52 Weeks of Cookies: A Year in Review

I did it!  52 weeks is up and 52 new cookie recipes were made!

What did I learn?

• Baking cookies every week helped me understand the basic cookie recipe - ingredients, measurements, and methods.  I know so much more about what different ingredients or methods do to the final outcome.  I could almost create a recipe without out looking - maybe.
• I really enjoyed learning as I went through each week and seeing my knowledge grow by simply practicing baking so often.  
• I learned, or maybe relearned, that I do well with rules and goals and really enjoy having both outlined clearly.  Along with that, I feel guilt easily, often self-imposed by my own rules/goals/expectations.  
• Also, I learned just how happy cookies make people!  My goodness people love cookies.  More than I even thought.  It really is the simple things.

What tools did I already have that were helpful?

• Good cookie sheets
• A sturdy, grid cookie cooling rack
• Silpat mats
• A great rubber spatula to scrape the bowl
• A thin, flexible spatula to lift cookies
• Cookie scoops
• a trivet (for setting the hot cookie sheets on to cool quicker between batches - good tip)

What did I buy?

• Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (I've always wanted one, this just gave me the excuse to buy one when I found a good deal.  LOVE IT.)
• A sifter - the kind you spin the handle, not squeeze because that's too much work
• An extra large cookie spatula to move several cookies to the cooling rack at once
• A zester, so much easier than a basic grater
• round biscuit cutters
• some other cookie cutters
• gel icing, so fun!
• plenty of extract, butter, sugars, flour, cream cheese, citrus, chocolate, and other required ingredients!
• Gallon size bags for shipping and gifting and storing
• Lots of postage!
• I was gifted a nice non-stick mat for rolling out dough

What do I miss?

• Making people happy
• Cookies!
• The therapy of baking
• feeling accomplished each week
• having a specific goal to complete

What makes me glad it's over?

• Having a clean kitchen!
• Measuring cups/spoons are put away in the cabinet
• I don't have to plan something all the time
• I don't have to shop for baking ingredients
• I can do other things with that time and not feel as busy

My top 10 (not in ranked order, because I can't pick that)

1. I Want to Marry You Cookies
2. Twix Cookies
3. Soft and Chewy Cinnamon Cookies
4. Brown Butter Salted Caramel Cookies
5. Lemon Bar Cookie Cups
6. Orange Zested Cookies
7. Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
8. Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
9. Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips
10. Chocolate Chip Cookies

My most common cookie tasters' cumulative top 5 - sort of, because they were all so different.
(This group is Brian, my mom, grandma, Ron, my dad, Barbara)

1. Twix Cookies
2. Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
3. Chocolate Chip Cookies
4. Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
5. Lemon Bar Cookie Cups

What's next??
First, a break!
Next:
I feel the need to ease out of this adventure.  So.

I am going to try to continue to make a new cookie recipe, maybe one a month?  We'll see.  No limitations, rules, etc.  I want to keep up the baking at a much slower pace.

I have always loved baking.  I will always love baking.  Baking once meant out of a box or a simple recipe for a special occasion.  I started to venture out and try some ideas once I found Pinterest.  Now I have tried so many new things.  This year has vastly expanded my confidence, willingness, and love for baking cookies and sharing with others.  Cookies make people happy.  I love cookies.  I love making people happy.  WIN!

Peace, love, and cookies!
Alissa

Cookie Progress: Weeks 46 - 52

It's over!  I'm done!  No more cookies!  At least not weekly.  Thank you for coming on my journey with me.  So. Much. Fun.    

A final look back and overall review coming soon.  Stay tuned!

Week 46:

Cookies - French Toast Sugar Cookies

Event - Dad's birthday

Recipe - http://minimalistbaker.com/french-toast-sugar-cookies/

Review - These cookies were to celebrate my dad's birthday.  My dad has always been the best french toast chef so I could think of no better cookie to celebrate him with.  He likes about anything so the french toast was more in celebration of giving to him what he so wonderfully gives.  These were yummy.  I especially liked the extra sprinkle of cinnamon on top for both aesthetics and taste.  I realized I didn't have a square cookie cutter (and I didn't trust myself to cut decent squares) so I improvised with a small Tupperware container which worked perfectly!  The blog I found these on describes them as "insanely delicious pillowy clouds of cinnamon-y, maple goodness" and that is exactly what they are.  I borrowed my mom's sifter for these since I didn't have one.  She has one that you squeeze and is about a 2 cup size.  Suffice it to say I went out a bought myself a sifter after this batch.  The recipe calls for maple extract but I used more pure maple syrup instead since that's what I had on hand.  Verdict, so delicious.  It also made plenty of cookies for all to enjoy.


Week 47:

Cookies - Chunky Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies

Event - Laura's birthday

Recipe - http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/chunky-chewy-snickerdoodles/929ea189-f60e-4a34-910d-2ef40b4c06c6/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_content=party&utm_campaign=snickerdoodle&crlt.pid=camp.4xGL76QK3bms

Review - I felt like I was cheating on these and I feel like I don't have a choice but to tell you that.  I didn't realize that this recipe called for using a bag cookie mix until I was ready to make it.  I contemplated the idea of using a snickerdoodle cookie recipe but convinced myself (fairly easily really) that I needed to follow the recipe I had given myself.  I felt guilt, I promise you, even in week 47.  Nonetheless, these were so delicious.  Snickers mixed in with snickerdoodles?  Genius.  This gave me all sorts of ideas, using other candies, using it with other base cookie doughs, mixing candies, all kinds of different possibilities!  The work on these cookies came with the unwrapping and cutting of mini Snickers.  I figured these would be a good option for the mail since I was sending them to my sister-in-law for her birthday.  I was lucky enough to keep a few for myself.  I think Brian liked these quite a bit, or maybe he just enjoyed the leftover Snickers I had lying around (not for long).  

Week 48:

Cookies - Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Event - Donald's birthday

Recipe - http://www.bakingandmistaking.com/2010/06/chocolate-peanut-butter-suprise-cookies.html

Review - Yum!  Donald requested white chocolate macadamia or oatmeal chocolate chip.  When I told him I had neither, I let him pick from a list of remaining recipes I didn't have a plan for and these sounded like the most fun since there was a surprise!  It was basically making peanut butter balls and wrapping them in chocolate cookie dough.  They turned out both beautiful and delicious in my opinion.  Look at that gorgeous cracking around the edges!  I especially liked the extra sugar from the sugar coated glass used for flattening the cookies.  Most people agree that you can't really go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.  I'm not sure there is much more to say about these.        

