Florentine Cookies

Florentine Cookies

I didn't get a great photo of these, and my chocolate drizzling skills let me down a bit, BUT these cookies taste amazing. Anything with orange zest gets two thumbs up in my book, and I threw in some extra zest for good measure. I also added some dried cranberries for fruity, chewy goodness. I think these are perfectly lovely, and maybe even better, without the drizzled chocolate, but they're certainly prettier with it.

Get the recipe here, and enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Cookies

Nothing says Autumn quite like oatmeal cookies, and I love how well they adapt to variation. All you have to do is find a decent basic recipe, use it as a blank canvas, and let your imagination run wild.

I like this recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, though I usually omit the chocolate chips. I also use dried cranberries quite often in place of raisins, and I prefer pecans to chopped walnuts. I add a few big dashes of cinnamon, sometimes cloves or nutmeg, too, and I like to use Mexican Vanilla with its cinnamony flavor.

Now that I've tried my friend Meredith's oatmeal cookies, I'm not going to be shy about incorporting butterscotch chips into my rotation. They are excellent paired with the oatmeal.

It's funny that I love this recipe, since I'm not that crazy about chewy cookies. So, obviously, I bake mine longer to get them a little crispy. Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.