me know that 

The Wicked Witch of the West

was just that 

WICKED

and she had no problem seeing her

melt all over the place.

I saw these on Pinterest, but there

wasn't any instruction on how to

make the witch's head and hat.  

After making contact, Jennifer

told me that her head was fondant and

the hat was molded chocolate - oh that's

why her hat is so perfect!

I decided to make both out of

"chocolate" clay.

Chocolate clay is just like working with

Play-doh, only delicious and it dries hard.

I found chocolate coating in bright green, black

and purple, the perfect witch colors, at Partyland.

Chocolate Clay Recipe

5 oz. chocolate coating discs

1 1/2 T. white corn syrup

Melt the chocolate discs in a microwave safe

bowl  at 30 second intervals, STIRRING WHETHER

IT LOOKS LIKE IT NEEDS IT OR NOT (to prevent

scorching).  When it is all melted, stir in the corn syrup.

It will quickly go from smooth and glossy to looking

like Play-doh.  Spread out on a piece of plastic

wrap and leave uncovered overnight.

It might look greasy, but that will knead

back in.  Knead it until soft and pliable.

Store in a plastic bag.  

I used my favorite recipe for 

cookies 

when I am floating with royal icing,

starting with  a Betty Crocker Cake Mix.

I usually use Betty Crocker's French Vanilla,

but the store only had Vanilla, which I 

found I liked just as much.

The reason I love these for cookies floated

with royal icing is that they stay soft and are

sweet enough so that you enjoy the royal frosting.

They are also very, very easy.

Tender Sugar Cookies for Royal Icing

1 box Betty Crocker French Vanilla or

Vanilla cake mix

1 large egg

1/2 C. butter softened (really soft)

2 T. flour (makes it stiffer for rolled cookies)

Mix all together in your mixer until the

dough forms into a ball.  You don't need to

refrigerate the dough.  

I like to roll it out on parchment paper

so that I don't have to transfer it to the

cookie sheet and change the shape.

Make a free-form pattern out of cardstock

or the back of a notebook.  Cut out with

a knife.

Bake at 375 for 8 minutes - just until the tops

are dry - don't brown the cookies.

Let cool and then float with royal icing.  In the picture

on the left you will see that you first outline the cookie

using the royal frosting in a squeeze bottle.  Then fill

in the center.  I like to use the back of a spoon to 

gently fill in the center, pushing the icing up to 

the outline or dam.

This is so easy and fun.  If you haven't done it before,

give it a try.

Squeeze the hands on fairly quickly so that they

will melt into the dress.

Make the head and hat out of clay or you

could use fondant.  Set on the body before

the icing dries.

Royal Icing Recipe

(I cut the regular recipe in half as this

made about 12 cookies and I still had 

lots of icing left)

1/2 C. warm water

2 1/2 T. meringue powder or

powdered egg white

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 1/4 lb. powdered sugar

In mixer with paddle attachment, mix the

water and meringue powder on lowest speed

until well blended.  Add the cream of tartar.

Add the powdered sugar and set a kitchen

timer for 10 minutes.  Mix with paddle for 10

minutes. 

This will give you your typical royal icing that is

thick and can be used for solid piping.  We now

want to thin it down significantly.

Add additional water 1 T. at a time.  We added

about 5 more tablespoons. 

It should be thin enough to form a ribbon that

disappears back into the mass of the frosting

by the count of 5.  It has to hold its shape, but

not too much.

Divide into bowls to color.  I used Americolor

neon green and a mix of Duff's (find this 

at Michael's Craft Store) and Wilton for

the black.  It will take a lot of black.

(This black when dry had a little bit of

a sparkle to it.  I have never had that

before, so I don't know if it was the

Duff's or a mixture of the two.)

No, no, no, hands off!

(I knew that HAND would be trouble!)

That HAND just won't stay in his floral

arrangement where he belongs.  

Little witches, I mean, works of art.

Yes, Beaulah, you look so much alike,

especially your smile and your nose!

(Sometimes you have to keep them happy!)

Oops, she heard that.

I will be posting with

Weekend Wrapup

Sweets For A Saturday

Seasonal Sunday

Metamorphosis Monday

Foodie Friday

Wickedly Creative Halloween Party

Monster Mash Party

Creative Halloween Ideas

These Chicks Cooked

Fall In Love Party

Open House Party

Boo to You Tablescape

Beaulah is sooooo excited to show off

her first tablescape for this year, she

worked her warty little hands off on this one,

but first....

she wants to warn you that you

have less than 48 hours to enter

in the 

GIVEAWAY

for this beautiful

7 quart hammered copper

soup station from 

Williams Sonoma.

