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17
Dec
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Cookies are for Swapping! |
Remember those cookiesfrom the other day?
I couldn’t keep them all to myself. Couldn’t keep it a secret from the rest of world that vegan, wheat-free, sugar-free cookies are just as chewy and fudgy and crumb-lickin’ good as those filled with butter, sugar, and regular ol’ flour. (Did you catch my review of Sweet Freedom, where I got the recipes for Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cinnamon Coffee Toffee Cookies? And did you happen to see that there’s a fabulous deal going on for this book right now? Trust me. You don’t want to miss it.)
Cookies are for swapping! So swap them I did, at Shannon’s third annual Boston blogger cookie swap.
PS. You know how I’ve been doing this wheat-dairy-sugar-free thing, but I’ve alluded to the fact that I don’t need to strictly abstain from these foods? Well that’s how it goes with this whole Chinese medicine thing I’m doing. Because I’m not actually sensitive or allergic to these foods, I can have them in moderation. My strategy has been to stick to the diet during the week and allow myself 1 or 2 exceptions on the weekends. Clearly, this cookie swap was one exception I held out for!
So what does one do at a cookie swap?
First, we started out with some sparkling beverages laced with Shannon’s ginger and rosemary infused simple syrup and freshly sugared cranberries.
There were some savory bites to prepare the palate for all the sugar to come. The best part about being friends with food bloggers is knowing that you’re always in for a treat! Shannon did it up with a few different surprises, my favorite being this autumn bruschetta. Crisp cranberry toast, ricotta, roasted butternut squash and apples, fried sage and balsamic syrup – clearly, she knew I was coming 😉
Then it was time for the main event: cookies! Like I said, food bloggers bring it. You can trust that your very best effort in baking cookies will be reciprocated. There wasn’t a single cookie here that wasn’t worth the splurge!
Of course I can remember every thing. Cookies so good I could never forget ’em. The spread included Spiced Pecan Caramel Bars, Chocolate Mint Cookies, Cranberry Caramel Pecan Bars, Better than Crack Brownies, Butterscotch Brownies, Nutella Oatmeal Cream Pies, Hot Chocolate Cookies with Toasted Marshmallows, Andes Mint Chop Cookies, Seven Layer Cookies, Pumpkin Blondies and Rosemary Pecan Pumpkin Oaties. Plus my Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Coffee Toffee Cookies of course!
But wait, there’s more. Shannon has put up a poll, where you (yeah, you!) can cast your vote for the best sounding cookie. So skip on over for full descriptions and to cast your vote. PS, I’d love yours!
To all the lovely ladies pictured above – Bridget, Lizzy, Elizabeth, Ranjani, Kerstin, Joanne, and Shannon – thank you for a fun and delicious afternoon. And an extra special thanks to Shannon for putting together this event I look forward to every year!
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I'm Cara, lover of creative, clean food and healthy living. Pumpkin, goat cheese, and eggplant make me swoon. I have an insatiable sweet tooth and desire to lift heavy things. 
Ricki — December 17, 2011 @ 3:07 pm
That does sound like an amazing event! Your list of cookie names had me drooling before breakfast. And that bruschetta!! On my list, on my list! 🙂
Ranjani Krishnan10 — December 17, 2011 @ 7:43 pm
I love your collage of cookie pictures! I kind of want to make it into a holiday card…although it is a bit late for this year
Kate — December 17, 2011 @ 8:47 pm
Such an assortment! And yours added a great unique variety.
Joanne — December 18, 2011 @ 3:19 am
This really was a day to remember, both eats-wise and company-wise! I wish we could do it every month(week). And I LOVED your cookies! They were two of the first to get devoured when I got home!
shannon — December 18, 2011 @ 4:36 pm
Lovely post 🙂 The collage of cookies is pretty awesome, too! Maybe next year we should use it for some sort of cookie posting extravaganza…
Lizzy — December 18, 2011 @ 10:05 pm
hahaha cookie christmakkah card! Love it!!!!
Kerstin — December 21, 2011 @ 4:08 am
It was so great to see you!! I was very impressed you made vegan cookies 🙂