Boca Dulce’s story is Lana’s story.

Lana, my beloved Chesapeake Bay retriever, my “cookie”, was the most endearing, fun-loving companion one could have. She would always stand right next to me when I was nibbling a yummy cookie. She would gaze at me with her intriguing brown eyes, longing for her very own morsel. Sharing a cookie with me put her in a state of perfect bliss, with her tail wagging in pure delight.

She loved cookie-baking day at our house more than anything in the world. Since she passed away, every time I bake cookies I image her watching me from heaven, her tail still wagging in expectation.

I have been in a fever, experimenting with new cookie recipes, wanting to come up with the most “heavenly” cookies available, with lots of fruits, especially Latin fruits. They are such a strong part of my heritage and Lanita loved all of them: guava, pineapple, orange, papaya, banana, chontaduro, tamarind, coconut… I discovered fantastic and exciting new combinations.

Frankly, I’ve always been frustrated at not finding wonderful cookies with Latin accents. So, inspired by “my cookie”, I set out to create the perfect Boca Dulce…

Since I love baking and had studied cooking professionally, the challenge was not such a stretch. And, after all, my inspiration was literally heaven sent!

So here they are, my Boca Dulces. Enjoy!

Denisse Oller - try my delicious recipes at DenisseOller.com