Week 49:

Cookies - Butterscotch Pudding Triple Chip Cookies

Event - Rachel's birthday

Recipe - http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/butterscotch-pudding-triple-chip-cookies/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+twopeasandtheirpod/rNNF+(Two+Peas+and+Their+Pod)

Review - These are some of my favorite that I will certainly make again!  My new favorite cookie recipe - anything with pudding mix added in.  The pudding adds a perfect softness and keeps the cookies plenty moist!  This is a fairly basic and simple chocolate chip cookie recipe otherwise.  The addition of both the white and butterscotch chips adds loads of flavor to otherwise generic (though delicious) cookie.  These were my last cookies to mail away!  I learned my way around the self-service kiosk at the post office and was able to pack quite a few cookies securely in the flat rate boxes.  I will be keeping this recipe handy to make when I am in a pinch.  I can customize it so easily as well, depending on what I have on a hand.  It is an easy and simple base recipe.  If I only wanted chocolate chip they would still be delicious, and they might be good with pecans added in as well.    

Week 50:

Cookies - Meltaway Cookies

Event - Geoff's birthday

Recipe - http://www.landeeseelandeedo.com/2011/12/meltaway-cookies.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+LandeeSeeLandeeDo+(Landee+See,+Landee+Do)

Review -   Not my favorite recipe (sorry Geoff!), but certainly an appropriate name for these cookies.  They weren't bad.  They had a nice smooth buttery flavor and soft of crumbled around the edges.  The icing was tasty and could've been any color which is easy for a variety of celebrations.  The addition of the icing wasn't too bad with these because they cookies were so simple.  I definitely enjoyed the cookie better with the icing.  I liked that the cookie only had 4 ingredients, and things you likely always have on hand.  So if you needed a good homemade cookie last minute this is certainly a good option for whatever you may need.  Mine didn't turn out quite as pretty as the ones from the recipe, but they weren't bad.  I think sifting powdered sugar when making cream cheese icing is always a good idea.  It makes the icing much more consistent and pretty.     

Week 51:

Cookies - Lemon Bar Cookie Cups

Event - Difficult cookies at the end

Recipe - http://www.barbarabakes.com/lemon-bar-cookie-cups/

Review - Oh. My.  Goodness.  These were some of my favorites.  A secret - I was actually planning on making these earlier in the year, but had come home from vacation that week and decided to switch the one recipe to give myself a bit of a break.  That's fine, I left these to challenge myself near the end of my journey.  These were similar to lemon bars, but I think better.  The cookie itself was so perfectly simple and delicious.  Add in the homemade (!) lemon curd and the extra sprinkle of powdered sugar and I was done.  So.   Good!  You have to love lemon, but I love that these weren't overpowering.  The curd by itself was something I just wanted to eat spoonfuls of, but was much better combined with the sugar cookie cup.  These were a great size as well, a few small bites and it's gone.  I didn't have a specific occasion for these and I didn't plan soon enough to come up with something.  Several family members and friends were able to eat more of these than normal, including me.  I typically only eat a couple of my cookies unless it makes a ton.  I ate my fair share of these... :)

Week 52:

Cookies - Pinata Cookies

Event - Cinco de Mayo/Graduation

Recipe - http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/slideshow/1328/pinata-cookies/pinata-cookie-tutorial-29

Review -  These win for the most difficult. Hands down.  I could've told you that week 1.  This was the plan all along.  I was terrified of these.  I had to worry and fret about them for 52 weeks.  I am incredibly proud of how they turned out, especially after seeing some other reviews online where they failed miserably (these are funny, though so you may want to check those out).  Even during the baking I was sure they would be my biggest disaster.  I was afraid I would end on such a sour note and be ashamed of my cookie making skills.  Alas, they (sort of) came through for me.  Although I only got 4 real pinata cookies out of this, I got 4 real, decent, legitimate pinata cookies out of this.  They were a challenge and I felt accomplished in completing it.  Particularly with the limited instructions.  I mean, click on this link.  It's a picture tutorial with very little specifics.  I made it work for the most part.  I found a donkey cookie cutter online.  It was 4 inches which I thought was large, but figured it would have to do.  I found a pretty good sugar cookie recipe to use as a base.  I also ordered gel food coloring online.  The mini M&Ms I found at easily Target, where I also found the cute mini pinata I decided I needed to take pictures with.  I put my mom on assignment to find me good Tupperware containers to layer and freeze the dough in.  She succeeded, luckily at the dollar store.  Side note - these were some of my more expensive cookies.  Anyway, the layering was so freaking difficult and I barely had enough dough.  The container needed to be that wide to accommodate the donkey cookie cutter, but I didn't have enough height.  I ended up making some dog bones since they were shorter and then stacked two slices of dough together for the donkeys.  That's why it made even less than it would've.  They stayed together surprisingly well.  I think I lost one leg on each donkey.  Overall, I was incredibly proud of these.  The leftover cookie pieces were yummy, too.  The cookie dough was certainly delicious and the bright colors were fun anyway.  I will enjoy having the gel food coloring in the future.  They look so cool and got a good reaction on facebook, because isn't that what life is all about?!  (sarcasm)          

Cookie Progress: Weeks 41 - 45

This was a calm 5 weeks of cookie making as only one week had a true occasion and recipient.  I can feel that I am nearing the end and I am looking forward to not having to plan around when to make cookies and what I need from the store.  I am starting to reflect back on the last year in the kitchen and I am honestly amazed that I've almost made it.  It is still fun, but I have definitely felt the difference when the cookies aren't for someone specific.  I don't have the same motivation or excitement when they are just cookies to make cookies.

Week 41:
Cookies - Cherry White Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Event - Valentine's Day and President's Day
Recipe - http://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/cherry-white-chocolate-pudding-cookies/
Review - I made these after Valentine's day and President's day for the pink color and the cherry flavor.  There was no specified recipient for these so Brian and I both took some to work to share with others.  The recipe includes white chocolate pudding mix and cherry jello mix, so a bit like other jello cookies.  I liked the flavor of the cherry jello but also the color!  The cookies were pretty and smelled delicious as well.  I think everyone enjoyed these, some went back for seconds or thirds.  They were certainly easy to mix together and make quickly.  I never know what to do with the leftover cherry jello mix, but I'll come up with something. I did use sugar free jello in an attempt to cut back on the sugar since you also add plenty of sugar to the recipe and there is pudding and white chocolate as well.  I don't think you could notice the lack of extra sugar.  I thought about chopping up white chocolate rather than use the white chocolate chips, but I didn't because I had the chips and I was feeling "lazy".  I should bake with pudding more often - it makes the cookies so soft with just the right amount of chewiness. These were definitely a fun pink cookie to add to the list.


