Holiday Cookies are Here!

As busy shoppers swamped the big box stores for various "two day sales, Michael's Cookie Jar decorated for Christmas.  Down came the "autumn themed" cookie cake and up went the Christmas Cookie Cake.  It's nine tiers tall and has more than 850 cookies.  I couldn't decided between an "all-white" theme or multi-color.  Since I like diversity, I went with all types of colors, shapes and sizes.  I think the result is beautiful...and tasty.  Stop by to see all our holiday cookies and have a taste!

Bellaire Art Festival

We're delighted to be participating in the Bellaire Art Festival for the fourth time!  This fun filled day features many great local artists, craftspeople and food! (that's where we come in!)  We'll have a great selection of our soft-bake home-style cookies, as well as decorated cookies.  Some new items this year include our cinnamon shortbread (ojarascas), Rugelach and Sand Tarts.  Stop by!  You won't be dissappointed!

The Bellaire Art Festival has been in existence since 1991 is produced twice a year, in April in the Spring and in October in the Fall. The event takes has long taken place along scenic Bellaire Boulevard, between Loop 610 and South Rice Avenue, and now has a new home in Bellaire Town Square.

Since its inception, the Bellaire Art Festival has provided a venue for thousands of local artists to display and sell their works - many of whom were just starting their careers as successful artists. Cultivating local talent is one of the many reasons that the Bellaire Art Festival has been so successful and is still around today.

Today, the Bellaire Art Festival is continuing to expand, and we are looking forward to introducing some exciting new programs over the next few years. Currently, between 150-200 painters, potters, jewelry-makers, glass blowers, metalsmiths, clothing designers, and many other types of artists set up their booths in the esplanade.

And make sure you bring the kids too - the Bellaire Art Festival has a fantastic children's area complete with petting zoo, face painting, bouncy castles, children's art, and entertainment for the young ones. If you get hungry, check out the local cuisine scattered around the park - you'll find anything from corndogs to crawfish to kettle korn!

High Cookie Season is Here!

In case you didn't know, October is National Cookie Month.  It seems appropriate to me because October is the beginning of some great cookie holidays!  We debut the Halloween Cookie Collection Friday, Oct 1st.

Oct 1st is also very special because we will have our official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the bakery.  Click here for more information.  I hope to see you on Friday!

photo by morris malakoff

"Ojarascas" By Another Name

I have to confess.  Some of our best cookie ideas come directly from our customers.  When our bakery opened on June 22, a customer came to me to "talk cookies."  The subject turned to one of her favorites called "Ojarascas."  I had never heard of this cookie.

Well, within a few weeks she returned with samples from a local Mexican bakery!  It was a heart-shaped, thick cut cinnamon-flavored shortbread cookie.  I loved it!  I told my friends about it and they never heard of it.  But, after I described it, my friend, Adam, said, "Oh, you mean 'Pan de Polvo.'  We get'em in the valley.  I'll pick up some next time I visit mom."

Well, I couldn't wait for Adam or his mom.  After a little homework and several trials, I came up with the MCJ version of Ojarascas, aka Pan de Polvo.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm never sure about the authenticity of my ethnic flavors, but as long as it's made with butter and tastes great, well, I'm pretty satisfied.

Sweets for the New Year

As the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah approaches, we have perfected some traditional sweets.  We've added to our repertoire three types of rugelach: choc/raspberry, apricot/walnut and chocolate.  We're also offering decorated apple-shaped cookies.  I'm really proud of our rugelach because many recipe trials were conducted to obtain a flavor and shape that was something truly special. 

Rugelach is special for many culinary reasons.  It has a truly unique shape and flavor.  Rolled up like a small croissant, it stands out from the more traditional flat or round cookies.  Also, the dough is a flaky cream cheese based dough which has very little sugar.  The sweetness comes from the filling and sugar sprinkled on top.  Even with this added sugar, rugelach is not an overly sweet pastry. 

Lastly, rugelach takes a bit of practice and craftsmanship to make.  The dough is very delicate and must be handled gingerly to obtain a flaky cookie.  And since there is little sugar in rugelach, baking times tend to be longer. 

A dear friend of mine (who happens to be orthodox Jew) brought me some authentic rugelach from Israel last year.  One of the desired qualities was a slightly raw center.  This is not difficult to achieve because rugelach is a dense pastry that does not rise very much.  I was not really in favor of undercooked dough (that wasn't even very sweet), so we tend to bake ours a little longer to achieve a more fully cooked center. 

I encourage you to try this yummy pastry for the Jewish New Year (or any time of the year!).

Cookie Pies

Due to popular request, we now offer the "Cookie Pie."  It takes 1-1/2 lbs of our all-butter chocolate chip cookie dough to make one 12" pie.  We can also make it in any of our classic Americana flavors, like snickerdoodle, toffee pecan, peanut butter, white chocolate macadamia, oatmeal raisin, ginger molasses or fudge walnut. Serves 12-15 people.  $25.00.  Check it out!

Summer Survival Kit

In Houston, we all know how important it is to be prepared for hurricane season.  The City has published a comprehensive preparedness guide at this link. 

But we like our survival kit better! 

Visit our bakery at 5330 Weslayan Street to purchase one for $15.  It includes 11 cookies and a bottle of water!  You can also order online for pick up at a later date.