Meet Amber Spiegel. After acquiring a business degree, she went on to become a pastry chef and a Wilton Cake Decorating award winner. She has a wonderful YouTube channel wherein she teaches people to make her spectacularly-beautifully-decorated cookies and cakes. I am tempted to try some of these designs, though I can tell you there’s a Pinterest-style-fail in my future. (I promise to share my inevitably disastrous results.)

She takes great umbrage when someone tells her her cookies are too pretty to eat, and the obvious solution is to make them less pretty. I’m certain I could make some very edible-looking baked goods if I had the time. (That’s code for ugly, in case that wasn’t clear.)

Today’s post is for baby sister Claire and sister-in-law Barbara, both who are great bakers and who put a lot of time and attention into their lovely creations. Hope you enjoy the beautiful pictures and the incredibly easy-seeming tutorials that go with them.