"HolidayCookies" news and stories

• The Holiday Cookie Bake-Off results are in! Which cookies made the top ten?
• Speaking of prize-winning, check out this apple pie. Breaking a few rules makes all the difference.
• For an entirely different pie experience, head to Beijing Pie House in Monterey Park. It's worth your while.
• Angelenos, looking to go out for your holiday meal? Here's a restaurant guide to who's working on Christmas and New Year's.

• It's not yet Halloween, but the L.A. Times holiday cookie contest is up and running. Give it your best shot.
• Even farmers markets aren't immune to cheating and fraud. California is tackling concerns head-on.
• Psst...interested in some good hash? (No, not that kind.)
• What's a dairy farmer to do in this economy? Switch gears away from commodity milk and toward artisan cheese.

Every year, I find myself searching for that new cookie recipe, the one that will really wow my family, friends and co-workers. This year, Gourmet.com has made my search both easier and far more painful, all at the same time. Early last week, they posted a feature entitled "Gourmet's Favorite Cookies: 1941-2008" that chronicles their best cookie recipe from each year since the magazine's inception.

The piece features cookies like the more traditional Old-Fashioned Christmas Butter Cookies (1947) and Gingerbread Men (1959) to more obscure holiday goodies like "Shoe Sole" Cookies (1970) and Pistachio Tuiles (1988). It's also interesting because is shows how cookie trends have shifted and evolved over time. The World War II-era cookies are far more austere than the cookies of the booming 1980's. I'm planning on trying out the Fig Cookies (1964) and the Honey Refrigerator Cookies (1942) in the next week or two.

Which recipes call out to you? Do any of these recipes happen to be favorites in your family?

It's the same for me each year. I start making cookies that require rolling out, but by the time I've rolled and cut out my first sheet's worth, I'm already tired of the process and ready to quit. Happily, PJ Hamel from Bakers' Banter, the baking blog from King Arthur Flour understands my short attention span and has posted two techniques that speed the process of turning roll-out cookie dough into discs of edible deliciousness.

The first recommendation is that instead of rolling out your dough, you can scoop it into balls and let it bake into soft rounds. When those cookies are still warm, simply cut out the center with a tiny cutter for festive cookies that required far less fuss than is typically required. The second technique does require some rolling out, but offers a whole host of tips that will enable you to make gorgeous cookies with much less effort than you expended last year.

Let the baking begin! And thanks, PJ, for all the great tips!

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Tis the season to start baking cookies! Last night it was below freezing for the first time in Center City Philadelphia and because of it, I was moved to bake up a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and snuggle down with a steaming mug of tea. The Linzer cookie you see above is a whole lot more elegant than my batch of cookies, but it gives me great inspiration for the coming baking season.

Thanks Stephanie, for adding this yummy treat to the Slashfood Flickr pool.

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