Lemon Burst Cookies

Our church is hosting for the Hypothermia Shelter this week and today is Family Circle's day to prepare and serve dinner for the shelter guests.  I volunteered to make dessert, so I made some cookies this morning.  They were so yummy that I thought I should share them online.  I found these cookies on Pinterest a few weeks ago and pinned it.  They are called Lemon Burst Cookies.  There are a few different recipes for them online.  One called for Cool Whip, oil, 1 egg and a box of Lemon cake mix.....hmmm, I didn't like the idea of Cool Whip.  In addition, several people said their cookies came out flat (probably because of only 1 egg).  I found another recipe that used 2 eggs, oil, lemon cake mix, and lemon juice/extract/zest. That's the recipe I decided to use.

Aren't they scrumptious looking?

They tasted as good as they look.   A soft, cakey, lemony cookie.  The recipe made 30 cookies....but a few mysteriously disappeared as they were cooling. Uh-oh.  So, I made a quick trip to Giant for another box of cake mix and made another batch. 

Here's the recipe:

Lemon Burst Cookies

1 box of lemon cake mix (18.25 oz)

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

zest of one lemon

2 Tbls lemon juice

1/4 tsp lemon extract

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a SilPat baking mat.

2.  Into a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the powdered sugar.  Mix with a hand mixer until well blended.  Dough will be sticky.  I found that the dough became less sticky after a few minutes. 

3.  Put the powdered sugar into a small bowl.

4.  Use a small scoop to made a small ball of dough.  I used about 1 1/2 Tbls per cookie.  Roll into the powdered sugar.  Get a pretty heavy coating if you want that powdered sugar look on your finished cookie.  Place onto cookie sheet.

5.  Bake 9-10 mins until edges are just lightly browned.  Cool a couple mins on cookie sheet and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes between 30-36 cookies depending on size. 

I've already dropped the cookies off at church for tonight's dinner.....wish I would have kept a few....yum

Turquoise and Black Reversible Table Runner

Made a quick table runner this week using yummy shades of turquoise with black prints.  I used the same method that I did for Nana's table runner...just strips of fabric quilted directly onto the backing fabric.  I decided not to add a "bojo" label so that it could be easily reversible.  The back is a pretty floral print, can't remember the name of it.  It's about 42" long and 14" wide. 

I really like the contract between the black and the blues. 

First Quilt Sale

I am so excited.  I sold my first quilt on Etsy...both my first quilt sale and my first quilt.  This one, the disappearing nine-patch.

I was starting to think that I would only be able to sell season-themed table runners.  Not that I mind sellign those, I just don't have the passion to make them as I do a quilt.  After selling it, I started to have seller's remorse, after all, it was my first quilt.  But I know it went to a good home and they will love it too!

Bowl using Randy's Red, Opal, Nickel Matt

Made this bowl with my new Randy's Red.  whew, so glad that this batch came out better.  I didn't change anything, except I made a bigger batch.  My test batch was only 500 grams.  This batch was 5000 g.  After talking to my chemical suppliers I started to think that perhaps the test batch wasn't big enough for the red iron oxide to do its stuff.
I think I was right.  This isn't muddy at all. 



Don't know what I'll do with this bowl.  Maybe it'll be a Christmas present for someone.

Luncheon plates

I made a set of two square lunch sized plates using the wax resist method over matt green glaze. 

The green leaves came out a different color than the dogwood plate I made with Pam's glazes.  I had suspected that her Val's Green is different than mine and I'm not sure why.  I used my Val's Green to glaze a plate last week and didn't like the result.  I thought it was just the way I applied it, but now that I've seen these two plates, I have my doubts.  I have another leaf in the kiln right now that has Val's Green on it, so in the morning I will know for sure. 

I also used my white on the petals which is different from Pam's.  It came out slightly different and looks like I will need to give a heavier coat or possibly two coats of the glaze to give the look I like best. 

This is the plate I made with Pam's glazes.  See the differences?  On this plate, the leaf background recedes; in the lunch plates, the flowers recede.  I prefer the one below.



Ceramic angels in Cream Breaking Rust

I have some new angels that are in a creamy glaze instead of white. 

All things bright and small

That describes my newest sewing project which is listed on my Mudpots shop on Etsy.  I used some fabrics that I picked up at Hobby Lobby in Auburn.  I really wish Hobby Lobby would find its way up to Northern Virginia!  I couldn't pass up these bright, happy colors and made a small stroller size quilt from them.

I used minimal quilting lines and really like how it came out.

The back is made from solid pink, green and black.