Glitter City Sweets

Viva La France!

2010-07-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today, in honor of Bastille Day, Glitter City Sweets introduces a new line of French pastries.

French macarons - a crispy almond meringue shell that yields to a chewy interior and sandwiched with rich, flavorful buttercream. So yummy. Available in Vanilla, Chocolate, Pomegranate and Rose - yes, rose, and trust me the incredible texture of the macaron combined with the unique flavor or roses is INCREDIBLE!

Madeleines - Proust's favorite cookie is actually a little tea cake. It's distincive scalloped shape is the reason for the crispy edges and light cake center. Buttery, luxurious and delicious. These scream for a lovely afternoon with a cup of tea and a good book. Available in the Traditional flavor (vanilla with just a hint of fresh lemon zest), an out of this world Orange and Spice (perfect with a cup of orange pekoe perhaps?) and Lavender, which has a wonderful fragrance and taste.

Sablés - These are a distinctive French butter cookie. Different from shortbread in that they are enriched with fresh eggs, they are a lovely crisp cookie that crumbles in your mouth. Sablé means sand in french and that sandy texture is what makes this cookie so delightful. Claim to this cookie varies up and down the French coast, but all we know is that the lovely combination of butter, eggs and sea salt is brilliant. We make ours in three flavors, Vanilla Bean, Ginger and Pistachio.

These cookies have been in development for several months, perfecting our recipes so that when you bite one of our French cookies, you truly get a taste of Paris! Here is what our French cookie fans said about our macarons:

"The beauty of French macaroons is their texture. A perfect one brings pure joy in biting into it. These French macaroons do exactly that! Beware, though: they're not just addicting, they become a religion." Tina Y., Las Vegas, NV

"Best macarons in the West! Biting into the thin, crisp shell and finding the gooey goodness brought me right back to the streets of Paris. As good, if not better, than any Parisian macaron I've had." Lauren P., Las Vegas, NV

We hope that all of our fans enjoy them as well!

Mini Mallows and MMMMMM!

2010-04-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

For the cold December and January months, we had our famous marshmallows in Peppermint and we even had them available in mini mallow size to pair with gourmet hot chocolate. it was a tasty way to warm up!

Platters of Goodness

2010-03-22T08:57:00.001-07:00

Moving forward in December, here is the platter of sweet goodness we created for our customers to bring to holiday parties and soirées. It's full of cookies, cupcakes, handmade fudge and praline candies.

We can create custom platters for any occasion from breakfast meetings to brunch to birthdays. Just ask us and we can make your event even sweeter!

Too Busy to Blog

2010-03-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said it, despite my best intentions to blog every day (or at least every week) we've been so busy making stuff that I haven't gotten a chance to actually write about the stuff we are doing. Ugh!

So I'll try to be better. Here is sort of what we've been up to. I'm going back to December since that's where this train jumped it's track.

These are some custom cookies we designed for Lauren, who had them made for a Vegas bachelorette party. And what's a bachelorette party without a stripper? This guy is sweet! From his hand painted abs to his custom printed thong, he is one hunky cookie! We even tucked a few (fake) bills in with him to get the party started.

Thanks for the challenge Lauren and congratulations Dawn!

On the Road to Stardom

2009-12-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Check out the trailer for the new film, "You People" with GCS founder Shae Wilhite as one of the lead characters, Patty. (Yup, that's our founder getting hit with a hot dog.) Her character even suggests sending cookies to make things better....surely a case of art imitating life. Watch the trailer and be sure to catch the film in 2010!

We Believe...

2009-11-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

Part of growing your business is giving back.

That's why Glitter City Sweets has donated gift certificates to the Shag-a-thon to raise money for the American Cancer Society, made cookies and candy for the students at Las Vegas Academy's Harvest Festival canned food drive to benefit the Three Square food bank and made a wreath for the Down's Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada Festival of Trees and Lights.

The festival, which takes place this evening, auctions off the trees, wreaths and stockings as their major fundraiser of the year. The theme this year is "Heart of the Holiday" and our wreath is titled "Sweet Hearts" and includes our own handmade gingerbread cookies and candy cane hearts and handmade lollipops. We hope that it raises lots of money.

