In my area, we're entering the dog days of summer when temperatures are at their highest. And, boy, is it hot (and humid!). The uptick in heat started about a week ago, and will continue for another month or so. It happens each year, and each year I swear that I won't complain. It's just summer doing what summer does. Yet, here we are again, and all I want to do is complain! 
I've decided to take a break from the complaining, however, and put my energy into highlighting the best aspects of the season - such as this week's hot list*, which features the top-trending summertime cookies on the site. How about joining me (with or without the fan I currently have blowing on my face) to celebrate the seasonal deliciousness we have on display?!
#1: A Bar Harbor Birthday by Treatfairy (This delightful set epitomizes a New England summer so well that Julia and I decided to use it as this week's cover art. Congratulations, @Treatfairy!) [EDITOR'S NOTE: YES, I can personally attest to what Lisa says! Right now, I am about 30 minutes from Bar Harbor by sea - one and half hours by car - and these cookies beautifully capture so much of what I'm seeing . . . with one exception - LOL! Blue lobsters DO exist, but they are super rare! ~JMU]
#2: Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries by Dolce Flo (Fresh fruit is certainly a summer perk, and @Dolce Flo's cherries look like they are dripping with flavor!)
#3: Seahorse by Rae Dare-Smith (Also featured last week, @Rae Dare-Smith's seahorse is as stunning as ever. Under the sea feels good to me these days!)
#4: July 4th Set by lulubakes (Another two-time honoree! This week marks the second time that @lulubakes' patriotic set has been spotlighted. Well done!)
#5: Water Lilies by Manu (These glorious water lilies provide the perfect reminder that Watch-Learn-Create Challenge #57 is still open. In it, @Manu biscotti decorati provides a full video tutorial for projects just like this.)
#6: Koi Pond by Kim Damon (There are so many interesting details in this creation. Nice work, @Kim Damon!)
#7: At the Beach by Teri Pringle Wood (I love all of the handpainted details in @Teri Pringle Wood's beachy set.)
#8: New in Summer! by Di Art Sweets (This set feels like a highlight reel of summer fun. Wonderful, @Di Art Sweets!)
#9: Point Break by Dolce Flo (What texture and movement on this cookie! Congratulations to @Dolce Flo for two appearances in this week's Spotlight.)
#10: Summer! by Di Art Sweets (Another two-time honoree, @Di Art Sweets delivers more seasonal deliciousness in this charming tribute to summer. Nice job!)
There you have it. I hope this list provided an opportunity to relax and chill out (literally!). It certainly forced me to stop complaining about the heat and focus on the seasonal joy!
Wherever you are, I wish you plenty of time to enjoy summer and to stay cool while doing so!
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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