Week 42:
Cookies - Soft Maple Cinnamon Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Maple Frosting
Event - Just because
Recipe - http://www.designeatrepeat.com/2013/11/soft-maple-cinnamon-sugar-cookies-cream-cheese-maple-frosting/?crlt.pid=camp.jifNw44sZDuV
Review - I didn't have an occasion for these cookies so they went to work as well.  I enjoyed using my new baking mat to roll out the dough.  It did help the cookies not stick as easily as they do to floured counter top.  I also used my new circle cookie cutters.  I actually got biscuit cutters because they are thicker and have handles!  How handy.  I do enjoy kitchen tools.  The cookies were light and simple.  They were tasty but I thought they were a bit dry by themselves so the frosting was likely necessary to fully enjoy these cookies.  The frosting turned out to taste delicious, but was lacking in the appearance department.  Maybe softer cream cheese or sifted powdered sugar would help, but nobody seemed bothered by the look because they tasted so good.  A few ladies at work told me these were some of the best cookies they've had.  I had to tell them they weren't my best and they were upset I hadn't brought more in!


Week 43:
Cookies - Lemon Raspberry Cookies
Event - Brian's birthday
Recipe - http://heatherchristo.com/2014/03/05/lemon-raspberry-cookies/
Review - Happy birthday Brian!  Brian definitely had a favorite cookie from previous weeks which was his request for his birthday cookies - Strawberry Lemonade cookies.  Unfortunately, I don't repeat cookies to count for my weeks.  :)  However, I thought these would be a great alternative to get similar flavors.  Let me tell you, my mom came to the rescue on these.  I was short on time and she brought me a few ingredients.  I thought the recipe called for frozen raspberries.  When she brought them to me I realized the recipe actually called for freeze dried raspberries!  So she went back to get some for me - going to two stores to find them.  Phew.  I think it was worth it, though, as those freeze dried raspberries really do provide these cookies with something special.  These cookies were the perfect combination of crispy but soft (and stayed that way) and tart but sweet.  I'll say I know Brian enjoyed these close to as much as those strawberry lemonade cookies, so I call that a success.


Week 44:
Cookies - An Even Better Snickerdoodle
Event - Nothing, an easy recipe
Recipe - http://lovintheoven.com/even-better-snickerdoodle
Review - Time for a secret confession: I had a different cookie planned for this week and switched it for this recipe because it was easier.  We got back from vacation and I still had the weekend to make the week's cookies, but didn't end up accomplishing it until Monday night.  Oh. Well.  That's where I'm at.  :)  These were perfect because they were so simple, I had everything I needed already in the pantry, and it was a smaller batch.  Since I didn't have anything in mind for sharing these cookies it was nice to have a smaller batch and be able to give the normal taste testers a few extra cookies each.  Snickerdoodles might just be my favorite go-to "normal" cookie due to my love for cinnamon.  These were quite delicious and a perfect snickerdoodle texture of crisp, soft, and chewy.  They were a cookie that I probably would've eaten a dozen out of the oven if I didn't have self-control.  It was tempting.


Week 45:
Cookies - 5 Ingredient Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
Event - St. Patty's Day and March Madness I guess
Recipe - http://bakerbynature.com/5-ingredient-raspberry-cheesecake-thumbprint-cookies/
Review - These were yummy.  I have never made jam thumbprint cookies, so it was fun to do.  I shared these at a March Madness watch party on St. Patty's day.  They were gone before a few of the late-comers even showed up.  I didn't have raspberry preserves at home, but I did have strawberry preserves.  Then I had to go to the store anyway so I caved and bought raspberry - it sounded so good!  Although I think strawberry (or any other flavor you prefer) would be tasty as well, I am pleased with myself for using the raspberry preserves.  They went so well with the light and yummy cookies.  The dough included cream cheese, thus the cheesecake.  It wasn't overwhelming, just enough to give it that creamy decadent texture and flavor.  They were a perfect amount of sweet.  I followed the timing fairly exactly and it was wonderful to have the just cooked edges to keep the texture perfect.  Yum.  I will make these again and again.  The dough was easy to pull together besides having to remeber to give yourself time for it to chill first.

Cookie Progress: Weeks 36 - 40

Another 5 weeks of bringing people joy through cookies!  I truly love how excited people get for cookies.  Baking for you is completely my pleasure.


Week 36:
Cookies - Raspberry Cream Cookies
Event - Greg and Mike's birthday
Recipe - http://www.anecdotesandapples.com/raspberry-cream-cookies-and-36-weeks
Review - Yum!  I wanted to make a cookie that would travel well since these had to go to two different cities, both several states away!  I was excited to use fruit in a cookie, especially with white chocolate.  It was a tasty combination.  I think I should've let the dough sit out longer after being chilled.  The last couple of batches out of the oven were a little better looking than the first couple.  The first few were more lumpy I guess, while the warmer dough cooked more evenly.  Next time I may use chopped white chocolate as the recipe calls for as opposed to the white chocolate chips that I used.  I also may use fresh raspberries that I freeze rather than frozen bagged raspberries.  I'm not sure it would make a big difference, but maybe in the amount of whole raspberries that were in the cookie rather than pieces.  I was excited to send the McCauley twins some cookies for their big birthday.


Week 37:
Cookies - Chocolate Chip Cookies (NY Times rated best)
Event - Casey's birthday
Recipe - http://iambaker.net/chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - Casey wanted plain chocolate chip cookies, lucky for him I had a recipe that has been rated the best chocolate chip cookie recipe by the NY Times.  Unfortunately for me, it was a little more complicated than most plain chocolate chip cookie recipes.  I have never used bread flour or cake flour prior to these cookies.  I also hadn't sifted out all the dry ingredients before.  Plenty of time and hand cramps later I could start the actual mixing of the dough!  These also had to chill for awhile, so I had to plan it out more than usual.  However, they were amazing and Casey and others enjoyed them.  They got a great reaction.  It made a very large batch of cookies, so if I make these again I would either freeze some of the dough or cut the recipe in half.  Casey said these tasted "like Chips Ahoy!" - I know he meant similar in taste and texture but much better!!

