Food Thought

With all this Arctic air putting the freeze on us, it might be a good time to rediscover the joys of baking cookies. And there’s no reason to make the same, boring old sugar cookies. Julie Anne Hession’s exciting spiral-bound volume of artful cookie recipes is sure to get you grabbing your rolling pin. If you’re new to baking, the book’s array of hundreds of step-by-step photos will set you at ease. But even the most seasoned cookie monster will likely learn a new trick or two, including seasonal cookie ideas, the skinny on pastry bags, and even how to make your snacks gluten-free and vegan. Given all the shivering and shoveling, that little carb load is going to be welcome indeed.

The Works

Speaking of cookies, what better idea than to bake the sweetheart in your life a bunch of these heart puzzle cookies for Valentine’s Day. It’s a whole heart made up of two cookies that interlock. All you need is a pastry bag to write your names on each half. Yeah, it’s corny, it’s a little silly, but it’s just so darn cute! These adorable tinplate cutters are made by Birkmann in Germany, and make cookies that are 5 inches square when completed. They also come in an attractive box with a recipe, if it’s intended as a gift for that happy couple.