"This really is the ULTIMATE cookie book. Whimsical, elegant, colorful, and creative!! What more could you ask for? You will not be disappointed.”
Colette Peters
Julia’s Recipe File
I started cooking alongside my mother I-won’t-say-how-many years ago. I guess those habits learned at any early age are hard to break, as I’m still dreaming up recipes at a rapid pace. Be sure to check back here often for the latest additions, both savory and sweet, to my file. And don’t be daunted by the length of any recipe. I like to fully script out all steps, so that every recipe is do-able, even for novice cooks and bakers!
Sweet:
Cinnamon Heart Marshmallows (with Lemon Peep & Bunny Variation)
Raspberry-Truffle Brownie Bars
Royal Icing with Consistency Adjustments
Flourless Chocolate-Guinness Stout Cake
Cinnamon-Walnut Crescent Cookies
PB&J Sandwich Cookies
Rhubarb-Strawberry Granita Parfait
White Chocolate-Basil Panna Cotta
Lemon Pavlova
Maine Blueberry Pancakes
Gingersnap Thumbprint Cookies
Mixed Seed Wafers
Rugosa Rose Syrup
Red Raspberry-Rose Sorbet
Lavender Lemonade
White Chocolate-Lavender Panna Cotta
Espresso Granita Parfait
Campy Cookie-Cake Pops
Cranberry-Cabernet Rosemary Sorbet
Lapsang Souchong-Star Anise Ice Cream
Pistachio-Rosewater Shortbread
Mulled Cider Sorbet
Pistachio-Cranberry Brittle
Nana’s Gingerbread Cake
My Favorite Italian Buttercream
Rosewater Marguerites
Semisweet Modeling Chocolate
White Modeling Chocolate
Savory:
Pancetta-Sage Mac ‘n Cheese
Guinness Braised Beef
Hard-boiled Quail Eggs with Curry Mayo
Cheddar-Chive Pinwheel Biscuits
Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Roasted Garlic-Chive Cheesecake
Red, White, and Blue Burgers
Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise
Rhubarb-Apple Chutney
Cranberry-Pomegranate Salsa
Clementine Cocktail
featured recipe
Red Raspberry-Rose Sorbet
Photo by Julia M. Usher
How can I buy.. or make one of the monogrammed cookie cake toppers? I love it!!
Thanks,
Amanda
By Amanda on August 23, 2012
Hi, Amanda! Sorry for the delay in responding. So pleased to hear you like the toppers. I don’t produce cookies for the public anymore, ever since I closed my bakery several years ago; I strictly write and style for my books and magazines now. My book Ultimate Cookies describes how to put my cookie placecards together, which is basically the same thing I did for the toppers. In short, you cut and bake two round cookies of the same size and another smaller one for the topper base or pedestal; then top-coat all of the rounds and stencil the big rounds with a letter of your choice. Once the cookies are dry, glue the big ones back-to-back with thick royal icing - they should now stand on their own. Then glue them onto the cookie base and voila! Stenciling is described in great detail in both of my books - I also have a quick tutorial here on my site: http://www.juliausher.com/kitchen_and_studio/project/stenciling_technique_tips
I hope this info helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.
By Julia M Usher on August 24, 2012
Hi Julia,
Just received your cookie swap book in the post. ( I did it backwards, ordered the Ultimate Cookies first, then realized I needed…er…wanted the first book.) They are both fabulous books, the details are so clean and beautiful and I love the lemon cardamom cookie. It made me a believer in sugar cookies.
I have a question for you regarding the cute little cookie boxes. The hole in the center of the box is backed in green. Is this made of fondant, or tinted gingerbread? Love the idea of the boxes.
By Judy Garden on November 07, 2012
Hi Judy, the green parts are small round gingerbread cookies that I iced, fully dried, and then glued to the inside of each box panel, so they lined up with the windows I had cut out in advance. I used thick royal icing as my “glue,” tinted to match the gingerbread (or green icing?) color so less likely to reveal. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions, and feel free to post your finished product on my Facebook page. Would love to see it!
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