INDIAN RIVER KITCHEN
Happy
holidays,
y’all BY DANIELLE ROSE
Florida seasons are often out of sync with the rest of
the country, but that’s even more apparent during
the holidays. We’ve got all the celebratory spirit
minus the cold weather it coincides with everywhere
else. We adapt by putting a Florida spin on everything. Our
decorations are a blend of traditional and tropical, with a
hefty dose of kitsch mixed in. A giant inflatable snowman
and Santa’s sleigh might look out of place on a lush green
lawn among palm trees, but add sunglasses and a surfboard
and they fit right in.
We put up festive lights all over town, but we don’t stop
there. We also light up our boats and parade them around on
balmy December nights. We won’t wake up to a white Christmas
on the Treasure Coast, but our sunny holiday season is
equally magical.
Even though it’s often too warm to have the oven on
all day, that doesn’t stop me from baking cookies. It’s my
favorite way to kick off the season. It brings back memories
DANIELLE ROSE PHOTOS
of helping my grandma bake hundreds of them each year.
We arranged them on paper plates, always with the prettiest
cookies on top, and delivered them to family and friends.
Everyone loves a plate of fresh-baked cookies.
I make all the same classic cookies I made with grandma,
but the pretty ones on top are now these distinctly Florida
sand dollar cookies. They’re flavored with Indian River citrus
zest, along with honey and tahini for amazing texture, similar
to shortbread.
The best part is, the sand dollar design is extremely easy
to pull off. Trust me, I’m terrible at decorating sugar cookies
with icing, but this I can do. All it takes is to make a few
small notches along the edges of a round cookie, then arrange
some sliced almonds on top. Dust them with sugar for extra
sparkle. They make a beautiful gift, but be sure to save some
for yourself.
Wishing you all a happy holiday filled with sunshine and
local flavor.
Beach-themed cookies
make a perfect gift for
the holidays.
Floridians put a special spin
on their holiday celebrations
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