Week 38:
Cookies - Soft and Puffy Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies
Event - for Jon
Recipe - http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/03/soft-and-puffy-peanut-butter-coconut-oil-cookies.html
Review - Brian's friend Jon was very interested in my cookie journey and wanted to get in on it.  So when I had a free week with no events, Jon got a spot!  I was excited that he chose this recipe out of a few choice because I wasn't sure who would be interested in these since they are just a little different.  I loved how these turned out.  I honestly couldn't taste the coconut oil in the cookies.  I did tast the soft and puffy peanut butter, though!  I think Jon may have enjoyed them all in a short timeframe, so I'd say that's a success.  I liked the texture of these quite a bit.  They were a little greasy on your fingertips with the coconut oil and peanut butter, but didn't taste greasy.  I really like how they looked, it was a good dough to use with the cookie scoop.       

Week 39:
Cookies - Soft Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
Event - Kevin's birthday
Recipe - http://americanheritagecooking.com/2014/06/soft-nutella-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - When we were in Wisconsin for Jess and Doug's wedding, Kevin wanted to make sure he got in on this cookie adventure and let me know when his birthday was.  He said chocolate chip may be his favorite, and Loretta helped me pick this recipe of a few different varieties I had to choose from.  I was also very excited about these, because baking with Nutella always turns out delicious.  I know these were enjoyed, I just hope they didn't cause an argument in the Coccetella home!  Not only were these delicious but they were very straightforward and simple to bake.  I did use semi-sweet chocolate chips as opposed to bittersweet chocolate chips, but I think it'd be fun to make it both ways and see which I preferred.

Week 40:
Cookies - Twix Cookies
Event - Jessica's birthday
Recipe - http://www.chef-in-training.com/2014/11/twix-cookies/
Review - These were perhaps the most talked about cookies that people seemed most excited about.  I suppose they are unique.  The cookie is a shortbread, then it has melted caramel and melted chocolate on top.  Each layer required cooling before moving on to the next.  I made these while I was getting my internet upgraded and the technician said, "Yum, cookies!  Someone will be lucky."  Oh if only he knew how lucky so many people have been!  They were a sure manual labor of love for my best friend's birthday.  We both love Twix so it was awesome to make these for her.  She was more excited than just about anyone so far.  That is by far my favorite part of baking cookies; it's all to give people something to smile about and enjoy. 

Cookie Progress: Weeks 31 - 35

And the journey continues - a whole blog full of BIRTHDAYS!  I'm getting closer.  I'm enjoying it, but I'm getting to the point where I will be ready for a break.  Thank you for your continued excitement and interest, as that is a major motivating factor for me.

Week 31:
Cookies - Homemade Oreos
Event - Mom's Birthday
Recipe - http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2012/02/homemade-oreos/
Review - Mom enjoys Oreos so I thought these would be fun to make for her birthday.  They were fun, I really enjoyed making these and eating them!  I wasn't convinced they would actually turn out as a hard crunchy cookie with a set filling inside.  I thought they surely would turn out more like whoopie pies.  They proved me wrong, they were a harder cookie with a perfect filling.  It was interesting to see these come together.  The cookie was a good cocoa flavor without being too rich and overpowering and the filling was a great balance without being too fluffy and sweet.  Although they weren't quite like Oreos, they were certainly closer to them than whoopie pies.  They were a little tedious to make since you had to roll out the dough and cut them out to bake, then make the filling and assemble.  I also gave a few to my friend Jessica's mom, Chris, who shares a birthday with my mom!


Week 32:
Cookies - Caramel Stuffed Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Event - Barbara's Birthday/my birthday
Recipe - http://thebellevieblog.com/caramel-stuffed-soft-gingerbread-cookies/
Review - A winter cookie as a gingerbread, but with the caramel they were a bit different.  They didn't turn out to look like the picture at all, that seems to be happening a lot lately.  They still tasted good, though.  I liked that these were soft and chewy instead of hard and crunchy like I normally think of gingerbread.  They weren't overpowering on the ginger, but had great spice flavors.  Again, I cheated and used caramel bits instead of unwrapping individual caramels.  They may have melted a little better but it was so much easier this way.  It still took plenty of effort to roll out two balls of dough and roll them around the caramel in the middle.  Since the caramel was in the middle, these tasted best right out of the oven or better in the microwave for a few seconds so it wasn't hard in the middle.  I think everyone really enjoyed these, which is really all that matters.


Week 33:
Cookies - Fairy Bites: Tiny Shortbread Cookies
Event - Cora's 5th Birthday
Recipe - http://pinkpiccadillypastries.blogspot.com/2014/02/fairy-bites.html

Review - These didn't turn out quite like I wanted them to or how they looked on the recipe, but still yummy and fun.  Tate was in town so he got to help me make these.  We both had fun.  The dough was still crumbly for me and never turned into real dough which I was worried about.  You pressed it into a pan and then cut it up to bake.  It was a challenge to get full pieces from the pan to the baking sheet without falling apart, so they were misshapen and a bit crumbly, but actually mostly stuck together.  They were a delicious light shortbread and the sprinkles made it fun.  Even though it was supposed to be crumbly, I think it was meant to stick a little better than mine did.  I triple checked the recipe so I'm not sure what went wrong.  Other than the fact that they didn't come together too well, they were super easy to make.  The best thing was that Cora really didn't care.  She still enjoyed them and was nice enough to share them.    


Week 34:
Cookies - Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
Event - Jessica's Birthday
Recipe - http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/02/24/dark-chocolate-almond-butter-cookies/
Review - Gluten free and delicious with the dark chocolate, these were more winners.  I get the special privilege of always trying a cookie straight from the oven.  In this case in particular it was a real treat to have this hot and fresh with the gooey dark chocolate.  I had never tried almond butter before so that was fun.  The recipe said you could substitute peanut butter but I wanted to try it as it was and try something new.  If I made them again I may use peanut butter just because the almond butter is so darn expensive.  These were easy to make and stayed together better than other gluten free cookies I have made in the past.  I got these mailed quickly so Jess could enjoy them as fresh as possible and she did!  Success!  She had several people offer to help eat them.  I also put up my new kitchen decor from Donald!


Week 35:
Cookies - Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Event - Regina's Birthday
Recipe - http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2013/05/flourless-peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - These were delicious and probably some of my favorites I've made.  Regina said it really made her day, so that's the best part of all!  These were the best gluten free cookies I think I've made.  They stuck together so well and were chewy and soft.  Although, if I were giving these to someone with a severe gluten allergy I may be in trouble with the potential for trace amounts of gluten in the oats since I didn't buy specifically gluten free oats.  Thankfully that wasn't the case with these.  They were so easy to make.  The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is always a win in my book.  These were another cookie I was extra lucky to test straight from the oven with the warm and melted chocolate chips.  They weren't quite as beautiful as the picture in the recipe, but still pretty good looking cookies.  They were bite size which is my favorite so you can have just one for a small treat, or a few for an indulgence.

