Alayna here. We’re back for volume 11 of the sweetest email in your inbox.

Today I’m dropping my Spring Cookie Collection, obsessing over my favorite Dollar Tree find and talking about my next pop-up!

Let’s sweet talk.

The Spring Cookie Collection is Live!

It’s that time. The birdies are chirping, the ground is thawing, and suddenly a 55 degree day feels like the tropics! I drove around this week with the windows down and music up when temps hit 47 and I think it healed me. And yes, I am fully aware that in Michigan, we are in the “Fake Spring” phase of life, but I am ready to get my heart broken again when it snows 10 inches in April. Regardless, it’s time for the new Spring Cookie Collection! This collection features 3 brand new cookie flavors, as well as 3 classics.

As with all our cookie flavors, these new kids in town are full of homemade add-ins and real flavors. Nothing artificial here!

With March Madness coming up, a box of these cookies would make the perfect game day treat! Plus, Easter is coming up quick (April 20th), so reserve your order today!

So without further ado about nothing (because that’s really all this newsletter is about), here are our 3 newest members of the cookie club!

Chocolate Lava Cookie

Everyone say ‘hi chocolate lava cookie’. “Hi chocolate lava cookie.” Great, now that we’ve introduced ourselves, chocolate lovers, this is the cookie for you! It has fudgy, chocolate-y dough that’s full of chocolate chips. It’s stuffed with homemade hot fudge and topped with flaky sea salt. This cookie is thicc with two c’s. The homemade hot fudge oozes out of the center, giving it that gooey, lava texture. Elite cookie tip: Throw it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds for a warm, out-of-the-oven taste.

Espresso Toffee Chip Cookie

My taste test crew RAVED about this flavor, and for good reason! This chewy cookie is full of espresso powder, homemade toffee, dark chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sea salt. It’s an incredible mix of sweet and salty. The buttery, homemade toffee really pulls this cookie together to make each bite complex and tasty. This dough went through many rounds of recipe testing and I’m so happy with how it turned out!

Lemon Dream Cookie

I’ve been trying to branch out from my usual chocolate-forward cookies and force myself to come up with something different. And this cookie makes me so glad I did! The dough has fresh-squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest, no artificial flavorings here! Pair that with creamy white chocolate chips and you’ve got a cookie that is perfect for spring. Once you bite into this chewy cookie, the citrus flavor hits you immediately. It’s the cookie I didn’t know I needed in my life and now I can’t live without it.

Order from the Spring Collection here!

Baking Bites: Tips for the Everyday Baker

The Bench Scraper

We’re back with another one of my favorite tools-the bench scraper! This little piece of metal works overtime in my kitchen and can be used in so many different ways. I originally bought it to smooth out the sides of the cakes I was decorating, but it does so much more than that! I’ve used it to cut cinnamon roll dough, transfer veggies from a cutting board to a pan, cube butter, scrape left over bread dough off the counter, the list goes on. The best part is that I got this from the Dollar Tree for a literal $1.06 (back when everything truly was $1, kids today don’t get it smh). There is absolutely no reason for baking tools to break your bank. Sure you could spend $14.95 on one from Sur La Table, OR hit up your local dollar store. As a subscriber to girl math, I think that means you just MADE money!

Cheers to Seven Years!

Join us for another barre3 pop-up on Tuesday, March 25th from 4-6:30pm! It’s barre3’s 7th anniversary and I’m so excited to get to share in the celebration! I’ll be selling variety boxes of 3 and 6 cookies, but if you want to make sure you get the flavors you want, I suggest placing a pre-order.

Fun fact- I got to provide cookies for barre3 (formerly known as The Barre Code)’s 2nd anniversary back in 2020! Can’t believe that was 5 years ago! I’m still just as obsessed with this fitness studio as I was back then. Thanks to the owner, Stacie, for having Francine’s Sweets back again!