Tea Party Essentials

French Meringue Cookies
Recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Butter and flour a baking sheet.
2. In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip.
3. Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the way. Bake for 3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

PINK CUPCAKES

Recipes are from Martha Stewart.com

VANILLA BUTTERMILK CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Makes 4 dozen mini cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini-muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a mixer bowl. Transfer bowl to mixer, and add egg, yolk, water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until mixture is well combined and smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Divide batter among liners, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks for 30 minutes. Invert cupcakes onto racks, and let cool completely. (Cupcakes can be stored for up to 3 days.)

and

"PURE' CUPCAKES WITH PINK FROSTING
Recipe from Martha Stewart.com

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs
• 3 cups self-rising cake flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons Mexican vanilla
• Sweet Revenge ''Pure'' Buttercream
• Turbinado or demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut out twenty-four 5 1/2-by-5 1/2-inch squares of parchment paper. Fit each square of parchment into a standard muffin cup so the edges stick out from the muffin cup; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until softened. With the mixer on medium, add eggs and sugar; beat until well combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour in three parts, alternating with buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla.
3. Fill prepared muffin cups three-quarters full with batter. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in muffin cups.
4. When cupcakes are cool, frost the top of each cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream. Fill a disposable pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch St.-Honore decorating tip with remaining buttercream. Pipe three waves on top of each cupcake, each slightly smaller than the next. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and serve.

"PURE" BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients

Makes enough for 24 cupcakes

• 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 10 cups (from about two and a half 1-pound boxes) confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons Mexican vanilla

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and shortening. Add sugar, and beat to combine. Add milk and vanilla, and beat until well combined.

AND OF COURSE

PARTY HATS....


Trisha


Zoe, Trisha, Ashley, Amy
(Amy and Ashley are wearing real tea party hats that were worn from a great grandma).


Ok Cheryse had on my all time favorite Tea Party Hat

Another authentic tea party hat being sported by
Emily

More party recipes to come...........