I’ve mentioned in a few of my previous blog posts that my father saved just about every piece of paper and picture related to the republishing of Cookies by Bess in 1980. I’ve also mentioned that last summer, when my parents and I really started solidifying our plans to re-brand Cookies by Bess again, my…

This week, my Cookies by Bess blog is all about Cookies and Kisses, a poem written by an unknown poet.   The poem, shown below, was hand written with calligraphy by artist Judy Hagstrom.  Judy also illustrated the poem with hand drawn and painted cookie designs.   This illustration, hand signed by Judy Hagstrom herself, is one of…

When I first launched the Cookies by Bess Facebook page back in October 2017, my cousin Craig Hoffman posted a picture of Grandma Bess and her Appleton, WI grandchildren (Bess had three other grandchildren in 1963 living in Chicago, IL and later in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s was blessed with four more!)  This picture…

Happy New Year to Everyone! I decided to start the New Year with a Family Interest blog.  Cookies by Bess has been “live” now for about 6 weeks.  We’ve gotten such a great response from our family and friends all across the country.  We’ve heard from old friends of Bess and Abe in Wausau, WI,…

The tradition of baking cookies has been in my family for years and years…you can even say generations! Of course, my Grandma Bess has been baking cookies since she was a child growing up in Pittsburg, PA way back in the early 1900’s. I also have many memories of my maternal grandmother, Grandma Harriet, baking…

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for coming back to see what’s happening with Cookies by Bess this week!  I am so excited about the response I’ve gotten from the launch of our website and our social media platforms.  I knew there were others out there that would connect with Grandma Bess and making cookies…

Hello fellow cookie bakers! Welcome to Cookies by Bess. I can’t tell you how excited I am about launching this blog! My name is Janet Hoffman and I am a third-generation cookie baker. After a ton of work over the past 8 months, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to Cookies by Bess,…