Dine & Dish with Dawn: Society Bakery in Dallas – It’s Not Just Their Desserts That Make Them Sweet!

Life might not be a cake walk, but don’t tell Society Bakery that.

The oven is always on at Society Bakery in Dallas, where they bake as much sweetness as they add to the world around them!

The oven is always on at Society Bakery in Dallas, where they bake as much sweetness as they add to the world around them!

A bakery whose motto is “Be good to your sweet tooth, be good to society,” Society makes it its mission to sweeten the world, while giving back.

And, I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Ellen Degeneres and AOL have named them one of the Top Ten Cupcakes in America, and People Country Magazine listed Society Bakery as one of “Four top bakeries in L.A., Dallas, Birmingham, and N.Y.C.”.

Society Bakery founder, Roshi Muns and I established a friendship last December when I was referred to Society when I needed a last minute cake for an impromptu holiday tea party with my girlfriends. I tasted the cake (delicious!), and met Roshi (the sweetest!), and it was friendship at first sight! We’ve followed each other on social media since then, so when Roshi saw I was headed home to Dallas, she told me she wanted to “roll out the red carpet” for me and my family and friends, and host a tasting brunch for us.

Knowing I would need some help from other discerning tastebuds to taste such delectable treats, I invited my mom, my fabulous Dallas blogger friend Lee Cordon of DoSayGive, my best friend Jenny Harris, her son Shepherd, Jenny’s sister Dr. Sally Falwell, and her daughter, Evie.

Lots of love at the table with my tasting crew by my side!

Lots of love at the table with my tasting crew by my side – and that’s Roshi right behind me!

And oh my, were we ever treated!

We started out with Pimento Cheese on toast with hardboiled egg, bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Society Bakery's homemade pimento cheese on toast, with hardboiled eggs, bacon, lettuce and tomato

Society Bakery’s homemade pimento cheese on toast, with hardboiled eggs, bacon, lettuce and tomato

Then, came out the chicken salad on croissant, tuna salad on wheat, grilled cheese and pasta salad with tomato and mozzarella.

Chicken salad on croissant, truna salad, grilled cheese and pasta salad  at Society Bakery - delicious!

Chicken salad on croissant, truna salad, grilled cheese and pasta salad at Society Bakery – delicious!

The next course was ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries, served with a side of some of the most delicious homemade peach jam I’ve ever enjoyed.

Ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries with a side of scrumptious homemade peach jam by Chef Erin

Ricotta with fresh peaches and strawberries with a side of scrumptious homemade peach jam by Chef Erin

After all that, came the…DESSERTS!!
And, I do mean desserts plural!

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Life really is a cake walk at Society Bakery (details of desserts in this pic below)

We were treated to the following dessert smorgasbord (as pictured above clockwise witht the brownie, standing in for 12 o’clock): Brownie, Frosted Sugar Cookie, Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Jessie Jessup Cupcake (vanilla cake with buttercream frosting & my FAVE!), Strawberry Cupcake, Coconut Cupcake, Salted Caramel Cupcake with Salted Caramel Filling, vanilla Cupcake, White Petits Fours with filling, Monster Chocolate Chip Cookie, Bread Pudding Whoopie Pie, Apple Pie, another Whoopie Pie, Monster M&M Cookie, and their signature Chocolate Cake in the center.

Here’s a closeup of some of that deliciousness.

FullSizeRender-8

Sugar Heaven at Society Bakery with cupcakes, cookies, petits four, pies, brownies and whoopie pies!

As delicious as the food and “sweet treats” (as Sally & Evie call them) are, Roshi’s mission is even sweeter. Society Bakery is active in giving back to the local community of Dallas, by giving thousands of cupcakes away in exchange for items that local charities need. Society Bakery also donates throughout the year to over 100 different charities, schools and non-profit organizations, refraining from taking tax write-offs for donations because Roshi and her team believe that a business can be profitable and charitable at the same time. Sounds like someone else I know!

My heart was so full getting to share both my love for what I do, and my love of food, with some of the people I love best in my own hometown of Dallas.

What it takes to capture those delicious food pics y'all love looking at! My friend Jenny was praying I didn't fall off that step ladder!

What it takes to capture those delicious food pics y’all love looking at! My friend Jenny was praying I didn’t fall off that step ladder!

 

My dear friend (of 21 years), Jenny Harris Crandall and I cakewalking at Society Bakery

My dear friend (of 21 years), Jenny Harris Crandall and I cakewalking at Society Bakery

 

With my friend - and fellow influencer & blogger - Lee Cordon, of the fabulous blog, DoSayGive

With my friend – and fellow influencer & blogger – Lee Cordon, of the fabulous blog, DoSayGive

 

So, when in Dallas, head on over to Society Bakery, where the oven’s always on – and the place, where when you buy sweetness, you also add sweetness to the world around you!

xoxo,
Dawn

I’M LOVING…Milk Jar Cookies and Milk For Dinner

Because sometimes on a holiday weekend…cookies and milk just sound right for dinner.

