Polly Brown, former pastry chef for Washington’s popular Teaism restaurants, has created her own line of artisanal baked goods. “I was so tired of seeing the same overly sweet and often stale chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies and cakes everywhere I went. I wanted to create something with real flavor. So I thought about the cookies of my childhood. They were not too fancy and they were not as big as a house. They were not filled with high-fructose corn syrup and fake flavors. They were just really, really good.”

Pollystyle Artisanal Baked Goods are made with European-style butter, unbleached flours and no preservatives. None of the ingredients are hard to find or pronounce!

Pollystyle’s signature treat is a crispy, crunchy honey graham cracker made with wildflower honey. A perfect snack with hot cocoa, tea or coffee, they are equally at home on a cheese platter or with ripe pears or apples for a light dessert. “I find it really hard to eat just one. I’ve baked thousands and I’m still in love with them.”

Polly has also created several buttery shortbreads — crystalized ginger, chocolate, cinnamon and pecan with sweet curry, as well as the ever-popular tradtional shortbread (otherwise known as “simply”). “This is my version of the Girl Scout cookie of my youth. They come 12 or 6 in a package and are great for sharing with coworkers at the office. But be sure to take your share first!”

“I want my customers to take a bite of one of my creations, and smile because they remember what cookies used to taste like and know that finally, someone has put the flavor back in. That’s the meaning of “eat. smile. be content.”