And the Winner Is….

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New York Chef Eric Ripert and cookbook author Cindy Mushet complete their task of eating 26 different cookies.

There are far worse ways to spend a Saturday morning than judging dozens of cookies with the likes of Eric Ripert, executive chef of New York’s four-star Le Bernardin; Dominique Crenn, executive chef of Luce in the Intercontinental San Francisco; Cindy Mushet, author of the Sur La Table cookbook, “The Art & Soul of Baking”; and Emily Luchetti, executive pastry chef of Farallon, Waterbar and Epic Roadhouse restaurants, all in San Francisco.

In fact, I can’t think of when I’ve had quite so much fun so early in the day.

The five of us braved sugar shock to help judge the 13th annual “Holiday Cookie Exchange” contest that aired live this past Saturday on “Dining Around with Gene Burns” (KGO Radio AM810).

First place to Swedish Pepparkakor.

The contest received a record number of entries. Burns, himself, spent a grueling 13 hours whittling down the 500 entries to a mere 26 finalists.

Even so, you just try tasting 26 cookies in one sitting. It was a tough job, but we five were up to the challenge.

Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti, and Chef Dominique Crenn can't believe they ate so many cookies.

In the end, we chose these four winners:

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Meet Chocolate Experts at Fog City News in San Francisco

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Sacarmento's Ginger Elizabeth Hahn

San Francisco’s Fog City News is indeed one of a kind — a Financial District newsstand that sells thousands of magazines, and hundreds of premium chocolate bars from around the world. I call that nourishment for the mind and the sweet tooth.

Bonbons by Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates (Photo courtesy of Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates)

Best yet, the store often hosts chocolatiers to talk about their confections and answer questions. Noon to 2 p.m., Dec. 15, meet 27-year-old Ginger Elizabeth Hahn of Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates in Sacramento. Her handcrafted chocolate bars and bonbons are available exclusively in San Francisco at Fog City News. Some of her signature bonbon flavors include Orange Jasmine Tea, and Caramel Apple Tatin. The event is free.

In 2009, look for more chocolatiers at the store at more free events:

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Deck the Halls With Balls of Chocolate

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Which ornaments are edible? Can you tell?

Look closely. Go on.

See those red ornaments above? Yes, they are chocolate. And yes, they are entirely edible, except for the red ribbons they hang from.

These Chocolate Holiday Ornaments are by Portland, Ore.-based Moonstruck Chocolatier. They are hand-painted with naturally colored cocoa butter. And yes, you can actually hang them on your Christmas tree.

I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the “I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.

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Cute-As-Can-Be Brown Butter Buttons

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Heavenly brown butter buttons

These cookie nubbins pack a wallop of brown butter flavor. Even after you finish chewing, the nutty, rich flavor lingers on and on, much like a fine wine.

Their texture is surprising, too — extremely sandy and crisp, almost like a smaller, thicker version of a Chinese almond cookie.

“Nancy’s Brown Butter Buttons” is an heirloom recipe from the Swedish aunt of baker extraordinaire Nancy Kux, who used to own Nancy’s Fancies in San Carlos. Kux always will hold a special place in my heart because it was she who made my unforgettable almond-and-buttercream wedding cake.

Yes, this is the proper way the dough should look.

The recipe is one of many gems in the new “Baking for All Occasions” cookbook (Chronicle Books) by Palo Alto baking expert Flo Braker.

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The Ultimate Holiday Cookie

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Just four ingredients combine to make these unforgettable cookies.

How good are they?

Ever since “Classic Home Desserts” (Houghton Mifflin Court) by the late-great Richard Sax was reissued in 2000, I have baked these super chewy, almond-intense macaroons for Christmas.

Yes, every Christmas. Friends, family, and co-workers clamor for them, and can’t wait for their appearance in cellophane-bagged stocking stuffers or on party dessert trays. Basically, they won’t let me make anything else.

But that’s OK, because I can’t get enough of them, either.

At the annual potluck at the San Jose Mercury News, my contribution was always a batch of these festive cookies. Colleagues would grab a cookie prior to lining up for the entrees, just to be sure they got one before they all disappeared. In fact, they talked me into baking TWO batches in subsequent years. And one year, a former copy editor who had moved to San Diego was visiting the area at this time, and showed up to the potluck only because she wanted to snag one of my macaroons.

If you’re not a fan of coconut, no worries. There is no coconut in these macaroons. Just egg whites, sugar, and almond paste. That’s it. The original recipe, Mary’s Pignoli, calls for rolling 1-inch balls of the mixture in pine nuts. But with their high oil content, the pine nuts made the cookies almost too rich, if you can believe that. The recipe states sliced or slivered almonds are other alternatives. I like using slivered almonds because they give these pale-golden cookies an almost snowflake-like look.

Make a batch and see for yourself just what perfect holiday cookies they are.

And for more cookie fun, be sure to tune in to “Dining Around with Gene Burns” (KGO Radio, AM810), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 13, for the 13th annual Holiday Cookie Exchange at the InterContinental San Francisco.

Twenty-five finalists will present their best cookies for judging by yours truly, the Food Gal; Dominique Crenn, executive chef of Luce in the InterContinental San Francisco; Cindy Mushet, author of Sur La Table’s “The Art & Soul of Baking” cookbook; and Emily Lucchetti, cookbook author and pastry chef of Farallon, WaterBar, and Epic Roadhouse, all in San Francisco.

Top winners will receive get-away weekends to San Francisco, Monterey, and Yosemite, as well as restaurant gift certificates.

Italian Macaroons

(makes about 5 dozen)

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