Cookie Progress: Weeks 26 - 30

Week 26:
Cookies - Key Lime White Chocolate Cookies
Event - Lori's Birthday
Recipe - http://deliciousbydre.com/key-lime-white-chocolate-cookies/
Review - This week marked half way through the year!!  These were super easy cookies to make, using a key lime cake mix as a base.  I liked using the cut up white chocolate bar as opposed to white chocolate chips.  If I made these again I think I would try to add in some lime zest and or juice for an added punch of the lime flavor.  It was subtle but tasty in these cookies.  I might even add a couple drops of green food coloring to give it a nicer color.  These turned out a little more crumbly and rounded than the recipe showed, but they were still delicious.  I'm not sure what the difference was with that, but it didn't seem to be a problem with the flavors.  Lori enjoyed them and that's what matters.


Week 27:
Cookies - Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
Event - Pumpkin season/fall
Recipe - http://dreamydesserts.blogspot.com/2008/10/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-with-creamy-cream.html
Review - Okay these are at the top of my list - some of my favorites!  Everyone else seemed to fall in love with these as well.  It made so many cookies so I shared with my neighbor and several friends besides my family.  Talk about some time consuming effort, though!  Not only was there a filling, but the cookies also required piping the dough out to bake them.  I was actually tired after finishing these.  They had such a wonderful balance of pumpkin spice flavors and the filling was the most delicious cream cheese frosting I've made.  I will certainly cut the recipe in half next time to save some time.  These were even gorgeous, which is always an added bonus in my opinion.  I will add these to my list of recipes to hold on to, but only for special occassions due to the effort; I like easy!


Week 28:
Cookies -Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing
Event - Fall, for Godparents and co-workers
Recipe - http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2010/10/15/pumpkin-cookies-w-cream-cheese-icing/

Review - These were tasty and everyone enjoyed scarfing them down.  My coworkers were happy to get some of my cookies and my godparents were pleased to receive a special treat as well.  It made a LOT of cookies.  I even halved the recipe and it was still plenty.  I enjoyed the little bit of cinnamon sprinkled on top of these cookies.  With the pumpkin cookies the dough is fairly sticky, so although I did use a cookie scoop, they don't turn out quite as perfectly round.  I suppose adding the icing helps the pretty factor some.  It was probably a bad idea to make these the week after the amazing pumpkin cookies in week 27.  These almost felt like a let down when they were still soft and pillowy deliciousness.



Week 29:
Cookies - Soft Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Event - Thanksgiving
Recipe - http://www.thebakerchick.com/2015/10/soft-frosted-pumpkin-spice-cookies/
Review - By the time I made these I was a little tired of pumpkin, but since it was Thanksgiving it felt like it was right.  My cookies didn't turn out quite as flat and pretty as the recipe showed, but flattening that sticky dough didn't work too well for me so I just went with it.  I did like all the spices in this one, it was quite flavorful.  I was also tired of having to frost all these cookies.  That is an added step that I don't like having to do!  It does add to the overall cookie and is an important step with these pumpkin cookies.


Week 30:
Cookies - Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
Event - Carly's birthday
Recipe - http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/brown-butter-salted-caramel-snickerdoodles/#comment-234141
Review - These were heaven.  I was so excited about making these.  I snooped around Carly's Pinterest to find a type of cookie to make her when I saw that she had pinned one of the recipes in my list!!  So that was it.  Even better, the blog is two peas and their pod, which reminded that we used to say we were like two peas in a pod because we are such great friends.  :)  So, I cheated on the recipe a little.  I am a fan of simplifying things were possible.  The recipe called for caramels, unwrapped and cut up.  I bought a bag of caramel melts instead to save me the time and effort.  An unwrapped and cut caramel may melt a little gooier in the cookie, but this was just as tasty and much easier.  It was still a process to brown the butter and roll up the caramel in the cookies.  I thought you could really taste the browned butter and it might be my favorite new discovery in this process - so delicious.  The sea salt on top gave it a nice balance as well.  

Cookie Progress: Weeks 21 - 25

And I'm almost half way there...Let the baking continue!

Week 21:
Cookies - Almond Meltaway Cookies
Event - Leza and John's Anniversary
Recipe - http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/03/almond-meltaway-cookies/
Review - I decided to make these cookies to celebrate Leza and John's anniversary because they reminded me of all the italian wedding cookies at their wedding.  These were delicious.  They really did melt away in your mouth.  I loved the texture of these cookies.  The glaze turned out better than any I've made so far.  I think it may have been due to actually sifting the powdered sugar to even it out and having the right measure of everything to get the right consistency.  It was a pretty white instead of a somewhat clumpy clear-ish glaze I've made in the past.  It was also a bit thicker so it stayed on the tops of the cookies better instead of dripping down.  This may have been helped by using the back of a spoon to apply the glaz, as well.  Delicious and beautiful are always a good combination for my favorite cookies.  The best part was getting an excited and grateful text from my cousin telling me they loved the cookies! I'm happy they were included in the challenge.


Week 22:
Cookies - Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips
Event - For Laura, who wanted to be part of my challenge
Recipe - http://sugarcooking.blogspot.com/2010/07/pretzel-cookies-with-chocolate-peanut.html
Review - These were at the top of the list.  I had high expectations for these cookies and they came through.  Laura lived in my mom's neighborhood growing up, we went through school together behind my brothers and her sister.  She's good people, so when she asked on Facebook to be part of my cookie year of course I said sure.  She was kind enough to come pick them up so I didn't have to mail or deliver  them.  When I told her what kind of cookies I made her she said "It's like you know my soul!!" :)  So, definitely a success!  That's probably the best reaction I have had, and that's the best part about making all these cookies.  The salty sweet combination of these cookies is heavenly - a perfect balance.  I suggest you try them.  They were also quite simple to make and turned out looking great.  The extra sea salt on top of the cookies really takes it over the edge, as well.  I tried one without the salt because I was unsure, but it was a truly vital part to the deliciousness of this well rounded cookie.

Week 23:
Cookies - Strawberry Chip Cookies
Event - Jake's birthday
Recipe - http://www.madefrompinterest.net/strawberry-chip-cookies/#_a5y_p=3537754
Review - Easy and delicious!  These used a strawberry cake mix which made mixing them up super simple.  I didn't even use my stand mixer, just mixed everything up with a spoon.  I have grown to be quite fond of white chocolate chips.  It certainly made for a sweet cookie.  Again, I think these were both tasty and pretty, with a good texture.  I could have made them a little smaller in size since they were so sweet, but that's just preference.  For those that love strawberry cake - I would recommend this cookie.  They might also be fun to make for Valentine's Day since they are a perfect pink color.  It was fun to deliver these as I always enjoy visiting the Bolins.      