We are honored to be a part of these and other philanthropic events. Our gratitude for the generosity our customers have shown us must extend to the communities we serve. Please know that every time you make a purchase from Glitter City Sweets that a portion of our proceeds go to various charities. We thank you for that opportunity!

For Someone Who Means the World to You

2009-10-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Why not give them custom globe cookies? And if that's not enough, we can make them the moon and the stars too!

Flying Off the Shelf!

2009-08-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

Our marshmallows have proven to be one of our best sellers. People across the country have been ordering them for vacations, parties and just plain eating. From California to Cape Cod, Glitter City Sweets marshmallows have become the 'must have' accessory. Why? Handmade, small batch artisan marshmallows are nothing like the store bought kind and once you try them it's hard to go back.

Our most popular flavors (besides the traditional Vanilla, which is, well, perfect) are the peanut butter swirl and the chocolate chip. Taste them for yourself and you will know what the fuss is all about.

Why Send Flowers?

2009-08-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

When you can send cupcakes! Check out these adorable hydrangea cupcakes in your choice of flavors. Flowers just die, but a delicious Glitter City Sweets cupcake is a tasty memory forever.

It's Coming!

2009-08-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 10th is National S'More Day. Are you prepared? If not, be sure to stock up on our delicious mallows and homemade grahams. Celebrating never tasted so good!

Play with Your Food

2009-08-03T19:51:00.001-07:00

Whoever said "Don't play with your food" never had a cupcake like this. Vanilla cupcakes topped with buttercream "spaghetti" with chocolate candy "meatballs", strawberry sauce and some white chocolate "parmesan" cheese. You can serve them after making mashed potatoes that look like ice cream! Mix it up, food should be fun!

Getting the Message Out There

2009-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

The legend of Glitter City Sweets is growing, we got a mention on examiner.com! Check out the article.

S'more good reasons to party!

Posted using ShareThis

Hmm, two Marshmallow Holidays in August. Guess we better start celebrating!

You People

2009-07-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

We think cakes should taste even better than they look. The cake we did for the wrap party for the new film "You People" (in theaters December 2009) was a replica of the board game used in the film. It's adorable and delicious!

Here is the game board:

And here is our edible version:

This half sheet of rich dark chocolate cake with vanilla bean buttercream was covered in our homemade fondant then iced, hand painted and decorated to look like the real thing. All of the elements were edible, including the playing pieces and die. We wish the cast and crew of "You People" great success with their new film and thank them for letting us help make their wrap party even sweeter!

Cupcake Love

2009-07-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

How could we not love cupcakes? They are just the right size, with a great cake to frosting ratio. So when Glitter City Sweets gets asked to create a special cupcake for a special occasion, we are happy to jump to the task!

What better way to celebrate a summer bridal shower than with a cocktail? With a cocktail cupcake of course! "Sex and the City" mad the Cosmopolitan the drink of choice for and all-girl get together. We decided to take the classic drink and give it a twist. Instead of a cranberry base, we decided to go with a different tangy red fruit, the pomegranate.

How do you make a pomegranate cupcake? With pomegranates, of course. Or more precisely, pomegranate juice (since we didn't think that all those seeds would make a cupcake taste too good.) We concentrated the pomegranate juice before adding it to our signature cake batter, along with some Pama® Pomegranate liqueur.

For the butter cream frosting we wanted that Cosmo flavor, so we added Orangecello (an orange liqueur made with oranges, sugar and Vodka) along with some more Pama® and some fresh lime juice to make a fruity, tangy topping that was light, fluffy and oh-so-yummy.

Since these delectable morsels were for a celebration of love, we topped the cupcakes with silver hearts and "Love" charms. We think they made a great statement and tasted delicious, which is what we strive for here at Glitter City Sweets. We also provided the shower favors, a bundle of four of our delicious gourmet marshmallows tied with ribbons in the bride's colors.

