New Year's Eve Sweets Party
On New Year's Eve, we bet you'll be downing champagne. But what, we ask, will help your system absorb all that bubbly? Our easy answer is sweets, and preferably an assortment of them.
Taking a hint from the Rosh Hashanah tradition of dipping apples in honey for a sweet new year, we like presenting guests, if we're hosting — and hosts if we're invited somewhere else — with piles of cookies and brownies and such. Here, are some of our favorite celebratory cookies, and some tips for making any cookie fest a success.
1. Make in advance. Cookies are brilliant because they keep for days. Take advantage of this — make them at least 1-2 days before any event. That way, on the day of the event you can prepare, take your disco nap, and try on various outfits without worrying about turning on the oven or cleaning the kitchen.
2. Platters of plenty. We won't lie, there's an art to the plating of cookies. Unless you're into minimalism across the board, you'll want to pile your platters for all they're worth. Arrange the cookies in parallel lines down a plate, overlapping. Then pile on a second row in the same manner. This also frees you from replenishing throughout the night.
3. Thrifty and sweet. Though butter and sugar can always add up, sticking to sweets will generally keep the price tag of your party or your contribution down. Of course if you're throwing a party, you should warn guests that it's not a dinner event, but after that you're in the clear to make as expensive or as inexpensive cookies as you please.
Now for the cookies!
We originally developed these cookies to ring in a new era—the Obama administration taking office—but they're just as apt for ringing in 2011.
Again, with that honey thing. Baklava has nothing to do with the Jewish tradition, but there's something in the aching sweetness of its syrup that ensures future sweetness.
These are meant for New Year's. With the spiciness of cloves and the soft citrus-y hint of cognac, these cookies crumble as you eat them in a way that, for whatever reason, bodes well for the year to come.
Festive, and easy. Plus, they're British. Shortbread's triangular shape looks great on a cookie platter, which is usually dominated by rounds.
Milk Chocolate Cookies with Ginger and Toffee
We use crystallized ginger in these revved up chocolate chip cookies specifically because it's as sparkly as any New Year's Eve dress worth its price in glitter.
White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
White chocolate and raspberries feel like delicacies, especially in the middle of winter, and luxurious cookies match perfectly with that flute of champagne in your hand.