Week 24:
Cookies - Lemon Pillow Cookies
Event - Grandma's makeup birthday cookies
Recipe - http://noemptychairs.me/2014/12/10/twelve-days-of-christmas-cookies-lemon-pillow-cookies/
Review - The name says it all.  They were pillows of lemony goodness.  I don't think they were as lemony as some would prefer, but I enjoyed them.  When you took a bite it was like a taking a bite of a cloud.  I do think these were even better right out of the oven because the texture was more pronounced.  The dough balls were rolled in sugar so when they were freshly baked they had a perfect sugar crust on the outside before you got to the pillow center.  Although that texture stayed when they cooled, it wasn't quite as obvious.  I did like the cracked look this gave them, though.  The important thing is Grandma enjoyed them and I think she was happy to have a week dedicated to her, even though she's been able to try most of the cookies.  She was impressed that they stayed soft and delicious as long as they did. 

Week 25:
Cookies - Pumpkin-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Event - Halloween/Fall
Recipe - http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/08/pumpkin-oat-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - My first of several pumpkin cookie recipes!  I enjoyed these.  I have a pumpkin chocolate chip bread I make every fall and these reminded me of that.  The oats in this cookie give it a great texture, just the right amount of chewiness while still a soft cookie.  The only thing I would change about this recipe would be to cut it in half!!  I didn't give these away, so I ended up giving them to Brian to take to work and I took them to a Halloween party, but there were still plenty of cookies left.  I liked them better when I added a few chocolate chips to the tops of the cookies, it made them look more like chocolate chip cookies.  I put them in the fridge and that made them stay moist and delicious as well.  I don't always love pumpkin, but I'm looking forward to more pumpkin recipes coming up.

Cookie Progress: Weeks 16 - 20

The adventure continues!  I'm starting to lose a little steam.  I've done a great job at staying excited and  motivated for 20 weeks!!  Now there's a little less shine; I may need some encouragement.  I'm tired of my kitchen rarely being clean - I'm not great at doing the dishes right away!  Onward!


Week 16:
Cookies - Soft and Chewy White Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies
Event - Early Happy Birthday to my co-worker Brenda and Loretta's wedding weekend
Recipe - http://backforseconds.com/white-chocolate-cinnamon-cookies/
Review - These were some of the most well liked cookies I've made to date.  Everyone who tried them wanted more.  I brought them with us for Loretta's wedding and we all ate several before the reception as well as during!  Loretta even enjoyed one.  They were delicious.  They were soft and chewy just like they claimed, with a slight crisp on the outside.  My favorite.  The cinnamon was a delicious twist in this cookie.  The dough was a great dough and easy to make.  These will become a go-to cookie recipe for sure.  



Week 17:
Cookies - Cinnamon Honey Oatmeal Cookies
Event - Ron's birthday
Recipe - http://chasingdelicious.com/honey-cinnamon-oatmeal-cookies/
Review - My first ever baking failure!!!  The recipe was all in ounces.  I have a chart to convert it but I must have done something wrong.  The recipe calls for you to scoop out the dough and then refrigerate.  I did this and it seemed okay.  It seemed a little "wet", but it was staying in the scooped mounds just fine.  I figured that's why it was important to refrigerate, to get the dough to set up a little.  So I put the cookies in the oven and checked on them at the low end of the time suggested.  They were huge.  They spread across the entire pan.  I let them cool and had to literally peel them off the baking sheet.  At that point they were sticky and flexible.  I put them in a gallon bag and they turned into one big lump of cookie.  They were cooked even though they didn't appear to be.  I let Ron try them anyway.  He agreed the taste was good, but not so much the texture!  Brian, however, ate these all up!



Week 18:
Cookies - Softbatch Funfetti Sugar Cookies
Event - Tate's birthday
Recipe - http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/07/softbatch-funfetti-sugar-cookies.html
Review - I made these a little early for my nephew's birthday since we celebrated the Sunday before his actual 4th birthday.  I was excited to make him cookies with sprinkles in them, and I'm pretty sure he was excited I made them.  I bought sprinkles at the last minute and I couldn't find any with blue in them.  However, the large container I bought was still less than the recipe called for.  I had some leftover 4th of July and Christmas sprinkles.  So I got a few blue in there, but also plenty of red and green.  Oh well!  These had a little bit of almond extract in the dough, which I love.  I think it gives the cookie a little something interesting more than using vanilla extract.  These also called for being refrigerated, which I think helped.  Even with that, my cookies flattened out a little more than what the pictures showed with the recipe.  I don't know that they looked as wonderful, or if they were quite as soft, but these were still quite tasty.  The important thing is Tate was excited that I made him cookies for his birthday!


Week 19:
Cookies - Perfect Snickerdoodles
Event - Hairstylist and Kathleen's last radiation treatment
Recipe - http://rachelschultz.com/2012/11/13/perfect-snickerdoodles/
Review - I told my hairstylist about my cookie adventure the first time I got my haircut after I started.  I took him a couple leftovers from that week I had.  He was interested in knowing more and he made sure I knew that if I ever needed to get rid of some I could bring some by the salon!  So I knew I had to make him some on this journey.  He said he was a fan of snickerdoodles so I chose a basic snickerdoodle recipe for him to enjoy.  He was so excited when he saw me.  That is the best part of all this.  My mom was going to go to a surprise dinner to celebrate her friend Kathleen's final radiation treatment, so we thought that would be a good way to share the cookies as well.  Definitely something to celebrate!  Snickerdoodles may be one of my favorite cookies, and I probably could've eaten these until I was sick.  I think everyone loved these.  Again, these were a bit more spread out than the pictures in the recipe, but they were still a great texture.



Week 20:
Cookies - Award Winning Lemon Cookies
Event - Meredith's birthday
Recipe - http://www.ldsliving.com/LDS-Living-Lemon-Crinkle-Cookie-/s/64185
Review - Another tasty lemon cookie.  I like the powdered sugar coating on these.  It was a little bit of a crunch on the outside.  They were a bit of a cakey cookie, so depending on your preference it may or may not hit the spot.  However, they had a good balance of citrus tart and sweetness in my opinion.  Everyone seemed to enjoy these, but didn't have a whole lot to say about them.  They were a solid cookie, but maybe not at the top of the list so far.  Making them was a breeze - kind of even fun to roll them up and toss them in the powdered sugar.  They cooked fairly quickly which is always nice.

