A moment in the spotlight on AllRecipes.com

It's silliness I know but that doesn't change the fact that I'm excited and giddy! My Marshmallow Melted Snowman Cookie with a link to the tutorial is currently on the home page of AllRecipes.com! A special thank you to EVERYONE for helping make this cookie what is! And a special thank you to Meaghan Mountford for her ingenious idea!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Wrapping up. My final cake of 2010.

Another melting centerpiece candle cake. I have to admit I really love making these cakes. There's something about mimicking wax with chocolate that is fun and very creative.

Merry Christmas and Have a Safe and Happy Holiday!

To see the Candle Cake Tutorial, visit this LINK.

A story about a little "Crunch".

Tradition had always been that on Black Friday, I'd spend the whole day making my Christmas Candies. I made Turtles, my mom's version of a thin mint, chocolate covered raisins (my husband's favorite), almond bark, toffee, truffles, peanut butter cups, etc. etc. etc. Every year the box evolved a little and I was always on the lookout for new ideas. A few years earlier I'd had a product that was delightful but no longer available. So...


I started researching and soon came up with a "test" recipe I could try. Thankfully with a little tweaking Truly Custom Crunch was born and from that point on, it was a staple in my holiday candy packages.

Then the recipe requests started. "But what will I give you for Christmas?", was always my reply. The next question kind of surprised me. They started asking me to sell it to them since I wouldn't share my recipe, because they wanted to give it to their friends and family as well.


So what is it you ask? It's my special toffee caramel recipe cooked "just so" and then poured over pecans, almonds, and popcorn, after which it is coated with a rich dark chocolate drizzle. It's a wonderful blend of salty sweet with a touch of chocolate. The nuts add an extra burst of texture and flavor, the popcorn is perfectly crisp, and it truly does melt in your mouth!


Curious what people have to say about Truly Custom Crunch? You can read customer reviews HERE.

And although we can't get anymore orders out before Christmas, it's not too late to order for your New Year's Eve parties!

Meet Meaghan and Mr. Melty!

Back in the winter of 2008 I saw a cookie on the Cake Central Website (Mr. Melty above) and fell in love. true to form, if I see something I like, I use it as a launch pad for creativity.

So, using what I saw as inspiration, made those cookies and brought them to Christmas parties and gave them out to my nieces and nephews for Christmas. I used a marshmallow because a ball of fondant didn't sound appetizing to me but I could just picture kids eating the marshmallow off the top of the cookie. I did post pictures of them on my blog, but they weren't all that impressive and nobody really paid any attention.
Fast forward to 2009 and I decided to make those cookies again. They turned out soooo cute this time and when I posted them, there was quite a fuss. Everyone wanted to know how I got the marshmallow on and made it look like it was also melting. After receiving an over abundance of e-mails, private messages, and comments, I decided that rather than sending one message at a time explaining the process, it would be easier to put together a tutorial showing how I made them.

It took off and my marshmallow headed snowman cookie has gone bonkers all over the internet. BUT if you will remember, I mentioned at the very beginning that I originally saw a cookie that inspired all of this. At the time, I was not aware who the creator was, that she had a blog, or that she had a tutorial for the original. Had I known all of that, I may have handled things differently.

When I was made aware, I made sure to give her credit but I get the feeling that nobody really reads that part of the tutorial because the comments keep coming back about "how clever" I am. Maybe you are all referring to the marshmallow... But I really think that it's important for you to recognize that I'm not really all that clever. *wink*

Meet Meaghan...

...of The Decorated Cookie. Your Mr. Melty was ingenious! Such an adorably clever idea and one that has created a most adorable cookie craze. I have never had a cookie or treat strike a creative chord in me like he did. In fact, I get the impression that there are LOTS of ladies out there that feel the same way I do. So thank you for giving me the desire to whip out the royal icing and have some winter cookie fun.

Chewy Cherry, Walnut, Chocolate Chip Cookie...

As if I don't have enough things happening in my kitchen right now, I had to test a recipe that's been playing in my mind for a while. Lately I've noticed that I have been craving more complex flavors and textures. Not sure if that is a sign of my age or the broadening of my horizons, but either way, I'm stretching myself.

I have a basic chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe that I've tweaked to my version of perfection. To make it even better, I added Walnuts and Dried Cherries. In excess!!! I promise, you need to add LOTS of hunks of yumminess to make this a "gourmet" cookie.

I could only fit 8 on a cookie sheet at a time and I rolled them like meatballs. And I'm not kidding you, there were not little meatballs! Yea... we've already determined I like my sweets! Whatever you do, don't give me a cookie that's gone in 2 bites!

