Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

cookie

Rosemary Shortbread this Christmas

Rosemary Shortbread for Christmas by Jessica's Dinner Party

It’s become a little tradition of mine to bake Christmas gifts for family and friends. I have to admit, homemade gifts are a lot of time and effort,  but the joy I get from seeing someone enjoy something I’ve made pales in comparison to the sweat that goes into it!  There are an endless amount of ideas as to what to give for the holidays, but this year I decided to be traditional and make cookies.  During the few days left leading up to Christmas I’ll share with you the trio of cookies I made for my gift box.  Here is this first, my favorite rosemary shortbread.

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Lavender Shortbread Cookies

It’s cookie season right now, which means smells of chocolate and peppermint or green and red sprinkles should be filling the kitchen counters.  Instead, I decided to make the most spring inspired cookie in the book.  Maybe my head skipped Christmas and I fast forwarded to Easter.  These purple dotted shortbread took me to warmer days and sunny skies, where the smell of grass is fresh and pastel hued flowers have just started to bloom.

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Haunted House and Chocolate Milk Cookies

Halloween is a holiday I always look forward to but never seem to enjoy when the actual day arrives.  I love seeing all the Jack-O-Lanterns and ghost shaped cookies but never get around to doing them myself.  I especially procrastinate when it comes to putting a costume together.  I’m that crazy person who goes to the costume store on October 30th to find the cheapest item and combine it with random clothes from my closet. On the one day “too much skin for a not so skinny girl” is acceptable, I find the most modest outfit and go bundled in scarves and jackets.  I’m probably more provocative in my everyday clothes, which is saying something.

It’s really a shame though because the one year I want to really do something is the one year I’m in a city that doesn’t celebrate.  Before I left and before I knew I was leaving, my friends and I bounced back different ideas from Peter Pan to Wicked to Alice in Wonderland, and even Star Trek.  I was really enthused about the idea of finding the perfect character.  Sigh, it’s probably just one of those reverse psychology situations.  What you can’t have you want.  I probably would’ve ended up digging through my closet, last minute, and resorted to being Mulan or something.   I mean, I’ve got that Asian part down.

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Levain Bakery

 

I walked out of the subway on the Upper West Side and knew instantly that I was in the right place.  The smell of baked chocolate and browned butter greeted me as I stepped out into the sunlight.  It may have been my imagination and the anticipation of eating Levain Bakery’s famous chocolate chip cookies, but I lie not when I say I followed my nose to the small, almost hidden gem of a bakery.  Actually, it wasn’t quite a direct journey.  My sense of smell may be good, but my eyes sometimes fail me. I walked deliriously up and down Amsterdam Avenue trying to locate the semi-sub level bakery. I finally caved, and asked the fruit cart man who told me it was around the corner below the waxing salon.  Hey!  It wasn’t just me though, even my friend confidently strode past it and continued almost half a block before I finally caught up with her as I hopelessly (and obnoxiously) yelled, “Angela!  Angela!” to a girl who had her headphones on.  Levain is a very humble place.  It’s not fancy, cutesy, or filled with shades of pastel.  Here, it’s all about the tastes and smells.

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