It’s almost the end of 2025 and I can probably guess that you’re feeling a bit like me right now. Somewhat overwhelmed as the year draws to a close. A little tired, but with enough enthusiasm for the current and upcoming holidays and parties. It was nice to get away to Japan before the sprint to the finish. And I am hoping Santa puts a Japanese WC under our tree. Okay, we don’t have a tree…but maybe I’ll get one for my birthday, which is a few days later. We’re staying put this year. A friend offered his house on a sunny French island, where the temperature is currently 80ºF (27ºC), but Air France wanted €3000 ($3500) for each of us to get there, squished into an airline seat for the 13 1/2-hour flight, so we took a pass. Home is pretty nice around the holidays so I’m not too upset. Even better, lots of people leave Paris to visit family in their maisons sécondaires, so it’s rather quiet. We are going to do an overnight out in the countryside, which is my birthday treat to myself. (Although Romain is coming along too!) One of the best things that happened this year was I released a new book. Writing a book is a two-year project, from getting all the recipes tested and written, to taking the photos and designing the final book. I was really fortunate to have an excellent group of people working on the project: my main editor, the copy and production editors, proofreaders, and book designer, as well as the two remarkable food stylists and food photographer who came to Paris for three weeks to shoot the book. Thanks team!
I’m planning on making either the Marjolaine or the Lemon semifreddo from the book for Christmas dessert. My little Meyer lemon tree in our backyard only has one lone, ripe lemon on it — except I just noticed bird had attacked it 😟 — but I spotted Meyer lemons at a new, produce-oriented grocery store near me (you can also get them in France here), and scooped them all up. So need to decide which one to make…or should I make them both?
It’s been really nice to see such enthusiasm for my book, Ready for Dessert, and I thought I’d share a roundup on where it’s been.
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Also…thanks for everyone who featured Ready for Dessert in their newsletter and in print. A few newsletters are partially paywalled but you can read the interviews and Q & As on most of them without (or before) subscribing:
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And I chatted with France24 about French cuisine… 
CroquantsAbout 60 cookies Adapted from Ready for Dessert A reader recently wrote to me about the recipe for Croquants (page 251) in Ready for Dessert, wondering if the one teaspoon of batter per cookie was correct. I assured her that was the right amount; the cookies are meant to be small, about the size of a silver dollar. In France, cookies of this size might fall under the moniker of croques-télés, which refers to snackable candies or sweets that you might eat while watching television. Before I moved to France, I bought these little French cookies by the bagful when I’d find them in the U.S. They were expensive but were everything I wanted in a cookie: crispy, crunchy, nutty, and a touch salty. While I can now buy them in France, they’re easy to make. You just stir the ingredients together, plunk little dabs on a baking sheet, and bake them. It’s important to chop the nuts in large pieces, roughly the size of small peas. Even though the nuts will take up seemingly precious space in the little teaspoon you’re measuring the batter with, the batter will spread quite a bit and it’s nice to bite into big pieces of nuts when eating these cookies. Oh, and yes, you can bake them a little larger. Feel free to do so, if you wish. They’ll probably need an extra minute or so in the oven, until they’re golden brown across the top. But I’d never say no to more of anything, when it comes to cookies.
1 cup (200g) sugar 5 1/2 tablespoons (50g) all-purpose flour 1/4 cup (60ml) egg whites (from about 2 large eggs), at room temperature Pinch of salt 3/4 cup (90g) almonds or hazelnuts, toasted and very coarsely chopped Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (Silicone mats tend to steam cookies a bit, so I prefer to use parchment paper for these.) In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, flour, egg whites, and salt until well combined. Stir in the chopped nuts. Drop level teaspoons of the lumpy batter, evenly spaced apart (about 2 inches, 5cm), on the baking sheets. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets in the oven midway during baking so they bake evenly, until the cookies are light golden brown all the way across the top, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets. Storage: The batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week before baking. The baked cookies are best, and crispiest, the day they are made, but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Monday, December 22, 2025
Giving Thanks, and a Favorite French Cookie Recipe
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