So here it is! My recipe for a YUMMY spin on a Chocolate Chip Cookie. These delicious cookies will grace the treat boxes I'm handing out to family and friends this year.

Happy Baking!


Chewy Cherry, Walnut, Chocolate Chip Cookies
By: Stacey Hill, Truly Custom Cakery, LLC

Ingredients:

* 4 1/2 cups bread flour
(I use bread flour for a chewier cookie due to the high gluten content)
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* ½ teaspoon of salt
* 2 cups butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
* 4 eggs
* 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
* 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 cups of dried cherries
* 4 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking soda, baking powder, and salt then set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips, cherries, and nuts. I roll big balls of cookie dough to meatball sizes and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 12 - 16 minutes (depending on size) in the preheated oven. Edges should be lightly golden brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE or you will not have a chewy cookie!

Centerpiece Melted Candle Cake Tutorial is UP AND RUNNING!!!

Here it is, the tutorial you've been waiting for! The Centerpiece Melted Candle Cake Tutorial! Happy Baking!!!!

http://www.trulycustomcakery.com/tutorials/31.html

Candle Cake Tutorial

How would you like to be able to make this cake as a centerpiece for your holiday table? There are no special tools involved, no fondant, and no previous cake decorating experience necessary.

The tutorial should be up on the website tomorrow! Happy Baking!

Christmas Candle Cake

Candle Cakes are such a great way to decorate with your dessert. And the possibilities are endless. A tutorial on how to make them is coming soon so stay tuned!

This particular cake was made for my display at Taste of Willow Grove. It was the perfect topper for my Sample Tree. Oh... and did I mention that my display won 1st Place and a gift certificate to Kremp's Florist! Yippie!

Calling all Bloggers, Webbies, Foodies, and Big Shots!

Do you like getting stuff for FREE? Do you like getting YUMMY stuff for FREE? Do you have an online presence? Do you have a following? Do you get in front of lots of people on a regular basis who listen to what you have to say?
If so, then I would love to hear from you! I have something that I'd love to send you 100% FREE of charge. BUT in return, I need you to use your outlets to share your review/feedback/thoughts on the product.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail to Stacey@trulycustomcakery.com with your name, blog/website/outlet, address, and any other information that might help me decide why I should share with you!

I'll e-mail you information on the product I'm going to share and we can decide together if this is a good fit. There is NO compensation associated with this offer. This is solely a product being shared in return for feedback. We reserve the right to choose who will participate as not all requests will be honored.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Melted Snowman Cookie Tutorial

Last year I made a tutorial on these adorable cookies. Since it's that time of year again, I thought I'd let you know that I moved the tutorial over to my website in the new tutorial section. You can access the tutorial HERE!

ADDED 12/9/2010:
Thanks to my wonderful brother and Davis Services Group for making the tutorials and recipes on my website interactive!!! You can now post comments directly on the website! http://www.trulycustomcakery.com/tutorials/25.html



You can contact Dan here: Dan@davisservicesgroup.com if you need website help!

Grave Digger Monster Truck Cake.

Here's Grave Digger!!! I've been having more fun with car cakes lately... although I have to say, this is one time consuming cake to do! The carving wasn't bad. Covering in fondant... piece of cake... But the wheels & artwork, BOY OH BOY!

This is the first time that the wheels were build NOT TO MOVE at all!!! They have a disc in the center to prevent the weight of the wheel from stretching and cracking itself. I am thrilled with how sturdy they are, but it did take a while to do these wheels in stages. They are made of cereal treats sliced in half to allow a wooden disc to be placed inside. Then glued together with white chocolate. Then the face of the wheel is covered in white chocolate to create a smooth surface. After all that, it is covered in fondant.

The other time consuming part of this cake... the artwork! I think I spent 3 hours or so just painting the artwork. All that to say... each car/truck is NOT created equal!

Thank you to my wonderful husband/carpenter for building such a fantastic frame for me.

Truly Custom Crunch Holiday Sale!!!

Truly Custom Crunch is an irresistible combination of pecans, almonds, and popcorn, coated with caramel toffee and drizzled with rich dark chocolate.

Last year we were able to offer buy 5 get 1 free on the 2oz packages of Truly Custom Crunch (Holiday Crunch at the time). MANY of our customers took advantage of the sale and picked up Stocking Stuffers, Hanukkah gifts, and Christmas Presents!

We want to thank you for the amazing year we've had so we've decided to go all out and offer the same sale, Buy 5 and get 1 FREE on 5 different sizes!!! This is huge! Especially for our customers who buy a package for everyone they know.


Here's what you need to know when ordering online to take advantage of the sale.

