The Fourth of July has officially come and gone, but I love the holiday and have so many wonderful memories of it that I plan to revel in the occasion at least through this weekend! Back in the day, my mother used to host festive gatherings for family and friends, a tradition I continued as an adult. We had barbecues, pool parties, and sparklers galore. In recent years, I've scaled back on throwing large parties for a variety of reasons. My husband and I now celebrate our Independence Day with just ourselves and any house guests who may be around. I still enjoy the holiday though and have a good time making delicious summer fare.
Speaking of which, this week's hot list* is filled with summer deliciousness. It certainly gives us plenty to celebrate! Let's take a look.
#1: Seahorse by Rae Dare-Smith (The dreamy colors used here provide lots of interest and dimension, and so skillfully accentuate all of @Rae Dare-Smith's finely piped details.)
#2: Summer! by Di Art Sweets (This set definitely screams "summer" to me! Delightful work, @Di Art Sweets!)
#3: 4th of July Rustic Style by Lola Willard (What a terrific salute to the holiday! Well done, @Lola Willard.)
#4: Dárek pro Pana Učitele aka A Gift for Teacher by Dita (Each of these cookies is a work of art. You certainly made a teacher very happy, @Dita!)
#5: Thank You, Mom by Zeena (First featured last week, @Zeena's beautiful tribute to her mother continues to capture our hearts. ❤️)
#6: Sunflowers by Zeena (This dimensional delight is @Zeena's second challenge entry and second appearance in this week's Spotlight. Nice work!)
#7: Birthday Floral Cookies by Gloriabakes (I love everything about @Gloriabakes's elegant birthday set.)
#8: July 4th Set by lulubakes (Check out all of the incredible details in @lulubakes's patriotic set! The eagle absolutely soars - so much so, in fact, that Julia and I decided to feature this collection in today's cover art. Congrats!)
#9: Hurá Prázdniny aka Hooray Holidays by Dita (This fun set is @Dita's second showing this week. Great job.)
#10: Sweet 16 Country Style by The Baroque Baker ([Cowboy] hats off to you 😀, @The Baroque Baker, for your very first post being spotlighted! That's no easy feat, but the rich textures and details in these cookies certainly explain why!)
How's that for some snap, crackle, and pop?! I'm not sure how it is for everyone else who celebrates the Fourth of July, but, as I said at the top of this post, the celebration will continue in my household throughout the weekend. And, so will the fireworks in my neighborhood. While the sparkling sky is certainly a sight to behold, my dogs have very different opinions about the associated noise. They are not fans. Each night, when the sky lights up, I have two shaking hundred-pound dogs who simultaneously climb up in my lap in need of comfort. They also bark and carry on, all of which leads to quite the spectacle. Bombs bursting indeed!
Wherever you reside, I hope everyone has a safe and celebratory week ahead.
So that no one has an unfair advantage in making it onto a hot list, the algorithm is secret even to site administrators. Only our platform developers know the code, which has been exhaustively tested by those developers and Cookie Connection staff.
All photos shown here are the courtesy (and copyright) of the designers listed.
To check out our other hot lists, at any time of day, visit our Hot Spot, also found in the site's main navigation line.
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Lisa Foss is a hobbyist cookie decorator. After careers in corporate communications and freelance writing, she focused her attention on the nonprofit sector. She spent more than a decade at various soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and prison reentry programs throughout New York City. Lisa’s cookie journey began in 2011 when she started making gingerbread houses. Though she enjoys making cookies for family and friends, Lisa’s main focus is cookies for charity.
For more information about Lisa and her work, please check out her Facebook and Instagram pages.
Byline photo credit: Shutterstock
Note: Saturday Spotlight is a weekly Cookie Connection blog feature written alternately by Lisa Foss and Julia M. Usher. Its primary intent is to cast a spotlight on the week's top-trending cookie posts, as determined automatically by the site algorithms described above. This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To see all of Cookie Connection's past Saturday Spotlights, click here.
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