Fiona's Sweet Shoppe Handcrafted cakes, candies & joy for every celebration

Fiona's Sweet Shoppe

Handcrafted cakes, candies & joy for every celebration

Latest Articles

Beyond the Chocolate Box: A Build-Your-Own Candy Advent Calendar That Earns the Countdown
Candy Kitchen

Beyond the Chocolate Box: A Build-Your-Own Candy Advent Calendar That Earns the Countdown

A molded chocolate calendar is fine until about day nine, when everyone starts guessing what's behind the next door. Here's how to assemble a 24-day candy calendar with real variety, sensible portions, and packaging nice enough to leave out on the mantel.

Mortar, Mint, and Method: A Gingerbread House That Actually Holds Its Shape
Candy Kitchen

Mortar, Mint, and Method: A Gingerbread House That Actually Holds Its Shape

A gingerbread house is a craft project, but it is also a tiny building. Here is a practical construction plan for royal icing mortar, load-bearing peppermint, and a build-now-decorate-later schedule that keeps your holiday centerpiece standing until party time.

The Two-Dozen Box: A Cookie Swap That Leaves Room for Dinner
Party Planning

The Two-Dozen Box: A Cookie Swap That Leaves Room for Dinner

A cookie exchange should feel like a bakery counter with friends, not a bulk-order drop-off. This host guide sets a clear take-home target, uses simple swap math, and keeps the table generous without turning your kitchen into cookie storage.

Boxed, Taped, and Trusted: A Holiday Guide to Shipping Sweets That Arrive Looking Gift-Worthy
Party Planning

Boxed, Taped, and Trusted: A Holiday Guide to Shipping Sweets That Arrive Looking Gift-Worthy

Sending cookies and candy to family across the country sounds simple until a box of chocolate shows up as a puddle. Here is what we have learned behind the counter about which treats travel, which ones fight back, and how to pack a holiday package that still looks like a gift when it lands.

Scoop Without the Stash: Candy Buffet Quantities for a Generous, Not Glutted, Party
Party Planning

Scoop Without the Stash: Candy Buffet Quantities for a Generous, Not Glutted, Party

A candy buffet should look lavish, not leave you storing five pounds of gummy worms in the pantry until spring. Here is a friendly, by-the-numbers guide to buying enough sweets for your crowd, your party style, and your favor bags.

Boo Bag to Buffet: Seven Friendsgiving Desserts That Put Halloween Candy to Work
Party Planning

Boo Bag to Buffet: Seven Friendsgiving Desserts That Put Halloween Candy to Work

The trick-or-treat haul is losing its shine and Friendsgiving is on the horizon. Here is a practical, bakery-minded plan for sorting the leftovers into seven make-ahead desserts that feel grown-up, thrifty, and genuinely welcome at the table.

A Dessert Table With Breathing Room: The Host's Guide to a Holiday Spread That Gets Eaten
Party Planning

A Dessert Table With Breathing Room: The Host's Guide to a Holiday Spread That Gets Eaten

A holiday dessert table should look generous, not crowded. Here's how to plan the layout, estimate quantities, schedule the make-ahead work, and pair flavors so guests actually clear the plates.

The Candy Jar Personality Test: What Your Pick from the Counter Reveals About the Party You'll Throw
Candy Kitchen

The Candy Jar Personality Test: What Your Pick from the Counter Reveals About the Party You'll Throw

Rock candy or gummy bears? At Fiona's counter, your first pick says more about your party-planning style than any Pinterest board ever could. Take our (completely unscientific, wildly accurate) candy jar quiz and find out what kind of host you really are.

Pass the Cookies: The Wedding Tradition America Needs Right Now
Party Planning

Pass the Cookies: The Wedding Tradition America Needs Right Now

The Pittsburgh wedding cookie table is the best-kept secret in American celebrations — a spread of homemade treats that feeds a crowd and honors family recipes all at once. Here's how to bring the tradition to your big day, no matter your budget or your aunt's attitude about her spritz cookies.

Frosting Face-Off: How to Choose Between Buttercream and Fondant Before You Order
Party Planning

Frosting Face-Off: How to Choose Between Buttercream and Fondant Before You Order

Buttercream or fondant? It's the question every party planner faces, and the answer matters more than you think. Here's an honest breakdown of flavor, cost, weather, and occasion so you can order your next celebration cake with total confidence.

Mark Your Calendars: The Sweetest Obscure Holidays on the American Calendar (and What to Bake for Each)
Candy Kitchen

Mark Your Calendars: The Sweetest Obscure Holidays on the American Calendar (and What to Bake for Each)

National Cotton Candy Day in December? Peanut brittle in January? America's food holiday calendar is delightfully weird, and we've mapped out the tastiest observances month by month. Here's how to turn each one into a family tradition, a party theme, or a very good excuse to preheat the oven.

From Wax Bottles to Cake Truffles: A Sweet Trip Through America's Candy Aisles
Candy Kitchen

From Wax Bottles to Cake Truffles: A Sweet Trip Through America's Candy Aisles

Ever wonder why your grandma still talks about Bit-O-Honey like it was a life event? We traced America's favorite candies decade by decade — and pulled out our copper pots to recreate a few in the shop. Here's what we learned about nostalgia, sugar work, and why old-fashioned still tastes best.

The Cake Brief: A Parent's Playbook for Ordering a Birthday Showstopper
Party Planning

The Cake Brief: A Parent's Playbook for Ordering a Birthday Showstopper

Ordering a custom cake shouldn't feel like a pop quiz. Here's everything parents need to know—from timing and budget to flavors and photo-worthy designs—straight from behind the bakery counter.