Baking Spirits Bright

Feast & Toast

Chef Tara’s guide for cookie-tin delight

Words, Recipes & Photography by Chef Tara Canaday

For the past decade, I’ve created cookie tins to share with friends, family, neighbors, and sometimes even strangers, a tradition that I (and hopefully they!) always look forward to. Each fall, I plan my cookie tin contents, first brainstorming and testing a long list of festive and deliciously different recipes, eventually editing down to five or six that will make the final cut.

To set yourself up for sweet success, it starts with setting aside plenty of time and counter space for prep work. Personally, I block off three full days to execute what ends up being hundreds of cookies. I shop for ingredients and then prep the various doughs before portioning, baking, cooling, and then finally decorating and packaging them all.

My kitchen transforms into a true cookie workshop, with every inch of counter space covered in some combination of cooling cookies, large bowls of colored royal icing, jars of twinkling sugar sprinkles, and thick stacks of parchment-lined sheet pans. Of course, there’s always an epic Christmas playlist echoing in the background. It’s a holiday tradition that fills my cup as a pastry chef, but also as someone who loves gifting food items and creating food memories, no matter the time of year.

I’m excited to share a few of my favorite recipes that continue to make the “cookie tin cut” after all these years, along with some “insider tips” for cookie baking success this holiday season in your own kitchen.

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Wreaths

These buttery, tangy shortbread cookies are dipped in a lemon glaze and finished with sugared rosemary and red nonpareil candy for berries. If Meyer lemons are available, I love to use those as they add more depth of flavor. You can get creative by coloring your cookie dough green, coloring your lemon glaze, or utilizing sprinkles or assorted mini candies to decorate your wreaths.

Yield: (20) 2 ½" diameter wreath cookies

ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

¾ cup confectioners sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

STEP ONE: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter with lemon zest and rosemary for three minutes, or until light and fluffy. 

STEP TWO: Add in confectioners sugar and beat again until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

STEP THREE: Add in lemon juice, followed by flour and salt, and mix on low speed until dough comes together. Pat cookie dough into ½" thick disks, wrap in plastic, and chill overnight. 

STEP FOUR: The next day, pull out your dough, and preheat oven to 300°F. 

STEP FIVE: Prepare sheet trays with parchment paper.

STEP SIX: On a floured surface, roll out dough to ¼" thick, and use a round cutter to cut out wreath outlines. Use a smaller round cutter to remove the center of your wreaths and carefully place on the prepared baking sheet.

STEP SEVEN: Bake for 25 minutes, until cookies are golden brown around the edges, and cool completely before glazing.

Coffee Brandy Thumbprints 

I love a thumbprint cookie and find them to be a versatile way to combine different flavors and textures. Like many Mainers, I also love Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy (and the combination of coffee and chocolate), so I created this cookie as a love letter to all three. Rich dark chocolate cookies are filled with a coffee brandy ganache, and sprinkled with a touch of Maine sea salt.

Yield: 12 thumbprint cookies

cookie ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa powder (I like black cocoa powder
for these, but dutch-process also works well)

1 ½ tablespoons coffee grounds

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ teaspoons Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy

ganache ingredients

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy

Cookies

STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F

STEP TWO: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 

STEP THREE: Add egg, followed by vanilla and coffee brandy, mix until combined. 

STEP FOUR: Combine all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, coffee grounds, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl, and add to your creamed butter mixture, mixing until completely combined. 

STEP FIVE: Scoop each dough ball into equal sized portions, place on a baking sheet with 1 ½" inbetween each cookie dough ball. Use the back of a teaspoon to flatten cookies, creating a crevice in the center of each. Chill prepared cookie dough balls for 30 minutes before baking.

STEP SIX: Bake for 12 minutes or lightly golden.

STEP SEVEN: Once removed from the oven and still warm, use the back of a teaspoon to define crevice again. Cool completely before filling with your prepared coffee brandy ganache, and sprinkling lightly with Maine sea salt. 

Ganache 

STEP ONE: Place semi-sweet chocolate chips in a medium bowl. 

STEP TWO: In a small saucepan, add heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate chips, and allow to melt slightly before using a whisk to combine. 

STEP THREE: Once combined, add butter, and coffee brandy, mix until homogenous.

STEP FOUR: Cool for at least 15 minutes before using a piping bag to fill each crevice with the ganache mixture and lightly sprinkling with Maine sea salt.

Crisp Gingerbread Cookies

This “industrial grade” gingerbread dough is strong enough to create structural gingerbread houses but isn’t lacking in texture and flavor. In fact, these cookies only found their way into my cookie tins after a few years of competing in the Gingerbread House Competition in Boston, where I’d use this dough recipe to create giant showpieces, and couldn’t keep my friends and family away from the scraps! It bakes off flat with minimal spread, perfect for decorated cutout cookies OR gingerbread house centerpieces.

Yield: will vary depending on which cookie cutter you choose, but this recipe will make (14) 5" round cookies

ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup shortening

3 tablespoons molasses

2  eggs

½ teaspoon baking soda

3 cups all purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F. 

STEP TWO: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream your sugars, shortening, and molasses until light and fluffy, about five minutes.

STEP THREE: Add eggs one at a time to creamed butter and sugar.

STEP FOUR: Combine remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

STEP FIVE: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. 

STEP SIX: Roll out dough and cut into desired shapes. 

STEP SEVEN: Bake about 15–17 minutes depending on size and shape.

STEP EIGHT: Cool completely before decorating with your favorite frosting or royal icing.