I spent quite a bit of time on the cakes and cookies for Will’s Spiderman party (although it was much easier than last year’s big Thomas cake). I really enjoy the challenge of cake and cookie decorating! When I saw the Spiderman cookies on Pintrest and looked further at the directions, I knew I needed to give them a try. I thought they would make great party favors.
I found the idea and tutorial for making these fabulous cookies on The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle. She gives great instructions! I also used a recipe I found on Pintrest (Authentic Suburban Gourmet) that mimics the Lofthouse Sugar Cookies (which both Will and I LOVE). To cut out Spiderman head cookies I used an upside down Easter egg cookie cutter (pictured in a previous blog post) — clever, huh.
Lofthouse Style Frosted Sugar Cookies (from Authentic Suburban Gourmet)
Cookies:
6 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 c. butter, at room temperature
2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. sour cream
Frosting:
1 c. butter, room temperature
1 t. vanilla extract
4 c. powdered sugar
6 T. heavy cream
Several drops food coloring
Multi-colored Sprinkles
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough will be a bit “sticky”. Divide dough into two sections. Flatten into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least two hours until firm.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
Use the plastic wrap that you chilled the dough in. Dust the top of the dough and then flip and flour the other side, keeping it on the plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Best to work in small batches while keeping the remainder of the dough chilled.
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined.
Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Let cookies sit for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.
Makes approximately: 5 to 6 dozen cookies (will vary on the thickness of the dough)
On my first trial I used frosting to make the webbing on the face. This looked great until the next day when the black frosting had bled into the red frosting. Poor Spiderman didn’t look so good. I then went on the search for cake decorating pens like Sugarbelle mentioned in her tutorial and found some at the local baking supply shop.
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make the webbing on Spiderman’s face. Very simple when you see it one step at a time.
Here Will is pictured holding Trial #1 of the cookies using frosting, but it shows the eyes close up. I used black frosting to outline the eye shape first and then filled it in with white frosting.
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CAKES!!!
I kept the cakes fairly simple this year after tackling Thomas last year! I borrowed a Wilton Spiderman pan from my friend, Sandy. After seeing the guest list I decided I needed more cake so I made a Spiderman head from a layered round cake.
I just followed the instructions to frost the cake from the Wilton pan. It was pretty easy although the design from the pan didn’t make a very clear impression on the cake, so I had to get a little creative. I also had a little cake casualty when I removed it from the pan. My advice, always wait until the cake has cooled before removing it from the pan. I was able to piece it together and then make an emergency call to my mom and used her suggestion of freezing it together before frosting it. It worked!
The instructions suggested doing all the outlining before filling it in with red stars. I tested it out first on one foot and I was surprised at how well that method worked (who am I to challenge Wilton, I guess). The decorating went pretty smoothly and even resembled Spiderman when I was done!
For the layer cake I baked two round cakes and then stacked them with frosting in between. For the face pattern I just used the same method I had used to decorate the cookies. It was super fast and easy! There was even enough cake to go around!
I hope you have enjoyed seeing the process of creating a Spiderman party for my sweet Will! I had so much fun and was exhausted following the party. It was all worth it though!