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Here at Gimmee Jimmy’s we’re big fans of sweet stuff. Chocolate, peanut butter, raisins, M&Ms or rainbow sprinkles, the sweeter the better as far as we’re concerned. Not everyone likes cookies that way, though, and there are a lot of great recipes out there for savory cookies too. It’s not something we currently do at our own bakery, but if you fancy introducing cookies into other areas of your life, not just for a sweet treat, check out some of these:

Savory Cookies Make Great Accompaniments

Whether you’re looking for an alternative for a sweet dessert after a meal, or you need a tasty snack to serve alongside cocktails, for a cheese and wine evening or in place of bread with a bowl of soup, savory cookies are the perfect choice. Bake them small and delicate-looking, or large enough to replace the dinner rolls for your evening meal. Cheeses, chutneys and cold meats go just as brilliantly with cookies as they do with oatcakes or crackers, so ring the chances and swap out the sugar next time you do some home baking!

1. Rosemary Cookies with Tomato Jam

Use up some of the glut of this year’s tomatoes harvested  from your allotment or greenhouse with this simple recipe for Tomato Jam, then bake some fresh Rosemary Cookies using herbs from the garden to accompany. You can use the jam like you would frosting, or even use it to stick two cookies together like a sandwich.

2. Ham and Grueyere Thumbprints

These delicious-looking savory pastries are best served warm, and would be ideal as a starter for a dinner party, or instead of bread to eat alongside homemade soup. Make them small so that they don’t end up soggy, and so your guests can enjoy helping themselves to a few! They look very effective, despite being fairly simple to bake.

3. Savory Oatmeal Cookies

If you’re looking for the perfect way to serve your cheeses at a cocktail party or to round off a meal, these versatile oatmeal cookies, seasoned with rosemary, black pepper, parmesan and sea salt, are simply perfect. Enjoy them as they are, or top or with a selection of soft cheeses, smoked salmon, ham, or any other topping and use them as canapes!

4. Lemon, Fennel and Olive Oil Shortbread

The delicate flavors in the shortbread cookies make them a winner, ideal to enjoy on their own or with a glass of good red wine. Like most cookies, they’re easy to make, and would make a lovely gift presented in a pretty box alongside a cheese selection or perhaps as part of a homemade hamper.

5. Cheesy Feet Crackers

Last, but not least, we love these cheesy parmesan crackers for their comedy value and quirkiness. If you’re looking for a fun bake, these foot shaped biscuits definitely meet the criteria! They make a great snack idea for kids, or an unusual gift for a cheese-loving friend with a sense of humor.

Are you a cookie lover in need of a little more challenge in your baking? Is a batch of straightforward cookies a little too simplistic for you? We’ve scoured the web to come up with some brilliant ways you can build with cookies to create some stunning centrepieces for any party or celebration table. From easy ideas you can do at home with the kids to huge masterpieces requiring hundreds of hours of work, here are a few of our favorites:

Try with the Kids

A traditional gingerbread house is a festive favorite during the holiday season, but who says it has to be limited to Christmas? You can decorate a house any way you want, so use different colored icing and candy to make it a spring theme, Halloween, Easter – any occasion will do! You’ll often find kits available in the shops at Christmas time which contain the gingerbread already made for you, but you can buy cutters to use or make templates from card if you want to create a truly home-made house and bake the cookies yourself. This is a fun activity to do with kids – even a very young child can stick sweets onto a house with icing as glue! Check out Pinterest for inspiration and incredibly intricate designs.

Combining Cookies & Cakes

Have you ever tried to create a themed cake for a birthday or other special occasion and found that your shaping and icing skills just aren’t up to the job? Next time, try using cookies in place of cake decorations, and build a stunning looking cake which is entirely edible. We love the examples shown on this blog post, covering everything from individual cupcakes to a fabulous three-tier showstopper. This is your chance to use all those novelty cookie cutters filling your cupboards, and get creative with colored frosting.

Build a Leaning Tower of Cookies!

