cookie calendar - day 8: chocolate macarons

I originally found Sylvia's blog, A Baked Creation, while I was doing research ahead of attempting to make macarons myself. As regular readers of kitchen frolic can probably tell you - I'm a little obsessed with macarons.

You can imagine how excited I was when Sylvia, one of my four "macaron goddess mentors" (see my macaron blog post here about my attempts and how these lovely ladies saved me), agreed to do a guest post for the Cookie Advent Calendar. I must admit I kept my fingers crossed and was ecstatic when Sylvia sent me a macaron recipe for the Calendar! (I know there's a debate whether macarons are cookies or not, but I don't care. It's my calendar so they count!)

cookie calendar - day 7: chocolate-ginger crinkle cookies

I'm so excited to introduce Natasha. She's one of the first Cookie Advent Calendar participants who I met on Twitter through conversations not related to food!!! Haha. Ok, she's still a great baker, but we initially met while chatting in a home renovation Twitter chat.

As some of you who have been following kitchen frolic know, Paul and I bought a house over the summer and have slowly, but surely, been tackling all the lovely things that come with first-home-ownership, including making the house "ours".

Natasha and her husband are building their own dream house from the ground up and some of her blog posts have been completely inspiring for me.

I'm so happy that Natasha agreed to share a recipe (her first time as a guest blogger!), plus her adorable photos of her and her son baking together is pretty much what holiday baking is all about!

Besides her lovely blog, you can also follow Natasha on Twitter!

cookie calendar - day 6: corn cookies

I can honestly say that Ange has been a friend to kitchen frolic since the very beginning of my little blog. I think she was one of my first Twitter followers! LOL. So I'm very happy that she was able to join me for the second year (that's two for two Ange!) in the Cookie Advent Calendar (you should also check out her 2012 Cookie Advent Calendar recipe, Coconut Macaroon)

I have yet to go to the famous Momofuku Milk Bar myself, although I have heard amazing things about their baked goods and my sister is a big fan. When Ange submitted this recipe I was really excited and can't wait to try it myself - hopefully her tweaks and instructions will help me master it in no time!

cookie calendar - day 5: peppermint pinwheel cookies

Stuart (aka @MyCakeyBoi) is a wonderful baker and a good friend, so when I asked him to suggest some of his favourite friends/bloggers who might be interested, he didn't have a shortage of suggestions. One of my favourites on his list is the lovely and talented Louise.

After first connecting with Louise on Twitter, I then spent a few days in a sugar-coma looking through her website. Then I got her recipe in my inbox and spent another few days recovering from the shock. LOL. These are definitely the most COLOURFUL cookies I've ever included in the Cookie Advent Calendar and they are awesome! So perfect for the holidays!

cookie calendar - day 4: cranberry orange biscotti

I'm so excited to share this recipe because not only do I love biscotti but I also love the fact that it's from a food truck owner!

If you're a regular reader of kitchen frolic, or spend any time with me on Twitter, than you know that I'm a big supporter of food trucks and pop-ups. I love supporting these amazing entrepreneurs so when The Canuck Pizza Truck asked if they could join in the Cookie Advent Calendar I was more than happy to sign them up!

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for this particular food truck when I'm in Niagara next year!

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cookie calendar - day 3: banana date cookies

I met Shirley when she responded to my call on Twitter looking for new Cookie Advent Calendar guest posters. She wanted to share a cookie recipe that she created to deal with her food allergies. I didn't hesitate to accept her generous offer.

One of the things I love most about the Cookie Advent Calendar is the amazing people that get involved. There are so many different kinds of cookies and Shirley's recipe is super simple, super healthy and looks absolutely delicious. I can't wait to bake up a batch of these myself!

cookie calendar - day 2: chewy chocolate chip cookies

Vicky is awesome. I originally met her on Twitter (I don't remember how we connected, but that's the fun of Twitter!) and even online, you can feel her energy and enthusiasm. So when I met her in real life, I wasn't disappointed!

Since our initial meeting, we've bumped into each other at several other food events and each time, I'm still a little in awe of her energy. Maybe it's all that running she does...?

Anyhow, when Vicky saw my tweet mentioning the Cookie Advent Calendar, she asked if she could share her favourite chew chocolate chip cookies. How could I say no?