Nicole Wellenstein’s sugar plum cookies, with their symphony of flavors and surprising ingredients, took top honors. A refreshing lemon cutout cookie from Kristie Ober came in second. And a classic ...

While these sugar plums might not be the ones that danced in the children’s heads in the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas, they’d be welcome at any time of year — not just Christmas. True to their name, ...

Wauwatosa — As a civil engineer, working at Strand Associates in the Third Ward, Nicole Wellenstein designs roadways, water mains and sanitary sewers. In the kitchen, she charts out flavors.

Blend butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour and salt. Stir in oats. Dough will be quite stiff. Shape into balls around cherries. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. While ...