Here is what our happy customer said: "I've already had two wonderful experiences with Shae and her Glitter City Sweets. Her "Thank You" cookies were a huge hit with my co-workers; the combination of decadent cookie and delicately sweetened icing receiving rave reviews! And her divine Pomegranate Cosmo cupcakes and delicious assorted marshmallow favors had all the ladies at the wedding shower in sugar-coated heaven. I've never seen so many women in complete ecstasy at once! Thank you Shae for your professionalism and amazing creativity. I know I can always count on you to make my events special." Leslie D, Las Vegas

Thanks Leslie, you made our day! You have to love a job that makes people happy. And yes, we love our job. So if you want a cake, cupcakes or favors for your next shower, birthday or special event, we hope to be able to make you happy too!

It's a Tough Job (and We're Glad We Have To Do It!)

2009-07-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Glitter City Sweets never wants to sell something that isn't perfectly delicious. That's why all of our products undergo rigorous testing. We want to make sure that whatever you order, we know it will be the best.

Since we knew we had the most delectable marshmallows around, we thought "Hmm, how could we turn the best marshmallows into the best s'mores?" (For those of you who have been living on planet Xenon, a "s'more" is a delectable combination of a toasted marshmallow and piece of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers, so named because when you eat one you want 'some more'.) So to complement the handcrafted marshmallows we knew we had to make our own graham crackers.

Many people think that graham crackers are made from a special type of grain but in actuallity 'graham' refers to the grind of whole wheat flour made popular in a cracker by Rev. Sylvester Graham. (Graham four is a coursely ground whole wheat, which makes the graham cracker a healthy snack - at least if you get one that's still made with whole wheat.) Once we got to baking, we found that the graham cracker should really be a lot like a pie crust, flaky layers, instead of a cookie. We like ours sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for even more flavor.

Once we were armed with several variations of our new cracker, chocolate and a puffy pile of marshmallows, our Research and Development team, along with our Testing Team, set out to see if we had found success (plus it was Fourth of July, what better excuse for a company picnic?) Skewers to the ready, we toasted, burned and crunched our hearts out. Here is our VP of Product Testing (aka Will) doing his job.

The result? You can make a better mousetrap! Our hand made graham crackers are a little bit thicker than the store bought kind and when piled with our huge marshmallows and heaps of good chocolate (the camps were split between dark and milk chocolate so we'll let you decide which you like better) our s'mores were giant towers of yum. (Warning: eating too many Glitter City Sweets S'mores can result in the need for a nap!) Most of the testers could only manage two s'mores, but our Founder (who did nine tours of duty in the Girl Scouts) was able to eat two s'mores plus a couple of extra toasted marshmallows.

[Note from Founder: I had the extra marshmallows to test the 'crust' of the toasted marshmallow. My favorite thing as a kid was to toast a marshmallow then slip the crusty toasted part off, eat it, then repeat the process. I'm happy to report that our marshmallows have a lovely large toasting surface. All those marshmallows were pure research, not me being piggy!]

So for your next cookout, campout, barbeque or picnic, may we suggest making our s'mores. We tested them to make sure they were perfect, just for you!

You can buy our new homemade graham crackers on the Gourmet Marshmallow page at Glitter City Sweets.

It's Getting Hot In Here

2009-06-18T09:36:00.001-07:00

Summer is with us and even though Glitter City has had the nicest June I can ever remember, it's still gonna get hot. With Fourth of July right around the corner, it's time for some summertime fun.

How about some Firecracker marshmallows? These sweet and spicy cinnamon marshmallows are like candy clouds. Chewy, fluffy and oh so satisfying. These combine the best of hot cinnamon candy with cool, creamy marshmallow.

But you have to get them soon, because they are a limited time flavor. Get sixteen plush mallows for just $5.25

The Genesis

2009-06-12T08:54:00.001-07:00

So it's only 3 days until the 'official' Grand Opening of Glitter City Sweets and I have been working non-stop to get all my products not just ready, but fabulous. I can't justify selling just mediocre stuff, it has to be outstanding. So what started off with just decorated cookies has expanded.

See, lots of people do decorated cookies. I think mine are cuter and have more detail and originality than a lot of my competitors. But I still have competition in that market so I felt like I needed a product or two that was unique, different, completely mine (at least until someone copies me.) So I decided to do decorated lollipops and marshmallow favors as well.