The 

GIVEAWAY

ends at

MIDNIGHT

Thursday night, September 29, 2011!

Click here to sign up for the 

giveaway.

Beaulah is just thrilled with how

many have joined in on the fun.

She just wishes she had some magic

where she could wave a wand and

have 100 cauldrons, I mean pots

to give away.

Beaulah wanted to have some of the

GIRLS 

over for a little fun.

She loves to watch over my shoulder

as I play around on the internet and she

saw this clever idea for s'mores in a jar

by a fairly new blogger at

A Little Cuppa Tea.

Go pay Rachel a visit and see

her wonderful parties and ideas.

She has great photography and

last week was her first tablescape!

I know she would love to hear from you.

After checking out Rachel's flavor ideas,

we chose to make Chocolate Ghost S'mores

using ghostly marshmallows, Hersheys and

chocolate graham crackers.

I told her we also had to make some wonderful soup

to feature our soup station on the table,

so we decided on White Chicken Chili

to keep with the ghostly color theme.

We stacked all white plates and topped them

with a ghostly trio bowl.

Each witch receives her own little

jar of s'more goodies.

BOO to YOU!

These fun skewers were purchased on a trip 

to Turkey.

I just love their little faces peering at you.

The fire is lit and Beaulah and

the girls are ready to start partying.

(HELP HELP, let me out, they are going to eat me!)

Yup! They are going to eat you.

Beaulah wants to thank you 

for sharing in her fun party

and she wants to post her

girl's party with

Tablescapes Thursday

Feathered Nest Friday

Seasonal Sunday

Wow Us Wednesday

Plates - Tai Pan

Bowls - Target

Placemats - Wal Mart

Copper Soup Station - Williams Sonoma

Goblets - Pier 1

Napkins - Home Goods

Flatware - World Market

Beaulah Loves Football - Go Team Cookie Pops

First let me remind you that there are

only a few days left to join in on my

GIVEAWAY

for a beautiful

hammered copper soup pot

from

Williams Sonoma.

Click here to go to the post where you can enter.

Now, what is Beaulah up to ....

This may surprise you, but 

Beaulah loves football. 

 She thinks we ought to 

change it up a little though and get

some broomsticks like Harry Potter

does in quiditch!

Football pops are quite the hit with

the football players.

My daughter wanted to make these

for her husband's last football game.

The guys on the team are always

 begging for her to make cake or cookie pops.

She thought football shaped ones would be fun.

 Beaulah thought we should make them

in Halloween colors, but we decided

for a traditional brown football.

 Put them on a stick and they are fun to

display, or dip them like truffles

Everyone around here really likes

the little pops on a stick better.

Now here is the tricky sticky part.

We had to send Beaulah out of the room

because she kept cackling at the funny

shaped footballs, but here's some help:

1.  Roll them into a ball

2.  Then roll them slightly to elongate

3.  Just gently touch, touch, touch to shape the points

(they won't be perfect) - don't try to pinch the ends,

they are too soft and you don't want hard points.

4.  Put them in the fridge to let them harden up

5.  Now reshape them a little

6.  When you dip them, they come out smooth

and more like a football.

Then finish them off with the white

chocolate coating for the

stitching and laces. 

They were a lot easier on a stick

when it came to putting on the white

chocolate.

Cookie Pop Recipe

1 pkg. Oreo cookies

8 oz. cream cheese

or 1 tub ready made cream cheese frosting

Milk and white chocolate coating discs

Blend the cookies until fine crumbs in a food

processor.  Mix in the cream cheese or frosting

by hand.  If you use the cream cheese, be sure and

refrigerate the finished pops.

Meanwhile melt the coating discs.  I place

between one and two cups in a microwaveable

bowl (make sure it is a microwaveable bowl or

you may scorch your chocolate discs).  Turn

the microwave on for one minute.  Stir - WHETHER

IT LOOKS LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE STIRRED OR NOT.

This will prevent the bottom from scorching.  Then

melt in 15 second increments until all the discs

are melted.  Let the discs cool about 10-15 minutes.

