THE NIBBLE webzine of food adventures

10/14/2026

It’s National Dessert Day. Here’s the history of dessert: t.ly/ET461. Can you pick just one to enjoy today? We couldn’t, although we would love a slice of Key lime pie. This one has a chocolate nut crust (recipe: t.ly/wijoY). How about ser

10/13/2026

This Melted Witch Bark sure looks good. The from : t.ly/oynRl.

10/13/2026

Fall is chai season. Here’s what you need to blend your own, and have a chai tea party.

The fall season means apple c***r, mulled w**e, and masala chai (or chai-never "chai tea"). A recipe to make masala chai concentrate and a chai tea party idea.

10/13/2026

For the refined eye and palate, beautiful Halloween chocolates from : t.ly/wviJs.

10/08/2026

Take a bite of yummy features from the past week.

September 30 - October 7, 2026

10/07/2026

How about a snack for National Chocolate Covered Pretzel Day? Here’s the —t.ly/PSwTh— or buy these from .

10/04/2026

Vodka lovers: Today’s your day to decide which of America’s favorite vodka cocktails you’d like to have.

If the answer is “just shots,” that’s O.K. with us.

Below:

> America’s top 10 favorite vodka cocktails.

> The 12 top-selling vodka brands in the U.S.

> Vodka trivia.

> Lemon Drop Martini recipe.

> More vodka cocktail recipes.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Make your own cranberry-infused vodka for the holidays.

> The history of vodka.

> The year’s 100+ cocktails and spirits holidays.



1. AMERICA’S TOP 10 FAVORITE VODKA COCKTAILS

In alphabetical order, take a sip of these vodka cocktails. Additional ingredients are included:
- Bloody Mary: tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, seasonings.
- Cosmopolitan: orange liqueur, cranberry juice, lime juice.
- Espresso Martini: espresso and coffee liqueur.
- Lemon Drop Martini: lemon juice, sugar or simple syrup, often orange liqueur. The recipe is below.
- Moscow Mule: ginger b**r and lime juice.

For National Vodka Day, vodka lovers can celebrate with the top 10 favorite vodka cocktails and the best-selling vodka brands. From The Nibble webzine of food.

10/01/2026

Why are cookies like these lemon bars called cookies instead of cake? Because they’re finger food, eaten without a fork (photo © King Arthur Baking).

Similarly, brownies are also bar cookies (photo © Palmer House).

Some of America’s favorite cookies—chocolate chip, oatmeal, and peanut butter—are drop cookies (photo © American Heritage Chocolate).

Zeppole, an example of fried cookies, are balls of yeast dough. Like brownies and bars, they’re considered cookies rather than pastry because they are finger food (photo © The Nibble).

Springerle cookie dough rolled out alongside baked cookies (photo © Hello Aesthe | Pexels).


What does one do on National Homemade Cookie Day, October 1st?

One revisits the 10 different styles of cookies and decides which one to bake.

Then, because it’s also International Coffee Day, we invite the neighbors for coffee and cookies.

Below:

> The 10 basic styles of cookies.

> America’s favorite cookies.

> America’s top cookie brands.

There are 10 different styles of cookies: bar cookies, drop cookies, sandwich cookies, and 7 more. Take a look and pick one to have today! From The Nibble.

09/15/2026

For more than 80 years, you could purchase only three types of chocolate bars: dark chocolate (launched in 1847), milk chocolate (debuted in 1875), and white chocolate (arrived in 1930).

Few people realize that in 2012, a fourth chocolate joined the group. Valrhona introduced blonde chocolate (which it trademarked under the name Dulcey®), discovered in a kitchen accident.

And just five years later, in 2017, Barry Callebaut unveiled the fifth type, ruby chocolate (photo #6), made from specially selected and processed ruby cacao beans. The first major consumer product using it—a ruby KitKat—followed in 2018.

Blonde and ruby are not “flavored” chocolates. They are distinct formulations, just as milk was added to dark chocolate to create milk chocolate, and the cacao solids were left out of the blend to create white chocolate.

We’ve previously extolled the virtues of ruby chocolate. In celebration of International Chocolate Day, September 13th, we introduce you to our favorite blonde.

For more than 80 years, you could purchase only three types of chocolate bars: dark chocolate (launched in 1847), milk chocolate (debuted in 1875), and white chocolate (arrived in 1930). Few people realize that in 2012, a fourth chocolate joined the group. Valrhona introduced blonde chocolate (which...

09/10/2026

A plate of red bean mooncakes (photo © Omnivore’s Cookbook).

Traditional mooncakes with a pot of Chinese tea (photo © In Pursuit Of Tea).

A stack of mooncakes with both traditional and modern designs (stack adapted from Vogue).

The great Belgian chocolatier Pierre Marcolini creates a new design each year. These minimalist mooncakes from a prior year look like colorful hockey pucks (photo © Pierre Marcolini).


The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival and Mooncake Festival, is one of China’s most traditional holidays.

It occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, a time-tracking system that matches both the monthly phases of the moon and the yearly seasonal cycle of the sun.

This year, the festival falls on September 25th in the Gregorian calendar*.

Much like Thanksgiving in the U.S., it’s a time for family reunions, giving thanks for the autumn harvest, and gathering to admire the bright full moon.

China's Mooncake Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival) is a ready-made occasion for a mooncake tea party. Take a look! From The Nibble webzine of food adventuress.