The French Valentine’s Day Cookie

by Anne Paddock

If cookies be the food of love…munch on. ~Dame Judi Dench

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching so if you need a gift for that special someone who loves exquisite butter cookies, Poilâne – the famous Parisian bakery known for their sourdough bread, apple tarts, and butter cookies – has the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift box containing 54-56 heart-shaped butter cookies weighing 270 grams (about 10 ounces) for 22.50€ ($25.67). So simple and yet so delicious, these French butter cookies are rich, crunchy and perfect as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.

Made of wheat flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, the butter cookies are known as Punitions® which means “punishment” in French. The name comes from a little game the founder’s grandmother would play. She would call over her grandchildren seemingly to punish them and would then reveal a handful of round butter cookies. In honor of Valentine’s Day, the Punitions® are shaped into hearts (although a 500 gram or 1.1 pound box of the round butter cookies is also available in a standard gift box for 16.65€ or $19).

Poilâne ships their products out fresh in boxes designed to minimize shipping costs. A small box to the east coast of the United States is 29.70€ ($33.88) and can hold 3 Valentine’s Day gift boxes (and still have room to add a Walnut Loaf (4.65€ or $5.31) or 4 regular 500 gram boxes. For orders placed up to February 8th, the cookies will be made on February 9th and shipped out the same day for delivery to a US address on February 10th or February 11th. To place an order, go to the company’s website: www.poilane.com.