Friday Freebie: Marianberry Confectionsfeatured

Coooooooookies!!!

I officially became the Cookie Monster incarnate when I opened this joyful gift box from our friends at Marianberry Confections. Feast your eyes, people!

Marianberry’s signature gift box

Giant chocolate chip cookies, a stack of oatmeal raisin cookies, beautiful Linzer cookies, itty bitty wisps of choco chip cookies, bite-sized shortbread cookies, classic almond biscotti…it was all enough to throw a girl into a cookie-crazed, crumbs-flying tizzy.

Phewww! Let’s pull it together now, shall we?

Marian and Ali LaRaia are the lovely and talented ladies behind this mother-daughter operation. Each of their cookies are handcrafted with the intention of being enjoyed the “old fashioned way” – fresh, wholesome, delicious, and full of homemade love.

When they developed the product line for Marianberry Confections, Marian and Ali felt that it was important to play with different textures, sizes and consistencies to have the perfect cookie for everyone. The result? Each cookie has its own personality, inspiration, and story of its own.

Marianberries are the company’s signature Linzer cookies. Two buttery shortbread cookies, with just a touch of salt, sandwiching a ruby red layer of marionberry jam. The marionberry is considered to be the most complex blackberry, and is grown solely in Oregon. It’s a hybrid of the Chehalem berry and the olallieberry.

The Biscotti recipe has remained unadulterated for 75 years and counting. No twists, no tweaks. This recipe was passed down from generation to generation, with each woman promising to stay true to the perfect blend of butter, flour, sugar and almonds. They have a purity of flavor that is comforting, and a texture that has been perfected to give just the right crumble. Not too sweet, but still satisfying enough to eat on its own. I’ve been finding myself brewing a cup of tea just as an excuse to sneak a few of these 🙂

My eyes grew large as saucers when I saw the Six Pack of giant oversized Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re a statement piece that’s for sure, and I’d pick these over a six pack of beer any day. Chewy and crispy at the same time, and as big as your face. I also love that there’s a hint of oats in the mix – adds to the great texture.

If you’re not careful, you’ll polish off a whole container of these Chocolate Chip Pixies in a blink of an eye. These little pixies are adorable – they remind me of Cookie Crisps!

I’m usually just so-so on Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, but Marianberry Confections’ take on this classic has totally turned me around. Thin, light, and chewy, with a hint of warm cinnamon…the only problem is, they keep disappearing before I know it!

Dangerously addictive, these pretty little Suzy Shortbreads are petite doses of buttery goodness. Good things come in small packages.

To win, this Plum Gift Package full of all these goodies from Marianberry Confections, simply leave a comment here telling me: What’s your favorite cookie memory? (Could be an old family recipe, a holiday cookie tradition, the best cookie you ever ate…feel free to include links to recipes :))

Giveaway deadline is Thursday 12/9, 11:59 pm PST. (Contest is open to US residents only.)

Disclosure: This giveaway was made possible via free sample and giveaway donation by Marianberry Confections.

Update: Congrats to Amy, winner of our Marianberry Confections Giveaway!