What is this a close-up of?
Another batch of tea time!
Can’t have a tea pot without the tea cup y’know.
The swirly tea pot and cup looked like this one (above), before I pulled a toothpick through the icing.
The inspiration for these tea party cookies came from here. This one has the rainbow chicken pox.
So why the cupcake liners, yellow sugar and ribbon you ask? Well, I was asked to make these from Martha Stewart’s website: (Love her by the way!!)
Instead of using a regular lollipop though, how perfect are these Twinkle Pop suckers?!
The finished cupcakes looked like this:
And as you’ve already seen, I made cookies to fit the colorful tea party theme as well:
Here they are all bagged and ready to go. (Tea pot on one side, tea cup on the other).
It was SO easy to make these. I’ll share the items I used to make them with you, but this isn’t a tutorial… I really should do one soon I know! When I do I’d like it to be thorough… so it’ll have to wait as life is busy right now. =)
To make the cupcakes, I used my tried and true vanilla cupcake and buttercream recipes from Ms. Porschen’s book, Pretty Party Cakes.
Cupcake liners usually get kind of greasy and the details are difficult to see once they’re baked, so I decided to make them in plain white liners and then set them in these colorful ones. Next time I’ll make sure I bake them in the right size though! lol. The rainbow liners are medium, and I baked mine in large.
To pipe the icing I used a large round piping tip in my much-loved large pastry bag
and rolled the cupcake in a bowl of yellow sanding sugar
.
For the cupcakes I needed to make fondant leaves. No worries! My leaf plunger set makes life easy! All you need to do is roll the fondant out to desired thickness, and ‘plunge’ the leaf shapes out. Here are the main items needed for the leaves:
1. Green fondant – You can buy it coloured or do it yourself with green paste food coloring
2. Sponge mattress foam or an egg carton to dry your leaves on
*** You’ll also need some cornstarch to dust your surface with, so that the fondant doesn’t stick.
I just had to have one! (Ahem… or two…).
For the cookies, I used the same icing and cookie recipes as I used in my sparkly tea party cookies post, which you can see here.
I outlined and flooded them with the same icing, and made sure I had all these colors on hand to quickly add the second layer of icing. If you’ve never flooded a cookie before, there are a few basic items you’ll need:
1. Elastic bands to hold the ends of the piping bags closed
2. Disposable piping bags – You can also buy the non-disposable kind or make your own with parchment paper.
3. Tip covers – not a must! You can just as easily rest your tips in a damp cloth
4. Couplers– And of course piping tips
. I like size #’s 1-5 for cookie decorating
To package them, I tied this colorful ribbon around the tops of clear bags
. And voila! One happy birthday girl! (I hope!)
Now, I’m off to clean the house, as it’s kinda getting well… neglected lately. Somehow it’s just not as fun as cookie and cupcake making.
Enjoy making these easy cupcakes and cookies if you’d like to try!
xo,
Marian
Those are BEAUTIFUL!!! I just tried making some yesterday, and they turned out terrible. Not sure if I should try again. It takes a lot of work and effort.
Hi Marian, I just had to say that both items were a smash!!! Usually decorative cookies look good but leave something to be desired as far as taste goes, but yours were FANTASTIC!! The cookies were so buttery, they melted in my mouth!! Everyone commented on the presentation (ribbons etc.) as much as they did on the product. Hey, I had to clean my house too after a bunch of 2-5 year olds got their hands on your cupcakes!! I think you might have a yearly gig… Thanks so much for your attention to detail and your creativity. It really helped set the tone for my daughter’s 5th birthday.
your cookies are the most beautiful i’ve ever seen. i just find myself coming back to your blog again and again to admire your beautiful work. 🙂
Corynn, I just wanted to thank you for your sweet comments on my blog, and wanted to say ‘Don’t give up!” I was sooo frustrated when I first started decorating cookies myself, but with time I learned some techniques and tricks that really help! I’ll be doing and in-depth tutorial (I will — promise!!) to help out new decorators, and there’s lots of info. already on the net about it, but if you have any specific questions about what was not working for you, email me and I’ll try my best to help you!
Rachel, thank you so much for your compliments! It’s always good news to hear that the treats were eaten and that adults and kids were happy with them!
Asa, I know they’re not the most beautiful cookies out there but I thank you for your comment! Your cupcakes, I have to say, are stunning pieces of art… Each creation never fails to make me think WOW!!
Wonderful cookies!!!! the prettiest ( & happiest) I have ever seen!! Congratulations Marian, you are an artist!! B
These are so beautiful! I absolutely love them!
These are so cute…..I haven’t used my teapot cutter nor the tea cup cutter very much because I was at a loss as to how to decorate them…….you have truly inspired me with these….thank you so much!
Hey ! As always gorgeous and very fun to read, helpful to!
Very beautiful cookies! I love that stripey effect on your teapot and teacup!
