Valentine's day butter cookies

Happy Valentine's day, people!! Much love and hugs first.

Anyways, on to the baking stuff. These are my thoughts about V-day baking and confections:
1. I think chocolate and valentine's day combination is slightly overrated. Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate, but just not in the mood of having chocolate today.
2. Valentine's day cookies do not need to come in heart shape. But just for the sake of it, I put some red heart-shaped sugar ornaments (leftover from the cupcake project).

So, I made these simple butter cookies (you seriously only need few ingredients). Took a plate of these babies to the blue house (thought Hula and Nanna might need some cookies), there rest will go to my tummy! Haha kidding, Kim's tummy too.

Simple butter cookies (make 36 small cookies)

200 gr butter
150 gr sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
275 gr all-purpose flour

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg until mixed. With wooden spoon, mix in dry ingredients slowly until well combined.
2) I used cookie gun (sometimes is also called cookie press). Extrude dough through the cookie gun into greased cookie sheets, and decorate the top with heart-shaped sugar decoration (you can use any cookie sprinkles). Bake at 350F for 15-20 min, until edge is browned.

Cupcakes, finally! FIUTS CulturalFest 2011

I guess, I'm overdue to post something about cupcakes. I made three different kinds of cupcakes for two big events this week: CulturalFest 2011 and Cafe Newman.

I don't quite remember my first CulturalFest, I'm guessing the first one I've been to was in 2004(?). It was very small, well compared to what we had yesterday, and was held in the old HUB ballroom, which is not even existed anymore. I remembered the old cultural show was done while the booth exhibition was happening in the same room! Anyhow, a couple years back, my student board team decided to change the format of the show, and made it into a more proper, seat down, theater-kind of experience, which are more conducive to both performers and audience. We started small, by having the show done at the Ethnic Cultural Center Theater, which seats around 250. For two years in a row, we had sold-out audience. Then we thought, we should make CulturalFest even bigger, and that it can potentially be a great venue to do some annual fund-raising for FIUTS. We had this idea brewed for about 6 months; it finally came into reality last night (Stacy- I'm trying to use more semicolons on my writings!). CulturalFest is now a day-long grand festivity that involves around a thousand or so people, including both domestic and international students, scholars, and community members. We almost filled the entire Meany Hall last night, which was such and accomplishment (Meany is a huge two-levels theater).


In addition to the cultural exhibition and show, we also had a VIP reception and a silent auction, hence the cupcakes. I (well I means my dad) contributed the "Balinese experience" auction item, which includes 5 nights stay at our property in Ubud, Bali (Biyukukung Suites and Spa), a Bali travel book, and a personal 1-hour long travel advice from... ehmm... ME! Okay, wondering where the cupcakes come into play here? I also contributed 2-dozens of cupcakes for the baked goods package auction item (also includes a homemade pie by Anita Croft, the former FIUTS executive director back in Hula's and Koko's old days...). In all, I can (and shamelessly will) bragged about generating around $340 for the silent auction income: the Bali package pitched in $300, while the baked goods generated ~$40. If you're interested in reading more about FIUTS mission, visit their website here. And for those who lost the Bali auction, check out the website above, or give me a call / e-mail.

Oh right, since this is my baking blog, I should tell you more about the cupcakes; after all, they are why you're reading this blog, right? So as I mentioned, I made three kind of cupcakes (notice the Valentine's day theme here):






Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes
Eggless chocolate cake (which amazingly moist), recipe here, with Reese's peanut butter cup sneaked inside the cake.
Topped with peanut butter frosting and adorned with Reese's Pieces.









Pink lemonade cupcakes
Lemon cake, topped with lemon cream cheese frosting, and adorned with pink sugar and candied pink lemon.










Traditional Red Velvet Cupcakes
Southern red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, adorned with heart shaped sugar decoration.









Ahhh.... I feel like those bakers describing their cupcakes creation on Cupcake Wars.

These cupcakes also made it into Friday evening's Cafe Newman bake sale (proceed goes to Newman Grad-young adult and music ministries). I haven't heard how they went, but I hope they generated some money for the ministries!