*Disclosure: As a blogger for Good Cook I have to thank them for letting me challenge myself with the items they send me for review. All opinions, disasters and successes are my own and those of anyone that dare help through the madness of baking!*
Sometimes I’m just in over head, but thankfully I have people around me ready and willing to lend a hand. When agreed to take part in the Monster House and Halloween party challenge by Sweet Creations from Good Cook I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into. So, I plan this fabulous pre-Halloween bash for my friends this Friday. I believe I’m going to impress them with my baking skills. Then I remembered I have minimal baking skills! Good Cook products always make me feel like I’m a master in the kitchen. I open my package and I feel as if I could do anything. Then reality sets in and I panic. Thankfully, I have the support of other Good Cook Kitchen Experts to get advice and tips. So here is how it came together for me!
The Assembly:
Honestly, I panicked when I opened the kit and realized I had to bake my own cookies. The Sweet Creations by Good Cook Haunted House Cookie Cutter Set is a 7 piece set that contains 3 cutters, 2 rollers and 2 stamps. It also has a recipe for GingerBoo Cookie dough to build your house. Crap- I was nervous.
My boys on the other hand had complete faith in me. They said I am a great baker, but in my mind they mean that mix I picked at the store is great. This kids is the real deal. So, I followed the instructions on the box. My mistake: trying to move the cut out pieces from the parchment paper to another piece of parchment paper on the pan. ( I know – I’m a novice!) I also had some extra dough (not really, but I’ll get to that later.) and rolled a path and stamped some bats.
It cooked well, but of course the pieces I moved were not exactly square and form-fitting. I had already decided that since I couldn’t put a pre-naked house together with icing that I would use hot glue instead. My party is Friday and I had not planned on anyone actually eating my creation. Although the cookie was yummy, I knew it wouldn’t last without me hiring a contractor. My sister came over and took charge with the hot glue. I held she glued and my son applauded. But wait……..
The reason I had “extra” dough was that I only cut 2 roof panels out, not 4! Seriously? This is why I can’t be trusted to do these tasks. We scramble around the kitchen and find some cookies to substitute for my missing cookies. Success! Hey, it’s a haunted house a little dilapidation is only natural. Time to decorate!
My sister seemed to be having a ball so I let her go to town, then it happened. She handed the icing over to my son! I had that brief moment of panic. It was looking good (ok for what it was)- would he ruin it? Then I thought to myself, but this is what it’s all about. It’s about the fun and family time. We glued candies, rubber bats etc onto the house and had a blast. We laughed.
My Thoughts:
It’s funny how a product can make you change your mind about a preconceived notion in your head. The Haunted House Cookie Cutter Set from Sweet Creations by Good Cook taught me to not take myself to seriously. I learned that the kitchen is a place to have fun, make mistakes and have triumphs! It truly was a perfect creation for me. We were creative, had family time and learned how to problem solve. I also found out that my son is a talented decorator! I highly recommend this kit especially if you haven’t done anything like this before it will push your boundaries in a good way.
Discount Code:
How about a 25% off coupon to goodcook.com for any Sweet Creations Halloween product. Use CODE: HAUNTED23
Stay tuned for a giveaway and more Halloween fun!
Giveaways 4 Mom says
October 16, 2013 at 7:35 AMI think it is super cute. You did a good job.
Amy Desrosiers says
October 16, 2013 at 9:25 AMI know I could not do better! I think your haunted house it cute!
Brett says
October 16, 2013 at 10:23 AMYou did a great job! And this could totally have been me. Promise.
Shauna says
October 16, 2013 at 12:08 PMHa, ha, ha… I am a non-baker, as well… I can cook anything, but baking? Not so much! Love this idea and think that you did a great job.
Helene Cohen Bludman says
October 16, 2013 at 12:32 PMHey, we can’t all be Martha Stewart! It looks great. But more importantly, it was fun, and that’s what matters most.
Mommy2Jam says
October 16, 2013 at 2:04 PMyou did an awesome job! looks spooktacular!!!!
Tina Ashburn says
October 16, 2013 at 4:11 PMI am a baker, but I have never tried this. So I applaud you for your time and effort. I’m glad you had fun!
Dawn Lopez says
October 16, 2013 at 4:30 PMThat is just so cute and looks like it would be a good time putting together with family! I would have been overwhelmed at first too, so glad you learned and had a blast!
Jennifer B says
October 16, 2013 at 4:32 PMYour house turned out so cute and this looks like a lot of fun!
Ave says
October 16, 2013 at 5:16 PMI love making gingerbread houses on Christmas time, but never thought on haunted houses! Love how your’s turned out.
Laurie - Steals and Deals for Kids says
October 16, 2013 at 6:37 PMI think you did a wonderful job! How fun!! This would be a great project to do with kids!!
Cynthia L says
October 16, 2013 at 7:49 PMI love your house and the reason I think I really love it is not only is it cute, but you had a great time with your family. Family time is so important and this was a great way to laugh and have fun and teach your little ones that not everything in life is perfect. Good job!
Francine @ Teresa's Family Cleaning says
October 16, 2013 at 8:37 PMThose can be hard! You did a great job!
Virginia @thatbaldchick says
October 16, 2013 at 10:27 PMYou don’t even want to know what mine would have looked like. LOL
Dawn says
October 17, 2013 at 12:05 AMCookie houses are tough to make {at least for me}. Good job on yours! Love the spider!
Malia says
October 17, 2013 at 2:43 AMVery cool idea! My girls would have fun putting one of these together. We do Gingerbread Houses for Christmas, but have never thought of making a haunted house for Halloween.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
October 17, 2013 at 10:48 AMI’ve been wanting to do the Halloween spin on these for years but I always run out of time. I’m so glad you gave it go at your house though. Very cute!
Trice says
October 17, 2013 at 10:54 AMGood job… I have not attempted to make one of these since high school and it was made out of graham crackers.
Shannah says
October 17, 2013 at 7:03 PMI am totally a nonbaker so I always use kits for stuff like this. Your house came out pretty great.
Eileen says
October 20, 2013 at 10:07 AMI love this idea. My daughter and I love the idea of doing a gingerbread house at the Christmas holidays, but it’s always so frantic. This is a great idea.
Mer says
October 21, 2013 at 1:14 PMIt’s a haunted house, it’s not supposed to look put together and perfectly square! It’s great that you persevered, and the final product is very spooooky looking! I’ve never thought to make a gingerbread haunted house before, but I love the idea.