If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you could try your hand at putting together a mammoth cookie construction. Cookie towers are growing in popularity for all kinds of occasions, and can even be used as a wedding cake for a quirky alternative to a traditional tiered fruit cake. We love this tower of light-as- a-feather macaroons, which look beautiful with their pretty pastel coloring. This impressive construction could even be made using store-bought biscuits, although baking your own might be tastier. Use plenty of frosting glue to hold your tower together. If you fancy having a go at cookie tower construction, here’s a post with a recipe and step-by- step instructions to make a beautiful and versatile design.

If you’re in need of a shortcut or two to help you turn out perfectly presented, freshly baked treats in super-quick time, you’re not alone. The internet is full of tips or ‘hacks’ to make every aspect of life easier, and baking is no exception. Here are five of our favorite tips to make you look like a pro:

Freeze Cookie Dough for Fresh-Baked Cookies in Minutes

From last-minute treats for unexpected visitors to simply having warm, oven-fresh cookies whenever you like with zero effort, there are lots of benefits to freezing cookie dough. Choose a day when you’ve got the time and motivation to make a big batch, and stock up so you’ll have plenty for weeks to come! Dough will last up to 3 months in the freezer. There are three main ways to go about it:

• Freeze individual portions or balls of dough which can just be placed straight on a baking tray and popped in the oven. If you’re cooking from frozen your cookies will need a couple of extra minutes on the timer.
• Freeze a big log of shortbread dough to thaw when you want it, slice and then bake.
• Freeze a big sheet or disk of dough already rolled out – simply thaw then ready, cut into the shapes you want and then bake.

Keep Clean with a DIY Whisk-Guard!

If you’re tired of cake batter splattered all over your clothes and kitchen, there’s a simple step you can take to prevent a mess when using an electric hand-whisk. Simply make two holes in a paper place and pass your whisks through them before connecting to the machine. The plate will act as a sort of lid for your mixing bowl and catch all the batter which would otherwise have coated you and your work surface!

Get Perfectly Even Cupcakes Every Time

Do your cupcake batches always end up with a mishmash of sizes and shapes? It can be difficult to spoon cake batter into cupcake cases evenly, and you’ll almost always get some variation in the amount of mixture in each case. You can change all that by using an ice cream scoop sprayed with a little non-stick cooking spray. The non-stick coating stays on the scoop throughout, and you can be sure of getting an even dollop of batter into every cupcake – genius!

No Butter? No Problem!

Run out of butter and need to whip up a cake or bake with no time to pop to the shop? Did you know that you can swap butter in your recipe for the same amount of avocado? You’ll need to increase your wet ingredients very slightly to compensate for the fact that avocado won’t melt like butter does. Doing this swap is a great way to reduce the amount of fat in your baking and create a tasty treat that’s (slightly) healthier than usual.

Create Beautiful Biscuits & Chic Cakes

For those trying to reduce their sugar intake or if you’re all out of frosting, you can make an elegantly decorated bake using just a sprinkle of icing sugar. Apply a piece of lace or a paper doily to use like a stencil, and simply dust the icing sugar over the top. When the stencil is removed you’ll be left with a delicate and pretty pattern which is a really clever way to get a great decorative design on your cookies without frosting.

Whatever your interests, loves and passions, from food to flower-arranging, in this digital age blogs are a great way to keep up to date with the latest news, trends and opinions on your favorite subject. Whether you prefer a light-hearted approach or an in-depth and serious site, you can find blogs on just about any topic you care to search for. Of course, here at Gimmee Jimmy’s, our passion is for baking, so we thought we’d share the love and point out a few fabulous cookie baking blogs for you to check out and bookmark – as well as our own, obviously!

