Um, I like to bake?
No, really. I'm a little obsessed. I started this blog in 2010 when I began my annual holiday baking spree that consisted of creating 163 dozen cookies from over 2 dozen recipes to share with friends and family as Christmas gifts. I was so inspired by the people (you!) who came to read my baking ramblings that I just had to keep it up. I started baking cookies as holiday gifts over 10 years ago and now it's grown to the point that friends and family look forward to (and fight over) the tins that arrive at their door each December.
I'm Colleen, a 30-something higher education administrative coordinator from Pittsburgh but living in Massachusetts and my husband Dave is my Chief Tasting Office and First Lieutenant in Charge of Sprinkles. We recently expanded our family and now that he's on solids, our little guy is second in command for both those titles.
My love of baking started early and I remember learning at a very young age that you can't just dump three cups of flour into the KitchenAid mixer and turn it on without ending up with 1 1/2 cups of flour on the counter, walls, floor and in your hair. Quickly my banana nut muffins were coveted and then my love of cookies took hold. Finding dessert flavors that can be modified to cookie form is a favorite pastime and I enjoy reading other baking blogs for inspiration or to test the wonderful creations they've made.
Now I bake not just for Christmas, but any holiday, birthdays (Birthday Baking is one of my favorite ways to share with friends), or just because I found a great recipe that needed to be made. My coworkers love to be guinea pigs and there are certain meetings I go to where people don't just look forward to my treats, they expect them. And my baking horizons have expanded beyond the cookie to other fun things, and I adore trying new cupcakes, but I'm still afraid of most cakes and I've been told I "haven't applied myself" to pies yet.
I'm a pretty decent cook too, and it took a while but I expanded the blog to include actual food, not just sweets because I'm told one cannot live on sugar alone.
The social media thing is still a little new to me. My photography skills are lacking, but I'm working on that. But it's fun and I'm so glad I started this and expanded beyond the cookie jar. It's certainly become more than a menu of what to expect in the cookie tin.
Thank you for visiting and please comment and share your ideas. While you might not get to enjoy these sweet treats, ultimately I'm baking for you and hope you enjoy what you see.
Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess
Got questions? Suggestions for recipes to try? Email me at colleen@secretsfromthecookieprincess.com
Updated July 2015