Sandcastles
Sandcastles are an original take on an old Moroccan cookie recipe that utilizes rye flour and coconut oil instead of flour and butter as the basis for each of the four varieties of cookies: Deep Chocolate Infrared, Maple Dusted Cardamom, Vanilla Black Sesame and Marzipan with Toasted Almonds. Slightly suspect (because what can be better than butter and flour in a shortbread cookie?), I reluctantly purchased these cookies for my vegan daughter who was looking for a great tasting cookie that satisfied her dietary restrictions. Read more 
Clarine’s Florentines
Clarine Hardesty is a pastry chef and owner of Clarine’s Florentines, a Berkeley, California-based commercial operation that specializes in the Florentine: a delicious mixture of toasted nuts and candied fruit held together by a honey and sugar mixture that hardens and forms a crunchy candy-like delicate cookie. To complete the treat, Clarine’s Florentines are dipped in bittersweet chocolate. Read more
Morning Sunshine Breakfast Cookie
There is a funky little coffee house about 30 miles north of Queens in Northport, New York on the Long Island Sound called Caffe Portofino. Owned by Lisa Harris, a truly passionate baker, Portofino is known for their eclectic menu – whole wheat scones, hearty oatmeal with pecans, walnuts, cranberries, granola, and fresh fruit, smoothies made with milk or soy, and the Morning Sunshine Breakfast Cookie – a scrumptious blend of all natural ingredients – for the health conscious consumer. Read more
Tatte’s Fine Cookies, Cakes, Pastries and Tarts
Tatte Fine Cookies & Cakes is a Massachusetts-based bakery and cafe specializing in cookies, cakes, pastries, and tarts made with all natural and top quality ingredients including butter, flour, eggs, vanilla, chocolate, cheese, nuts and fresh fruits and vegetables. With two storefronts in the Boston area – the original bakery in Brookline and the newest shop in Cambridge – an on-line mail order business and high quality gourmet shops (i.e. Dean & Deluca) carrying the bakery’s products, Tatte’s sinfully delicious creations can be enjoyed by virtually anyone. Read more
The Yoku Moku Holiday Tins
Every year, famed Japanese cookie maker Yoku Moku commissions an artist to design a holiday cookie tin to be filled with the company’s light crispy buttery minimalist cookies. The essence of a Yoku Moku cookie is in its simplicity – both in ingredients, design, and taste – so the exterior design of the annual holiday tin is louder, more colorful and meant to draw attention to a cookie that doesn’t rely on adornment for attention. Read more
CiCi’s Handmade Italian Butterhorns
When I was in high school, I would often go to my friend Amy’s house over the holidays where her extended family would celebrate the end of a meal with a table full of Italian pastries and cookies. At my house, most cookies came in a bag so the sight of a whole table piled high with every conceivable type of handmade Italian cookie was a dream come true. Amy’s Aunt Cookie was primarily responsible for that dedicated table and she was infamous among her relatives (and friends) for her homemade cookies: Italian Wedding, Wandi, Pignoli, Struffoli, and more. Read more
Abe’s Market
Where do you go on-line to find a wide selection of healthy foods at reasonable prices and free shipping? Abe’s Market – the newest on-line resource for consumers looking for all types of healthy foods: organic, gluten-free, vegan, tree-nut free, nut-free, kosher, sugar-free, raw, and natural. Nearly 3,000 food products are currently offered with the selection growing daily. The prices are competitive and the shipping is free (and fast) on all orders of $49 or more. Read more
The Coconut Macaroon
Most people have strong feelings about coconut and for those who possess a deep passion for this tropical fruit, there is the coconut macaroon cookie. Different than a typical sugar or butter based cookie, the coconut macaroon is both crunchy (on the outside) and chewy (on the inside) with a moist creamy texture. Read more
Ladurée in Paris
Most people go to Ladurée for the fresh macarons: a sweet meringue based confection filled with a ganache or buttercream. Crunchy on the outside, moist and soft on the inside, the classic small round macaron originated in France. Ladurée has been making macarons since 1862 and is the most well-known brand in the world, if not the most elegant. With more than 20 flavors offered in the most beautiful ribbon covered pastel boxes ever made, Ladurée macarons can make you feel like Marie-Antionette at Versailles. Read more
I Heart Keenwah
Quinoa (pronounced as Keenwah) is a grain-like crop whose edible seeds are being touted as a superfood: the only “grain” that is a complete protein source with all nine amino acids. In recent years, quinoa has grown in popularity as an alternative food for those on gluten-free diets and for those who want a crop with a high protein content (18%). High in carbohydrates and a good source of dietary fiber, quinoa has a light fluffy texture and a slightly nutty flavor when cooked but is crunchy and nutty when baked with a sweetener. That quinoa is also high in magnesium and iron also adds to its appeal. Read more
Paddock Post 