For this Valentine’s Day-themed party in her book Cookie Swap, Julia departed from her usual vintage styling and went for clean lines and bold pops of color in all of her props and sweets. What’s not to love about this
Never short on surprises, Julia likes to slip sweets into her party favors or invitations whenever she can. At the Valentine’s Day cookie party staged for her first book Cookie Swap, Julia snuggled oversized gingerbread hearts and the party details
Julia couldn’t settle on a single style for her heart-cookie invitations to this swap, so she made a few! After all, “more is more,” as she likes to say. Even so, she purposefully kept both cookie and box styling simple
Another theme-appropriate cookie for a Valentine’s Day party, these delicate cocoa tuiles were shaped fortune cookie-style around a sweet sentiment. Once again, Julia wove her theme into every aspect of this cookie swap.
And that’s exactly what Julia did at this Christmastime cookie swap – but with sweets! Based on the cookie party she first staged for St. Louis AT HOME magazine in 2005, this party is a look into Deck the Halls,
Even the votive candle holders at this Christmastime cookie swap were cookies! What’s more, they hit every sensory note – they looked elegant; they tasted divine; and, when lit, the warmth of the candle caused the gingerbread to put off
Every party element has a purpose when Julia is designing an event. Here, clear glass ornaments filled with rock candy, gold sugar beads, and bits of tinsel sure catch the eye, but they are profoundly practical as well. Each also
Classic Christmas cookies dominated the menu at this holiday swap, but Julia can always be relied on to give them a unique twist. These thumbprint cookies weren’t the usual almond ones filled with raspberry jam. No, far from it! The
If short on time and dollars (heck, even if you’re not), Julia recommends co-hosting a party with a good friend or throwing a potluck like this one where every guest shares in the prep. A potluck isn’t just budget-friendly; it
Again, in an effort to keep this laid-back party simple and inexpensive, Julia made all of the décor, including this festive Fourth of July banner, herself – and mostly with repurposed materials. The lettered bunting was a straightforward cut-and-paste job
Even the leftover ribbon snippings from Julia’s Fourth of July banner were put to good use! An assortment of ribbons – all in the red, white, and blue theme – were tied around linen napkins, which were then tidily lined
There’s nothing more American than apple pie, and so it naturally was the dessert of choice at Julia’s Fourth of July fest. Julia perpetuated the Independence Day theme not only in the choice of dessert, but also in how it
Not the typical view you’d expect to see on Easter bunny cookies! But as you probably know by now, Julia always loves to inject some surprise into her cookies and dessert table displays. These cookies are plump lemon-poppyseed softies, which
This darling marshmallow peep and its plus-one – an equally sweet Easter bunny – were made for the springtime cookie party chapter in Julia’s first book Cookie Swap. There’s nothing more ethereal than homemade marshmallow, so you really ought to try
Don’t let looks deceive you; these grill-top goodies are actually sweets! From Julia’s first book Cookie Swap, Top Dogs (left) consist of coffee buttercream sandwiched between hazelnut dacquoise, and Chocolate-Chai Patties on Sesame Seed Buns are basically just that – creamy chocolate-chai tea-infused ganache set
S’mores can be so darn messy. Not that Julia is a neatnik or anything, but why not combine all of the yummy lusciousness of s’mores with the portability of a cookie bar, and get the best of both worlds? That
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