This is CookieChick's choice for new cookie this yeart. They're kind of like a Pay Day bar - chewy, peanutty, and salty/sweet. I'm sorry if they look a little beat up. I made a technical error when storing them and they sorta melted together. 

One of the gluten-free selections this year. I had never made meringues before, but they turned out pretty good - crispy and chocolatey. 

This is the other gluten-free selection. An easy, yummy no-bake cookie made with corn flakes. 

. This is Eris' new choice this year. A peanut-banana-chocolate cookie with a bacon garnish! i think Elvis would approve. 

Greetings loved ones! We hope everone is surviving the apocalypse safe and sane. There has been a lot of changes this year and not all of them suck! 

CookieChick and Squirrel Girl have been hard at work again to bring you your holiday cookie feast. Oatmeal shortbread have been put on semi-retirement for now and Chocolate Mint Crack has taken their place. Snowballs and peanut butter kisses have gone back into the vault and kg*m/sec2 and chewy gingerbread have come out. Eris' choice for a new cookie is chocolate ravioli. I made a new cookie, almond cardamom cookies and I didn't like them, so I made a last minute substitution for Mexican Wedding Cakes. The gluten-free selections are chocolate amaretti and almond crispies. 

Now, on to the family news...

CookieChick has a new job. She is now assistant professor of medicine/pediatrics in the Primary Care department at Loyola University Medical Center. She is seeing patients at a clinic and will also be teaching medical students and residents. Her first on call was over Christmas weekend and it was quite busy because Covid is once again exploding all over the place. 

Next, Eris has been doing quite well in her senior year. She has a class where she is doing original research (Oak Park HS rocks). Her project involves a  meta-analysis of studies of rare diseases and how histamine can help with treatments.  

She is also applying to colleges. She has been accepted so far at Michigan State, Wayne State, University of Detroit Mercy, and University of New Mexico (see photo). We are still waiting on UW-Madison, Rochester Insitute of Technology, U of I, and a few others. 

We have two new family members to introduce. After we lost Rizza last year, Nigel became very lonely. So we got Boris (Badenov) as a companion. Unfortunately, Boris was way too energetic for Nigel, so we then got Goose (the flerkin) and they run around like crazy together. We now have too many cats.

Randal continues to work from home exclusively for Rippleshot, which now has 1300 banks and credit unions.

This Labor Day, he also accidentally co-founded another startup called OrphanCures which pairs rare diseases with either repurposed drugs or drugs that have been shelved without further development.

In fact, that drug turns out to work well for Eris and Randal as well. We now think they have something in the vicinity of narcolepsy, which is the primary indication for pitolisant (PWS came later). We are working on getting official diagnoses and a steady supply of drug (which costs $70K per year per person).

Oh, and after much research, I bought a new all-electric car. It's a Kia Niro EV. I call him Robert the Niro. 

Randal still says it's red. He's not very good at cars.

The other gluten-free choice this year. I didn't realize until after baking that both varieties this year have almond flavoring (sorry Amelia!). These are crispy/cruncy/chewy and cinnamony. 

This is Eris' choice for a new recipe for 2021. The title is self-explanatory. These are like the dessert version of filled pasta - chocolately filling in crisp buttery cookies. I think Eris could have filled them a little more, but they are still quite good. 

One of the gluten-free selections this year, this cookie is chocolately and almondy with a nice chew. 

Greetings loved ones! 2020 has been quite something, hasn’t it? Well, I for one, am glad it’s almost over. We hope everyone has remained safe and healthy this year. Cookiechick and Squirrel Girl have been hard at work creating goodies for your holiday enjoyment.

Mexican wedding cakes and chewy gingerbread have gone back into the vault for 2020. Thumbprints have been elevated to a semi-permanent status, for now anyway. My pick this year, in keeping with my obsession with chocolate mint cookies, is Chocolate Mint Crackles. This is a typical chocolate crackle cookie topped with a mint patty. I think will be my go-to in the future. They are very fudgy, rich, and minty. Eris’ pick this year is a twist on the elf-made Fudge Stripes, made with a peanut butter base. The two gluten-free treats are Peanut Butter Coconut Fat Bombs and Salted Caramel Chocolate Squares. 

In other news, I finally finished my MPH this year, completing my final project remotely with my advisor. One of the classes in my last semester was totally timely – Outbreak Investigations in Epidemiology. I had hoped to use this to transition to a new type of work in public health, but the pandemic has thrown a wrench into this. Our research has also been put on the back burner because no one is approving new IRBs right now. I have been very busy working as a doctor during this pandemic (got my first covid vaccine 12/21!). I hope to start looking for something new soon.

