It’s that time of year again—time to break out the tinsel and the holiday sweaters and, of course, the cookies! Yesterday was the Workman holiday party, and we really pulled out the stops. In addition to gifts under the tree, a rockin’ holiday band, and a record-breaking dance number (more details soon…!), the party also saw the return of a favorite holiday tradition: the annual Workman cookie swap.

A very small sampling of the many desserts at the party

What is a cookie swap, you ask? It’s just that: a swapping of cookies. Partygoers whipped up a batch of their favorite cookies—often, you probably won’t be surprised to learn, out of a Workman cookbook—and then laid them out for display. Then everyone who brought in baked goods could put together a sampler of all the other cookies they wanted to take home. And even those of us who didn’t make anything were allowed to try a few—you know, in the generous holiday spirit and all.

This year the edible offerings were as great as ever, with cookies running the gamut from peanut butter thumbprints to chocolate whoopie pies. Among the many highlights were treats from two of our favorite cookie books: Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich and Lauren Chattman’s Cookie Swap! Below, check out (on the left) some Snickerdoodles from Chewy Gooey and (right) some Chocolate Peppermint Dirt Cookies from Cookie Swap!, lovingly baked by Workman employees.

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Gearing up for your own holiday party? Whip up a plate of delicious ginger cookies from Artisan’s spectacular Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy and you’re sure to wow all the holiday revelers you know; the recipe’s below. (And keep scrolling for a few choice shots from the party!)

Partygoers mingle and jingle.

Red-and-green peanut butter thumbprints (!!)

The Reprints---Nancy (at the back on the spoons), Erin, Liz, Bob, David, Jeanne, and Mike (below)---rock out.

No keyboard? There's an app for that.

Donated gifts under the tree---and Cheryl and Griffith Day of "The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook" on top!

Happy holidays, from our family to yours!
—Avery

Ah, Boston, that perfectly preserved Colonial town, located not far from Plymouth, where the pilgrims first docked. So it’s only fitting that this recipe for that most quintessential of Thanksgiving desserts comes from Boston, MA’s most renowned baker, Judy Rosenberg. The owner of the beloved series of Rosie’s Bakery shops, and author of the new Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book, Judy knows a thing or two about overcoming holiday pie anxiety. And you can turn out a worry-free, pumpkin-perfect pie by following her simple steps below.

Deep-Dish Pumpkin Pie

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Single-crust Basic Pie Crust 1 (recipe follows)
1 can (15 ounces) unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (lightly packed) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons molasses
1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
3 large eggs, at room temperature

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and a baking sheet on the bottom rack, and preheat to 375°.

2. Roll out the crust. Fit it into a deep-dish pie pan and lightly prebake (see Note below). Let cool before filling. Leave the oven on.

3. Whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the molasses, milk, and eggs, whisking vigorously until smooth.

4. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Cover the edge of the crust with aluminum foil. Bake the pie until the top is shiny and set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

5. Carefully remove the foil. Let the pie cool on a rack. Serve the pie warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Basic Pie Crust 1

Makes one 9-inch, standard or deep dish crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 9 pieces
3 tablespoons ice water

1. Place the flour and salt in a food processor and process to blend for 20 seconds. (Or whisk them together by hand in a large mixing bowl.)

2. Distribute the butter evenly over the flour and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 15 to 20 seconds. (Or rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips or cut it in with a pastry blender.)

3. With the food processor running, pour the ice water in a steady stream through the feed tube and process just until the dough comes together. (Or sprinkle the water over the mixture while tossing with a fork.)

4. Knead the dough for several turns on a lightly floured surface to bring it together.

5. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

6. Roll the chilled dough for the bottom crust out to a circle 2 inches bigger than the size of the pie pan.

7. Fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges. Keep the crust in the refrigerator until ready to fill. If prebaking the crust (see Note below), refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Note: Lightly prebaking the crust: If you’re going to fill this crust and bake it again, cut the step 3 baking time in the Pumpkin Pie recipe to 12 minutes. In step 4, stop when the crust is very lightly golden, after about 3 minutes.

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Find 248 more mouthwatering recipes for the holidays and beyond in Judy’s luscious new book, The Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book!

Wouldn’t you know it, that holiday everyone loves to hate is coming up: Valentine’s Day. But instead of moping around, sending flirtatious texts to your would-be Romeo, or wallowing in a vat of chocolate, we have an alternative activity for you. A Valentine’s Day cookie swap! It can be lovey-dovey or grumpy; to accompany the cookies, you can serve bittersweet souffles, decadent chocolate layer cake, or solely raw vegetables and protein bars. But please do yourselves a favor and make these Mini Hazelnut Linzer Hearts, no matter what the sentiment! (Unless you have a nut allergy, that is.)