Hard candy is pretty simple to make. Boil a sugar syrup until it reaches hard crack stage, add flavor and color and pour into molds. What makes my lollies unique is the mold. I make my own hard candy molds instead of using commercially made molds. I did this because I knew what I wanted and it needed to be special. So I made my own, a process that involves coming up with an idea, sketching it, sculpting a 3-D model then casting it into a food grade silicone mold. Since I'm not much of a sculptor, that was the step that took the most time. But in the end I think it's worth the trouble to have something that I can sell with pride.

Now I also decided to carry a marshmallow favor line, again because it was something no one else was doing. Of course the idea came from my love of all things marshmallow. Like Peeps®. I love them. Easter time is one of my favorites because I can get my Peeps® on. Sugar covered marshmallows, how can you go wrong? And I love just eating marshmallows. I prefer the handmade kind, like you buy for eight bucks at Whole Foods, but I can also eat the ones from the grocery store even if they aren't quite as good. So I wanted to make favors that were shaped and sugar coated like a Peep® and then I would decorate them. I decided that since I had to learn how to make marshmallow anyway, I would also sell gourmet marshmallows like the fancy stores, only mine would be a lot cheaper (and they are, mine retail for three dollars less than almost all the other 'gourmet marshmallows' and I give you more mallows.)

Now marshmallows seem as easy as hard candy when you get to the recipe. Sugar syrup beaten into gelatin, how hard could that be? Well, my first few batches were okay. They were very much like the jet puffed ones you buy at the store. A little chewy but they definitely were marshmallows. But I would never have sold them. They weren't exceptional. So I kept working. I made batch after batch, adjusting ingredients, adding more of this, less of that. And they were good, but I still wasn't happy. So I threw away pan after pan (since my mother pointed out that recipe development was just a cost of business and that I shouldn't eat all of the product - I think she didn't want my butt to get any bigger!) And I kept working. Now I can't give away my secret formulation but I can tell you that I had a 'eureka' moment which led to my marshmallow breakthrough. And now I can say, with pride, I have the best marshmallows I have ever eaten (and I have eaten many, many marshmallows my friend!) I would gladly put my marshmallows up against any ones, and I mean anyone. My marshmallows are light and pillowy soft. They practically melt in your mouth but they still have that delightful marshmallow chew. And my flavors? Out of this world. I like the lemon meringue the best but only by a teeny tiny bit (they taste like lemon clouds and I could literally eat pounds of them.) The peanut butter swirl taste like a fluffernutter sandwich. And the toasted coconut? Well, I don't even like coconut and yet these are phenomenally good.

So I knew my cookies were beyond fabulous. And my cakes and cupcakes, well, they are to quote more than one person, better than s-e-x. My lollipops are unique and delicious. And now I have the absolute best marshmallows around. So I'm ready. The site is ready. All I need are more customers. And so I need your help, Loyal Readers. Can you help me spread the word? Post my site on blogs, tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers. Stop random strangers on the street. Post me on social networking sites. Tweet me. And if a customer puts "FNNYGRL" in the special instructions of the checkout page, I'll throw in a half order of the best marshmallows in the world for free. And for those of you who do blog, tweet, Facebook, LinkedIn, whatever for Glitter City Sweets, well, you never know when a surprise will show up at your door!

Thank you, Loyal Readers, for following me on this amazing experience. You have helped me, pushed me, comforted me and encouraged me and I couldn't have done it without you. I am truly blessed.

Monday, Monday, Monday, the grand Opening of Glitter City Sweets. See you then!

Welcome to Glitter City!

2009-06-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks for coming to the Glitter City Sweets blog.

You are probably here because you are a Loyal Reader of the "Amused and Abused" blog and you want free cookies. Well, until our Grand Opening on June 15th, just sign up to follow this blog and I'll give you six free "Thank You" cookies, with free delivery in Las Vegas or free shipping outside of Las Vegas. So sign up and get your friends to sign up too!

And check back here frequently to see what goes on behind the scenes at the newest bakery on the block. Because you never know when I'm gonna give free stuff away to my Loyal readers!

Here is what the "Thank You" cookies look like.