I wanted a coconut cookie to serve with the yogurt panna cotta and pineapple granita, but have had bad luck with coconut cookies in the past.  I spied the Alice Medrich cookie encyclopedia that had been eagerly awaiting use on my shelf. When the book first arrived in the mail, I was extremely excited that one of my favorite bakers and cookbook authors had dedicated an entire volume to cookies, but then the holidays happened and I got distracted. Until New Year’s Eve, when I opened the book and found this recipe for coconut sticks. read more+++

I don’t have 12 Days of Cookies for you this year. I have one day of cookies—and it is today. But it is one very special cookie. As I look back on 2010, this will stand out as one of the best recipes I tried this year. These delicious peanut butter cookies are something I will be making for years to come, and you should too. read more+++

If you are anything like me, you are wondering how Hanukkah snuck up on us so quickly. It is hard to believe it is December and another year has flown by, but before I get too far with the old people talk: I am excited to have a very special guest helping us to celebrate Hanukkah and kick off the holiday season! Those of you who have spent time around Lottie + Doof know how I feel about Kim Boyce and her book Good to the Grain, so I will spare you additional praise and simply say: Kim Boyce is fantastic. read more+++

If you’ve spent much time around here over the last two years,  you know how much I admire Dorie Greenspan. I’ll spare you my usual gushing and simple say that she is a hero of mine. Her gorgeous new book of recipes, Around My French Table is available now.  The book chronicles Dorie’s experiences in France and the influences they have had on her cooking. I received the book on Friday and had read almost the entire thing by Saturday night. Dorie is not just a great cook and baker, she is a really talented writer. The book is a joy and I would encourage everyone to pick up a copy- you will love it.

read more+++

Today I am coming to you with a few random items and one delicious recipe:

I can hardly believe it is June. Farmer’s Market season has begun in the Midwest and we are now lucky enough to live a couple of blocks from our local market. Saturday mornings are now my favorite part of the week.

With summer quickly approaching, I put a call out for a special seasonal cocktail and boy did you deliver! So many excellent suggestions. All of them, really. Those comments will remain a good resource for anyone looking for a refreshing summer drink. We’re in the process of testing some of your recipes out and will be offering three finalists up for a vote later in the month. Soon, the official drink of summer will be crowned.  Can’t wait.

read more+++

After working on my recipe index, I was surprised to see that I didn’t have a recipe for peanut butter cookies. This is strange for a couple of reasons. As someone who never cared about chocolate, peanut butter cookies were always a safe choice when I was a kid (the other option, oatmeal, was always risky because too often they contained raisins- yuck). Also, peanut butter cookies are one of only three things my mom baked on a regular basis. Her peanut butter cookies are my favorite. They are thin and crispy and always over-baked. Yes, my mom is a pretty classic over-cooker. She just wants to make sure it is Done. As a result, I developed an appreciation for well-browned baked goods at an early age, I think it makes me very European. I still bake things longer than I should if I am baking for myself. There is something about that deeply browned edge that makes me very, very happy.

read more+++

This is the part of winter I hate the most, the wasteland between late February and the end of March where spring seems so close and so far away. Each sunny day feels like hope, only to be followed by another 6-inches of snow. It can be discouraging. I think at times like this we should all be grateful for citrus—a little orange or lemon to brighten the day. The blood orange tart did wonders to lift my spirits and I hoped the remedy would continue to work with these classic lemon bars that Faith Durand made over at The Kitchn. read more+++

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you, dear readers! If we were in second grade I would drop a valentine into each of your cardboard mailboxes. Instead, I thought I would go out on a limb with these lemon and olive cookies from The New Portuguese Table by David Leite. If you have spent any time on the internet these past few weeks you have undoubtedly heard people raving about the recipe for milk-based (and egg-free) mayonnaise, maionese de leite, which is also included in this incredibly beautiful book. The milk mayo is something special and a real wonder to behold, but I was immediately drawn to these simple cookies.

read more+++

I hope you guys have enjoyed the 12 Days of Cookies as much as I did. It has been a blast! I think I will be putting my cookie sheets away for a little while—we both need a rest.
For the final cookie I chose one of my favorites, and a holiday classic, a shaped and decorated butter/sugar cookie. My problem with these types of cookies is that they are too sweet and kind of one note. What is great about this recipe is that the addition of cream cheese into both the dough and the glaze provides a little bit of sourness to counter the sugar. The dough is so easy to make and roll out that there is no excuse not to try these. If you are short on time or just feeling lazy, you can certainly form the dough into a log and slice and bake the cookies as needed.

read more+++

Next stop: design*sponge! Not only will you get another cookie recipe, you will also get to see some photos of the spread of cookies I prepared for a 12 Days of Cookies Party we hosted in our new home last weekend!  You’ll even get to see a dorky photo of me.  It is fun to see many of the cookies together in the same space and it was really great to have our friends over to sample some of the cookies! read more+++