Beautiful cupcakes and cookies as always 😉
LOVE these cupcakes. Beautiful job Marian.
I love your cupcakes and teapot cookies.
you’r an artist.
wow :love: you’r sharing all your knowledge….
thank you
ML
I love these bright colors and spring/summer designs! Perfect, as usual 🙂
Amazing effort and you make it seems so effortless – you deserve many, many cupcakes for the work!
I just came across your blog and I have to say you are SO creative!!! Thank you for the tutorial too! I am working on my cupcaking skills, especially the icing part. 🙂
Marian…I love your blog! So so creative! Not only is everything pretty, it looks delicious too!
I am IN LOVE with these cookies! They are gorgeous!!!!! This is my first visit to your blog and I am addicted!
Thank you all so much for your sweet comments!! :blush:
That’s sooo cute!! I loved the tea cups!! Really nice! ^_^
Oh my goodness. The colors in your posts make me so happy. I love the bright colors and it looks delicious too! I hope you’re still doing this in about 10 years because I plan to open up my own bookshop/cafe and would love to have these absolutely amazing cookies! 🙂
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I will definitely keep your blog in my list 🙂 I have quite a growing list. The color is just amazing.
xx Jessica
Hi there, I found your blog while searching on Google and your post looks very interesting for me. 🙂
your everything is wonderful. i can not just stop looking at the cookies. :love:
😛 Your work is really beautiful and I would like to congratulate you on the way you are encouraging others, it is really lovely and uplifting to see! Keep I the great work I am subscribed to your site and i look forward to following you and your lovely creations. Sugar wishes Paris x
These turned out adorable and flawless as usual! Such an inspiration and a great idea for a birthday party.
WOW Marian! WOW!
Marian:
I’m so proud of you. The commentary I’ve read from your fans out there should more than convince you of what your friends have been saying all along….you have become the Michelleangela of cookies and cupcakes. Folks, this woman agonizes over the slightest details with a smile on her face! Your appreciation encourages her creativity and growth as an artist. One question….when are we going to spend a cookie decorating day together this summer now that you’re free of the the teenage monsters?
cheers
you know who
Thank you all for the lovely comments!!
You-know-who thank you for your uplifting words as well! I would love to spend a cookie decorating day with you… my neighbour has asked me to make princess cookies for her daughter’s birthday party in August… let’s plan it around then if it works for you. I’ll be in touch! =)
I just LOVE your polka dot cookies, and am planning to make them for a baby shower I’m hosting. I’m going to decorate cookie bibs with them. Naturally, I’ll do a lot of practicing first! Could you be VERY SPECIFIC as to how to get the polka dots on the royal icing base? At what point do you pipe them in the icing? How wet does the”base” have to be??
No problemo… Check out the butterfly cookie tutorial (under tutorial section) for the consistency of the icing – that’s important. Also important is that both icings are about the same consistency.
As far as how the dots are made, just place your piping tip right above where you want it placed and gently press your piping bag so just a weeeee bit comes out. Quickly lift the piping bag away. Gently give your cookie a little shake as it sits on the table to help the two icings ‘meld’.
Have all your colors ready as it’s a quick process.
Hope that helps!!
@ Marian:
Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!
HI MARIAN, I’M MRS. BAKER AND I’M DOING A RAINBOW TEA AND MY COLOR IS BLUE. I LOVE THE IDEAS THAT YOU GAVE ME ABOUT THE LOLLIPS AND THE COOKIES AND CUPCAKES. IF YOU HAVE ANYMORE IDEAS FOR ME LET ME KNOW.
I love the idea of baking the cuppies and then setting them into another liner! I always hated how the cute designs are invisible once its baked. Fabulous idea!! Also, where did you find such fabulous liners?
Rebekah, I got these cupcake liners
from Amazon. They don’t always have all of them in stock; I’ll bet your nearest baking supply store has some. Hopefully 😉
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful !
Love them. Makes me hungry too 🙂
What a wonderful site. Thank you so much!!.
Thank YOU for commenting!!
Hi
Thank you for those lovely pictures.
I have just featured your cookies on my blog as an inspiration for a rainbow birthday party.
Thanks again
http://thatcutelittlecake.blogspot.com/2011/01/rainbow-treats.html
Beautiful! I love the rainbow-swirl effect-Thank you for showing us!!
The cupcakes look delish…and the teapots, well they are just beautiful!!! I am so amazed at what you create!!
do you chip youer cookes
Many many thanks for this post! Some actually inspriational designs here. LC
Do you take any cookie orders? i would love to order some of the teapot and tea cup cookies for my daughter’s birthday party. Not sure if you do that or not? You are an amazing artist and baker, I’m in awe.
Well, hi there, another Marian!
I’m sorry, I don’t do orders, but these people do:
https://sweetopia.net/cookie-decorator-directory/