Mini Hazelnut Linzer Hearts

Makes: 36 small sandwich cookies

Bake time: 10 to 12 minutes

Linzer sandwiches are so rich that large cookies often go half-eaten. But bite-size Linzer hearts give you all the Viennese-style decadence of a big cookie with half the guilt (which–let’s be honest–means you can eat more of them!). These cookies are made with two sizes of cookie cutters–a larger heart to cut out the cookies and a smaller one to create the window; you can find them at Williams-Sonoma or N.Y. Cake & Baking Distributor (where the small ones are sold in a set of aspic cutters).

1 cup skinned hazelnuts*
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for working the dough
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Place the hazelnuts and 1/3 cup of the sugar in a food processor and pulse 8 to 10 times until very finely ground (the mixture should resemble very coarse sand).

2. Place the butter and the remaining 1/3 cup of the sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour, salt, and the hazelnut mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a ball.

3. Divide the dough into three parts and, on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands, press it into three 1/2-inch-thick disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. (At this point, the dough may be wrapped in a double layer of plastic and then a layer of heavy-duty foil and frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost it in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight before proceeding with step 4.)

4. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and knead it 4 or 5 times on a lightly floured work surface to soften it. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of a scant 1/4 inch. Use a 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter to cut out as many hearts as you can. Place the hearts on the prepared baking sheets and use a smaller heart-shaped cutter to cut a peek-a-boo center into half of the cookies. Alternatively, use a skewer to poke holes in half of the cookies. (These holes should be in rows, about 1/4-inch apart from each other.)

6. Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Slide the parchment sheets with the cookies onto wire racks and let the cookies cool completely.

7. Roll, cut, and bake the remaining disks of dough (and any scraps), using fresh parchment paper, as directed.

8. To assemble the cookies, use a small offset spatula to spread about 1/4 teaspoon of jam on each of the un-poked hearts; spread the jam to within 1/8 inch of the edge. Lightly sift some confectioners’ sugar over the poked hearts and place each on top of the jam-covered hearts.

*Use this technique to skin the hazelnuts: Place the hazelnuts in a saucepan and cover them with water to a depth of 1 inch. Add a tablespoon of baking soda and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Strain the nuts under cold running water, rubbing them between your palms. The skins will completely dissolve. Pat the hazelnuts dry before using them.

Mini Hazelnut Linzer Hearts will keep, layered between parchment paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

-Liz, editorial assistant, who does in fact have a nut allergy, but wishes she could eat these anyway, because they are so beautiful. Oh yeah, there they are on the cover of the book!

Whether it’s a dietary choice or due to allergies, more and more people are going gluten-free. Here are some tips for keeping gluten-free dishes completely uncontaminated by gluten, even in a standard gluten-using kitchen.

For more about gluten, check out Friday’s post, All About Gluten. For gluten-free baking recipes, look in Anne Byrn’s new book The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free

• Always wash pans and utensils well with soap and hot water. Place pans and utensils that come into contact with wheat gluten in the dishwasher.
• Decrumb drawers that hold baking utensils so as not to cross-contaminate them.
• Or, set up a separate drawer or pantry for your gluten-free utensils.
• Set aside a separate cutting board for baking gluten-free.
• Have a separate sifter, spatulas, wooden spoons (older cracked spoons can hold flour in the cracks), and beaters for the electric mixer for gluten-free baking.
• Cover baking sheets with aluminum foil before making cookies.

After spending a summer with a friend who was gluten intolerant, I was amazed to learn that gluten can pop up in unexpected places. So reading ingredients on the back of boxes, marinades and dressings was necessary at all times. Anne Byrn’s The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free offers an amazing array of cakes, cookies, muffins and brownies – all gluten-free, and often with a lactose-free option as well!  She also explains what gluten is, as well as where it can lurk in food…

What is gluten?

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is a sticky substance and when used in baking helps hold bread, cakes and pastries together and encourages them to rise as they bake. Gluten is not found in rice, corn, millet, amaranth, and teff. Oats, also, do not contain gluten, but because they are grown and transported in bulk, they may contain trace amounts of gluten from wheat, barley or rye. To make sure oats are gluten-free, look for proof on the package.

Where can gluten be hidden?