cookiesandcups.com

This recipe blog is written by sugar-addict, Shelley. She has no formal baking training and tries to post recipes that work well for busy people who don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen perfecting complicated concoctions. Cookies and Cups contains recipes for cookies cupcakes, cakes, fun sweets as well as main meals and much more. There’s well-written instructions, amusing descriptions and brilliant photography that makes these baked goods look absolutely irresistible. If you’re feeling particularly rebellious, try Shelley’s recipe for Trashy Treats, a no-bake rice-krispie bar filled with all things sugary, naughty and bad for you!

cookiemadness.net

Cookie Madness is a simple collection of tried and tested recipes put together over ten years of baking. Cookie-lover Anna is also a fan of cakes, pies, candy, desserts, ice cream and other sugary treats. There are lots of great recipes to try here for anyone who has a sweet tooth. We particularly liked the vast selection of flavored breads and muffins, perfect for all occasions. These cute One-Bite Carrot Muffins are easy to make and full of whole-grains and carroty goodness.

sallysbakingaddiction.com

This is a great blog written by a photographer, writer and self-confessed baking addict. That means that this blog is really well-written: rather than just a recipe collection it includes personal anecdotes, chat and interesting nutrition information too, and has lots of photos making Sally’s edible treats look fab. Sally has also published two cookbooks featuring her recipes. Those on a diet will fall in love with these amazing Greek Yoghurt Pineapple Bars. At only 130 calories each they are guilt-free, and these cheesecake-like treats are straightforward to make too, a win all round!

crumblycookie.net

The Way The Cookie Crumbles is another foodie blog written by a cookie lover and photographer. Bridget shares lots of ideas for things to make in the kitchen using natural ingredients rather than kits or mixes, and covers everything from braised beef to coconut cream tart. Here’s an interesting post about Chocolate Chip Cookie Experimentation, and Bridget’s quest to find the perfect cookie combination and the ideal balance between cakey and chewy cookies.

Cookies come in all shapes, sizes and flavors, and everyone has their preferences which are personal to them. One factor that is completely a matter of personal taste is whether the perfect cookie should include frosting or not? Here, we debate the pros and cons of adding frosting to your cookie creations.

THE PROS: 3 Reasons Frosting Is Fab!

• Frosting makes cookies look pretty: Clever frosting can turn plain and boring cookies into something truly magnificent. Whether you opt for simple colored frosting or ice intricate patterns onto your cookies, you can transform a tray into a masterpiece with a few techniques up your sleeve. Give your baked goods a theme to tie in with a holiday or children’s party, or simply make them look irresistible, like these cute camel cookies. Your designs don’t have to be complicated, you can create some stunning effects with very little. The internet is full of tips, tricks and amazing inspiration, so have fun with your frosting!
• Cover up mistakes for perfect presentation: Was your oven a little fierce today? Did you get distracted and forget about your cookies baking? Is your batch uneven or your shapes wonky? Frosting is a fast and easy way to disguise burned edges and singed raisins. Not only will your decoration efforts mean mistakes are no longer visible, the extra kick of sweetness from sugar frosting will disguise any burnt taste too. If you haven’t got time for a full royal icing covering, a drizzle of melted chocolate or a sprinkle of icing sugar will distract the eye and have the same magical effect.
• Decorating cookies keeps kids happy for ages: Give a child a bowl of frosting and a selection of sweets, candy and other treats to use for decoration, and they’ll merrily busy themselves for ages creating faces, patterns and pictures on a batch of home-baked cookies. The result may not be pristine and neat, but cookie decorating is a great family activity which keeps kids entertained away from technology, and provides a tasty snack to share with friends afterwards – it’s a win-win situation!

THE CONS: No Frosting For Me, Thanks!

