Vampire Donuts

Ty, my four year old, wanted vampire donuts for his little birthday party. So after trying a few ideas, this is what we came up with. Not the greatest, but they turned out pretty cute!

We melted frosting and dipped candy corn in and then let them set in the fridge. Then after specially ordering donuts with no holes, which was too hard, so we switched to donuts with no filling, we created the face. And opted for a happy vampire, for a happy birthday!

Happy Birthday soon Ty. I love you and can't believe you are already turning five!!!

Perfect Sugar Cookies

This is my mom's recipe and a family favorite. Actually, a favorite of anyone that tries them. They are also my go-to holiday cookie (if you can't tell). If there's a holiday, we usually have an excuse to make these cookies.

Recipe:
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c margarine
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 c buttermilk (you can make you own by mixing 1 T lemon juice into milk and letting it sit and curdle for 5 minutes)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
6 c flour (this isn't exact, add 5 and then check the consistency of your dough)

Cream sugars, margarine, eggs, vanilla and milk. Add sifted dry ingredients until you get a stiff dough. Don't add too much flour! Refrigerate the dough for several hours or overnight. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then frost and decorate. Have fun!

Coconut Crunch Fudge

I was recipe blog hopping the other day and came across this. I honestly can't remember where I found it and the odds of me finding it again are slim to none. So I give credit where credit is due, I just don't know where it is due.

I love coconut. I'm not sure love is a strong enough word.

And I love fudge. So putting the two together was nothing short of amazing.

Here is the recipe that I found on the blog. I actually used my mom's fudge recipe instead, but still used the coconut idea and it turned out perfect!

11.5 oz chocolate, semi sweet or milk chocolate (I used semi-sweet)

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp coconut extract (I used a generous tsp)

1 T butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup toasted coconut, plus some for topping (I used way more, but it was so good)

1/4 cup crumbled graham crackers, plus some for topping

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a small sauce pot and turn on med heat. Add the chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted. Add the butter and extract and mix til creamy.

Take chocolater mixture off the heat and stir in the toasted coconut and graham cracker pieces.

Line an 8x8 pan with parchment or plastic and pour in chocolate mixture (I just buttered mine) Decorate with extra toasted coconut and graham crackers. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

*The directions can vary depending on which fudge recipe you use.