"cookie-a-day" news and stories

Our cookie today is not one of my recipes. It doesn't even belong to anyone I know. But I feel confident, judging from the Pioneer Woman's past recipes, that it is a winner. She uses a technique I've never encountered to color her cookies, creating a glaze with egg yolk, water and food coloring in order to get that really lovely, glassy finish on her cookies (I'm sort of sad to only be learning about that method now, but rest assured, I'm adopting it from here on out). I especially love the effect it brings to the Santa cut-outs, because it accentuates his pack and boots. I almost want to bust out the cookie cutters right now. What are you waiting for? Go visit her food site to get the recipe and see all her terrific pictures. And let me know how the cookies turn out.

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When I called my mom for cookie recipes that were appropriate to Hanukkah, she said that she didn't think cookies were particularly big during Hanukkah. Then she dug out her Jewish Festival cookbook (from 1953) in order to confirm her suspicion. Not content with that answer, I put out a call to some of my friends to see if anyone had their own traditional Hanukkah cookie recipe. My friend Megan responded with her grandmother's Mandelbrot recipe.

It's a good cookie, sort of like a Jewish biscotti (only much gentler on the teeth). I especially like the fact that the way to get those streaks of dark in the light is by taking out some of the batter and stirring in an insane amount of cinnamon. It leaves the cookies highly flavored but not overpoweringly cinnamon-y. Check out the recipe, after the jump.

Like the Cranberry Bread I posted about last month, this recipe also comes from the back of a children's book. Appropriately, these cookies are from Cranberry Christmas, and they are indeed perfect for the holiday season. I did deviate from the recipe in a couple of places, choosing to use slivered almonds in place of walnuts and replace half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. The result is a cookie that is tart and sweet.

If your favorite cookie is the type that is gooey with chocolate or caramel, then these are not the cookies for you. But if you want a cookie that dips nicely in tea and would make a really satisfying afternoon snack, then I recommend baking a batch of these up. One last point in their favor is that they are really pretty and would make a nice addition to a dessert buffet.