Southern Culinary Experts Reveal Their Preferred Holiday Cookie Recipes
Southern Culinary Experts Reveal Their Preferred Holiday Cookie Recipes
It's the time of year for cookie swaps, parties, and an abundance of sweet treats to select from. Traditional styles of Christmas cookies can differ greatly in taste and appearance. With more focus on the festive decorations than the flavors, we were intrigued to learn what Southern chefs had to say, and what they enjoy during the holiday season.
No matter if it's their choice at a cookie swap or the recipe they share with their family, we were thrilled to discover the top Christmas cookies according to their taste preferences.
Ginger Molasses
Baker and founder of Bolivar Bakery in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Katie Kopsick, is a fan of the bitter-sweet ginger molasses cookies and isn't afraid to add a little flair.
"My favorite cookie to bring to a [holiday] cookie swap is a ginger molasses cookie. The molasses keeps it from being too sweet and keeps it soft for a long time, and I am such a fan of all the warm holiday spices like cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger.
I love to jazz them up a little bit by adding some chopped crystallized ginger—it provides a little bit of heat and some crunchy texture. I am an equal-opportunity cookie lover, but something about ginger molasses cookies just embodies holiday cheer to me!" - Katie Kopsick, Bolivar Bread Bakery, Harpers Ferry, WV
Butter Crisps
Patrick Evans, founder and owner/baker of MarieBette Manufactory in Charlottesville, Virginia, rediscovered a recipe for pecan bars that brought back memories of his grandmother's Butter Crisps.
"My grandmother would always make what were called butter crisps and as a kid I had no idea what were in them or what made them so good. I feel there is something off-limits about trying to recreate a favorite recipe from childhood. It never is as good as your or grand made, so as a result, I had never tried.
Then, a few years ago, a friend brought me some pecan bars she made and when I took a bite, I was transported back to childhood, eating Butter Crisps out of a tin can. It was only then that I realized that magical flavor was a perfect yet simple combination of pecans, and a buttery salty crust that hit that sweet spot. They looked nothing like my grandmother's cookies, but gave me the same feeling inside." - Patrick Evans, MarieBette Cafe & Bakery, Charlottesville, VA
Gingerbread
Lauren Dozier, a baker and writer, prefers crispy cookies and sticks to the classic gingerbread for its versatility in decorating and warm spices, and always makes something with chocolate, her family's favorite.
"I really love a classic gingerbread cookie. I think they’re really fun to make, they can go in so many different directions, and there’s always so much opportunity for decorations and details. My mom’s side of the family is Caribbean and we always like something with a little bit of spice, like ginger.
Other than that, anything chocolate. If I’m at home, I do try to find something with chocolate in it. My brother loves classic chocolate chip cookies, so I always try to find something with a little bit of a twist for a challenge." - Lauren Dozier, Flour Fairy Tales**
Pinwheels
Travis Milton relies on a retro, Depression-era recipe: peanut butter pinwheels, sometimes called "potato candy." The combination of starchy potato and powdered sugar forms a pliant dough that's rolled up with sugary peanut butter, chilled, and sliced into pinwheels.
"My all-time favorite Christmas confection would hands down be peanut butter pinwheels. These are yet another example of Appalachian ingenuity during a time of subsistence. The fact that these are made with potatoes never ceases to blow the minds of guests when I serve them." - Travis Milton, Hickory at Niconder Farm & Vineyard, Bristol, VA
- For individuals planning holiday cookie swaps or hosting festive parties, Southern Living has compiled a collection of 'Christmas Recipes' that include unique 'Christmas Cookie Recipes' from distinguished 'Chefs' across the Southern United States.
- Katie Kopsick, the founder and baker of Bolivar Bakery in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, shares a love for 'ginger molasses' cookies, which she considers an essential addition to any 'Food and Recipes' menu during the holiday season.
- As the holiday season approaches, MarieBette Manufactory in Charlottesville, Virginia, is reminding us of the nostalgic 'Christmas Occasions' with their version of 'Butter Crisps', a delectable treat that takes us back to simpler times.