While dipping, reheat for about 10 seconds as

necessary to keep the chocolate thin and smooth.

Shape into footballs and place in fridge for about

half an hour or until firm.  Reshape as needed.

Take only a few out at a time as they will soften

quickly and place on a stick.  Dip in the milke

chocolate, shake slightly to remove excess, twirl

a little to make sure it is smooth and not

dripping. 

HERE IS THE BIG TRICK -

STICK UPRIGHT IN A PIECE OF FOAM!!!

(Like shown in picture above)

I have seen so many people try these

and they turn out a mess because they

are trying to sit them down before

they are dry.  Let them dry upright

in the foam. (Or Beaulah will be cackling

at you too!)

Finish with the white chocolate piped

on with a very small tip.  Make sure the

white chocolate has cooled a little so it

isn't just dripping out the end.

Make some for your 

favorite team!

I will be posting this with

Foodie Friday

Sweets For A Saturday

Seasonal Sunday

Beaulah Came Out of the Basement - 2nd Halloween Bash & Copper Soup Pot Giveaway

Welcome to the

2nd Annual Halloween Bash

hosted by twin sisters,

 Beaulah and Zoulah Boulah.

If you are new to our blogs, you can

find Beaulah here and Zoulah resides

at Red Couch Recipes.  

They really

are two individuals and plan on getting

together sometime soon for a photoshoot

to prove it.

Beaulah and Zoulah were born October 31st

ages ago and love to whip up some fun for

Halloween in their

  Betwitchin Kitchens.

Hope you join us for a month of fun -

SOMETHING IS 

ALWAYS BREWING

(BE SURE NOT TO MISS

THE GIVEAWAY

 WE HAVE COOKED UP

 AT THE END OF THIS POST)

Well, now that we are done with the introductions,

Beaulah was in a 

BLACK MOOD

when she finally got out of the box

and found out that her sister Zoulah had

been flying free for a week now.

I was sure she was going to serve 

my head on a platter

But when I reminded her of all the fun we

had together last year

She lit up!

And when I told her we 

were planning on a fun craft

to start decorating the house

 she just sparkled!!!

Imagine my surprise when I woke up the other

morning and found this playing spooky music

to wake us up!

I think it must be related to "THING" from

the ADAMS FAMILY.

Well, if  THE HAND wants to be part of the 

Halloween Fun

we will work you in!

Beaulah and I flew around and collected

some fun Halloween craft items to

showcase THE  HAND.

We started by filling the container with dry floral

foam.  Beaulah told me this is the secret to any

centerpiece arrangement.   It keeps everything 

in place.

Next we stuffed some foam into

THE HAND

and inserted a skewer so that he 

wouldn't go wandering around anywhere.

Beaulah began by filling in around 

THE HAND with flowers and baubles.

Just stick the floral stems into the foam.

Beaulah says if there isn't a stem like in

a ball, insert a skewer and then stick the

skewer into the foam.

She said to tell you not to worry if you 

haven't tried this before, you can keep

moving things around until you like

what you see.

Then we added some items for height,

filled in around THE HAND

and made sure we had some items

draping down the front and some

items giving width to the side.

Finish by tucking in spanish moss to 

the top of the container to cover all 

of the foam.

Beaulah was cackling with delight by 

now and had totally forgiven me for

not letting her out sooner.

We chose the entry table to get

all of our guests excited as they enter

our Halloween home.

Beaulah dug through the boxes 

(ouch that brings back some hard feelings)

and found some other accessories

to finish off the vignette.

Now Beaulah thinks she is a floral designer!

She is just dizzy with other ideas to 

spruce up this haunted house

and get this party started!

THE HAND

is happy too!

(Wait, I see the kitchen in the background

of this picture!  Did he manage to move

the whole arrangement?  He is going to be trouble!!)

Then I told Beaulah about our

giveaway of this beautiful

hammered 7 quart soup station

from Williams Sonoma

she was thrilled.  

She said it was probably a lot more 

classy to have a copper cauldron 

than an old black one!

Click here to enter the giveaway.

It ends at

MIDNIGHT (ooooohhhh)

Thursday, September 29, 2011.

Beaulah thought we ought to post this with

Metamorphosis Monday

Craft - O - Maniac

Pumpkin Addicts Anonymous

Tabletop Tuesday

Open House Party

Fall In Love

Wow Us Wednesday

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