The Dolly Bella cookies that I ordered for tomorrow’s party arrived yesterday. I tried a Cranberry Nut Square, which Yvonne describes on her website as “a combination of cranberry and pistachio in a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie.” It really did melt in my mouth.

Yvonne is a perfectionist. When we had lunch on Monday, she told me how disappointed she is in the cheaper cranberries that she’s found in bulk because they just aren’t tart enough, so she’s going back to the more costly tart ones. The pistachios in her Cranberry Nut Square are amazing–nutty and crisp. I had to stop myself from reaching for another one. They’re 100 times better than Girl Scout Cookies.

I’m sad because I know there won’t be any leftover Cranberry Nut Squares after my party. I ordered a pound of the assorted cookies, which included eight each of the Butter Cookies, Seven Layers and Cranberry Nut Squares (Yvonne was waiting for an order of the ingredients for the Fig Swirls so couldn’t include them). I can’t tell you how the Butter Cookies or the Seven Layers taste because I’m saving them for my guests, but the Butter Cookies are so pretty.


I also ordered the mini traditional anise Pizzelle. My first impression was “eh”. Then the impact of the fresh ingredients hit me, and I kept reaching for more. These cookies are very fragile, so I justified reaching for seconds from the broken pieces.

I’m sending an order of the sturdier cookies to my mother for Mother’s Day on May 10 (sorry for spoiling the surprise, Mom!). I know she’ll love them with tea over a game of Scrabble with my dad. Since I’m ordering early enough, I’ll use priority shipping, which costs $4.50 and takes 1-2 weeks. I ordered my party cookies on Wednesday and paid $12.50 for them to arrive by Friday, which I think is reasonable. Now if I can just come up with another reason to order some more for myself!