Category Archives: Cookies

Banana Oat Bites

August 18, 2022 by pamflo

Using only 5 ingredients, these banana oat bites are easy, delicious and quick to make. These cookies are on the healthier side with no added sugar and perfect with your morning coffee or as an afternoon snack. Make sure to use a very ripe banana, as the banana along with the dates provide the sweetness. The cookies are bound together with oats and I used old fashioned oats for a chewier cookie, but quick oats work too.

Categories: Breakfast Ideas, Cookies, Dairy Free, Desserts, Easy Recipes, Gluten Free, Healthish, Snack • Tags: Bake

Almond Tuile Cookies

June 30, 2022 by pamflo

There’s a popular ice cream shop in Cape Cod called the Polar Cave. The ice cream is delicious, but the “made to order” warm waffle cones are outstanding. The freshly baked waffle cones perfume the air as you’re waiting in line to enter the store. I wanted to create a lighter version of this experience at home and a thin, toasty almond cookie did the trick. These cookies are light, airy, gluten free and make a delightful dessert. The warm […]

Categories: Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Desserts, Easy Recipes, Gluten Free, Holiday Ideas, Nuts • Tags: Bake

Almond Coconut Meringues

April 7, 2022 by pamflo

Light, airy, melts in your mouth and gluten free! Meringues are surprisingly simple to make. The secret to crispy meringues are whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks. You can either use a standing mixer with the whip attachment or a hand mixer. When I was in cooking school we had to whip the whites by hand — it builds muscle! The key steps are to whip room temperature egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until slightly […]

Categories: Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Desserts, Easy Recipes, Holiday Ideas • Tags: Bake, Whip

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Pistachio Cranberry Ice Box Cookies

December 9, 2021 by pamflo

The holiday season is upon us and creating homemade gifts can be fun and festive. These “ice box” or “refrigerator” cookies make beautiful and delicious gifts. These cookies are made by shaping dough into logs and then refrigerating the dough before slicing and baking. The advantage to this type of cookie is the dough can be prepared ahead of time and either refrigerated or frozen. The last step, although optional, is to coat the cookie dough in an egg wash and […]

Categories: Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Desserts, Holiday Ideas, Nuts • Tags: Bake

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Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

August 19, 2021 by pamflo

There is a small Boston neighborhood shop named Fastachi that sells the best assortment of nuts, roasting them in small batches and by hand. A favorite of mine is the lightly salted, roasted pecans. I don’t usually prefer nuts in my baked goods but when I saw this recipe in a newsletter by recipe developer Susan Spungen, I knew I had to make them. I used my beautiful roasted pecans alongside bittersweet chocolate chunks for these delicious cookies. I swirled […]

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Crowd Pleaser • Tags: Bake

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Flourless Coconut Crisps

April 1, 2021 by pamflo

Flavorful, crispy and only 5 ingredients, these coconut crisps are easy to make! Although they are gluten-free, you might not even notice. These beautiful thin crisps make a tasty treat alone, but could be dipped in chocolate or coated with your favorite nut butter. By the way, coconut is a great source of quick energy and good for your heart health. Once cooled store the crisps for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.

Categories: Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Gluten Free, Holiday Ideas • Tags: Bake

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Cashew Butter and Honey Cookies

March 11, 2021 by pamflo

I “virtually” attended a cookie baking extravaganza during the holidays with talented food stylist and recipe developer, Susan Spungen. Almost immediately after the class, I baked her cashew cookies and I haven’t stopped thinking about them since. It was time to make another batch and share the recipe. My all time favorite cookie is the sesame tahini cookie (see recipe in zesty archives), but these delicious cookies come in at a very close second. The combination of the cashew butter […]

Categories: Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Desserts, Gifts, Nuts • Tags: Bake

Mint Chocolate Sable Cookies

December 17, 2020 by pamflo

I had the privilege of meeting Dorie Greenspan, baker extraordinaire and cookbook author. She has published many beautiful cookbooks, but Dorie’s Cookies is a wonderful gift for any baker. At a recent book signing event, the discussion about her food journey was heartfelt, warm and funny. Listening to her speak about making cookies, reminded me how much I enjoy baking during the holidays. Sables are French butter cookies and they’re a perfect holiday gift or treat. The smooth, deep minty […]

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Desserts, Gifts, Holiday Ideas • Tags: Bake

Coconut Macaroons with a Chocolate Drizzle

December 3, 2020 by pamflo

Calling all coconut lovers! Coconut is a great source of immediate energy, helps reduce inflammation in the body and is a heart healthy fat. These macaroons are a satisfying, gluten free, healthy snack. There are a few ways to make macaroons. This recipe is a two step process, but it guarantees a delicious cookie. The exterior of the cookies will be golden and crisp, and the interior will be soft and moist. Let’s Do Organic Unsweetened Coconut Flakes is the […]

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gifts, Gluten Free, Healthish • Tags: Bake

Toasted Sesame Tahini Cookies

April 23, 2020 by pamflo

Seeds of Collaboration (SoCo) is a company that produces delicious tahini and has a social mission as well. Their mission is seeding a healthy change in kitchens and communities. They believe economic collaboration is a way to build bridges. SoCo supports MEET – Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow – a non-profit in full partnership with MIT since 2004, that connects young Israeli and Palestinian students using the common language of technology and entrepreneurship. Every SoCo jar sold helps fund an Israeli-Palestinian student […]

