Homemade Animal-Cracker Cookies

It's cookie season, which actually means nothing to me. I don't have a big family, I don't attend any cookie swapping parties and the thought of baking all day in my tiny kitchen really doesn't appeal to me. But I'm home and everyone is making treats, so I decided to get on the bandwagon. 

Animal crackers, which clearly aren't crackers, is something I've been wanting to make for a few weeks now. I found these adorable little cookie cutters and for a festive touch, I mixed in a few holiday cookie shapes too. Aren't they cute?! 

Hope you enjoy and happy baking!

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temp
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside.

With a KitchenAid mixer or a hander mixer, beat the butter, sugar and honey together on high speed for about 5 minutes. 

Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat for about a minute. 

Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until the flour has been absorbed.

Divide dough and form into two equal disks and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes then remove the plastic wrap. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle the top with a bit of flour. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gently stamp out as many animal shapes as possible from the rolled dough. Transfer the animals to the prepared baking sheets and don’t worry if they’re close as they won’t expand too much. 

Sprinkle with a little Turbinado sugar and put in the over for 8-10 minutes, turning tray at the halfway point and removing when the edges turn a golden brown.

Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and continue stamping dough if you have some left over. 

Holiday Party Sparkle

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

It's holiday party season! Typically, I'll shop for something glittery to wear for occasions like this, but this year, I think I want to go for a more minimal, monochromatic look and accessorize with some sparkle. These ear jackets and cuffs are beyond cute and I'm all about hair accessories lately. Number two is my fave - you must check it out! And of course,  you can never go wrong with a statement bracelet like this one above. 

Happy holiday partying! Don't drink too much.

Gift Guide: For the Serial Fan

Did you hear the news? There is a second season of Serial. A SECOND season. This is great news! I can't even remember life without this podcast. We started listening October 10th during a ride to visit my sister in DC and after the first episode, we were hooked. I'm actually very thankful for Serial because it opened my mind up to so many other podcasts, including Slate's Serial Spoiler Specials podcast, which I talked about here, Criminal and 99% Invisible. My brain is full of new information and I love it!

So with Serial hopefully taking us into the new year, into the frigid cold months of winter, I thought it would be fitting to do a gift guide for the Serial-obsessed like me! Here are all the accessories to make this listening experience even better:

1. These white leather and rose gold plated headphones to look ultra chic on your walk to work
2. This portable charger so you can never find yourself not able to listen to Serial
3. This vintage-inspired bluetooth gramophone for when you decide you rather listen to Serial than watch #TGIT. Pop some popcorn and turn down the lights - it's actually really fun
4. These leather and fur tech gloves so you can reply, rewind and research on-the-go without getting frost bite
5. This phone case that says it all
6. This car charger that charges a million things when you've drained all the battery power thanks to Serial

Holiday Hostess Gifts

Ever since I can remember, my mother always put a gift in my hand before I went over to someone's house. Sometimes it was a tin of cookies or a bouquet of flowers. Other times, it was something she bought on her daily trip to TJ Maxx or a gift that was supposed to be for someone else (possibly me) that she forgot to give them the previous year. Whatever it was, it was a token of appreciation for opening up their home for me. In fact, she still shoves gifts at me to bring back to my in-laws and friends. 

Pretty soon, my schedule will be packed with holiday parties and I'll be at the door with gift in hand, just like my mother taught me. These are just a few ideas I have in mind:

• this corkcicle - kind of amazing. I don't know who wouldn't love a cork that chills your wine
• this marble slab, which is the perfect elegant touch for any kitchen
• and this tray - how lovely is this tray!
• candles are always great, especially when they smell like roses and blackcurrant leaves
• and this vase - I'm obsessed with this mini speckled vase