When I was growing up we called these Brown Eyed Susans.
These are one of the types of cookies I sent to Chris in the Middle East a few weeks ago. They took nine days to get there and he said that they were great, unbroken and still very fresh tasting. They are based on one of the recipes in my Everything Cookies and Brownies Cookbook.

Chris, as are all my kids, is a big tea drinker. He likes all kinds of tea. I wanted to make something a bit different, and wanted to stay away from dairy fillings so I used …read more

I FORGOT to add the 1/4 c molasses ….sorry if this caused a problem..the recipe is fixed now….

I am making these in the next day or so, so will post pictures then..I am about to run to the store because our pantry seems to be oddly empty. I can’t imagine why…except that my kids seem to eat enough to keep a herd of elephants alive.
I love gingerbread, and gingerbread man cookies! The recipes I have used in the past have been borderline at best because they  were either very tasteless or very hard or something. they never had quite …read more

Today is the last day to ship packages overseas by parcel post. December 11 is the deadline for sending packages overseas by priority. Hopefully if you are planning to send cookies to loved ones far away you are planning on sending them priority anyway. Some cookies seem to keep well and arrive intact while others seem to fall apart the minute they are stamped with the postal stamp. If you are sending cookies the ones from this list, if packed properly, will work.
1. Molasses Crinkles are moist so they don’t crumble, and the molasses helps them stay fresh …read more

Week 7. You didn’t really think I was going to forget, did you? These Hermits are an old, old recipe…but still awesome good. They keep really well unless the kids find out where you have them stored.
1/2 c unsalted butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbs water
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 c mixed candied fruit
1/2 c raisins (I prefer currants or dried cranberries here)
1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add egg and water and beat well. Stir dry …read more

Have you noticed that other people have begun to jump on the baking bandwagon? It is moving into mid October so people are thinking more about the holidays..and stressing a little.
Well we are at week 6. If you have been following along you now have an assortment of 5 different cookies in your freezer. Well done! Next week I am going to focus on Thanksgiving preparation for a bit, so that you can serve absolutely stress free, homemade, delicious dinner with little to no clean up.
Mmm…but this week. This is one of my favorite cookies for …read more

Well, now if you want to know what wine to serve with your Veggie enchiladas or those delectable whoopie pies that you are craving you can check out B5’s newest blog, Behind the Vines. Farley is a wine enthusiast and will answer all your questions, plus give you great advice, and introduce you to wines you might not have considered. Head over there and check it out, then come back and bake something fabulous!
I know I haven’t mentioned it in awhile but don’t forget about B5’s Home and Dining Channel Scavenger Hunt that is coming up for …read more

Nope…I didn’t forget at all. I have a busy day today, but at some point I am going to make time to do these. I will make the dough and freeze it unbaked in teaspoon size balls. After it is frozen I will put all of the balls into a ziploc to wait patiently until needed. If you freeze the cookies unbaked it also helps keep the kids out of it.
These are awesome. My husband’s favorite cookie as he was growing up. I like to dip half the cookie in melted white chocolate and add red and …read more

Another mainstay in our holiday lineup. I use the handle of a small baby spoon to get the cookie bottoms pressed into the mini muffin tins, and taught Aisa this technique. As you can see, she has done very well! This is a very popular cookie; I know several friends who make it at Christmastime, including fellow foodie blogger Stel of Baby Rambutan.
The recipe can be found at Epicurious. We always double the recipe, as one is never enough. This is almost always the first thing that disappears when we serve it on a dessert …read more