Cookie Progress: Weeks 11 - 15

The adventure rages on: Alissa's #52weeksofcookies.  KitchenAid mixers make baking even more fun!


Week 11:
Cookies - Chewy Key Lime Coconut Cookies
Event - David's birthday
Recipe - http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2013/08/chewy-key-lime-coconut-cookies.html
Review - I wasn't at all excited to make these personally as I am not a huge lime or coconut fan, but David likes them so that was the purpose.  I ended up really enjoying these.  Everyone else enjoyed them as well, most importantly David.  I think the addition of the cream cheese in the batter really makes it smooth and sweetly delicious.  Neither the lime or coconut were overpowering in this cookie.  They were a great little bite size, too.  The only negative was having leftover coconut in my pantry - yuck!  :)  Maybe I'll just have to make another batch sometime, with just slightly less coconut than it calls for!


Week 12:
Cookies - Salted Margarita Cookies with Tequila Glaze
Event - Loretta's Bachelorette
Recipe - http://www.doughvelopment.com/2014/05/salted-margarita-cookies-with-tequila.html
Review - This was actually my first time using my Kitchen Aid and I absolutely loved it.  It makes mixing much easier and much smoother.  I planned to make these for Loretta's bachelorette so I wanted to make them on Friday before I left to keep them fresh for us to enjoy.  Well my grandma ended up breaking her hip and having surgery that Friday, so these cookies got delayed til after the party.  I still sent some to both Loretta and Jessica in the mail so they could enjoy.  These weren't my favorite, since I don't love margaritas (only when I'm in the right mood for them).  They were a lot of fun though, and interesting to have a cookie that really did taste like a margarita.  The key was that they had salt sprinkled on top of the glaze.  I made a few with no glaze for Grandma and kids, then made a few with the glaze but no salt to test the taste difference.  I think I preferred them with the glaze but no salt.  However, the salt really made them stand out as something different and as a margarita.  The tequila was barely noticable, but a good flavor addition.

Week 13:
Cookies - Perfect M&M Cookies
Event - Jake Waxman request
Recipe - http://picky-palate.com/2013/04/03/how-to-make-perfect-m-and-m-cookies/
Review - Jake had seen all my cookies and wanted some.  When I made my other M&M cookies he said those were his favorite, so I told him to send me his address and he'd be on the list!  I had another M&M cookie recipe to try and a free week, so his mailbox got a special treat.  I think these were even better than my other M&M cookies.  The others were a sugar cookie while these were more like chocolate chip cookies.  I loved the mini chocolate chips and mini M&Ms in these cookies.  The secret ingredient was a little bit of vanilla pudding mix in the dough.  Yum!  Fun, pretty, tasty.  The only trick about these cookies is that they are really only the most delicious within the first few days.  I've noticed this with any type of chocolate chip variety.  They tend to get crumbly after a few days.  They seem to be better when heated up a little bit.  

Week 14:
Cookies - No-Bake Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies
Event - Brandon's birthday
Recipe - http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-no-bake-160655
Review - Brandon said his favorite cookies are no-bake, so he got the one no-bake recipe I had on my list for his big 30th birthday!!  It was nice to not have to wait to bake these - a much quicker "baking" week!  These were some of my favorite as well.  I think everyone enjoyed them.  The hardest part was waiting for them set in the fridge while I could still smell the lingering melted chocolate.  The combination of ingredients was a great balance.  I think I could've made these a little smaller size, but they looked good as a big mound.  If I'm ever in a rush to make a nice treat, this will be my go to.  The good thing is I pretty much always have these ingredients on hand.  So even if I haven't planned something I will probably be able to grab these few things and whip up a batch to share.

Week 15:
Cookies - Orange Zested Cookies with Sweet Orange Glaze (or chocolate)
Event - Karthick's birthday
Recipe - http://www.suziethefoodie.com/orange-zested-cookies-with-sweet-orange-glaze/
Review - These were some of the best I've made I think.  They were gorgeous as well as tasty.  I always feel more accomplished when they cookies look as good as they taste.  Most of the time I don't have the "make it look pretty" part down, just the yummy factor.  This recipe had an alternative glaze to try with chocolate if you preferred. Karth told me he wanted the chocolate.  Of course I have the try the recipe so I did half of each.  Karth isn't a huge fan of sweets, but I always like to bake him something for his birthday and he always enjoys it.  I thought the orange would be something different without being overly sweet for him.  I loved them.  They reminded me of some carrot-orange cookies one of my grandma's friends used to make for my mom's birthday.  Boy do I miss those!  Karth enjoyed the chocolate glaze more, but I can't decide which is my favorite.  Even after several recipes with zest, I do not have a great talent for zesting fruit!        

Cookie Progress: Weeks 6 - 10

Alissa's #52weeksofcookies - The adventure continues!  I am 10 weeks in and going strong.  In my 10th week Donald found me an incredible deal and I decided to jump on it for a new silver Kitchen Aid stand mixer!!  Eek!  So now I'm even more excited to get to baking.  If you want a batch dedicated to you just let me know some of your favorite flavors and your address and you may find cookies in your mailbox sometime in the next 40 weeks!

Week 6:
Cookies - Melt In Your Mouth M&M Sugar Cookies
Event - Tracy's birthday
Recipe - http://joyfulmommaskitchen.com/m-sugar-cookies/
Review - I got asked for the recipe for these so I think that's a positive sign!  I took these into work for my co-worker Tracy's birthday.  People at work will eat about anything you put out, but they seemed to particularly enjoy these.  I got in trouble for not bringing more of my weekly cookies in.  They were fun to make, too.  I liked that they were sugar cookies with M&Ms, a yummy twist.  They were a bit crunchy on the outside with a soft and chewy center, just how I like my cookies!  These may become a staple cookie in my rotation for parties or events.  Fun, pretty, tasty, and it makes a whole lot of good sized cookies for plenty to enjoy.  





Week 7:
Cookies - Healthy Oatmeal Banana Raisin Cookies
Event - Glow Run 5k
Recipe - http://www.food.com/recipe/flourless-no-added-sugar-oatmeal-banana-raisin-cookies-505875
Review - These were vegan and gluten free so a different type of recipe for me.  I made these "healthy" cookies in celebration of running in the Glow Run 5k with Brian and my co-workers.  I was proud of myself for running it - and glad to have Brian running with me to get me through the finish line.  These were a tasty treat after.  I think I would prefer them for breakfast or something since they weren't too sweet.  My mom and Grandma weren't wild about them because they certainly aren't what you think of when you want a cookie.  They were kind of a different chewy texture - again different than a typical cookie - but tasty anyway.




