Sunday Sweets: Oh, SNAP!
December 12, 2010 'Tis the season for gingerbread, spice, and everything nice, right? So here are some pretties to inspire you before you set off to make those cookies and houses and rocket ships and whatnot. :)
First up, the cookies may be simple, but this gorgeous pattern is not:
By the Whipped BakeshopCheck out the shine on that gold!
Oh, and if you want to try painting on your cookies, fondant makes a great base.
Speaking of which, here's a whole hand-painted gingerbread scene:
So sweet! I love the tiny birdhouse painted above the door.
Gotta have a few traditional cuties in here:
By Eli ChilevI am thoroughly enamored with this fun edible centerpiece:
Submitted by Kimberlee G. and made by not marthaAmanda F. spotted these architectural wonders at the Festival of Trees in Utah:
Love the blue!And I'm sure no one here will be surprised that this one in particular caught my eye:
The amazing Artisan Cake Company actually did a feature on their blog of even *more* fabulous gingerbread houses, so I shamelessly stole these next two from them (but be sure to check out the link for the rest):
From the Carolina Inn Gingerbread house competitionI am in love with all the details: the little rose over the window, the bear topiaries, and the way the "snow" on the roof is dripping from the shingles. Just. A. Mazing.
Forgive me for yet another Disney reference, but does this next one remind anyone else of the Norway pavilion in Epcot?
Now, one thing about gingerbread: it's always so...brown. You know? Not all that exciting for a technicolor dream coat kinda gal like me.
Now, THIS, on the other hand:
By Pat Kilkenny
[nodding] That'll do, donkey. That'll do.
(Is that Fruit Stripe gum I spy on the roof?)
And finally, an undersea treasure from the one, the only...
You just keep rockin' on with your bad crustaceous self, Highland. I mean, seriously: is that octopus attaching the candy seashells on the roof with a wee little piping bag? Really?
Ok, you get a blown kiss for that. **Mwuah!**
Reader Comments (66)
http://www.supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/20071018-The_Muppet_Show_Cake
Not related, but still adorable.
efpatrick -
Some of the fondant pieces were in fact cookies - round gingersnaps coated in fondant and painted. Ewwwwww.
I've eaten a gingerbread house: when I was young we'd make one on Christmas Eve and be allowed to eat it on Christmas Day.
I'm OK with fondant on things nobody intends to eat, but it doesn't belong on anything meant for human consumption, including gingersnaps and gingerbread men, and especially on wedding cakes!
they all rock - but that octopus and his piping bag - beyond cool!
How can anyone think of eating any of these... I'd feel like a distroyer of art, until my belly told my brain to shut up! Which would only take a few minutes.
http://www.matboard.org" rel="nofollow"> Mat Board
I was gonna make a crack about there being a *real* Norway, don'tcha know, then I saw the octopus and squeeeeeeee!
You gotta know me. I love me some octopus. That is so awesome the word 'awesome' just isn't awesome enough!
Those are amazing, especially the gingerbread houses. I can't decide which one is the most awesome, but I am totally in love with the colorful one. Thanks for sharing!
WV: comensi - Comensi the awesome Sunday sweets gingerbread houses!
I want that last one SO MUCH!!!
Lovely stuff! That castle does look an aweful lot like Cinderella's castle. But, I'm surprised to not see any references to the gingerbread house inside the Haunted Mansion Holiday in this post! ;)
OH gorgeousness! I worked at Disney last year and at EPCOT to boot and the Norway Pavillion = that gingerbread house! And the castle had me thinking magic kingdom! *sigh* Miss it!
what's wrong with the gold on the first one?
I don't understand all the loathing of fondant-- I find it tastier than 99% of the icings out there. But maybe Canadian fondant, like Canadian spelling, is just better :P But I still like ganache the best!! (chocolate chocolate chocolate )
The lit-up snow-laden cake/cookies is lovely (and with white chocolate ganache, probably even doable at home. Hmmmm...)
The partridge in a pear tree... love it. And am pondering how to copy!
The castle's amazing, the bear-topiaried, rose-fronted little challet just lovely, the "norway" one is stunning... but the colourful one just tops them. And Octapus has earned my first "squee" ever!
Those first cookies are done with printed edible paper. I have the same design in my stash of printed edible papers. I get mine from www.fancyflours.com but there are lots of online sources for this sort of thing.
They do result in stunning cookies, especially if you embellish, like the baker did with gold dragees.
Thanks for including my painted gingerbread house, it's a real honour.
I won a prize from Origins for it, including a bottle of perfume signed by Take That. Cake and gorgeous men can it get any better!
This years design will be blogged about soon.
Thanks again!
Absolutely gorgeous!
And to Jenna – I actually think fondant tastes great! I guess it depends on the manufacturer and the location (I live in Israel, and the kind they sell here, RFM, tastes nothing like clay). Still, I probably wouldn't put it on gingerbread :)
DID YOU SEE THE ARTISAN CAKE COMPANY'S HOUSE CAKE FROM THE DISNEY/PIXAR MOVIE "UP"!!!!!
It's on their site and it's soooooo cute,
it even includes the little mail box with their names on it...
HEART BREAKING!
jen -
i'm pretty sure that the one house that looks like wood got its effect from dragging a fork in the uncooked, and rolled out gingerbread.
it would be, by far, the easiest way to do it!