A Big Holiday Cookie Round Up
Everything I made in my holiday cookie box
Today: a link-heavy one all about cookies if you need some inspiration!
Holiday cookie bake offs are live!
First, a note that the thumbprint cookie bake off and the iced oatmeal bake offs are both live. Broma Bakery was the unconventional (by which I mean it contained zero spices, an unusual characteristic of an oatmeal cookie) winner of the latter bake off.
To read an interview with Sarah about how she thinks about developing recipes, you can find her/Sofi’s thoughts on blondies in this newsletter.
What I made this year
Every year (since I’ve been in NYC), I feel inspired to make cookie boxes for my doormen. And every year, my inspiration only powers me so far before I’m knee deep in dirty dishes, dozens of cookies, and lose steam to make things actually look cute. But this was the cookie box this year:
It doesn’t get more real life than the theme (CLEAN! OUT! THE PANTRY! which is partially why I’m using to-go food containers as the boxes, it’s on theme!) so here’s everything I made. Proud to say I only purchased 1 bag of marshmallows and a few sticks of butter to make these—everything else was a pantry ingredient:
Chocolate caramel crackers by Smitten Kitchen (to use up a huge box of Saltines and some s’mores flavored melting wafers)
Peanut butter blossoms by Two Peas & Their Pod (to use up more of the above melting wafers + the last of a jar of Jif)
Salted brown butter krispie treats by Smitten Kitchen (to use up a partial bag of rice krispies)
Oat jam bars by Ambitious Kitchen (to use up homemade jam + oats)
Frosted Ghiradelli brownies (gotta use up the mix (from this bake off) somehow!! I used some leftover frosting to ice these)
My aspirational cookie box
Had time, pantry space, ingredients, energy, etc. been no constraint, here are all the cookies I would have made for the perfect 2024 cookie box:
Brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles by Two Peas & Their Pod - my roommates called these the best cookies I’ve ever made.
Sofra chocolate crinkle cookies - a classic chocolate pick.
Peanut butter cookies by Jessie Sheehan - but I’d make them a bit smaller.
Ginger cheesecake cookies by NYT - I reviewed all the 2024 holiday NYT cookies as made and gifted to me by Ryan Nordheimer. This was a great one for ginger lovers!
Olive oil shortbread by Smitten Kitchen - the easiest cookie with a high payoff that I always make!
Lemon curd thumbprints using Sugar Spun Run’s cookie (someone mentioned to me that using lemon curd in place of jam made for a new family favorite)
Iced oatmeal cookies by Broma Bakery (of course!!)
Based on the hundreds of cookies that I’ve made through the bake offs, I made this holiday cookie guide in 2022 that I still stand by if you’re looking for the classics. '
Bucket list cookie recipes
Looking for something off the beaten path? I’m linking some recipes that have caught my eye this year by some of my favorite creators. So much to bake, so little time!
Cornflake toffee cookies by The Deeper Living - I’ve had the honor of trying several of her cookies and they are always PERFECTLY gooey, chewy and flavorful. I’d link her entire cookie archive, but you can go explore it yourself 🤗
Passionfruit meringue pie cookies by The Deeper Living
Candy cane tuiles by All Day Cake (Sophie’s entire advent calendar series is so impressive and worth checking out!)
Cocoa crunch biscuits by All Day Cake
Vietnamese coffee brownies with a condensed milk swirl by Lily P Crumbs
Oolong tea sugar cookies by Eat Cho Food
Matcha butter cookies by Eat Cho Food
Sesame white chocolate cookies by Easy Gay Oven (this post is paywalled, but his sesame honey cookies are similar and also very good!)