Although I’ve had them bookmarked for over a year, I’d been hesitating to make these cookies, thinking they might be too simple and old-fashioned for my (ha ha) discriminating tastes. Well, they do look a little plain, don’t they? And I think it was a rather grave error for Gourmet to publish the recipe in their January 2008 issue — I mean, I’m sure they’re just fine in winter, but honestly, these are summer cookies all the way, ones that beg to be eaten in stifling heat while searching for a breeze on one of those big wraparound porches that old Victorian houses have. And maybe with a loyal dog nearby to snuffle up the crumbs? Ah, but my apartment kitchen (with a little imagination thrown in) makes a pretty nice spot, too.
When I brought them to work, I was surprised to discover that these were some of the most well-received cookies I’ve ever made. Even the coworker who is very picky and usually shies away from the sweets I bring in thought they were wonderful. I suppose that with so many exotic ingredients and decadent combinations featured in cookbooks and food blogs these days, it can be easy to lose sight of recipes like this that seem to come from a different era, before 65% cacao and açai became common parlance. I’m not saying that one is better than the other, but sometimes it feels good to be reminded of the value of restraint. I think Antoine de Saint-Exupery says it best:
“Perfection is reached, not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.”




