Confessions of a former holiday cookie Grinch

+ a few very good cookie recipes & joyful miscellany

An important housekeeping note: Today’s newsletter is free to all; you will not be charged if you had a paid subscription when I went on hiatus in July. Paid subscriptions will remain OFF as I slowly regain a regular publishing cadence, and I will give you ample notice before I turn paid subscriptions back on again, likely around the beginning of 2025. Any questions, shoot me an email at gentlefoods@substack.com.

Clockwise from top left: Peanut Butter-Paprika Cookies, Oatmeal and Candied Peel Cookies, Malted Almond Bars, Whipped Shortbread Thumbprints, Oat and Pistachio Sandies

I remember the first Christmas Hunzi and I shared after moving in together three years ago. Finally equipped with a kitchen all my own and no roommates, I had a vision of us collaborating on elaborate holiday cookie tins to share with friends and family. What I intended to be a whimsical expression of holiday cheer quickly spiraled into several days in a row of me being elbows-deep in many pounds of flour, in a constant state of near tears, and behaving like a total Grinch to Hunzi in my quest to make all 14 treats that would fill our tins (yes, there were actually 14 different offerings—see below for the hand-drawn cookie decoders I also included with each). Hunzi, half-joking, half-not, started calling our apartment The Factory.

The contents of the infamous 2021 holiday cookie box

Lessons learned from that ill-fated year: No one is judging your worth by the impressiveness of your cookie box offerings. No one needs 14 different types of cookies/treats. (And especially no one needs those treats to include homemade candied citrus peel that requires three rounds of blanching). Attempting to get your attachment needs met through gifting cookies at the expense of mistreating your loving partner is not advisable.

@livingthatmomlife4Sorry sweets 🫶🏻😂 #grinch #fypシ ##happyholidays #whatisupmyguy

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

I do still love the tradition of baking holiday cookies and sharing them with others, but I’m slowly learning to rein it in and respect the fact that the holidays are already a higher-stress time of year; I don’t need to willfully add to it by foisting unrealistic expectations on myself.

This year, I’m limiting myself to five types of cookies, mostly scooped or slice-and-bake (no cookies that involve rolling dough, thanks!). I’ve chosen mostly recipes I’ve previously made, so I know they work. Consider this both a cookie review and cookbook gift guide in one, as many of these recipes come from oft-thumbed books in my collection. I encourage you to buy cookbooks, support cookbook authors, or check out these titles from your local library; nothing beats the magic of reading a recipe on a printed page.

Here’s what’s going in my cookie boxes this year:

Peanut Butter-Paprika Cookies
This may be my favorite cookie in this year’s mix—it is mindblowingly good. I LOVE a peanut butter cookie and have been wanting to make this recipe by Lisa Ludwinski of Sister Pie bakery in Detroit since it was published six years ago. The titular paprika is pimentón, a Spanish smoked paprika, that gets mixed with sugar and flaky salt for a crimson sprinkle on top of each cookie that adds the perfect amount of novel intrigue while still staying faithful to a beloved classic. Definitely rest the dough for the advised 24 hours—the cookies sport better texture and shape. Buy the Sister Pie Cookbook

Oatmeal and Candied Peel Cookies from The Violet Bakery Cookbook by

Claire Ptak

This is my second year making this outstanding, grown-up take on an oatmeal raisin cookie, studded with bits of bitter-sweet candied citrus peel. The cookbook has a recipe for homemade candied peel, which is fun but laborious. As a shortcut, I used candied citrus peels from Kankitsu Labo, a specialty producer of gorgeous Japanese citrus products including juices, spreads, and candied peels. I used the candied amanatsu and iyokan. Buy The Violet Bakery Cookbook

Peanut Butter-Paprika Cookies and Whipped Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies, pre-bake

Whipped Shortbread Thumbprints from Jam Bake by

Camilla Wynne

These adorable cookies are giving classic butter cookie tin-meets-thumbprints. The dough is simple to mix (just butter, powdered sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt) and fun to pipe into rosettes with a star tip, if you’re into piping skillz (I am). They’re melt-in-your-mouth tender and are the perfect vehicle for that jar in the back of the fridge that has one tablespoonful of jam but you refuse to throw it out. My cookies didn’t hold their shape as nicely/tightly as Camilla’s, but they’re still quite effective (and delicious). Buy Jam Bake (or Camilla’s stunning new book Nature’s Candy)

Oat and Pistachio Sandies by

Alison Roman

on Bon Appétit
I love any cookie that falls in the buttery/crumbly/crunchy category (see: McVitie’s Hobnobs, Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux), especially with a cup of coffee or milky tea. This take on a pecan sandie is luxuriously nutty yet impossibly light, with the perfect amount of salt. Don’t worry if the dough crumbles or breaks while slicing—just piece them back together as best you can and they’ll even out in the oven. I had to bake these for a few minutes longer than the recipe instructions for toasty golden edges. Buy Alison’s newest book, Sweet Enough

Malted Almond Bars, adapted from Mother Grains by Roxana Jullapat
I almost always include something from Mother Grains in my cookie box. And while Roxana technically says you won’t miss the chocolate in this decadent take on millionaire’s shortbread, it’s the holidays, live más, etc. etc. I can confirm melting six ounces of bittersweet chocolate and pouring it on top was A GREAT decision, as was slicing the pan up into thin bars, à la mini Twix. This recipe calls for a few esoteric ingredients: the shortbread base is made with barley flour (so butterscotchy!) and almond extract, and the caramel layer is flavored with barley malt syrup. But the result is incredibly delicious and unique, and always gets rave reviews. These would not be my pick for shipping in the mail, as the caramel and chocolate layers are a bit delicate and slippery. Also, if you’re baking the shortbread base in an 8x8 pan (instead of the 9x9 called for in the recipe), I think you could safely halve the recipe; my shortbread layer was on the thick side. Buy Mother Grains

Ending this newsletter with two bits of joy to ease us all into the last couple of weeks of the year.

First, some holiday-themed watercolor foods I’ve been painting recently (following de Winton Paper Co. on YouTube, the most relaxing place on the internet):

And this absolutely stunning advent wreath-style candle holder, an early birthday gift that Hunzi and our dear friend Leanne MADE together, in secret. They are so talented!!!

Do you have a holiday cookie box tradition? What recipes do you come back to again and again, and what are some new favorites?

With gratitude,
Chaey