One of these things...
...is not like the others!
These are anise cookies, made from an old family recipe (see below). Once formed, they are left to rise and dry overnight, then baked. While not obvious from this shot, they look like they have been frosted when done, but that is a side effect of the overnight drying before baking.
Jenny was cleaning up the last of the dishes from this project with the cookies sitting out, unprotected, on the table. The muffled thud she heard was her cat Hamlet (not her cat Porky as I previously wrote) jumping into a full sheet of fresh cookies, and then departing as abruptly as he arrived. She saved the upper cookie as evidence of where his paw was. The other two are unmarked survivors, and were delicious.
This shot was lit with an SB-600 laying on a pile of napkins, off frame to the right. In hindsight, I should have draped a napkin over it as a diffuser, probably. The D70s was in commander mode with only the one slave. There was a moderate amount of diffuse light from the ceiling fixture directly above, and I tried not to cast a shadow in it when framing. I tried moving the SB-600 around, but the shadow details in this shot seemed to be the most interesting.
Anise drop cookies
3 eggs
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 drops anise oil or 1 teaspoon anise extract
Beat eggs for 10 minutes. Gradually add the sifted sugar and flour (flour was sifted with the baking powder); add flavoring. Drop by teaspoonful on baking sheet covered with wax paper (and don't let cat step on cookies!). Let dry for at least 8 hours, then bake at 275F for approx. 8-10 minutes, or until VERY lightly browned.