Enter the Cookie Czar!
Cookie swaps — they’re not just for holidays.
Cookies have been a vehicle for Christmas season sweetness since medieval monks tapped into their stores of sugar and spice to craft holiday treats, but it took hundreds of years for the collective baking-and-sharing tradition called the cookie swap to come into vogue. In the 1960s, so-called “women’s magazines” like Better Homes and Gardens encouraged readers to share the holiday baking workload by hosting parties where everybody could sample and take home a greater assortment of cookies than one person could reasonably make.
A Cookie swap is the cousin of barn-raising: get social, and get something done. Boom!
Except I feel like we’ve moved beyond that, because media discourse has made it about winning, one more thing to measure ourselves by. As if we don’t already have enough to do. Even my own competitive nature has soured on the number of holiday cookie recipe articles circulating under SEO-catchy headlines promising the recipe to scoring Cookie Swap Queen (or King) status.
Forget that.
Let’s not stress over cookies. Cookies are for de-stressing.
Enter the Cookie Czar.
Scroll down towards the end of the post to continue reading about the (whaaaaaat?!) Cookie Czar. To make it easier on readers who would like to try their hands at making cookies, I am inserting recipes just below, towards the start of the post, where they are easier to find.
I’m sharing three recipes here — snickerdoodles, coffee maple walnut cookies, and a chocolate cookie inspired by a recipe for a classic lunchbox brownie. Compared to some of the recipes I’ve seen promoted this year for cookie swap stardom, these are not about performative kudo-grabbing so much as comfort and joy. That said, nobody will be mad that you made them. They’re like the sweatpants of cookies, reliably, enjoyably, delicious but unpretentious (in fact, the sort of thing you might snack on while unapologetically wearing sweatpants). They don’t require specialized techniques to make and use straightforward ingredients, although the coffee maple syrup for the Coffee Maple Walnut cookies may take a little extra planning effort if you need to mail order it.
A sweet-spicy cookie with the name that’s fun to say
My daughter, Izziy, introduced me to this Food Network snickerdoodle which she has commended as a “really consistent snickerdoodle, and easy to make.” As presented here, she tweaks the original recipe with the addition of ground cloves and sometimes ground allspice (if the spirit moves her) to the sugar-spice coating mixture. Ground cloves have a strong flavor, so they are best used in smaller quantities relative to the other spices.
Snickerdoodles
INGREDIENTS
1/2 c salted butter, softened
1/2 c vegetable shortening
1 1/2 c + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 medium eggs
2 3/4 c all-purpose or gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves*
1 tsp ground allspice* (optional)
TOOLS
Electric mixer with large bowl + whisk attachment
Sifter (or improvise with whisk), mixing spoon
Small mixing bowl
1 1/2 inch cookie scoop, or use spoons
2+ baking sheets (I line mine with Silpat or parchment)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine the softened butter, shortening, 1 1/2 c sugar, and the eggs in a large electric-mixer compatible mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and well-combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, and stir into the butter mixture.
In a small shallow dish or mixing bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon, allspice, and if using, cloves.
Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls (1 tablespoon each), and roll each ball in the sugar-spice mixture.
Arrange the dough balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets (I line mine with Silpat or parchment paper). Bake two sheets at a time until the edges of the cookies are set but the centers are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through cooking time.
Transfer the cookies to wire racks for cooling. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
Store in an airtight container.
My favorite with a cup of coffee is a coffee cookie
What goes well with coffee? More coffee!
I modified this recipe from one by Garrett McCord published on the Simply Recipes website by enhancing it with extra flavor from a coffee-infused maple syrup. Coffee and maple play so well together, creating an almost caramel flavor, and this cookie really goes down well with a cup of hot fresh joe. Minus the chilling time, this is quick to make.
While coffee-infused maple syrup is a specialty item that can be hard to find in standard supermarkets, a number of small syrup producers like Botanical Springs offer it, along with other creative infusions like cinnamon, spiced apple, and rum (I suspect any of these might taste equally, but differently, delicious if substituted for the coffee flavored syrup in the recipe. When we let ourselves experiment is when the real fun plays out!) I used Untapped in my test batches, and recently ordered Trees Knees Coffee Maple syrup from Bushwick Kitchens in Brooklyn, NY.
My first trial batch went over so well in our house, I had to hide them so that they didn’t get devoured right away. I needed some to photograph!
Coffee Maple Walnut Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1/2 c butter or plant-based butter (1 stick), room temperature
1 c brown coconut sugar (substitute brown sugar if you can’t find coconut sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 c + 1 tbsp coffee-infused real maple syrup
2 c all-purpose or gluten free baking flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 c chopped walnuts
TOOLS
Electric mixer w/bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Measuring cups + spoons
Whisk, mixing spoon, spatula
Large baking sheet(s)
Silpat liner or parchment sized to fit baking sheets
#60 Cookie disher a/k/a 1” diameter cookie scoop
DIRECTIONS
Beat the softened butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (approx 3 minutes).
Add the vanilla and egg to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Follow with the maple syrup and combine well.
In the medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with Silpat or parchment.