Coupon CODES:
TRULY - 1.5 lb gift package
CUSTOM - 2.5 lb gift package
CRUNCH - 2 oz package
YUMMY- 6 oz package
CARAMEL - 9 oz gift package

Read what our customers have to say about Truly Custom Crunch.

Order Online

A little news...

2010 was an incredibly good year for Truly Custom Cakery, LLC. BUT, it isn't over yet! We are getting ready to launch a periodic newsletter that will include recipes, tutorials, cake photos, news, special offers, and more!

Our first newsletter will be going out via e-mail within the next several days. And in honor of our first newsletter, Christmas, and our incredibly good year, we are going to offer a very special sale on some Holiday Goodies! BUT you have to be subscribed to the newsletter to get in on the savings!


So... run on over to TrulyCustomCakery.com and sign up today. The link is on the left below the main menu.

Happy 1st Birthday Lily Ladybug!

When you order a custom cake, it's just that, CUSTOM! There are very few rules. Often questions are asked regarding what I "can" and "can't" do... If it isn't copyrighted and your budget allows for it, we "can" generally do it.

This was one of those cakes... Yes, ladybugs are generally red or brown. BUT it's a custom cake... make it any color you want! Want some bling??? No problem! And you know, I have to say, it's WAY cuter than it would have been if we followed all the rules.


Have fun with your cakes. They should be reflective of you and your style. And if you can dream it up... we can probably make it edible!

Holiday Show Schedule - Come See Us!!!

Truly Custom Cakery, LLC will be at 3 Holiday Craft Shows/Events this Holiday Season.

Come visit us and pick up some of our famous Truly Custom Crunch! The irresistible combination of pecans, almonds, and popcorn, coated with caramel toffee and drizzled with rich dark chocolate is one that will excite even the hardest to please gift recipient. It's perfect for teachers, colleagues, stocking stuffers, holiday gatherings, and just about any occasion you can imagine! We'll also have Samples, Display Cakes, Information, and more! Come visit us! We'll be soooo glad to see you!

Truly Custom Crunch Sizes and Pricing at the end of this post.


Archbishop Wood's 25th Annual Fall Craft Show:
Friday, November 19, 2010 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Saturday, November 20, 2010 - 10:00am - 3:00pm

Archbishop wood High School
655 York Road
Warminster, Pa 18974

This show ONLY allows Handmade/Homemade crafts and gifts. NOTHING at this show is purchased for resale!

If you have questions about the show, contact abwoodcraftshow@gmail.com

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Saint John Bosco Christmas Bazaar & Craft Fair
Friday, December 3, 2010 - 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday, December 4, 2010 - 9:00am - 2:00pm

Saint John Bosco
215 E County Line Road, Hatboro, Pa 19040

Featuring something for EVERYONE! Aside from the crafts, they offer delicious food, Trombola table, games for the little ones and a special appearance by Santa Claus!

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Taste of Willow Grove Sponsored by the Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce.
Sunday, December 5, 2010 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Kremp's Florist
220 Davisville Road
Willow Grove, PA 19090

Restaurants and Caterers will be serving up samples of one or more of their signature dishes! It will be a lively evening with great food, carolers, Santa Claus, and more!!!

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Here is the Truly Custom Crunch Size Guide with Pricing below.


Truly Custom Crunch Pricing
6 oz bag - $5.00
9 oz package - $10.00
1lb tub $18.00*
1.5 lb package - $25.00
2 lb tub $30.00*
2.5 lb package - $35.00

*Tubs can be returned and refilled for a $1.00 discount on the 1lb tub and a $2.00 discount on the 2.0lb tub.
*This offer is available to local customers only.

For more information on Truly Custom Crunch, visit our website HERE.

Teal Topsy Turvy Sweet Sixteen Cake

I'm really enjoying all these pretty, sparkly, and girly cakes lately! This one is more of a sparkly, grown up, girly cake than all the pink and flowery cakes I've done lately. But it shouts GIRL all the way!

The colors are Teal, Black, and White. Teal edible gems were made to accent and the stars and bow are dusted with a little clear blue disco dust (I LOVE that stuff).


The Event was held at Jeffersonville Golf Club.

Bows & Booties

Precious, Feminine, Delicate, Pink, Frilly, Girlie, Dainty, Adorable & Sweet, that's what little girls are!!! And that's what a baby girl shower cake should be!

So here's a baby shower cake that is all those things. The little flowers were made using a custom mold (yea... I'm addicted to mold making now!) The bows are gum paste as are the baby booties. Everything is sweet and edible!

Congratulations to Billy & Becky on your Precious Gift from God.