• Cranberry shortbread cookies on a holiday plate with a red trimmed napkin
    Baking

    Cranberry Sparkle Shortbread Cookies

    In my holiday baking classes, we have a tradition of making these cranberry sparkle shortbread cookies. They’re the perfect sweets to get you in the spirit early in the season and can easily be scaled up to bake for a crowd. With raw sugar as the gold topping and flaky sea salt for a touch of silver, you will feel good about using natural ingredients without sacrificing that festive holiday touch. I find them nice and sparkly for New Year’s celebrations! Shortbread has a tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth texture, here with bright pops of chopped dried cranberries. For more holiday flavor and cheer, additions such as finely chopped candied ginger can…

  • Coconut cookies with lemon curd filling and fresh flowers on a kitchen counter
    Baking

    Coconut Cookies with Lemon Curd Filling

    Springtime calls for sunny desserts that brighten the season’s celebrations. With zesty lemon curd sandwiched between toasty coconut cookies, this recipe hits all the bright and lightly sweet notes we need this time of year. Beyond these cookies, you will find so many uses for the lemon curd itself. Serve it with fresh fruit, dollop it on a slice of pound cake, fill cupcakes, or enjoy it by the spoonful. Much as the winter holidays wouldn’t be complete without a linzer cookie on the dessert table, these coconut sandwich cookies have become a spring staple in my home. Flower cut-outs allow the sunny color of the filling to pop through.…

  • Pine nuts cookie bars
    Baking

    Pine Nut Cookie Bars

    Festive ingredients and a simple baking method make for the perfect holiday cookie. With pine nuts in caramel topping a shortbread base, these cookie bars satisfy the need for something golden and toasty on the dessert table. Still tender when baked, the nuts lend a delicate texture and their nuanced, buttery flavor. Whether you’re making Christmas cookie boxes, looking ahead to New Year’s Eve, or sharing dessert at a holiday gathering, think about the shape of your cookie bars before serving. They can be cut in a variety of ways with a knife or cookie cutter and always come out looking like lacy gold ornaments. Just be sure to save…

  • Fruitcake blondies
    Baking

    Fruitcake Blondies

    Fruitcake blondies made with brown butter, nuts, and dried fruit soaked in brandy are inspired by the classic cake while having a flavor all their own.   Packed with festive ingredients, these bars have the toastiness of butter that has developed deep color and rich flavor similar to hazelnut, one of the nuts I recommend adding to your batter.  Once you begin making brown butter, you will find uses for it in plenty of sweet and savory dishes. This season I have been sharing cookie recipes during my holiday baking classes in which we make festive shortbreads, linzer cookies filled with jewel-like jams, and plenty of others.  Alongside these festive treats…

  • Raspberry white chocolate chip cookies
    Baking

    Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

    With rustic texture, white chocolate chips, and sweet-tart fresh raspberries, these cookies have so many reasons to be loved.  I was inspired to create them as a seasonal Valentine’s Day update to my traditional chocolate chip cookies. Admittedly, I indulge in a deep dark chocolate brownie on a regular basis, but I also appreciate the sweetness and texture of white chocolate, which melts perfectly in a cookie.  I even drizzle some on my heart-shaped pistachio cookies.  The raspberries add brightness to the brown sugar and oat flavors already laced throughout the cookie for a downright delicious way to celebrate the season of love and loveliness. Each day leading up to…