• Malt and malt flavoring
• Soy sauce
• Some soy milk products, make sure to check labels
• Some modified food starch
• Some dextrin
• Some store-bought vanilla cake frosting
• Lipstick
• Play-Doh

Looking to get more quality time with your buddies? Don’t sit and watch the game by your lonesome on your high-def gewgaw with your nonworking remote, people! It’s time to TAILGATE with the man Oprah called “the gladiator of grilling.” Yup, it’s Raichlen’s Tailgating! 31 Righteous Recipes for On-the -Go Grilling, by Steven Raichlen, who personally curated 31 perfect tailgating recipes from his bestselling Barbecue Bible cookbooks for your mobile grilling pleasure. Download it at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other e-book retailers.

Newly engaged brides and grooms:  Once the mists of rrrrrrooomance have cleared and you’re ready to get down and dirty with some planning, do your and your family’s wallets a favor by checking out Your Dream Wedding on a Budget: 47 Cost-Cutting Secrets from America’s Favorite Wedding Planner by Mindy Weiss, featuring a goldmine of tips compiled from her be-all-end-all wedding planning resource, The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day. Mindy may be known for her blowout celebrity to-dos (favorite piece of Mindy news from last year = story of Hilary Duff and the lost tooth!) but now that she’s planning her son’s wedding, you can bet she has budget on the brain! Barnes and Noble,Amazon, and other e-book retailers.

Say no to store-bought cakes, and a hearty yes to making loved ones of all ages feel ultra special on their birthdays. Bring on the balloons, the streamers, and the kazoos! Then get to (not so much) work by whipping up one of the tasty treats from The Cake Mix Doctor’s 25 Best Birthday Cakes: Easy Luscious Layer Cakes, Plus Frostings, Icings, Tips, and More by Anne Byrn. The doyenne of cake mix guarantees your guests won’t be able to guess it came from a box–but we defy you to resist the temptation of announcing it to all and sundry! Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other e-book retailers.

And finally, January brings the undeniable urge to start plotting the year’s escapes. Get cracking! In Perfect Island Getaways from 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: The Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda, discerning travelista Patricia Schultz gives you a foolproof access card to 53 destinations in paradise. Why waste hours, nay, days, combing through endless travelers’ reviews on the web when you can grab the authoritative, vetted, to-die-for bucket list with the click of a mouse? Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other e-book retailers.

Because a launch isn’t a launch without a P-A-R-T-Y, we’re going to be feting these shorties and their fab authors with a virtual pub party featuring (virtual) cocktails, cake, bbq, and more! Stay tuned for details.

Enjoy a bite of festive cheer in the form of pics from our annual cookie swap. (Who can blame us for favoring house cookbooks Cookie Swap, Mad Hungry, The Crabby Cook Cookbook, The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free, and Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies?)

It all looks very orderly and civilized. But mere moments after documentation, the subjects of these photographs were gobbled up by a gaggle of hungry bookmaking elves. . . . Happy holidays!

Watch Anne Byrn today on Good Morning America with cakes from her latest book, The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. Today she’ll share an amazing gluten-free take on a chocolate pound cake–visit her website (CakeMixDoctor.com) for the recipe.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake with Peppermint Drizzle

Read an excerpt from Anne Byrn’s latest book, The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. Take gluten-free cake mixes and doctor them to create 71 layer cakes, bundts, cookies, bars, brownies, and more.

I’m very lucky–other family members host our big gatherings, so when it comes to holiday cooking, all I have to make is dessert.

In researching options for this holiday season, a recipe for Pumpkin Cobbler caught my eye on KitchenScoop.com, the website of Desperation Dinners authors Alicia Ross and Beverly Mills. I decided to make it this past Thanksgiving.

The now-famous "magical cobbler"

While assembling the cobbler according to the recipe instructions, I was very confused. Why did the recipe say to place the crust mixture on the bottom, then read “The crust will not cover cobbler completely, but this is fine.” How would it cover the top at all if it was on the bottom?

The short answer? Because it’s magical! During the baking process, I peeked into the oven to discover the crust wrapped around the edges of the dish to envelop the top AND the bottom of the pumpkin mixture in a delicious, buttery crust!

The dish was a hit at Thanksgiving dinner. Now my whole family is calling it the “magical crust dessert,” and everyone wants to help bake it so they can see the “magic.” A holiday dish everyone is fighting to help make? That is definitely something to be thankful for!

Click here for the Pumpkin Cobbler recipe on KitchenScoop.com