Week 8:
Cookies - Marshmallow Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
Event - Loretta's birthday
Recipe - http://www.smartschoolhouse.com/easy-cookie-recipes/marshmallow-stuffed-cookies#_a5y_p=3200458
Review - I made these for Loretta's birthday because they were the most chocolate I had in any of my recipes and Loretta loves her chocolate.  :)  I thought they would also be fun because she knows how much I love s'mores, so they were like a good combination of our favorites.  Anyway, they were tasty.  They turned out very chocolaty.  The marshmallows melted to give it plenty of ooey gooey goodness in the middle.  I liked the mini chocolate chips on top for the look but also for the added texture and chocolate.  I had to mail them in the July heat so I'm sure they didn't travel beautifully, but successful taste anyway.



Week 9:
Cookies - Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies
Event - Gretchen's Bachelorette Party
Recipe - http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/red-velvet-thumbprints/dcc9e388-b013-4bf6-b10a-14011180a86c?nicam4=SocialMedia&nichn4=Pinterest&niseg4=BettyCrocker&nicreatID4=Post&crlt.pid=camp.V9q30am9kEMS
Review - These looked very pretty, even though I wasn't particularly talented with the white chocolate filling.  I had better luck rolling these in my hand than using the cookie scoop.  The red food coloring ran out before I had the full amount in the recipe, but they were still obviously red.  Everyone seemed to like these.  They certainly look fancier than there were to make which is always a plus if you ask me.  I brought these to Manhattan with me to celebrate Gretchen's bachelorette party.  I brought them out during our karaoke portion of the night!  It was very fun and I enjoyed getting to bake something special to help celebrate.  I do think these were best enjoyed within the first few days.  The chocolate center with the cookie made for a bit of a difference in texture once the cookie started to crumble a little more.  I think an actual frosting bag with a small tip would be easier than a baggie with the corner cut out - I made quite the mess with it and had to clean up a few cookies.



Week 10:
Cookies - Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
Event - Mackenzie's birthday
Recipe - http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/strawberry-lemonade-cookies/c4862722-1e0f-42e7-877c-45e7a37b062c?nicam4=SocialMedia&nichn4=Pinterest&niseg4=Tablespoon&nicreatID4=Post
Review - I think these were Brian's favorite cookie to date.  They were tasty for sure.  I made these for Kenz for her 7th birthday!  I know she likes fruit flavors and thought these looked pretty, too.  You can't go wrong with a little glaze on a cookie, either.  They reminded me a lot of my mom's lemon cookies since they are made with a cake mix.  I was a little worried they could be complicated for me, but they were so incredibly simple.  I made sure to put the dough in the fridge in between batches and that seemed to help a lot with the rolling into balls.  I like the little bit of powdered sugar on the outside and the simple glaze on top.  They were kind of a chewy fluffy texture; not quite as light as my mom's, but a good consistency.  I thought it would be fun to experiment with other flavors of cake mixes, but this seems like the best combination.  It was so fun to see Kenz get excited about getting birthday cookies and enjoying them.  I will be making these again for sure.

Cookie Progress: Weeks 1-5

Hi all!

Alissa's #52weeksofcookies is starting off beautifully! I am loving baking and sharing my love with people I care about.
I am currently on week 7 (oops) but wanted to update on recipes and experiences for 5 weeks at a time through this 52 week adventure.
A reminder that all my recipes are on my pinterest board as well:
https://www.pinterest.com/alissam5/cookie-monster/
Instagram: alissamillard


Week 1:
Cookies - Cream Cheese Brownie Cookies
Event - Virginia's 29th Birthday
Recipe - http://cookiesandcups.com/cream-cheese-brownie-cookies/
Review - Everyone wanted these.  They were super simple to make and turned out great.  I took them to Virginia's parents house for her birthday celebration.  People there loved them.  The next day I picked Virginia up to head on our road trip to Columbia to see Rachel graduate from med school (!).  Virginia's mother, Gayle, told me that she hid the few remaining cookies and told everyone else they were gone so she could finish them off.  ;)





Week 2:
Cookies - Glazed Lemon Drop Cookies
Event - Laura's birthday
Recipe - http://www.barefeetinthekitchen.com/2014/04/glazed-lemon-drop-cookies-recipe.html
Review - Since lemon is Laura's favorite I made these for her birthday.  She loved them, and so did Brian and my grandma.  My grandma said "When I have a lemon cookie I really want it to taste like lemon."  That they did.  My mom and I thought they were a little tart.  I had to add more lemon juice
to the glaze to make it the right consistency.  They were beautiful and fun little cookies.




Week 3:
Cookies - Chewy Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Event - Gretchen's birthday
Recipe - http://www.momontimeout.com/2014/01/chewy-chocolate-cherry-cookies/
Review - I'm not a huge fan of cherry, but these were delicious.  I was a fan of the chewy texture.  The cherries were a bit tedious to cut up, but otherwise these were simple to make.  It was Gretchen's birthday so I mailed them to her.  Lesson learned, maybe best to mail them in a box or something more solid to help prevent more crumbling.  She said they were still very tasty.






Week 4:
Cookies - I Want to Marry You Cookies
Event - Jess and Doug's wedding
Recipe - http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2013/04/i-want-to-marry-you-cookies/
Review - These were my favorite cookies to date!  I went with the theme of the week - wedding!  These went on a road trip to Wisconsin for a very beautiful and fun wedding.  We left a bag of the cookies in their hotel room and shared several at the brunch the following morning.  I also shared a few with some friends we met up with before the road trip.  Everyone seemed to enjoy them.  I really liked the touch of cinnamon and the pecans - a great combination of yummy ingredients.  They did need to be eaten quickly.  I had a few left after the trip and at several days old they weren't near as good as the first couple days.  






Week 5:
Cookies - Thick and Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Event - AJ's birthday
Recipe - http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/02/thick-and-soft-chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies.html
Review - My friend at work is gluten-free, so these cookies were special for her birthday.  I have made her another gluten free peanut butter chocolate chip recipe that people love, but this was a new one.  The recipe only made about a dozen, so not many people got to sample these.  I only had the crumbs, but thought they were okay.  AJ loved them, which is the most important.  Gluten free cookie recipes that I have come across are a bit more difficult to make.  The dough is harder to work with, even with teh refrigeration I have a hard time getting them well mixed and well formed.  The taste comes through but mine are never quite as pretty as I'd like them to be.  Friends that saw this on Instagram and Facebook seemed to really be interested in them!