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Need one of Julia’s foolproof recipes? Some stunning cookie decorating ideas? Or a quick fix on Julia’s latest news and events? Well then, you’re in the right place! Here, you can stay up-to-the-minute current on everything that’s happening in Julia’s kitchen and studio – and in that always-churning mind of hers! IMPORTANT: Julia is still formatting blog entries prior to 2021 to conform to the new site layout. Please don’t be surprised if some back entries look a little wacky, and please be patient as she edits them over time.
Julia M. Usher

Cookies Cum Laude

This collection of smart-looking cookies was made for the back-to-school cookie party in Julia’s first book Cookie Swap. She deserves nothing less than an A+ for the take-home cookie boxes she created for guests. Covered with copies of an old cookbook

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Julia M. Usher

Lunchbox Lusciousness

What kid wouldn’t love a lunchbox jammed with PB&J sandwich cookies? Made for the back-to-school cookie party in Julia’s first book Cookie Swap, these cookies were called out on vintage slates and presented to guests in lunchboxes lined with copies

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Julia M. Usher

The Brown(ie)-Noser

Buttering up a teacher, boss, friend, or family member is easy with this super-charged blonde brownie with both caramel and ganache layers. Developed for Julia’s back-to-school cookie party in her first book Cookie Swap, it gets top marks for mass crowd

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Julia M. Usher

Dust Off the Cobwebs

Yes, indeed. Julia loves to dust the cobwebs off old recipes and turn them into things new and unexpected. Here, she took an heirloom Usher-family chocolate-nut wafer recipe and turned it upside down (literally) to decorate the flatter cookie backs

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Julia M. Usher

Great Pumpkins

Embellished with orange glaze, cinnamon stick “stems”, and fondant “vines”, these plump drop cookies look like they’re freshly plucked from the pumpkin patch. This recipe is just one of many clever cookies from the Halloween chapter in Julia’s first book Cookie

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Julia M. Usher

Read a Book by Its Cover

For this holiday open house photographed for St. Louis AT HOME magazine in 2008, Julia went wild with repurposing once again, fitting copies of several vintage holiday cards into her multi-page invitation. Here’s the cover. Bound with old mercury glass

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Julia M. Usher

Recipe Roundup

As a way of sharing a bit of herself and her history with guests, Julia makes a habit of offering up her party recipes. As takeaway gifts for this 2008 holiday open house, she printed her family’s favorite recipes on

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Julia M. Usher

Roll Call

Though Julia tends to be a comfort food kind of gal, she does enjoy the freshness and adaptability of spring rolls. Styled for Julia’s James Beard Award-nominated column in Sauce magazine, these rolls are filled with crab meat, mango, and mint –

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Julia M. Usher

Inspired Invitation

It most certainly was! Because both Julia’s mom and gramma prefer more dirt under their nails than polish on top, a rustic garden theme for their joint birthday party seemed super fitting. In keeping with that theme, the invitation was

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Julia M. Usher

Unexpected Cookie Décor

Is that a decorated cookie sitting on the dish shelf? Yes, indeed! Julia never misses an opportunity to sneak sweets into unexpected places at her parties. It’s this element of surprise that makes the most lasting memories for guests –

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Julia M. Usher

Food-Forward Favors

What better party favor at a cookie swap than one that features cookies?! At Julia’s 2005 cookie swap for St. Louis AT HOME magazine, repurposed pastry blenders turned into handy holders for cookie recipes. The recipes were gathered in advance

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Julia M. Usher

Time on Your Side

Here’s a sideboard of sweets imbued with the significance of history and time. The couple’s song is revealed on the label of a vintage 78, while an old family wedding portrait, an antique clock, and tattered lace take up space

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Julia M. Usher

The Stuff of Puffs

One of the articles that won Julia her 2008 James Beard nomination explored techniques for baking the puffiest puffs. These ethereal morsels, styled for that very article in Sauce magazine, are filled with smoked trout salad. The ruby-like gems on top are

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Julia M. Usher

Roasted Garlic and Chive Cheesecake

Ahhh, cheesecake . . . Go to dinner almost anywhere, and take a gander at the dessert menu. There you’ll find this velvety classic, typically in plain vanilla, right next to crème brûlée and ice cream, two other items that

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Julia M. Usher

Mother-in-Law Bread and Butter Pickles

To the uninitiated, pickles can be off-putting. Any food that vies for blue ribbons at the state fair automatically implies a certain level of complexity. Couple this award-winning potential with the lore of champions relinquishing titles over softness, cloudiness, or

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Julia M. Usher

Steamed Fish en Papillote

Fish steamed en papillote (in a sealed parcel of parchment paper) may sound all puffed up – and, indeed, looks that way as the inflated pouch emerges from the oven – but it is one of the most approachable and reliable ways

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