✨The Great Substack Cookie Swap
Pour yourself a cup of cheer and bring that butter to room temp.
This newsletter exists because of YOU—thank you for being here. A massive shoutout to everyone who supports my work with a Paid subscription. You’re the best, truly. Now let’s get to the cookies!
Do you remember those email chains in the early aughts that went something like “send your favorite recipes to 5 people, the one you have memorized…” Did anyone receive any recipes back? At any rate, I still can’t get enough of hearing about favorites. This year, I brought together women in and around the world of food to share their ultimate holiday sweets.
Consider this an invitation of our virtual cookie exchange. Let’s dive in!
Spiced Molasses Cookies
Alexis deBoschnek, cookbook author, recipe developer and writer of the Side Dish newsletter
“I'm admittedly not a huge cookie person, but every December I look forward to making my own spiced molasses cookie recipe. With a crackly sugar topping, they're everything I want in a cookie --heavily spiced, crispy on the edges, with a chewy center. They're perfect for dunking in a cup of milky tea (my preferred method) but do equally well piled high at the annual cookie exchange.” - Alexis
Actually Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
, author of Morning Person newsletterI'm an excellent cook, but a truly terrible baker—with one exception, born out of necessity. I am very particular about chocolate chip cookies. I like them to be just chewy enough, with a depth of flavor, and golden, crunchy edges. After much searching, and a little tweaking, I landed on Jacque Torres's famous chocolate chip cookies, with a few tweaks. (A glass of cold milk is a must!)” - Leslie
Cardamom Vanilla Bean Shortbread
Bebe Carminito @champagneandcookies, cookbook author of The Curated Board, recipe developer and food stylist
“I love shortbread, it is one of my all time favorite cookies and not only do I love eating them, I love gifting them to others too. These are scented and flavored with exotic cardamom and vanilla bean paste. I love to see the little flecks of both in the cookie dough as it makes a lovely impact. I also love dressing these in sparkling white sanding sugar for a bit of glimmer and a crunchy texture, this is an optional step, however, it makes these all the more elegant. Since there are only a few ingredients, use the best butter, cardamom and vanilla bean paste that you can.” - Bebe
Date Tahini Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
@dadaeats, TV Host, Chef, Cookbook Author“These are my Date Tahini Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies. DTCCOC?? I'm obviously still working on a name but they’re beyond delicious, can be made in one bowl, are vegan and gluten-free and are my go-to hosting cookies. They come together so quickly but feel very bakery style in VERY little time. The tahini is grounding, perfectly complemented by the chocolate and chewy dates.” - Samah
Peanut Butter Balls
Molly Adams, Freelance Recipe Developer and Food Writer
“It simply would not be Christmas without my Mom's famous Peanut Butter Balls. As a child of the 80's I grew up with her making these shiny with old school paraffin wax (yuck!) but I've modernized them by swapping the wax for coconut oil in the chocolate coating. These are no bake, totally irresistible, and stay fresh for several days making them ideal for cookie swaps and holiday gifting!” - Molly
Pistachio-Cardamom Sugar Cookies
Lisa Thompson, Recipe Developer and Senior Culinary Content Producer
“I was first introduced to this flavor combination while working at a coffee shop in Brooklyn that stocked baked goods from Ovenly. I ate many of their pistachio-cardamom cupcakes during my time there and the flavor profile just stuck with me. Since then I have baked countless batches of these for cookie swaps and even had a friend sell them in her artisanal pasta shop in town. The best feature of this recipe is its versatility. Roll out the dough for delicate cut-out cookies in your favorite holiday shapes, or use a cookie scoop for an easy breezy drop-style cookie. A coating of cardamom sugar makes these cookies sparkle and adds an extra hit of irresistible cardamom aroma as soon as you bring one to your lips.” - Lisa
World Peace Cookies
Sophia Davila, Pastry Chef and Content Creator
"While I have eaten many a cookie over the years, very few have felt as whimsical as the first bite of Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookie. It contains the perfect balance of sweetness, nuttiness, depth, and saltiness…guaranteeing its place in my cookie tins, year after year.” - Sophia
See photo on Dorie’s site!
And my faves!
Marbled Tahini Cookies
Cookies, but make it fashion. I look forward to NYT’s cookie package every year, and
’s black-and-white swirled shortbread are as delicious as they are beautiful. It’s worth seeking out black sesame seed tahini. The rich, earthy flavor adds a roasted, smoky flavor to the cookies.
Chai-Spiced Ginger Doodles
I took home a quart of this cookie dough after a hectic “omg-we-need-cookie-content” shoot during my first holiday season at Williams Sonoma. Hangin’ in the Test Kitchen was one of my favorite parts of the job, and I’ve made these cookies every year since. They’ve got a double-dose of ginger, freeze like a dream and make use of a well-stocked spice cabinet. I have 2 sticks of butter coming to room temp to make my annual batch as getting ready to post this newsletter!
A big THANK YOU to all my cookie contributors! You inspire me in the kitchen and beyond.