Using a cookie scooper or teaspoons, scoop 1” balls of dough and place about 2” apart on lined baking sheets.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned around the edges.
Allow cookies to cool for about two minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to racks to cool completely.
Store in airtight container.
A classic takes on a different shape
A brownie recipe on the back of a 365 Whole Foods sugar bag inspired me to make these chocolate cookies. Lunchbox brownies are known for being easy to make and simple to pack, with a comfort-food density and pronounced chocolate flavor. These cookies have a much lighter texture while holding on to the deep, sweet chocolate taste. Using a high-quality cocoa powder counts here; it’s true that sometimes you get what you pay for! The addition of almond flour builds in a little nuttiness — and a mini protein boost.
These dark beauties come together in a snap. I think they would also be great sandwich-style with a creamy, jammy, or ice-cream filling. (See how I do that, enticing you to mess around in your kitchen!)
Lunchbox Brownie Cookie
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons quality cocoa powder (I suggest Valrhona)
2/3 c cane sugar
1/4 c plus 3 tablespoons gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
1/4 c superfine almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp kosher salt
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter (I use Green Valley lactose-free) or plant-based butter
1/4 cold almond milk (regular milk or soy milk are fine substitutions)
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
TOOLS
Medium mixing bowl + small microwave-safe mixing bowl
Measuring cups + spoons
Large baking sheet(s)
Silpat liner or parchment for baking sheets
Whisk
#60 Cookie disher a/k/a 1” diameter cookie scoop (or use table spoons)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line baking sheet with Silpat or parchment.
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, cane sugar, gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
Place butter into the small microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat in microwave in 10-15 second bursts, stirring between each, until butter is fully melted. (Alternatively, you can melt the butter gently in a small saucepan on the stovetop over med-low heat.)
Add cold milk to the melted butter; stir. Gently whisk the egg and vanilla into the butter and milk mixture.
Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and whisk to blend. The batter will be thick and heavy.
Using a cookie scoop if you have one (#60 size, or approx 1” diameter), scoop up balls of the batter and place on Silpat/parchment-lined cookie sheet 2” apart. Because of the butter content, the cookies spread a fair amount. If you don’t have a cookie disher, use teaspoons to make 1” diameter balls.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. I prefer the full 12 minutes, which produces a firmer cookie with crisper edges.
The shorter cook time results in a cookie that’s more delicate, softer & fluffier in the middle — little bit like a whoopie pie, but thinner.
Allow to sit 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.
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So What’s This About A Cookie Czar?
Cookie swaps were a memorable part of my daughter’s high school experience. An inspired baking culture reigned at her small high school. And I do mean unconventionally small. The entire student body for grades 9 through 12 had at most 150 kids, with about 65 staff members — roughly 200 people in all.
Twice a year, in the fall and spring, the entire school — students and faculty and often faculty members’ families, including pets — takes off on a camping trip so that everybody can get to know each other in settings beyond school walls. Students are assigned jobs: there are the menu planners and the kitchen crew who actually cook all the food. The bag handlers who load the buses, the cleanup crews, the recreational activity leaders. It is truly an experience of community.
Among those roles is the Cookie Czar, overseer of hot cocoa accessorizing, cheer you can chew. The Cookie Czar directs the Cookie Collective, recruiting student bakers to stock the trip with homemade treats to be offered up nightly for cozy snack time with warm drinks — or milk (because you can’t go wrong with a classic). The essence of the Cookie Czar’s role is to end everyone’s day with a little sweetness. That is a certain kind of power.
Technically, I think people could buy cookies to donate to the cause. But when my daughter attended the school, her peers were not those kinds of people. Keep in mind, they were attending a school that self-identifies as a place for “academically adventurous students.” Some had highly creative streaks, others were simply high-strung intellectuals, and quite a few had a penchant for stress baking. It was part of their coping mechanism to create for others.
I remember plenty of baking sessions taking place in our home kitchen, usually around exam time. To paraphrase my daughter, nothing says a bunch of ambitious nerds getting down to studying for a Chemistry final like baking hot batches of cookies to snack on during their review session. Izziy always made snickerdoodles.
I loved hearing their teenage voices lattice the kitchen with a steady flow of chatter, laughter, and occasional shrieks interrupted by interjections of yum! or oops! or excuse me, oh-sorry-sorry-whoops! And compliments. The ways my daughter’s baking pals positively supported each other gave me some sappy mom moments, the kind that would make me tuck into the laundry room so they couldn’t see me tearing up.
Pop culture likes to highlight the worst parts of adolescence, spotlighting bullying, mean girls, aggressive boys, the divide between haves and have-nots, pressures and cruelties exacted through social media. The baking parties I witnessed contradicted those stereotypes. Instead of division, they really were means of connection. The kids always packed up what was left from their snacking to take to share with others at school the next day.
Maybe it’s a sign of my age or maybe it’s a sign of the times, but my wishes this holiday season veer towards keeping things simple like that. I would love to see more creating to bond rather than creating to compete. More real compliments instead of fawning, sycophantic praise. And some really good cookies to share with friends.
Happy Holidays!
Let’s start the new year with some freshening up. The theme inspiring next month’s posts from The Phenomnom is….FOOD WASTE!