Milk and cookies for dinner? Nothing is sweeter.

*Cookie is from my favorite neighborhood cookie shop, Milk Jar Cookies

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What’s your favorite kind of cookie?

Recipe Box: BeautyFrosting’s Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes

Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

BeautyFrosting's Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

BeautyFrosting's Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes
BeautyFrosting’s Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes

These are a hit with kiddos and adults alike!

Lucy loves Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

Lucy loves Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

And they’re super easy to make to boot!

BeautyFrosting’s Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes 

Makes 48 cupcakes. If you’d like to make less, just half it! Yep! It’s that easy-peazy.

Preheat oven to 350.

Put cupcake cups in pans.

2 1/3 c. Water

1/2 c. Oil

1 box White Cake Mix

1 box Spice Cake Mix

6 eggs

2 tsp Vanilla

3 c. Chopped frosted Circus Animal Cookies (Use food processor for crumbs

Frosting Ingredients:

3/4 c Butter (softened)
6 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

 

Cake Directions: 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 3 cups of circus animal cookies in ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin or hammer, crush those cookies to bits! That’s right! Take out your aggression of the day on those little cookies! Whew. That felt good, didn’t it?

In a large mixing bowl, add water, oil and eggs. Mix until foamy and frothy.

Add both cake mixes – little at a time. Mix thoroughly. Add vanilla. Add half of the circus cookie crumbs with a spatula.

Set aside half of the circus cookie crumbs for later.

Pour the batter into paper-lined cupcake pans, so the tins are about 2/3 of the way full. Place a few more crumbs on the top of each cupcake.

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes. Let cool completely.

Circus Cookie Buttercream Frosting

 

3/4 cup  butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1-4 drops pink food coloring

 

Beat butter in large mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt alternately with half & half and vanilla, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Stir in corn syrup. Drop in food coloring and mix well until circus animal-pink color develops. You’re matching the cookie coating shade here, beauties!

*Top each cupcake with rainbow sprinkles and a circus animal cookie. 

Inside Story: Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

Inside Story: Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes!

Foodie Friday: Low Country Cookies

Today’s delightful dessert comes from the Cajun queen herself, Paula Deen!

And, guess what, beauties? It’s no-bake! That’s right! For those of us without A/C out there, this is the way to go.

Plus, it has a PERFECT 5-star rating on www.PaulaDeen.com!

Paula Deen’s Low Country Cookies

Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen

Servings: 15 to 20 servings
Prep Time: 40 min
Difficulty: Easy

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup milk
1   egg
1 cup sugar
12 tablespoon (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1   16-ounce box graham crackers
1 cup or 3 (1/2-ounce) cans shredded coconut

Topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3 tablespoons milk

Directions

 

Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with whole graham crackers.  Melt butter in saucepan and add sugar.  Beat egg and milk together; add to butter mixture.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add nuts, coconut, and 1 cup graham cracker crumbs.  Pour over crackers in pan. Cover with another layer of whole graham crackers. Prepare topping.

Topping:

Beat all ingredients together and spread over top layer of crackers. Chill. Cut into squares.

Saturday Social Hour: Hometown Dallas Visit, Part 1

I always have the best time when I go back to my hometown of Dallas.

Besides my family, friends and the fabulous FOOD (!!), it’s where my whole story began. The place where I fell in love with makeup, skincare, baking and antiques; in other words, all things BeautyFrosting!

In my multi-part Saturday Social Hour, I am detailing my visits, tastes and experiences while visiting my beloved hometown. It’ll also clue you in to some Dallas-based posts that I have coming up for you.  Yeehaw!

The week started out with a fun weekend with my family and my brother’s friends & families from college:

BF, Mom, brother David, old friends and some new little friends

BF, Mom, brother David, old friends and some new little friends. Notice we're all smiling after eating Mom's delish Fruit Pizza (see Mom's Fruit Pizza recipe here)

Next up was one of the main reasons for my trip – my dear friend, Jenny’s bridal shower (more details on that later):

BF, Bride-to-Be, Jenny & Allison: High School Best Friends *In the spirit of things, I wore green and pink because I wanted to honor her wedding colors!

Next, I drove out to Lancaster, Texas where my favorite bakery & baker, in the world, is – THE LOVIN’ OVEN! Stay tuned to a post about it coming up soon!

BF's Favorite Bakery since age 3: The Lovin' Oven in Lancaster, Texas

Lovin' Oven decadent delights!

