The Edition: No. 200
Dec 1, 2020
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. // Theodore Roosevelt
+ The template for the perfect out-of-office message.
+ This fitted wrap cardigan is a great blazer alternative.
+ “I believe that marriage is a sacred union.” Made me laugh.
+ Mango always has amazing coats. I love this olive belted coat.
+ Productivity hacks to get time back (no more meetings that can be e-mails!).
+ Subtle Leopard Blouses for Work: One in plus, and one in misses/plus/petite.
+ 10 Cooking Tips from Ina Garten That Changed My Life.
+ This Cosabella Soire bra is my new favorite.
+ How to define your core needs in and out of a relationship. (Wow.)
+ Have you tried Nuuly, Anthropologie’s clothing rental?
Long Read. A diary found during a renovation holds a love story, and a mystery.
Every year, we do a virtual cookie swap here on Capitol Hill Style. Â You post a link to your favorite holiday cookie (or dessert) recipe, so we can all find a new one to share with our loved ones.
This year, I’ve chosen Ovenly’s Salted Peanut Butter Cookies. Â They’re gluten-free and dairy-free. Â And when you eat them, you start to feel the true meaning of Christmas.
Seriously, my heart grew three sizes that day. Â That’s the miracle of peanut butter.
I use this Skippy Natural Peanut Butter. Â And I broke out the ‘good salt‘ from Maldon to give them the perfectly salty flavor that will hook you on these cookies instantly.
But one word of caution, don’t make them unless you can share them with people. Â These are too dangerous to have around unsupervised.
{this post contains affiliate links that may generate commission for the author}
I want to make of these cookies for the holidays:
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/iced-oatmeal-cookies/
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/crispy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I LOVE the classic Grandma’s Iced Oatmeal Cookies so while I haven’t tried that one yet, I trust this source for only the best recipes. I use all her cake recipes for family birthdays as well and they are phenomenal.
The chocolate chip cookies are the best I’ve made, they are quick and easy and no decorating required. Yay!
The core needs article is awesome, and I think really important for everyone to regularly evaluate.
Also – Can you go in to more detail about why you like the Cosabella bra? I’ve had some cup size changes and while my bralettes are ok for wfh, they won’t cut it when I have to go to the office. I usually just get seamless Wacoal bras because I like a really natural shape, but am always curious about other options.
I think lemon is a totally underrated Christmas cookie flavor. Accordingly I recommend these lemon crinkle cookies: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2018/12/lemon-crinkle-cookies/. Roll them first in granulated sugar then powdered sugar to get the powdered version to stick and not just melt away when baked. They are actually pretty easy to make too.
These are my favorite to bake for cookie exchanges. The taste is brighter and texture a bit lighter than traditional Christmas cookies. A friend liked them so much she asked me to make them for the cookie table at her wedding.
https://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/tangerine-butter-cookies/
When I saw your comments about the cookies being GF and dairy free, I thought that it sounded similar to Smitten Kitchen’s cookie recipe that I’ve made several times before. And, turns out, the Ovenly recipe includes a quote from Smitten Kitchen, where it came from: https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/10/salted-peanut-butter-cookies/
You want wish to update the link with the Smitten Kitchen link, since the original link has more photos and more advice.
Smitten Kitchen may describe it more but she notes that it’s Ovenly’s recipe! I’m always a fan of citing to the original where possible. Though I agree Smitten Kitchen may be more helpful to some bakers 🙂
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/10/salted-peanut-butter-cookies/
Every time I make these they fly off the plate:
https://www.carnation.co.uk/recipes/raspberry-white-chocolate-cookies
Using frozen raspberries instead of fresh works just as well and they ar a bit easier to handle when folding them into thecookies.
I think every cookie plate needs a good decorated gingerbread cookie and I’m happy to spend an afternoon in the kitchen with piping bags and Christmas music.
Gimme Some Oven’s gingerbread is the best soft batch gingerbread that still holds a shape when baked. It even mails well if you don’t decorate the cookies!
I don’t include the orange peel, but I use dark brown sugar for extra rich molasses-y flavor.
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/gingerbread-cookies/
This molasses cookie is PERFECT. Make sure to refrigerate the dough for a bit before baking and to roll the dough balls in course sugar.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chewy-Molasses-Cookies-51205630
Can’t find a link to this online, but these are Chocolate Hazelnut Swirls from America’s Test Kitchen, Quick Family cookbook; two ingredients, and you have tasty and attractive treats (and no mess) in under than 45 minutes.
Roll one tube of store-bought sugar cookie dough out into an 11×8 inch rectangle (helps to do this between two sheets of parchment paper). Spread with 1/3 cup Nutella, leaving a 1/4 inch border all around. Working from short side, roll tightly into a log, pinch seam, wrap in plastic wrap, freeze approx 20 minutes. Unwrap, trim ends, slice into 1/2 inch thick discs. Place cookies about an inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets (they spread a bit). Bake at 350F until lightly golden, about 12 minutes. Recipe says it makes 15; my experience was more like 18-20 cookies.
This Salted Chocolate Toffee Pretzel Bark is going to be my go to from now on, I tried it initially because I had a bunch of broken pretzels but its really good. I used to make peanut butter cups every year but that requires quite a bit more work than this bark.
Same as your peanut butter cookies Abra, I broke out the good salt to sprinkle on top of this one.
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/salted-chocolate-toffee-pretzel-bark/?fbclid=IwAR3FYizxTY1it9OvISszkQFLxtnGgapbkxcNRoAktXxYXbTUUWSowwXSG1I
The Edition #200?!!! Wow, congratulations! I look forward to theses so much, they are always great—thank you for all the effort you put into this, and the whole blog!
I know. It’s crazy!
I used nuuly for around six months and dropped it when life turned into only rarely leaving the house and wearing pajamas all day every day. I bought several of my rental items, including one dress that arrived in my bag with the price tags still on and that I still got for the discounted rental purchase price. My only complaint was that while there was a decent plus-sized selection to start with, there weren’t often many new items being added. Once I rented everything I was interested in, there could be a wait to find something I wanted to rent in the new arrivals.
My husband always had something similar to apricot thumbprint cookies around Christmas as a child, so I make some for him. For me, I make pecan meltways.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pecan-meltaways/
https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/thumbprint-cookies/