The cookie swap always feels like the kickoff to the holidays. Right after Thanksgiving, I’m ready to flex my decorating skills and break out my baking sheets, sanding sugar, parchment paper, cutters, and dragées. I look forward to eating as many of my favorite oatmeal-cranberry-coconut cookies as I can and savoring the grasshopper brownies with mint cream and chocolate ganache that are so delicious, my granny hides a stash for herself. We make extra batches of these to give to unexpected guests and, of course, to take to cookie swaps.
For years my go-to-swap cookie was a crispy vanilla and cinnamon spritz—practical and delicious. Mixing up a batch was a simple way to get four or five dozen cookies done in one easy bake. I’d send those bad boys through the cookie press, stack them neatly in boxes, tie on a bow, and they were good to go. I was always excited to try my friends’ and neighbors’ cookies between sips of cider and cocktails. I loved their linzers and thumbprints and checkerboards. I was impressed by their family recipes with drizzles of caramel and swirls of cinnamon.
These other cookies were so inspiring, I decided I should be more ambitious. That’s how I ended up piping hundreds of macarons tinted in happy colors, filled with lemon curd or buttercream, for many a cookie swap. It’s why I used aspic cutters to make infinite patterns during a snowflake sugar cookie phase. I still use tweezers to design Afros, braids, and curls for dark gingerbread women in royal icing dresses. I give away dozens of glazed shortbread cookies decorated with edible flowers, dried fruit, and pepitas.
This year’s batch of holiday cookie recipes (page 64) has something for everyone. A festive matcha-tinted twist on a spritz (page 73) takes me back to simpler times, while an elaborate s’mores cookie oozing with marshmallow and chocolate ganache (page 73) speaks to the project baker in me. Expect to see them both in my cookie boxes this year along with my other favorites.
What I’m Loving This Month
Doughnuts in Paris
The French have fallen for doughnuts. I visited several bakeries on a recent trip to the City of Light, including PonPon, Boneshaker, and Pierre Hermé, and all served elaborately topped and filled versions. Is it time to make the doughnuts again in the US?
Kann Coffee Blend
If you can’t get to Portland, Oregon’s Kann, one of our Best New Restaurants, you can get its Haitian coffee blend delivered. It’s spiced with cinnamon, star anise, and vanilla and makes one zhuzhed-up cup.
Coltellerie Berti Fruit Tart Knife
This gorgeous piece of Italian craftsmanship has become a game changer for me. It delicately scythes through the soft top layer of a fruit tart, then goes easily through the crust to make that dazzling Instagram cut.