BF & one of her baking fairy godmothers, Suzanne, owner of The Lovin' Oven

Next, I stopped by Neiman Marcus Northpark to see my first & favorite salesperson/beauty guru/friend/former coworker, Lori Nelson:

A Dallas institution: Lori Nelson at Neiman Marcus Northpark

Lori introduced me to my lifelong beauty love affair with Creme de La Mer. I am forever in her debt!

Next, I stopped by Snider Plaza to visit my favorite home deco shop, Uptown Country Home

Uptown Country Home in Snider Plaza (Dallas)

Owner/resident style expert/artist extraordinaire, Jenny Grumbles, always has the best finds! I always end up shipping my finds back to California because I can’t bear to be without them. My mom and I bought a coffee table but look at this super chic & snazzy custom headboard we saw there:

Super chic & fun custom headboard at Uptown County Home

Next, I headed back to Northpark Mall to Nordstrom to visit with Tres Brown – a renowned makeup artist for Burberry, Tom Ford and Christian Dior:

BF and Tres Brown - renowned makeup artist with Burberry, Tom Ford and Christian Dior

And no trip to Dallas would be complete without MULTIPLE visits to my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant and home-away-from-home, Mi Cocina:

BF & my big brother at Mi Cocina

Along with the best margaritas in all the land:

Mi Cocina Margarita

Okay, beauties, that concludes Hometown Dallas Visit, Part 1. Hope you enjoyed it!

Let me know if you have any suggestions for places I should visit on my next trip home!

And tune in next week for Part 2 and see what delicious discoveries I had in Dallas.

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: Have you ever been to Dallas? 

Recipe Box: BeautyFrosting’s CCC Brownies – in honor of my Mom

When I think of moms, I think of my Mom baking brownies when we were growing up. I think of “getting to clean” the beaters from the mixer, licking the spatula, my mom taking a big finger’s worth of buttery brownie batter and my eyes widening in delight as I savored the gooey goodness. YUMMY!

So, on Sunday, when I couldn’t find my Mom’s brownie recipe (which she originally got from her dear friend, Judy Rainey), I decided to make up my own! I tried something out and it just worked beautifully! I love it when that happens. So here are my CCC Brownies. Why CCC? Because the key ingredients are cocoa and cream cheese! And butter, of course! Now, you can share my buttery, brownie recipe with your kids!! May their memories be as sweet as mine looking back on it one day! Happy Mother’s Day!

And, Mom, thanks to you and Nanny for giving me the baking bug! I am forever grateful.

xoxo,

BF

BeautyFrosting's CCC Brownies

CCC Brownies (Cocoa Cream Cheese)


Preheat oven to 325.
2 sticks (1 c.) Butter, softened
1 package (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened

3 eggs
3 c Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla extract
3/4 c Cocoa
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 c all-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Line baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine softened butter and cream cheese. Whip ’til light & fluffy.
Add eggs. Add sugar. Add vanilla.
In a small bowl, combine cocoa, baking powder, flour and salt.
Add mixture to creamy mixture. Mix well.
Pour into parchment paper-lined pan.
Bake 30-45 minutes (I bake mine for about 40 but my oven’s a little slow).
Mixing up CCC Brownies in the BF kitchen

Ready for the oven!

Yummylicious!! CCC Brownies

 

BeautyFrosting, a.k.a. Dawn McCoy, invites you….

Hi beauties,

Sorry the post-load is a little light today.

I have a show tonight and between that, work and the blog, I am toast!
Well, I’m toast but excited toast. Not to be confused with milk toast. (ba-dum-bum).

If you happen to be in Los Angeles tonight, come to The Hotel Cafe to see my do my other job as a singer/songwriter (Dawn McCoy).

Ooooooh, you didn’t know that, huh?
Well, now you do. Nice to meet ya!

BeautyFrosting, a.k.a., Dawn McCoy

Tickets can be found online at Hotel Cafe by clicking here: Dawn McCoy at Hotel Cafe tickets. If you buy them online, they’re $10. At the door tonight, they’re $20. Geez! Inflation!

Tonight, I’ll be singing some of my favorite songs I’ve written and doling out some homemade cookies.

BeautyFrosting, a.k.a., Dawn McCoy

A bribe? Perhaps. But, as I’ve mentioned before, sweet bribes are always thoughtful!

Hope to see you at The Hotel Cafe (1623 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028) at 10:30 pm!

And tune in Monday for a whole week’s worth of beauty, baking and being!

BeautyFrosting, a.k.a., Dawn McCoy...and some ceramic roosters

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: Who’s your favorite country singer? Have you ever seen him/her play live?