Small and innocent. Artful and irresistible. Cookies are the first sweets we fall in love with as children, and the ones we keep returning to as adults.
These days, they’re also one of the trendiest desserts around. Crisp-tender macarons seem to be everywhere in the Capital City, their bright hues adding excitement to the dessert plate. And specialty cookies personalized for every occasion continue to grow in popularity around town.
Cookies are a bedrock offering at Tredici Bakery, a 6-year-old boutique patisserie in Mid City. Founder Monica Shaughnessy makes 57 different flavors of macarons and turns out scores of specialty cookies for showers, birthdays, anniversaries and other special events.
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Shaughnessy starts with an almond-flavored batter, rolling it thin and using her collection of 100 different cookie cutters—or her own deft hand—to create everything from butterflies to neckties. After the cookies cool, she paints the icing on by hand, allowing each layer of color to harden before applying the next one. Whether an ultrasound image for a baby announcement cookie or an intricate pattern on Dad’s beer mug, Shaughessy’s designs are precise and perfect.
While Tredici is a special-order bakery, its Mid City shop is open for face-to-face sales one day per year: Valentine’s Day. tredicibakery.com
Others to try
Ju Ju Bees Cookies
Order ahead, because this Prairieville business founded by Julie Boies has amassed quite a following for its hand-painted sugar cookies. Find it on Instagram and Facebook
Eloise Market and Cakery
M.J. Schmidt might be known for celebratory cakes, but don’t miss her homemade macarons in flavors like red velvet, lavender, pistachio and many others. Find it on Instagram and Facebook
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Netflix and bake
The Great British Baking Show topped the list of reality shows on Netflix in 2021. American viewership of the UK baking competition grew 48% since the start of the pandemic. Similarly, the baking show Nailed It rounded out Netflix’s top four reality shows.
This article was originally published in the February 2022 issue of 225 magazine.