Growing up oatcakes were a celebrated treat, particularly the ones dipped in dark chocolate. I had no idea until I moved out of the province that oatcakes are considered an iconic Nova Scotia delicacy. I also had no idea that they were a riff on Scottish oatcakes, which are essentially the same only not as sweet. Nova Scotia oatcakes are not particularly sweet either, especially when you compare them to cookies. They have more of a salty, sweet vibe, so don’t go into this expecting oatmeal cookies. Oatcakes are more toothsome, less sugary, and far more substantial. I often describe them as breakfast cookies to the uninitiated. But because oatcakes are not quite a cookie, they do benefit from a little zhuzhing. That’s why I made these Butterscotch Dipped Oatcakes – everything delicious about the original dunked in butterscotch icing, drizzled with dark chocolate, and sprinkled with salt. 

Welcome to peak cookie season! I’m sure you need another cookie recipe like a hole in the head right now. But here I am with a recipe for these Salted Toffee Cashew Cookies. I’m sorry, they were too good not to share. These golden beauties are classic slice-and-bake shortbread cookies packed with butterscotch chips, Skor bits, and cashews. The cookies are then rolled in Maldon salt and raw sugar before being sliced and baked until golden. Loving this recipe requires having a taste for salty-sweet combos. So if that is your idea of a good time, let’s get into it!

I’m not what you would call a cookie person. I know, I know. I must be some kind of reverse Cookie Monster. It’s not that I hate cookies; hate is far too strong a word. It’s just that I’m underwhelmed by cookies. I don’t find them all that interesting in terms of flavor or appearance. I should also probably mention I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth in the first place. So maybe I’m not the person to ask for hot dessert-related takes. But now and then a cookie idea wanders into my head and I am instantly smitten. And that was precisely the case with these Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies. These blushing beauties are so compelling that they’re capable of converting a reverse Cookie Monster like me.