Years ago, while I was pregnant with my daughter, I decided to buy a copy of Gourmet magazine (Dec 2004) during the holidays. Something about the cookies and treats on the cover inspired me to not only purchase the magazine, but to bake every cookie recipe in it. I have pictures of me baking, about 8 months pregnant, in our tiny Seattle apartment. The countertops are covered with cookies and I just keep on going. This was WAY before I had even considered blogging (although think of how far along I would have been had I started back then) and before I even thought I enjoyed cooking and baking.

I was thinking back to that magazine and those cookies when I was trying to decide what to bake for the Food Blogger Cookie Swap last year. I received so many great cookies and I wanted to make sure that I had something special for my cookie swap partners.

This cookie, this lightly spiced shortbread with a drizzle of espresso and bittersweet chocolate, was the most memorable of all. They have a flavor (cardamom!) that is different from what you would expect and they are sophisticated looking for any type of party or get-together.