Kristin Hillery Photography

These cookies are awesome not just because they have a wonderfully chewy texture thanks to the whole wheat pastry flour, but because the orange zest is a subtle, unexpected bonus that complements the dark chocolate so, so well. My husband looked puzzled when he took a bite of one fresh from the oven, and then said, “Oh my god! Chocolate orange!”

And here is the recipe for my Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Zest of 1 organic orange
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt chocolate bar, roughly chopped

In a bowl, combine the flours, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars in a mixer until blended nicely, then add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Sprinkle in the orange zest a pinch at a time, then slowly add in the contents of the flours/salt/baking soda bowl and the chocolate. When it’s just combined, turn off the mixer and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350F.

Place even spoonfuls of dough on a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Cookies are done when the edges start to brown, anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.

What’s a photographer and her lovely assistant to do when they arrive at a wedding an hour and a half early?

Obviously, they take a fancy self-portrait in the fancy gallery.

Since middle school, I’ve held on to just about every note ever passed to me and every letter written to me — and now I’m scanning all of them so the Internet can share in the hilarity (and my embarrassment).

Check it out: Letters to Kristin.

Something really weird happened the other day when Lily and I went to my favorite cupcake shop in Austin, Hey Cupcake.

She actually wanted to take photos. And she did poses!

She even said things like, “Ohh, this will be perfect for my Valentines!”

She is so awesome.

(And so were those cupcakes.)