• Sugar Overload: Frosting can be good, but it really depends on the type of cookie and how sweet it is to begin with. Some people just find too much sweetness hard on the teeth and the taste buds, and loading up an already sugary cookie with yet more sugar is a no-no.
• Mess-making potential: Many people love to dunk their cookies into their favorite tea, coffee or glass of milk for the ultimate comfort-food treat. Hot drinks plus frosting is a recipe for disaster, and could risk spoiling the cookie, the coffee and the entire experience, so dunkers sensibly tend to prefer un-iced biscuits!
• Ain’t nobody got time for that! One of the great things about cookies is that they’re so quick and easy to make. Unless you’re going for a show-stopping display incorporating intricate icing techniques and cute designs, adding frosting to homemade cookies is too time-consuming for many bakers. You have to wait for your freshly baked cookies to cool, spend time and effort icing them and then wait for it to set, only for all your hard work to be devoured in just a couple of bites. Part of the joy of making cookies at home is eating them while they’re still warm, and frosting just isn’t part of that experience!

A survey of American adults conducted by OnePoll.com in 2015 found that as a cookie-loving nation, we eat on average 18,928 cookies in a lifetime – per person! That’s one per day for an entire adult lifetime, but that figure is hardly surprising when you look at the rest of the data: 21% of people surveyed confessed to eating 10 or more cookies per week. Classic chocolate chip cookies came out on top as America’s favorite flavor, with brownies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin and simple sugar cookies all ranking in the top ten. There are lots of great reasons to love cookies – in fact, what’s not to love?! Here are 5 reasons the great American love affair with cookies looks set to last:

1. Bitesize Treats Don’t Have Calories!

If you’re watching what you eat or trying to be strict about healthy food, a small treat like a cookie that can be eaten in a mouthful or two doesn’t seem to count! Just one cookie for someone who’s dieting won’t do too much damage, yet tastes great and easily satisfies that sweet craving. Of course, this only applies if you have the self-control to stick to just one – and that you haven’t baked cookies the size of dinner plates (that’s cheating!) – unlike 28% of Americans who admit they sometimes eat up to 6 cookies in one sitting.

2. They’re Quick And Simple To Bake At Home

Although there are some delicious and complicated-sounded gourmet cookie recipes out there, it’s also easy to create a wonderfully tasty batch of home-baked cookies at home with as little as three ingredients. Most of us keep butter, sugar and flour in our store cupboards, and you can get as creative as you like with toppings and extras. Being so simple, that means you can easily cater for people with nut allergies or other sensitivities, without compromising on taste.

3. Cookie Gifts Are ALWAYS Appreciated

Whether you go for home-made or store-bought, a fancy tin with intricate icing or the most rustic of recipes, giving cookies as a gift is never a bad idea! Invited over to a friend’s house at the last minute? You can whip up a batch of cookies in no time, and look like a domestic goddess when you turn up! Stuck for a Christmas present for your best friend / granny / kindergarten teacher / postman? Cookies are wonderful to give and even better to receive!

4. Classic Comfort Food

When you’re feeling down, or simply want to enjoy something warm, soft and sweet to lift your mood and remind you of happy times, cookies tick all the right boxes. According to the survey, 78% of people say that eating cookies makes them feel content, and 61% believe they get a sense of comfort from eating this classic baked treat. More than half of adults surveyed have cookies and milk as a bedtime snack.

5. Sheer Variety Of Flavors Means You’ll Never Get Bored

From all-time American classics like chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies to more outlandish flavors such as Char Sui Pork, Cayenne Chocolate Coffee or Key Lime Pie, we reckon it’s just about impossible to tire of trying new cookie combinations. Sweet or savory, soft or crunchy, cookies are so varied and versatile it’s no wonder they’re America’s favorite dessert.

We blogged a while back about Black and White Cookies, their history and popularity with Americans nationwide, not just in New York where they enjoy a special history. From talking to our customers we’ve noticed a growing trend for these iconic cookies being used as part of a very special event – read on to find out more!

Wedding Favors That Won’t Get Left Behind!

When you’re planning favors for your wedding breakfast or other big celebratory meal, it can be hard to know what to do for the best. You want to combine something that’s relatively cost effective to buy for all of your guests with something they’ll really want, and which looks great as part of your table setup. Edible favors are rising in popularity, as unlike keepsakes and trinkets that people may not want to keep forever or which just gather dust on a shelf after the big day is over, favors you can eat are a fun and fabulous way to give your guests a gift they’ll actually enjoy!

