Bake Sale!

Sweets graced the sweet table at a fundraiser to assist Staten Island families affected by Hurricane Sandy. The children of the affected families attend St. John Villa Academy.  The bake sale was the brainchild of professional baker Donna Balzano, Staten Island.

Yummy chocolate peppermint, pumpkin cupcakes, and mini gingerbread house were baked by Donna and assistant Samantha.  Donna piped her signature Swiss Meringue and Cheese Cake icing on the cupcakes; the melted snowman sugar cookies and ornament sugar cookies were made by Lynn Carbone and yours truly, respectively.

A close up view of my scratch sugar cookies.  The holly was made from fondant and affixed to the "ornament".  Then they were painted with luster dust. The tops of the cookies were painted with silver petal dust. Santa, snowman, reindeer, etc. are icing decorations picked up at Michael's. These are cute little decorations and really saved time.

These 6" reindeer cookies were a hit with the children.  The sugar cookies are covered with Wilton chocolate fondant. The antlers were cut with a poinsettia leaf cutter; bows were made from Fondarific fondant, the nose was also fondant but could easily be made with licorice jelly beans.