I made these with the whole family the other day.  Both recipes came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookie issue.  The pinwheels have ground almonds in the dough, while the candy canes are minty, and contain mint extract.  I’ve been putting the mint extract to good use in my baking since last year, when I used them as an addition to my Spritz cookie dough, which I highly recommend.  I get bored easily, so I like to try new cookie recipes, or tweak the old ones.  I also used …

I went outside just a few minutes ago and was surprised to see flurries, the first of the season. I’m definitely a little sad. With all the cold weather we got in August, I never really worked myself up to saying goodbye to the end of the summer. I usually get excited about the first flakes of snow, but this year I’m …