A Striking Addition To Your Party Table

Black and White Cookies look great for any occasion. Whatever the color scheme for your wedding, the stark contrasting colors will add a pop to your table, and make sure your guests are wowed! Stick with the traditional colors for a smart and sophisticated look, or if you wanted to give them a little twist of your own, how about having them iced in the colors of your bouquet or your bridesmaid dresses?

Personalised Cookies For Multi-Purpose Favors

These cute cookies act as the perfect blank canvas to embellish with a bit of personalisation. Use white icing on the black, and black icing on the white, of course! You could add the names of the bride and groom, the date of the wedding, or even ice each cookie individually with the guests’ name so they can act as place cards for your dining tables too!

Pay Homage To Your Wedding Location

We think Black and White Cookies work brilliantly as wedding favors wherever the location may be, but if you’re getting hitched in New York, your gift to your guests can take on a special significance. It’s here that these iconic treats are particularly popular, and almost every bakery, bagel store, and corner deli has them available. Celebrate your New York wedding in style by offering a traditional cookie which looks simply stunning.

Back in May, we blogged about the Cookie Monster, the lovable Sesame Street character with a childlike way of talking and an insatiable appetite for cookies. It seems we’re not the only ones to be charmed by this distinctive cuddly creature, as you all loved our post! Upon investigating, we’ve found that Cookie Monster gets around a bit, not wanting to restrict himself to the confines of children’s TV. Cookie Monster’s infatuation with cookies is something which is shared by adults and children alike, so if you’d like to see more of him away from Sesame Street, check out some of these fab videos:

Cookie Monster’s First Appearance

In our last blog, we mentioned that Cookie Monster wasn’t originally referred to as such… Here’s an early snack food commercial featuring the Wheel Steeler, the muppet which later evolved into Cookie Monster as we know and love him.

A Love Affair with Siri

In March, Apple released a commercial starring Cookie Monster impatiently waiting for the cookies he is baking to be ready. The commercial, highlighting the handsfree capabilities of Siri, has received over 11 million YouTube views to date.

Apple, too, seem to have been impressed by the popularity of both their video and the entertaining abilities of Cookie Monster, and in April they uploaded a second Cookie Monster video, giving a ‘behind the scenes’ view of how the original was created. In this hilarious outtakes video, Cookie Monster develops a greater affinity with Siri, vowing to bake her a special cookie, and even taking her to bed with him!

In Conversation With Elizabeth Blair

Cookie Monster took a trip to the National Public Radio (NPR) studio in New York to be interviewed by broadcaster Elizabeth Blair. The video of the interview forms part of NPR’s In Character series, which examines the impact that fictional characters have upon the American psyche. In his interview with Blair, Cookie Monster answered a version of the famous Proust Questionnaire, and we also learn that even Cookie Monster has standards – he draws the line at sardine ice cream.

Cookie Monster Turns Writer / Comedian

Presenter Jimmy Kimmell hired Cookie Monster to write jokes for his late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmell Live. You can see the result here, but we don’t think we’re giving too much away by saying that Cookie Monster’s jokes all seem to have a similar punchline…

And Finally…

If you’ve ever wondered about the correct way to eat a cookie, you have to check out this video from Rocketboom, in which Cookie Monster gives presenter Ella a step-by-step lesson in effective cookie consumption.  Once you’re an expert, you should be able to eat cookies just as enthusiastically as Cookie Monster, complete with OM NOM NOM noises and crumbs galore!

There’s been a lot of talk lately about sugar addiction, and the need to reduce the amount of sugar we consume in our diets. There’s a school of thought that says a little of what you fancy does you good, but there’s no disputing the scientific evidence that eating excess sugar is harmful. So does that mean cookies should be banned from our kitchens? Not necessarily… On special occasions, there’s really nothing wrong with indulging in your favorite baked treat, whether that’s cookies, cakes or other confectionery. For cookie lovers who don’t want to give up on life’s little luxuries, there are more ways to add sweetness to a recipe than simply adding refined sugar. Read on to find out more…

Is all sugar bad?

