Party Favors

I sent everyone home from our Christmas dinner party with a box of cookies. I spent all week making cookies while blasting Christmas music.  Maddie was getting close to alerting the authorities that I had lost it.  By the time Saturday arrived I had baked seven different types of cookies, though until I counted in the box I would have sworn it was just six.  I didn't bother figuring out how many cookies I had baked or how many even fit into these boxes, but I was paranoid there wouldn't be enough.  I was being super stingy with John and would only let him eat a couple of cookies a day because I was worried there we would run out.  I was very, very wrong.  Our entire counter is filled with leftover cookies - and I even sent some people home with an extra baggie of cookies.  Tee hee.  Next time I'll try to stick to a measly four types of cookies. 

 

The cookies are from the top: peanut butter chocolate chip, oatmeal butterscotch, snickerdoodle, coconut macaroons, chocolate chunk, white chocolate macadamia nut, and double chocolate. 

 

Martha Stewart was gracious enough to design cute cookie box sets for Michael's this year, which came in especially handy because I didn't happen to have 5 tins laying around my house.  Plus I loved being cheesy and matching the placecards to the cookie boxes. 

 

I wasn't the only one with sweet treats on the brain.  I sent my friends home with cookies, but they left me some party favors too.  Natalie knows me so well.  Frango Mints are my absolute favorite chocolates.  They are rich with the perfect balance of sweetness and luscious chocolate. 

 

These are my mom's favorite as well, and they used to only be available at Marshall Field's.  Now that Macy's has bought out every chain department store imaginable, you can buy Frangos at Macy's - hoorah!  Growing up I knew it was my lucky day when my mom was willing to part with one of her beloved Frango Mints, and I still hoard them to this day.  Very normal. 

 

Trevor and Andrea brought over macarons from Paulette, their favorite store in their neighborhood.  There are no stores in our neighborhood (or even city) that sell things this cool.

I didn't know what to expect when I opened the box, but I didn't expect it to be so beautiful.

 

They are almost too pretty to eat.  Almost.  I've been chowing down on these guys for days now, and they are so light it's hard to not eat them all at once.  They have these amazingly subtle natural flavors with just the right about of sugar.  I think I'll go have one now as a matter of fact (nom nom nom).