Thursday, July 26, 2012

Tattoos for Treats?! Sure, I'll give it a try! :)


Well, hello there!!  This summer has been so crazy....I've really missed baking!  We've hosted lots of visiting family and friends at our home and did some traveling.  I was even able to spend some time on the set of Royal Pains during the filming of an episode!  However, things have settled down and it's time to get back to blogging. 

Over the last months I've worked on orders people have asked me to do.  So, now that I've found a few minutes to myself for blog baking I am having difficulty decided where to begin.  I've been trying to come up with something a little different.  Something original.  I'm still trying to come up with it.  Everything is a variation on a theme, you know?  So, in the meantime of coming up with a unique and amazing product (lol), I decided to experiment with the zebra stripe brownie tattoos I picked up at Michaels some time ago.


The photo above is the picture perfect look I was going for.  It's by Duff Goldman, some big time baking guy.  I think he has a show.  Anyway, mine didn't turn out quite as lovely, but I think they're cute!

First I baked up some brownies.  For fun I baked them in a cupcake pan.  



I was in a "round" kind of mood, but the shape of the tattoos wasn't ideal for round brownies.  They are designed for square items since they have a border, so the pattern isn't big enough for a cupcake sized brownie.  If you make brownie bites it will definitely fit nicely.  After reading the instructions I discovered I would need a brownie icing to create an adhesive for the tattoo.  Here's what I whipped up:

Brownie Frosting
recipe from Allrecipes

6 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 dash vanilla extract

Combine milk, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a rolling boil for 30 seconds and immediately remove from heat.  Add chocolate chips and vanilla, stirring until melted.  Pour immediately onto warm brownies

I removed the cooled, but warm brownies from the pan and then frosted them with the brownie frosting.  Initially, when you make the icing it is liquidy.  It will harden, though, and not stick to the brownie very well.  It's definitely best to frost them immediately before they cool completely and let the frosting set after applying it.

Once the icing was on, I applied a square of tattoo on top of the brownie.  The tattoos come in a rectangular shape, so I cut them into squares myself.


Using the flat side of a knife, I ran it over the top of the tattoo to secure and smooth it to the frosting.  After it set for about 20 minutes, I cut the edges to make rounds.


Looking at the picture above you can see what I mean about the edge of the pattern not fitting on top of the round brownie surface.  Making the brownies a bit smaller would easily take care of this problem.  I think these are cute, and for something themed these would be a great dessert.  You cannot taste the tattoo at all and brownies, of course, are always DELICIOUS!  This is a pretty quick and easy way to whip up something simple with that extra pizzazz!



26 comments:

  1. Deb, welcome back!!!! I have really missed your baking adventures. I have tried a few and they never diasppoint:} Love, MOM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mom! I'm so glad to be baking again....and to see you figured out how to comment!! Love you!! :)

      Delete
  2. You read my mind! I JUST 'discovered' these the other day, but was wondering how easy they would be to use. Thank you for the detailed post! : )

    Heather

    PS. Duff Goldman is from Charm City Cakes, based in Baltimore. I live close to Bmore and I've been to his shop! A tiny brush with fame!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Heather! I'm sure you can do something amazing with these tattoos...I hope you post something about it if you do!! I'm not a Cake Boss fan, but I actually love Duffs edgy, stylish baking collection. :) His shop must have been a lot of fun!!

      Delete
  3. Oh how yum!

    Candace

    I work for http://www.cool2craft.com/ so if you're interested in being featured on our Creative Community Blog, email me at candace@cool2craft.com

    My personal blog: http://spiritclay.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Candace! Thank you so much, I will definitely email you. :) Thanks for the offer!!

      Delete
  4. Wow, this is so effective. Great work. I found this via Simple Living with Diane Balch. I linked in a salad I made using leftover lamb. Cheers.

    PS Did you know that your word verification stuff/are you a robot etc is turned on? It would make commenting much easier if you got rid of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for the heads up about the word verification! I turned it off...I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. :) Thanks for stopping by...I'll check out your salad!!

      Delete
  5. these look lovely and delicious! i pinned this!

    visiting from the blog hop

    tamika @ www.notimeforetea.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Tamika! I appreciate your stopping by Life Is Sweets. I'll check out your blog for sure. :) Have a great week!

      Delete
  6. These look fun!! I will have to pick some of these up at Michael's. Thanks for linking to Foodtastic Friday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for hosting each week. :) I hope you will post photos of your tattoo attempt if you do it. Would love to see other people's ideas! Have a great week. :)

      Delete
  7. Clever! They look fun and yummy. I found you at Creative Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lori. And thanks for clicking on my link!! Have a great week and hope you'll visit Life Is Sweets again soon. :)

      Delete
  8. I've never heard of tattoos like this and must find some. These are just adorable. Thanks so much for linking up at Weekend Potluck. {But did I miss seeing a link back to our post?=)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! Thanks for the compliment, I wish I would take more credit, but the tattoos did all of the work. ;) I do have a Weekend Potluck button on my sidebar! The buttons are in the order of when I first linked up to a party. Hope you'll visit Life is Sweets again soon. Have a great week!!

      Delete
  9. I keep seeing these at Michaels. I hesitate on buying them, and up with a No as my answer, but this may have just motivated me into trying them.

    throughbetsyslookingglass.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hesitated, too. And then I bought them and hesitated using them. And I'm so glad I finally gave them a try! They are fun and can be put together pretty quickly. Thanks so much for stopping by Life Is Sweets - come back soon!

      Delete
  10. These look fantastic! I've never come across edible tattoos before - I'll have to keep an eye out. I think the round cupcake-brownie shapes work really well without the borders. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I found them at Michaels Craft Stores if you have any near you. They were pretty fun to use. :) Next time, I will make brownie bites so they will fit inside the border!! Thanks so much for visiting Life Is Sweets, please stop by again soon! :)

      Delete
  11. These are terrific!! Thank you so much for linking up to Tasty Thursdays last week. Hope to see you again this week!!
    Nichi - The Mandatory Mooch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome, Nichi...thanks so much for the invite! I'll post again Thursday. Have a great week!! :)

      Delete
  12. I have been wanting to try those fun zebra sheets too!!! I love how cute it made your brownies!!! You have me convinced to try them for sure now!!! Thank you so much for sharing on Trick or Treat Tuesday. I am featuring you this week:-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gorgeous!!! I'm so relieved you used a tattoo...that means I might be able to reproduce them!!!! Thanks for sharing your tricks :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have these, but I am having a hard time peeling them off from the backing.

    ReplyDelete