Category: cookies

so remember the cinnamon ice cream from last week? it was so good i had to make a bit more this past weekend. except instead of celebrating the strangely fall weather we had, this time we celebrated the downright summerish weather that graced dc on saturday and sunday.  it was so nice the girl and i had a bbq, and the first grilling day of the year was a delicious success topped off by these amazing ice cream sandwiches shared with good friends (and also some good cold beer).

the girl took this picture while she was out on saturday. it really is blowing our minds that it’s suddenly spring, especially after all of the endless snowfall that’s thankfully finally melted. we’re looking forward to getting back to the farmer’s market and doing a lot more relaxing on the front porch – you know, the important things in life.

when i was in high school, i really really loved chipwiches. i mean, ate one at least once a week, all year round, loved chipwiches. while these aren’t quite the same – they’re actually better (if you can believe it). i wish i could go back in time to tell 16 year old me that in the future, i could make my own chipwiches whenever i wanted. just to see my own reaction.

oh hello there. it’s been a while, huh? well, let’s get this out of the way – sorry for leaving you all hanging. thank you for the comments and emails asking if everything was ok, and when i’d be returning with more recipes and stories. i really hate going to a blog and finding that the author has stopped updating with no explanation, and i swore i would never do that, but it just sort of happened. a week off turned to two, which turned to just shy of 2 months. wow.

so where have i been? well, i have been cooking and baking, but a few other things have sort of conspired against my free time lately, namely: leaving my old job (sad to leave everyone there), starting my new job (as a graphic designer! scary and challenging but endlessly rewarding), and going into the homestretch of my graphic design certificate at CDIABU (amazing program). combine that with finding time for freelance work to support going back to school, and there just aren’t enough hours in the day anymore.

things are finally settling down though, and i think i can give this blog the time it deserves. so again, i apologize for disappearing without warning or explanation and neglecting comments and emails for a bit, but i love this too much to give it up. thanks for hanging around if you have, and if any of your friends have taken me off their feed readers, let them know i’m back – and i brought you all these cookies.

about these cookies – they are SO GOOD. we’re lucky enough to have fresh rosemary growing in the backyard, and combing it with lemon in shortbread cookie form is just a natural fit. the cookies are still great if can’t get  your rosemary right from the plant, but if you have a choice, fresh is definitely the way to go.

not too sweet, not too savory, and perfect with coffee or tea. this was actually the first time i had made icebox cookies from scratch, and it could not have been easier. basically, you make a simple dough (something else this recipe has going for it), roll it into a log and freeze it. when you’re ready to bake, just slice the log up into rounds and bake.

the logs were rolled in decorator’s sugar before slicing – totally optional, but also totally delicious. doesn’t this picture just make you want a tall glass of ice-cold milk right now?

it’s officially fall here in dc (just took the air conditioner out yesterday!) and i can’t wait to get back into all the seasonal recipes and ingredients. i believe apple and pumpkin picking are both in our immediate future, so get ready for that. see you all in a few days with another post (seriously!). it feels great to be back.

i’m still sloooowly working my way through gourmet’s favorite cookies (from 1941-2008), and while i still have a long way to go, these chocolate coconut squares are going to be tough to beat. so tough, that i might just stop here and keep making batches of these instead of any other cookie, forever. they are so good.

adding powdered sugar designs is an easy way to make a dessert look fancy. i just made two quick stencils out of typing paper and carefully sifted some sugar over the top of each bar. it was a surprisingly easy (if a bit tedious) process, and while the small amount of sugar doesn’t really impact the taste, it’s totally worth it.

my baking dish is 8″ square instead of 9″, so they ended up a bit thicker. i think the consensus among everyone who ate these was actually to leave the bottom half thick and make the chocolate layer thinner. this one nitpick didn’t really stop us from finishing these off in a few hours though.