I love cookies. I really do. It is a simple pleasure, and one I like to indulge. I like to experiment and find new recipes. I especially like to get cookies that I hear others sing high praise for. The Minnesota State Fair has a beloved cookie vendor called Sweet Martha's that people love. I heard about it from just about everyone I met when I moved to Minnesota a couple summers ago. I even heard about it on the message boards at Chow.com, a foodie website where users share food experiences. My husband was set on getting some Sweet Martha's cookies, which, I should add, are sold in buckets. Here they are:

Those aren't the only cookies at the fair worth talking about. My favorite part of the fair is the creative arts and baking contest displays. Check out these cookie entries. I love the cookie shaped like Minnesota!

And, then, award-winning chocolate chip cookies. You can't eat them, since they are displayed behind glass. Beautiful, no?

What are your favorite cookies to bake (or eat when someone else bakes them)?