Top 6 Cookie Gift Packaging

It's December! Tis the season for cookie swaps or simply gifting homemade cookies! I've been having a list of close friends and cookie ideas in my head for the past few days, but I haven't decided on any packaging yet.

I'd have to say that I'm kinda guilty of having a small affair with food packaging, sometimes more so than baking itself. I strongly believe that packaging is a very important aspect if you're selling or gifting baked goods. People "eat" with their eyes first before even having their first bite, so visual presentation shouldn't be overlooked!

I've gathered my favorite top 6 cookie gift packaging pins from Pinterest with hopes to finalize my cookie gift box. Check it out and tell me what you think!

1. Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe is one of The Great Cookie Swap 2013 Blogger, and she did a post on cookie swaps rules and packaging. I like this simple and sweet idea of wrapping up your cookies in cellophane and then box them out for shipping.

2. Wrapping cookies in cellophane on both ends with bows makes me feel like I'm receiving a large size "candy"! It looks pretty especially with a classy ribbon! Unfortunately, I found this pin with a link to an "invite" only blog. :(

3. Still sticking to the cellophane method. This would be a good packaging for trio cookies. A dozen with 3 different flavors in a treat box!

4. Let's move on to the boxes. I actually like this one from Southern Flair. It has a very simple yet traditional look, and a home style type of feeling going on.

5. I think I like the compartment box look because I pinned this one right after I saw the one above. This is a cute one that The Black Apple made and shared. These boxes are the Martha line available at Michael's. I totally got inspired to make some mini macarons from my box after seeing her's.

6. Last but not least. I like the washi tape decor on this box. It's a cake box with a handle, a very classic bakery style, but the washi tape makes it pop and gives it a handicraft "made with love", "home made", "self made", "from me to you" gift kind of feel.

I think I've decided to merge number 4, 5, and 6 together and make some number 1 for a few other friends. Let's get the cookie baking started!

Gluten Free Vs. Vegan Baking?

Understanding people's needs is a serious issue. More and more people are becoming allergic to common household pantry goods such as flour and dairy products.

I'm sure you've heard of "gluten-free" and "vegan" baked goods.

As a part of the service industry, American bakeries and cake stores have been slowly accommodating and serving people with sensitive diets. In fact, it's getting more and more popular to a point where you have to be flexible enough to produce such baked goods.

Gluten Free Baking

The gluten free diet is for people who are gluten intolerant or those with coeliac disease and basically it excludes food with gluten in them. Gluten is associated with wheat because when wheat (which is found in flour) is mixed with liquids, gluten proteins form.

These gluten proteins are what makes the dough elastic and stretchy. So if you're making a bread dough, the more you kneed, the more gluten proteins develop, the more air gets trap in the dough which makes an airy and fluffier product.

There are gluten free flour mix available in most major supermarkets and they can be used as substitutes for regular flour. Grocery stores now sell cup-for-cup gluten free flour made out of rice, nuts, corns, or beans. The gluten free flour mix almost always have xantham gum in them but if they don't, it's always good to include a little to help with the consistency of the batter and structure of the baked good.

Xantham gum might sound chemically and alien but it's basically a plant based thickening and stabilizing agent. It helps to blend liquids that don't usually blend well together and it helps to produce a thick batter consistency and creamy texture.

Vegan Baking

Simply explained, Vegans do not consume animal products. Be it from a religious point of view, or just wanting to stay healthy by embracing a new diet, it's a food/lifestyle choice which is slowly growing in number.

What does it mean for us bakers? It means that we need to eliminate the use of animal products in our baked goods. There is a difference between vegan and vegetarian diets though. Vegans excludes eggs and dairy products in their diet. Yup that means, no eggs, animal milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt in their desserts!

Since eggs are so important in the baking process, there are powdered egg replacers that are available in supermarkets. Cow milk can be replaced by using soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, or any plant based milk. Butter can be substituted for 100% dairy free vegan margarine. You can also use applesauce or avocado to replace butter. 

Tofu can be used instead of yogurt. There's a product called Tofutti that can also be used to replace cream cheese. I made a Tofutti cheesecake once and it was surprisingly tasty! 