Sugar is a carbohydrate which provides energy to our bodies. It is quickly absorbed by the body and has no other nutritional value. When we consume a lot of sugar, if it’s not quickly used as energy, it becomes converted into stored body fat, something we all want to avoid! In foods, there are two types of sugar: naturally occurring sugar and added sugar. Naturally occurring sugar is found in whole, unprocessed foods, such as the fructose in fruit, and the lactose in milk. Added sugar is any sugar, even a natural sugar like fructose, which is added to a processed food or drink while it is being made.

In general, any form of sugar we consume can have a detrimental effect on the body. It can cause a ‘sugar high’, that jittery feeling we get when we’ve had too much candy, or the wild behaviour of children shortly after eating chocolate, followed by an inevitable energy slump. There’s lots of information available about why sugar is bad, but some sugars are considered to be less harmful than others. Fruit sugars eaten as part of whole fruit, not juice, come along with a healthy serving of vitamins, fiber and other nutrients, so can be beneficial to the body. There are also a multitude of sugar replacements available, from the all-natural Stevia sweetener to the super-sweet Sucralose, which claims to have a negligible effect on blood-sugar levels.

So why do we add sugar to our food?

If sugar’s so bad for us, why do food manufacturers use it in so many products? The simple answer is that it tastes good! It can also improve the color and texture of foods, keep baked goods fresher for longer and aid fermentation in bread and alcohol.

What if I’m trying to cut down?

When you’re trying to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, it can be frustrating to read the labels on food packaging and discover how many products contain added sugar that you just wouldn’t expect. From tinned soups to salad dressings, the findings can be surprising! One way to gain control of what you’re eating is to make more foods from scratch yourself. If you’re a cookie-lover and want to cut back on added sugar, try one of these recipes to create delicious baked treats with natural sweeteners instead:

Peanut Butter, Banana, Honey & Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe uses honey or maple syrup for sweetness, along with a mashed banana. It still counts as added sugar, but honey is considered far healthier than refined cane sugar, and these cookies sound utterly delicious.

Easy Peasy Sugar-Free Cookies

Super quick and simple, this handy recipe provides a great tasting treat. Sugar-free, dairy-free, nut free, egg free and wheat free – this is perfect for anyone with an intolerance or allergy who still loves cookies!

Stevia Choc Chip Cookies

This recipe uses Stevia sugar substitute. You’ll notice the amount specified is far smaller than the amount of white sugar you’d usually use in a recipe for choc chip cookies.

Fathers’ day is perhaps the one special day when grown men get to celebrate their achievements, and reflect with their family. For many, father's day is the perfect time of year to say "I love you", in the most meaningful way, while still remaining within the boundaries of perceived masculinity. Over the years, what began with a mothers day tradition of giving gifts, crossed over to fathers, because equality wins! Rather than flowers, the modern gift giver is presented with a myriad of masculine electronics and toys, but for the select few, a thoughtful New York tradition can be the best gift of all. 

New York's Own Gimmee Jimmy's Black and White Cookie

Unlike other cookies, these spongy bundles of goodness are susceptible to gorging, as they should. At Gimmee Jimmy's Cookies, we've taken this into account, offering them in mini-black and white version as bundles of 12, 18, and 24. Our packaging makes these cookies special too, delivered in a beautiful tin and custom box, these delicious cookies present something for everyone to share at home, or on the golf course.

We've already talked about the history of Black and White cookies here, but did you ever want to know how to make them?

Ingredients: 

For cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg

For icings

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

President Obama dubbed the black and white cookie a “unity” cookie.

PREPARATION

1. Make cookies:
   1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
   3. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
   4. Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.
2. Make icings while cookies chill:
   1. Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.
3. Ice cookies:
   1. Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.

So what makes the perfect fathers day gift? Send one this year and see.