These Brown Butter Cookies were a gift to a good friend who was getting married after being widowed for several years. I’ve given her many cookies over the years, but this time I wanted something for her to share with her new beau. The heart shape was perfect and covering them with white chocolate for the bride and dark chocolate for the groom seemed like the perfect match for this sweet couple.

Patriotic shoes? Why not?! A dear friend was giving a talk about the history of shoes to her women’s group and asked me to make three dozen shoe cookies. The colors she wanted were red, white, and blue — to tie in with Independence Day. She even provided the shoe cookie cutter. I don’t know why, but I’d never done 4th-of-July cutout cookies, so I jumped at the opportunity to try something new.

Although 90% of the cookies I decorate are full of color, deep down I love the monochromatic look. I find white-on-white to be the most elegant look a cookie can have. So making cookies as party favors for weddings and bridal showers is one of my favorite projects. When the color palette is limited to white, texture and patterns become the focal point. These heart cookies embossed with floral patterns are a joy to bake and decorate. And, to my mind, white piping on white frosting is the height of grace and elegance.