Sugar Cookies

There are moments when we browse through online shopping websites that those dazzling goods widen your eyes and make your heart racing. Then your head starts to imagine yourself equipped with them and how good your life with those goods could be.

Lately I'd seen a set of cookie cutters despite the fact that I'd never made sugar cookies nor planned to do soon. But then those cutters seems too cute to pass. I finally got one :P

They had been sitting in my cupboard for several weeks until an occasion pop up. One of my cousins's got a scholarship at Harvard. I was so pround of him. Also, his birthday was coming up. Here come an opportunity for me.

After chilling overnight, the cookie dough was cut up into pieces.

When out from the oven. Ehhhh... looks like they're overbaked, losing their edges and letter print. Need to cover it up!

So I decided to paint over them, ignoring all the letter press.

Some sources for sugar cookies recipes:
~ Ideal Sugar Cookies by Martha Stewart
~ Sugar Cookies from Gourmet Magazine via Epicurious
~ Basic Sugar Cookie by SweetSugarBelle
And a complilation of recipes on
~ Delish.com

Tiramisu Charlotte

I've always wished to make my mom a tiramisu cake. It's her #1 favorite dessert of all time. We seriously fell in love with this luscious dessert in our first trip to Italy when I was young. I think we even finished almost all of our meals (except breakfasts) with it!

During years of baking practice, Tiramisu has always been my reliable hero. Since it's kinda no-bake dessert, there's no nail-biting moment during the 'oven' stage. In any occasion I brought them; they always proved to be real crowdpleaser :) Thanks to my best friend (the one mentioned in this post) for inventing the recipe and publishing it in her recipe book. She had tested and tried it soooooooooo many ways and many times until finding the perfect one. 

Mostly, tiramisu is served in transparent mold/cups or as a pile. Anyhow, this time it is meant to be a gift to a neat person like my mother. Beside being possible to be delivered without losing it shape, it should be presentable as a centerpiece rather than in its usual shapeless appearance. So I end up with a charlotte.

And this time, as before, everyone loved it! Yehhh :) 

Plus, my grandma, who is not fond of any western desserts & sweets at all especially those creamy, told me she loved it a lot. (She loves coffee.) I'll made it again for her birthday, next 3 months.

Happy Birthday Mama :)