World Peace Cookies

One of the sweetest cookie stories ever surrounds Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies, a recipe I’d saved for several years and finally tried.  According to Greenspan (1) “The World Peace Cookie lives up to its name: if everyone had it, peace would reign over the planet.”  The recipe is not new. It’s a chocolate shortbread […]

Drop Everything and Make Cookies

Bourbon-Orange Pecan Pie Bars Tradition reigns at Christmas, and a tradition I treasure is baking cookies. When holiday chores loom, I’ll postpone mailing, wrapping and other to-dos, to get to work in the kitchen. I pay attention to “added sugars” and have cut back. I’m thrilled that the new food label, debuting in 2020, will […]

Get Ready for the Holidays: How a Treat Early in the Day Might Help

Cookies for breakfast?  Not my idea but a couple of tasters said these dark chocolate, fig and oat bars make a perfect morning food. Why not?  They’ve made with whole grain oats, a classic breakfast food, nutrient-rich figs and dark chocolate, an ingredient with a definite “health halo.” Some argue that having a sweet treat […]

Brownie Taste Test: Mix, Scratch or Light?

Is it worth the trouble to make brownies from scratch? If so, should you bother with a “lighter” brownie? I decided to find out.   Brownies are an all-American favorite, perfect for the 4th of July party I was headed to the day of my tests. I set aside the morning of the party to test […]

Searching for Summer

  Apricot-Almond Crumb Bars   I take a lazy, low-tech approach to DIY (Do It Yourself), but by February I’m glad I made a little time last year to preserve one of the best parts of summer – fruits.    I don’t bother with a canner or dehydrator, but do task my freezer with storing […]

Holiday Stress and Holiday Eating

Rolled Sugar Cookies  I read a statistic recently that only 40% of people enjoy eating, down from 50%. (Reference 1) It’s probably lower during the holidays because it’s such a stressful time.  Everywhere you turn is a plate of cookies, an eggnog, or a party. Every time you open the front door there’s another tower […]

Craving Chocolate?

  Double Chocolate Almond Cookies “I’m craving chocolate. That sounds wonderful!  Can you send me the recipe?” That was my sister’s response to my description of the chocolate cookie I was eating when she telephoned.   Chocolate is a fact of life – it’s the most-craved food in North America (Reference 1) and is an essential food […]