Cookies

The Christmas Crush

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The Christmas Crush by Noelle Douglas

Even as we’re heading into Spring, it can still be enjoyable to listen to a winter holiday romance. This is my favorite from the last couple of years, a first novel by an Illinois author, probably because much of the story is set in a cookie bakery and its new rival. Elena Voss is a vice-president of marketing for Sparkle Cookies. She is very good at her job, but finds it increasingly stressful and would rather be painting, or maybe adopting a cat. Sparkle Cookies has many cookie shops and the cookie dough is mass produced at a central bakery then baked and served by staff. The stores look fabulous, with a lavender color theme, and influencers love the photo ops of the cookies, especially at openings of a new bakery.

Lawrence Higgins, tall and handsome, is fond of his grandma and rather shy. He runs Sweet L’s Bakery in New Hope, Pennsylvania, the location of Sparkle Cookie’s next shop, with a grand opening expected on Christmas Eve. Lawrence’s dog Sugar often comes and hangs out in the office. Lawrence and Elena do not have a meet cute during their first encounter at a town hall meeting, but are soon striking sparks. They meet again at a cookie exchange, and Elena gets to experience a small-town Christmas tree lighting. Elena’s boss is very demanding, though her friend and coworker Priya is great, and she is challenged to make the grand opening a big success.

This is an uplifting and sweet rom-com, not at all a cookie-cutter romance, if you’ll excuse the pun. Lawrence bakes with love, his assistance Carmen is awesome, and the small-town setting is snowy and cozy. Lawrence is a talented baker, as is his grandma, and he can tell that Sparkle cookies don’t use real butter. Is there a way his little bakery can compete with the big chain, and will Elena be a help, or just a rival? Listening to the audiobook narrated by Kim Churchill makes me want to bake lots of cookies or a least visit a local, non-chain bakery to enjoy the wonderful aroma of freshly baked cookies. Pistachio Drop cookies from Sally’s Baking, anyone? Here’s the link: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pistachio-cookies/ I look forward to another sweet rom-com from Douglas.

Brenda

Holiday Baking: Two Cookies

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Coconut Macaroons and Pecan Sugar Cookies

I had fun baking last week. I made the pecan sugar cookies first. I used fresh Georgia pecans from Sunnyland Farms that I lightly toasted and chopped. The cookie batter, even before it was baked, smelled like butter pecan ice cream. The dough is rolled out, then chilled before being cut out, then baked. They have a simple brown butter icing that adds to the deliciousness. I tinted the icing pink just to be festive. Chopped pecans are sprinkled on the top. A variety of cookie cutters can be used, and no decorating skills are needed. The dough can be made in advance and chilled, and the cookies freeze well. The recipe is from Sally’s Baking Recipes, here.

I also made coconut macaroons, dipped in melted chocolate and drizzled on top. These are naturally gluten free, and also freeze well. Also from Sally’s Baking Recipes, here. You can use semisweet or dark chocolate bars for the chocolate, and almonds would make a nice addition.

My next baking project is kolacky with almond and cherry fillings and Neapolitan cookies.

Brenda

100 Cookies

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100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer

Cookies shown include Thumbprint Cookies, Neapolitan Cookies, Cinnamon Roll Blondies, and Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies. The Neapolitan cookies, made with a vanilla sugar cookie dough to which one part has cocoa powder added, and another part pureed freeze-dried strawberries, is always popular. I make some without strawberries for the vanilla and chocolate fans. These disappeared first, along with the Chocolate Oatmeal cookies. These are one of Kieffer’s famous pan-banging cookies, where you lift up the edge of the sheet pan then drop it with a bang a few times during baking to add ripples to the dough and make the edges crispy while the middle remains soft and chewy. I make the cookies rather smaller than the recipe, and the method doesn’t really produce ripples, though the cookies are delicious. The slightly less gorgeous Cinnamon Roll Blondies and Thumbprint cookies are tender and delicious. Kieffer includes a chocolate bark recipe, but I used a different one here. All told, this is a delicious platter of cookies made from recipes I had tried before. These cookies all freeze well after baking, for at least one month. Another favorite is her Lemon Oat Bars. I am really looking forward to Kieffer’s forthcoming cookbook: 100 Morning Treats, to be published this May.

Brenda