Eris and Randal have been working (and schooling) from home since March. This has been actually pretty good for Eris. Her grades have improved since she is not being poisoned every day in her school building. Her school is planning a hybrid model for the next semester, but Eris has chosen to remain remote for the rest of the year. She has started the college prep process and starting to look for colleges. Randal and Eris have been playing with a 3D printer. The bust of Ceasar in the slide show (click more) was her present to her Latin teacher. Erat victoria!

We had the privilege of rescuing an orphaned squirrel this past summer. Randal found him on the ground near a tree one day when he was out on a bike ride. We took care of "Rocky" for about a week before handing him off to a wildlife rehabilitator. 

I have had this unfinished piece of Mamie's needlework for many years, since just after she died. I had only the piece to work with, no yarn or instructions. I had to find matching yarn and figure out what stitches to use where. Finally finished it a couple of months ago and had it framed. 

On a sadder note, we had to say goodbye to Rizza this year, just before Halloween. She was 17 and with us since she was a kitten and she followed me to my car at the hospital. 

So Merry HanuRamaKwanzamanalia New Solstice everyone. Stay safe and healthy. 

Click to see lots more pictures of the best parts of 2020.

Cookie Chick just started cookie exchanging with Susan, Chief Elf of the Guild of Holiday Spirits. Click Read More for photos and a link!

This is another gluten-free goodie for Amelia. they turned out more like candy than cookies - very gooey and chewy. 

This is Cookiechick's pick for 2020. In my ongoing obsession with chocolate mint cookies, I picked these. I had never made a crinkle cookie before and these called out to me. Thick, rich, and fudgy with a cool mint topping, I think these are my favorite of the few I have tried in the last several years. My additions to the recipe include using a couple tablespoons of black cocoa and espresso powder to increase the chocolatey goodness. Originally named Mint Crackles, Randal renamed them Chocolate Mint Crack after seeing how many Eris shoved down her throat

This is Eris' pick for 2020. These are like the elf-made grocery store cookies, except better. Made with a peanut butter cookie base and enrobed with chocolate in a "fancy" pattern, these are super delicious.

I found these gluten-free, keto-friendly treats looking for treats for Amelia. it is a bonus that Randal (doing keto) can also enjoy them.

Greetings loved ones! Cookiechick and Squirrel Girl have been hard at work creating goodies for your holiday pleasure. Cookiechick and Squirrel Girl are truly a dynamic duo now working together to leap tall sheet trays in a single bound and dip cookies faster than an oven timer. We even finished early this year and cookies went out on Christmas Eve, so expect them a couple of days earlier than usual.

Click Continue Reading for LOTS more 2019 details and a slide show!

My new cookie for 2019 is my own creation - something I'm calling Chocolate Mint Marvels (sort of likeThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel but different). Basically York Peppermint Patties enveloped in dark chocolate wafers.

Eris' 2019 pick is nominally called Apple Spice Oatmeal Cookies, but we like to refer to them as Apple Crack - so good they're instantly addictive. She also made them by herself without supervision - the second recipe she has done so (after chocolate chip)

Happy Saturnalia everyone! We have had a very good fall, but a crazy bad December and almost didn't get cookies off the ground. A last-minute viral monster ravaged its way through the household felling everyone in its path. We hope everyone is well and happy and have had a good year.

CookieChick has finished another semester at gradual school and survived my SAS course (that's statistical analysis software for those of you blissfully unaware). I am getting excited to get prepared for my field experience in epidemiology next summer. I am planning on doing infection control work at my own hospital.

Squirrel Girl (Eris) finished her first semester of high school and has been on the honor roll! She generally loves high school (except physics) and is even in the sci-fi club.

On to the cookies. Randal said we should stop doing Grandma Gertie cookies for Christmas. They go stale quickly and don't travel well. This opened up a place for something else. So, the core group is down to eight. The returning favorites this year are kg*m/sec² and snowballs. The new choices are lemon tea snaps, linzer cookies, and Cox's salted peanut bars.

Click for more images of Christmas 2018!

This bar cookie comes close to the flair of Randal's favorite candy bar: the Pearson's Salted Nut Roll. To get it even closer, we added marshmallow fluff. He says more double-blind trials will be required. I also substituted some Lyle's Golden syrup for some of the corn syrup  - it has a better flavor. 

Eris picked out this one. She wanted a special fancy roll out cookie. Also, this one was a milestone for Eris. She mixed, rolled, baked, and assembled these cookies all by herself - in part due to the fact that CookieChick was struck down by the "creeping crud" for a few days and totally useless.