Mouthing Off

Christmas Cookie Gifts Tags © Seton Rossini.

F&W’s Seton Rossini applies her graphic design talents to the gorgeous dessert blog Pixel Whisk. Some of her entertaining showstoppers include cupcakes that so closely resemble adorable potted succulent plants that recipients might be tempted to water them, and DIY cake stands made from vintage plates and goblets. Here, she explains how to create clever edible gift tags using a delicious Food & Wine sugar cookie recipe flecked with lemon zest. As Seton says "These tasty Christmas cookies can double as gift tags, place settings or even ornaments! (Just keep your dogs and toddlers away from the tree or your ornaments will go missing.)"

To see how to transform cookies in just a few steps click through the slideshow

Related: Beautiful Gifts to Make or Buy
Gift Picks from Star Chefs
Holiday Inspiration Served Daily

These soft, lightly spiced cake-like cookies are studded with minced
candied ginger and topped with a buttery sugar glaze. / © David Malosh

Food & Wine's senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi, is a Test Kitchen superstar. In this series, she shares some of her favorite recipes to make right now.

I don’t usually go for soft, cakey cookies. I much prefer crispy, chewy ones, like gingersnaps, chocolate chip or biscotti. But these soft, pillowy pumpkin cookies are irresistible. They’re like pumpkin muffin tops, only more delicate, with a healthy dose of chopped crystallized ginger for texture and spice.

I developed this recipe as part of a Halloween story, but make them all year long, provided my supermarket carries canned pumpkin. I’ve tried several brands—organic and mass market—and must admit that Libby’s is the best of all of them. It has a bright pumpkin flavor (not murky or watery, like some of the organic ones) and appealing texture and color. And in baking, the results are always consistent. These are very homey little cakelets, but at last weekend’s dinner party, I served them for dessert with hot toddies made with whiskey, lemon juice, honey and gingersnap liqueur. The kids had hot cider with cinnamon candy stick stirrers. All good. SEE RECIPE »

Related: More Holiday Cookies
Pumpkin Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookies

© Con Poulos

The Week in Food looks at noteworthy food or food-related inventions, announcements and other "firsts" throughout history.
 
Chewy, crumbly and often crispy too, chocolate chip cookies are an obsession of first-time bakers and experts. But the perfect and seemingly obvious combination of semisweet chocolate bits and sweet, buttery dough is actually the result of a baking accident by a woman born this week, on June 17, in 1903.

The delicious accident. >>>