011913 Pistachio Tuiles

Though easy to make, you need to work fast with these cookies once they're removed from the oven. On my first 2 pans, I didn't flatten the dough enough - cookies were a bit thick. When I did spread the dough before baking, I still didn't get that lacy look. I may over processed the nuts to where it thickened the batter too much. Not too fond of the flavor; overall, I'm not a fan of tuile/french lace cookies. To me, they're too sweet, sticky and tricky to form.

011213 Springerle

I traveled far to make these cookies. I found the springerle rolling pin in Solvang during the Christmas holiday. I was so excited to make this recipe - it's quite different in that you have to let it set for 24hours before baking them at a low temp for another 1hr. To my dismay, these cookies came out terrible....in taste & texture. They were as hard as rock and the anise flavor didn't appeal to me. They did turn white but my picture impressions were not very deep. I would attempt the recipe again if it didn't call for large quantities of ingredients (I halved the recipe, too). Very not happy on how these turned out....invested quite a bit of time.

010613 Mini Black-and-White Cookies

Easy to make recipe - I used buttermilk powder w/ water. Next time, I would use <1T of dough to make cookies (mine came out a bit too big). The dough was a bit runny and I ended up scooping the dough onto the cookie sheet. Lastly, these were somewhat hard to frost- messy trying to decorate with 2 colors of frosting (I"m sure it'll come easier with practice).

123012 Truffle Brownies

Very decadent cookie....need a tall glass of milk with this recipe. The ganache was a bit runny, even after refrigeration. The brownie is very easy to make....just a bit to sweet to enjoy w/o something to wash it down with. You can tell by the picture that it was a bit messy to enjoy. Not sure I would repeat this recipe....

122112 Sugar Cookie Cutouts

I made this recipe the same day I made the Gingerbread snowflakes. Very good sugar cookie recipe and, again, the royal frosting was perfect for these cut-outs. Simple flavor as expected from these traditional treats. I did not freeze the cut-outs prior to baking (freezer was full). A definite go-to recipe when cut-outs are needed.....including the icing!

122112 Gingerbread Snowflakes

This recipe has a strong molasses flavor - not surprising with the 1.5c the recipe calls for. The dough is very pliable after refrigeration. I did not freeze cut-outs prior to baking (turned out fine). I'm not a big fan of gingerbread cookies so I'll probably not make this recipe again. Time consuming but very pretty! The royal icing was perfect for this "gift" cookies.

120912 Chocolate-cherry Thumbprints

The recipe actually called for Strawberries but I thought tar cherries always go well with chocolate & cream cheese - plus, strawberries are out of season. The specified oven time of 10-15 minutes was a bit too long, and it's difficult to see the bottom of the cookies darkening. Must keep an eye on the cookies. Yummy but cookie is not soft;more on the crispy side. Not bad but probably won't repeat.

112112Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Excellent pumpkin cookies - soft, cakey pumpkin with a not-too sweet icing. Fun to pipe cookies followed by piping the icing. The icing was very pliable and not runny. My niece was a quite a helper with this recipe- which we took to our Thanksgiving gathering (was a hit). A keeper for the holiday season! Fun for the kids to make.

112412 Brandy Snaps

Hmm...don't really care for the ginger flavor in this recipe. And, they're a bit involved to make - have to work quickly before the cookies harden. Somewhat plain tasting...not too happy with the recipe. Will not be revisiting.

110312Anzac Biscuits

Hands down, this is probably the easiest recipe in the entire MS Cookie book!! No mixer, no eggs.....and not a bad tasting cookie/biscuit! Leaves a wonderful aroma in the kitchen. I used a rich maple syrup my mom had brought back from Maine last month...yummy! Will likely make again if I'm in a pinch!