Cookies are wonderful treats any time of the year, but there’s something about cookie baking during the holiday season that enhances their tastiness. Mix the specialness of holiday cookies with bite-size confections created by the Two Tarts, and you’ve got a recipe for some very cheery chewing. 
The Two Tarts are Anna Phelps and Elizabeth Beekley. After building a loyal clientele at the Portland Farmers Market with their exquisite cookies, they recently opened their own Two Tarts Bakery at 2309 NW Kearney St.
On the evening of Dec. 7, PCA members had the pleasure of watching Elizabeth (the baker) and Anna (the master marketer) prepare Hazelnut Tassies and Cashew Shortbread in the kitchen classroom of In Good Taste. Check out this video of Elizabeth making Hazelnut Tassies.
Our hostess, Barbara Dawson, PCA’s secretary and co-owner with her husband Matt of In Good Taste, contributed to the holiday cheer by serving everyone flutes of sparkling wine. The Tarts passed trays of some of their best sellers: peanut butter creams, cappuccino creams, graham crackers dipped in chocolate, marionberry linzers and chocolate chip fleur de sel.
As Elizabeth baked and Anna gave us information about their business, they both shared tips on favorite ingredients (Freddy Guys hazelnuts, Schokinag chocolate, Cremerie Classique butter) and gadgets. There followed a run on In Good Taste’s supply of pastry stampers, wooden dowels resembling cocktail muddlers, used for pressing dough into cup shapes in muffin tins (a technique used in making the tassies). Favorite cookbooks they mentioned were the Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook from the famed Seattle bakery, and BakeWise by Shirley O. Corriher, which is available at In Good Taste.
Anna and Elizabeth said there are no timers in their bakery kitchen; they use their noses and their fingers to determine when a cookie is done baking. When they press a cookie’s center to see if it springs back, they’re careful to try a cookie that’s in the middle of the cookie sheet or pan.
When the Tarts concluded their demonstration, the PCA members in attendance unveiled their own cookie offerings. We set out an assortment of cookies that we brought for a cookie exchange. Then we and the Tarts strolled along the counter to fill our boxes with more tasty treats. Our tummies were already full of the Two Tarts delicious creations, but at the holidays or any time, you can never have too many cookies. Also, Barbara Dawson sent us all home with goodie bags with kitchen gadgets that will come in handy the next time we bake up some cookies. Since we were all inspired by the Two Tarts, that will probably be quite soon.
