I’m dreaming of the sea...the sand...the waves...the gulls... the shells. I don't think I can stay away much longer. Even a drive-by encounter might be enough to restore my sense of belonging to a world where nothing is more important than a cool breeze and the endless blue sea. Oh for the joys of finding a sand dollar that the tide has tumbled and tossed at my feet. A beach cookie might be a nice substitute for the real thing until the beach is open for visitors.
This was Mom’s “go to” recipe for cookies to take to a party or have at home during the holidays. It’s a wonderful mixture of fall spices, dates, and nuts with a tart lemony glaze. I’ve had many requests for the recipe and my nephew asks for persimmon bars at Christmas time. Thanks, Mom, for a wonderful treat and for the great memories.
Most of my family already knows this about me so you might as well know it, too. I am not a tea drinker. The only teas that I like are herbal teas and even among those there are only a few that I will drink. However, if you invite a cookie to the tea party, well, I’m willing to drink the tea too. These Gingerbread Tea Cookies are the perfect companion to any tea, but my favorite pairing for these delicious cookies is Lemon Ginger Tea.
This Christmas I made a lot of different cutout cookies...angels, snowy trees, ornaments, animals, clothing. But the shape that kept calling to me was the snowflake. So-o-o I made a lot of snowflakes: big, tiny, with holes, without holes, elegant, simple, even some dipped in chocolate! I just couldn't seem to get enough.
My nephew lives in a small town where the oak tree is protected and you’re not allowed to do anything to them without a permit. This makes the squirrels very happy.
Leaves make the most appealing shapes for cutout cookies. And dark chocolate is an autumn-kind of flavor so leaf-shaped chocolate sandwich cookies is a brilliant idea. I filled the sandwich with a simple chocolate ganache and, voilà! ... a beautiful and irresistible cookie. But I warn you: it’s not possible to eat only one.
Summer means time at the beach...playing in the ocean, combing the shore for sea shells, burying your feet in the warm sand...ah-h-h. For me, baking and decorating “beach cookies” brings all that to mind. I wish you all a wonderful summer...even if it’s still December and there’s snow on the ground! A plate of beach cookies always brings summer into someone’s day.
This is my “ ’fess up” page. I made these cookies simply because I was experimenting with embossing on homemade fondant mixed with sculpting chocolate and I wanted to see what it would look like. The result was a lot of embossed flowers and squares.
“There ain’t no rules around here! We are tryin’ to accomplish somep’n!” Thomas Edison
When I was done with my experiment, I bagged up all the cookies and gave them to my sister. She has a knack for finding people who actually want to eat my experiments! She’s the best sister.
When the leaves start to change color, I can’t resist making Chocolate Cutout Cookies in the shapes of leaves, pumpkins, and acorns. Sometimes I’ll add a squirrel-shaped cookie to the batch if the squirrels haven’t been too pesty during the summer. If they’ve dug up all my potted plants and terrorized the birds I try to attract into my garden, well, then I refuse to give them any attention when it comes to making fall cookies.
When I saw these colorful watermelon cookies on Glorious Treats, I was inspired to give them a try. Growing up, our family was divided into two camps when it came to watermelon: the pro-watermelon camp and the anti-watermelon camp. At the beginning of summer, my Dad would bring home a huge watermelon and proceed to cut it up for all to share. He and two of my siblings would dig in with enthusiasm.
