A Grassy Patch of Sweetness!!!

Unlike my husband, my father-in-law loves sweets.  He also loves golf!  It's hard to come up with gifts for a man who can buy himself anything he wants. And as much as I love to shop I love to have an excuse to shop, I think those homemade gifts are especially more meaningful than ones purchased.

So... I decided to make him a grassy patch of sweetness combining his two loves GOLF + DESSERT.

I knew the look I was going for, but I was being held up during my search for white gum balls.  These were going to act as the golf balls aka cupcake toppers.  I was bored one day, sitting around the kitchen island with the kids, and started talking out loud about what I could use instead.  I thought, "I know, white fondant!" YES...I actually had some on hand.  SCORE! The kids and I began rolling chunks of white fondant into balls.  The problem was, it just looked like a ball of white clay.  My mind was racing and then I grabbed a few tools from my kitchen drawers to try and make the indentions that an actual golf ball has.  Nothing was replicating it well.  I then tried youtube for ideas and found NOTHING.  I was almost at the point of giving up the idea of using a topper when all of the sudden I told Ty, "Get me a pencil eraser!"  The pencil eraser worked PERFECT!!!!!! Both the kids and I were amazed.

I did these cupcakes in stages... so days later I baked my special cupcake recipe with the kids.  They enjoyed licking the beaters. It's actually the only way I can get Lilah and Tyson to help bake with me.  Jax, on the other hand, is always willing.

Then, I made my special French Vanilla filling.  YUM! This is probably the best part about my cupcakes.  Are you wondering what I do with all of the "cake holes"?  I let the kids eat all them. I'm such a good momma.  LOL!   

And then the frosting.  I have to say this is the WORST part about making my cupcakes.  It's a nasty mess to make homemade frosting.  It doesn't HAVE to be this messy, but the knob off of my kitchen aid broke and sometimes my mixer turns on without my permission.  I have got to get that fixed. I dyed the frosting green and piped it onto the cupcake using Wilton's 233 tip to replicate grass.

 Below is the end result!  We added a golf tee and our fondant golf balls to the the top of the cupcake.  

I hope this "putt" a smile on Reid's face and a dimple on his belly!!! I'd safe I scored a hole in one on these.  

 These are SOOOOOO addicting, sadly, I even ate two in ONE day.  GROSS!!!!!

What's worse, is that father's day was a month ago, and we are JUST NOW, getting his gifts to him!