Fresh Fruit Tarts

Summer's berry season has long been over, it's starting to get cold outside, and Pastiche, the local dessert store, isn't selling their famous fresh fruit tarts until early next year.

So I decided to make one myself. 

I bought half a dozen medium sized tart pans on Amazon, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwis, navel oranges, a lot of eggs, and started from scratch.

Isn't it amazing how globally dependent we are? True, the strawberries aren't super sweet this time of the year, and mangoes don't really taste as good as those from Thailand but it's still readily available in the big chain grocery stores.

Right now, I'm just plain thankful I've got everything I need for my fruit tarts.

I can't believe it's been years since the last time I made these, and it feels extremely good to create these beautiful looking little fresh bundles of joy.

By the way, as much as I want to make them as visually attractive as possible, a little part inside of me wanted mine covered with slices of golden kiwi...

That didn't happen, but I promise you, it won't be long before I make my own golden kiwi tarts!

Earl Grey Macaroons

Hi there. I've finally made more macaroons since I last remembered. It's true that to be good at something, you'd have to practice over and over again.

However, practice is one thing. Knowing where you've made mistakes is another. 

Please disregard those who claim that French Macaroons are a thing of the past. Last month, I had Bouchon Bakery's Peanut Butter and Jelly Macaroons and I went back in line to get another one right after finishing the one I've devoured!

Macaroons is like ice cream, there's still so many more flavors to experiment on!

So far I've got lemon, chocolate, cappuccino, strawberry, orange, and green tea down. Now here's my attempt on Earl Grey!

By the way, earl grey is my sister's favorite macaroon flavor and it's "slowly becoming" my favorite ice cream flavor.

This particular macaroon had a subtle tea flavor, not overly strong - because I didn't use strong earl grey loose leaf tea in the first place.

A few of my friends commented on my Facebook page that chocolate ganache was the way to go for the filling.

At first I was worried that the chocolate might overpower the delicate flavor of the tea but to my surprise, it came out alright. :)

Cake Couture For My 23rd Birthday!

Please excuse me for the lack of updates, I was having too much fun in California.

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my 23rd birthday!

Like all my past birthdays, I always find myself having this crazy feeling... about suddenly realizing that another year have gone by. For me, September always fly by super fast.

This year, I am blessed to be able to spend my birthday with my family. The last time that happened was on my 18th birthday before I went to college. So, it's been a while.

Nonetheless, I wanted a pretty cake. I've been thinking about it since a month ago, and I knew I wanted a Hello Kitty Sailor cake!

Too bad I am currently staying in my sister's apartment in Davis, CA, so I didn't have the tools, formulas, ingredients, and the time to make one myself. If I could, I would, but this time, I searched around town to place a custom cake order.

After all the research on Google and Yelp, I finally found Christie from Cake Couture. She lives in Davis and caters to clients around the area. Her website is very professional and I guess that was a "wow" factor for me as compared to the other bakers in the area.

I met up with her about 3 or 4 days before my birthday to discuss the cake design and she did a very lovely Hello Kitty figurine on the boat. I absolutely love the effort she put into the details.

It might sound strange ordering my own birthday cake from another baker, but I'm glad I went about calling her. Christie is such a wonderful and talented person. Frankly, I was extremely inspired by her and the hard work she puts into the home based cake business.

I really admire her dedication to this passion and business, knowing that cake orders will keep you up all night, especially if you're working alone...

I was very pleased that she was able to squeeze my order into her super full and tight schedule! She is very approachable and was able to accommodate my request for an earlier pick up time.   

This cake screams 2 of my favorite things: Hello Kitty and Anchors, and I am so hyped about having it as my 23rd birthday cake. 

Wanna have a peak inside? 

Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you, the cake was coffee flavored with French-roast Starbucks flavored coffee filling. I love coffee flavor, so I thought that cake could use a little bit more coffee kick to it, but that's just me. Okay, let's cut the cake!

Finally I'd like to say another Happy Belated Birthday to my September beloveds: 

Jackie, Mom, Sunny, Hans, Grandpa, Cici Cla, Miko, Silvia!