Good day for tea and stroopwafels

Another snow storm is stirring outside. Inside, it's tea and cookies for me.

Now you would think that with all the homemade cookies available that I would have a stockpile of them. Unfortunately, any I find, I eat right away. So today I unwrapped a package of Caramel Cookie Waffles from Dutch Brothers Bakery Goods in Billings.

I know many people who go gaga over chocolate. And it's fine stuff, I admit, but I'm a caramel person myself. Chocolate and caramel is swell, but I really, really enjoy caramel by itself, and these cookies make me very happy. They taste like caramel wrapped in crispy caramel. You can go to the Dutch Brothers Web site to see how they are made. There you will also learn that although in Montana they are called "Caramel Cookie Waffles," the Dutch word is stroopwafels.

Somewhere I read that these cookies are meant to be put on top of the tea or coffee cup, to be warmed to an enticing melty goodness. Try it, you'll like it, too!

The people who bake these exclusive cookies (apparently the recipe is known by a select few) are enthusiastic about their product. You can bet they put a lot of love into their job.

The tea I am drinking today to accompany these caramel delights is Nature's Peace Melody of Mint, which I bought at the farmers market in Eureka.

It's difficult to get a good photo of the label, but the serene picture of mountains and water in the Tobacco Valley in Northwest Montana is painted by Montana artist Randy McIntyre.

So although the temperature is expected to drop down to 10 degrees tonight, I am cozy inside with plenty of tea. Sadly, I ate all my stroopwafels. But I'll go get more when they clear the road.