cookies

i already admitted i can't make a macaroon. i'm even more shameful to admit i don't have a signature chocolate chip cookie. it seems like every baker worth mentioning (obviously my momma, ash, jordan) has their own special recipe, whereas i only have special places i go to buy one. maybe i could steal tiny's recipe?

what i do have is a stellar sugar cookie! i like sugar cookies because, aside from being so melt in your mouth good, you get to be super creative with them. the shortbread recipe i use comes from my tartine cookbook, and i actually ran into it first when i was making a tart (big surprise). it's not a flaky tart dough, and is really easy to work with through all the rolling and cutting that sugar cookies require. the icing is what i grew up eating, a simple mixture of powdered sugar, egg whites, and almond extract. sometimes i make plain cookies with pretty icing and stripes or dots. i've also made all kinds of animals, sparkly tutus, bright apples, and even plaid cookies.

sadly i lost a lot of pictures in the great computer crash of '08. here are a few from more recently.

mixing up the dough

rolling it out

frog cookies

pam loves a frog prince. when she got engaged, i couldn't resist getting this frog cutter to make her treats with. turns out i got myself my first job: pam wanted me to make these cookies (frog prince and princess) for the welcome bags she was putting together for the out-of-towners' hotel rooms on wedding weekend. if i recall correctly, that was close to 70 frogs.

baby shower cookies (i see these in my future...)

i've even made cookies for a pay check! after the success of the frog cookies at the wedding, tyann hired me to make and package 80 cookies for her sister's baby shower last winter. it was a lot for my little kitchen to handle, but i had a great time designing carriages and rattles. it was interesting to have to stick to the shapes and colors that ty's sister specified, but everything turned out really well. dog ollie supervised the project.

note to self: next time i make this many cookies, get a kitchen aid mixer!

my only competition in this city:

tart cafe's sissie cookies

paulie's seasonal cookies