Categories: Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Dessert, Gluten Free, Seeds, Snack • Tags: Bake

Chocolate Chip Meringues

April 9, 2020 by pamflo

Light, airy, melt-in-your mouth and gluten free, meringues are surprisingly simple to make! The secret to crispy meringues are whipping the egg whites to a creamy, white firm peak. You can either use a standing mixer with the whip attachment, or a hand mixer. Although, when I was in cooking school we had to whip the egg whites by hand — it builds muscle! The key steps are to whip room temperature egg whites until they’re a little creamy, slowly adding […]

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Dairy Free, Dessert, Eggs, Holiday Ideas, Passover Recipes • Tags: Bake, Whip

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Double Chocolate Expresso Cookies

December 19, 2019 by pamflo

A couple of years ago I entered a holiday cookie recipe contest on-line through the LA Times. I submitted this cookie recipe and although I didn’t win, it was fun to participate and see all the other cookie recipe submissions. These double chocolatey, ooey-gooey, decadent cookies are a family favorite and don’t contain any flour! I added instant expresso for added punch, as well as dark chocolate chunks. Although these cookies are gluten free, they are super flavorful and provide […]

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Dairy Free, Dessert, Gluten Free, Holiday Ideas • Tags: Bake

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Pecan Shortbread Cookies

December 12, 2019 by pamflo

Shortbread is a biscuit made with three parts flour, two parts butter and one part white sugar. The fat from the butter creates “short” gluten strands and produces a cookie that’s crisp and crumbly in texture. Your kitchen will smell wonderful while these buttery cookies bake and they make beautiful holiday gifts! Chopped pecans mixed into the dough adds a nice nutty flavor. You can add even more nuts on the warm chocolate coated ends. Measuring the dough you will […]

Categories: Cookies, Crowd Pleaser, Dessert, Gifts, Holiday Ideas, Nuts • Tags: Bake

Flourless Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies

March 28, 2019 by pamflo

I was so nervous the first year I traveled to New York City to attend cooking classes at the International Culinary Center, although back in 2008 the ICC was known as the French Culinary Institute. The two intense days of cooking school was a very generous birthday gift. I was the only attendee from Boston with almost all of the students coming from New York and all the participating chefs were highly regarded. My first class was taught by the […]

Categories: Cookies, Dairy Free, Dessert, Gifts, Gluten Free, Holiday Ideas, Nuts • Tags: Bake

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Raspberry Swirl Meringues

February 14, 2019 by pamflo

I was recently at Flour Bakery for one of Joanne Chang’s yummy salads. With such an amazing display of baked goods, there was no way I was leaving empty- handed. I purchased a beautiful pillowy meringue with a raspberry coulis. The fresh raspberry sauce is swirled in before baking using a wooden skewer or chopstick. In honor of Valentine’s day, I created these light crispy cookies at home. Meringues are low in calories, and a naturally gluten and dairy free […]

Categories: Cookies, Dairy Free, Dessert, Fruit, Gifts, Gluten Free, Holiday Ideas • Tags: Bake, Whip

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Chocolate Dipped Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

October 18, 2018 by pamflo

It’s a chilly 46 degrees right now as I write this post. Perfect weather for baking 🙂 These oatmeal cookies have almond flour as a substitute for white flour and are sweetened with coconut palm sugar. Coconut palm sugar (not to be confused with palm sugar) is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. This is a solid alternative sweetener for refined sugars and is most similar to brown sugar. Although this type of sugar provides the same […]

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Cooking Tips, Dairy Free, Dessert, Gluten Free, Healthish, Low Sugar • Tags: Bake

Strawberry Pavlovas

May 4, 2018 by pamflo

These pillowy, puffed meringues topped with slivered strawberries are a perfect celebration of spring. Although meringues have only a few ingredients, they require specific steps in order to achieve the crispy texture that makes them a perfect vehicle for whipped cream or lemon curd, and of course fresh berries. Here is a quick summary of the steps with more details below. The egg whites are furiously whipped until they form stiff peaks. Separate your eggs while they’re cold, and beat […]

Categories: Cookies, Dessert, Fruit, Gifts, Gluten Free • Tags: Bake, Whip

Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 13, 2011 by pamflo

I wish I could take credit for these delicious cookies but they belong to Ina Garten in her Parties! cookbook. That being said, I just love to bake these because they’re a twist on chocolate chip cookies, a chocolate cookie with white chocolate chunks. They’re delicious, easy to bake and make your kitchen smell awesome. This recipe makes about 40 cookies. I’m baking two batches of these cookies for two different events. The cookies come out flat and are great […]

Categories: Chocolate, Cookies, Dessert, Gifts • Tags: Bake

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Zest For Cooking

I love to cook and share my love of food!

Category Archives: Cookies

Banana Oat Bites

Almond Tuile Cookies

Almond Coconut Meringues

Pistachio Cranberry Ice Box Cookies

Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Flourless Coconut Crisps

Cashew Butter and Honey Cookies

Mint Chocolate Sable Cookies

Coconut Macaroons with a Chocolate Drizzle

Toasted Sesame Tahini Cookies

Chocolate Chip Meringues

Double Chocolate Expresso Cookies

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Flourless Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Raspberry Swirl Meringues

Chocolate Dipped Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

Strawberry Pavlovas

Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies