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Heartwarming Cookies
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It’s December and many of us just love to bake as well as eat cookies. We enjoy wrapping up those holiday cookies as gifts for family and friends. Today, we will uncover why baking cookies is so important, and why it encourages even non-bakers to get into the kitchen. Maybe it’s more than just baking the cookies. Perhaps, it’s more about creating heartwarming cookies with ever-to-be remembered stories. We will also chat with Chef Nick Malgieri, a world class pastry chef, who will share some cookie hints and heartwarming stories.
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A Touch of Love Cookies
Double Thumbprint Cookies
Give heartwarming cookie as a gift full of love
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About the Recipe: Thumbprint cookies are a popular holiday dessert. They are butter flavored vanilla cookies that can be filled with any type of fruit filling or even chocolate. If you are sending them out as a gift, make and bake plain heart cookies, and add a little note suggesting that they fill the heart depression with their favorite jam
Heartwarming Story about the Recipe: In the 2005 February magazine issue, Better Homes & Gardens’ staff suggested sharing desserts from your childhood and a happy memory with your children. They also included a creative way to bake “A Touch of Love” cookies, that they called Double Thumbprint Cookies. They are easy to prepare and form. But the best part is that they carry a caring message. Just imagine preparing these loving hearts as a gift for someone special.
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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Make these winning chocolate chip cookies for the holidays
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About the Cookie: These cookies would win an award in any contest since they are easy to make, popular to serve, and of course, a delightful chocolate treat for munching on with milk, coffee, tea, or even champagne.
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe: The Orchards, an Inn located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, always left chocolate chip cookies and milk at their guests’ bedsides at night. They decided to have a contest to find the most delicious chocolate chip cookie. Mary MacVean from the Associated Press was selected as well as two other judges to choose the grand prize winner. The contest held in 1987 drew 2,600 entries, and the Double Chocolate Chip Cookies delighted the judges with their rich, moist double chocolate chip flavor. They are a chocolate lover’s dream cookie!
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First American Cookey (Cookies)
First U.S. printed recipe for cookies 1796 Amelia Simmons
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About the Recipe: The puffy little cookies have both crunchy and soft textures. It’s perfect to serve with some fruit jam since it isn’t very sweet.
The dough is easy to roll and cut out the shapes. We sprinkled our cookies with a little sugar and even added a candied cherry half on the top of some of the cookies as a holiday decoration. The recipe is amazing!
Heartwarming Story: Amelia Simmons, an American orphan, felt that she lacked the education sufficient to prepare the recipe work for the press. She worked as a domestic in Colonial America and gathered her cookery expertise from first-hand experience. Her book points out the best ways of judging the quality of meats, poultry, fish, vegetable etc. and presents the best methods of preparing and cooking them. Here are the first uniquely American recipes using corn meal, Indian pudding, Johny cake, pumpkin pudding, winter squash pudding and brewing spruce beer. The words “cookie” and “slaw” made their first published appearance in this book.
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Hints for Baking Christmas Cookies
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Nick Malgieri
World Renowned Pastry Chef
Nick Malgieri, former Executive Pastry Chef at Windows on the World, is a 1996 inductee into Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.
In 1998 and 1999, he was voted one of the ten best pastry chefs in America by Chocolatier and Pastry Art and Design magazines. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he apprenticed in Switzerland and was subsequently employed at the Hotel de Paris and the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo and at the Reserve de Beaulieu in France. In New York he was Assistant Pastry Chef at the Waldorf Astoria; Executive Chef at Paine Webber, Inc.; and Pastry Chef at the Board Room, a private club.
Photo Courtesy: Akron Life Magazine & Nick Malgieri Photo Credit: Quentin Bacon
Malgieri founded the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School). He still serves as a guest teacher at cooking schools. Since 1985, he has appeared at culinary events throughout North America, including those at the Smithsonian Institution.
Malgieri’s recipes have been published in many major food sections, appeared on television throughout the United States and received exceptional achievement awards for his writing and accomplishments
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Nick Malgieri’s critically acclaimed book, Cookies Unlimited (HarperCollinsPublishers), covers cookies of all types in 12 major sections. Available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and fine bookstores nationwide.
Link to Nick Malgieri’s Hints for Baking Christmas Cookies
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Caramel Crumb Bars
Beyond delicious, buttery crusted creamy caramel streusel bars
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About the Recipe: Caramels bring back so many wonderful memories. Matched with crispy butter-rich crumb crust and topped with crunchy streusel crumbs, these little bars are beyond delicious.
Heartwarming Story: If Nick Malgieri had to choose one cookie above all others, it would be this one. The buttery dough and creamy caramel filling complement each other perfectly.
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Loaded with Chips – Chocolate Chip Cookie
One of the best chocolate chip cookies
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About the Recipe: It is amazing how delicious these chocolate chip cookies are! Every crisp bite reveals soft rich chocolate flavor and various textures from crunchy to chocolaty smooth. Give them a try!
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe: Nick Malgieri loved making chocolate chip cookies and kept adding more chips. He made these cookies often. When he tasted chocolate chip cookies without double the amount of chips in the amount of batter, he was always disappointed. Most standard recipes use only half of those flavorful chocolate chips in them.
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Traditional Ethnic Cookies
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St. Nicholas Gingerbread Cookies
A traditional German holiday cookie often decorated with St. Nick’s picture
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About the Recipe: This is a traditional German holiday cookie that is often decorated with pictures of St. Nicholas and included as a special treat for children on December 6th. It’s a honey or molasses cookie, filled with sweet spice flavors. Some of them include candied orange or lemon peels in the dough. What a wonderful way to share traditions!
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe:
The real Saint Nicholas was a generous Catholic saint from Turkey, who loved giving secret little surprise gifts to children in need. The story migrated and adapted to the various regions, where the saint continues to be celebrated on a special day for children.
On December 6th (or 5th) of each year, Saint Nicholas is said to pay a visit to the children in Eastern and Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and many parts of eastern Europe to bring special treats to the good children.
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Kamishbroit (also known as Mandelbrot and Kamish)
Crunchy, not-too-sweet cookies made without using oil or fat
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About the Recipe: These crunchy, not-too-sweet cookies are also known as Mandelbrot and Kamish. They are a Jewish version like an Italian biscotti. When they are double-baked, you can dunk them into your cup of tea or coffee. They also can be served with your favorite holiday wine.
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe: by Sarah Wernick
“Going for the dough with Grandma’s nut cookies” (source-newspaper)
Her grandmother, Sylvia Lindenbaum was an excellent cook and didn’t use recipes since she felt a cook needed to feel the ingredients. Family members, especially a distant cousin, wanted her delicious Kamishbroit cookie recipe. So, when Sarah was about 10 years old, her family figured out how to get a written copy of the recipe. My mom, hearing about a $25,000 Pillsbury Bake-Off thought it would be the perfect winning recipe. It was different, delicious, simple to make, and perfect for serving to company.
My mother obtained the necessary form and sent the kamishbroit recipe, that she called Nut Cracker Sweets, off to Pillsbury. During the weeks that followed, our family debated how best to spend the $25,000. A new car, furniture, a new stove for Grandmother? We watched for the mailman every morning and dashed when the telephone rang. Nothing! Not even a summons to a semifinal! The 20th Pillsbury Bake-Off was held, and a concoction of marshmallows dipped in melted butter won the top prize.
If you try Sarah’s grandmother’s recipe, she is sure that you’ll agree with her family: Pillsbury made a BIG mistake!
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Bring Back the Memories of School Days
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Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Bring back memories from your school days
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About the Recipe: The cookies have a thick peanut butter flavor that will delight any peanut butter lover. They are easy to make and form a unique design on the top since three fingers are used to press them down a little. Adding a little grated chocolate offers a variation to the original recipe. Since these cookies were baked right at the schools, those fresh and warm cookies are still remembered by the students as the Best Cookies ever baked.
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe: The original recipe shared by Geraldine Faucher, a former Chicago teacher, was printed in the Chicago Sun Times by Bev Bennett. Geraldine said that it is the one the Chicago schools used since 1950 or before and served in the school lunchrooms. She added that the butter gave them a special taste and they were made in huge batches.
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Senn High School Butter Cookies
Some cookies still make lunch lovin’ memories
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About the Recipe: The cookies were very delicate, so I added a little more flour to the remaining dough. The rich butter flavor and crisp texture will be remembered with a smile. Some cookies live on forever in our memories.
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe:
This popular cookie is best loved and popular. It was reported that it came from the files of the Chicago Board of Education was used in public school lunchrooms. What made them the cookie to remember is their buttery flavor. The cookies, freshly baked, were served in many Chicago public school cafeterias in the 60’s and 70’s. Lillian Stryczek said that they had a wonderful flavor and very delicate texture.
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Try Some Winning Holiday Recipes
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Holiday Oatmeal Cookie Brittle
Broken cookies are fun to make and bake
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About the Recipe: The cookie brittle is crisp, has a toffee-like flavor, and fun to prepare. Who doesn’t like breaking up cookies into perfect serving pieces? They can be served plain or decorated with the nuts or sprinkles for the holidays.
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe: This recipe won the grand prize $10,000 in the 1995 Quaker Oats Contest. It was such an awesome experience! One of the best things that happened was that a New Jersey newspaper called and wanted to write a story and take my picture. My apartment was small, so we decided to take it at the school where I taught. When the photographer arrived, the 6th graders were so excited and wanted to stay with me in the picture. The happy event, filled with those enthusiastic kids, was featured on the main page of the food section. What a great experience for all of us! They felt so important to be in the newspaper and were able to eat the cookies too. That’s a win-win for everyone!
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Crescent Cookies
Delicate cookies with a rich butter flavor and crunchy nuts
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About the Recipe: These old-fashioned nut cookies were always a special treat when a mother or grandmother made them the holidays. Even today, they are usually included with the holiday cookies that families bake every year. Crescent cookies are delicate, rich, and full of buttery flavor. They’re irresistible!
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe: Anne Marie Reband’s winning recipe in a holiday cookie contest came from a beloved grandmother, who passed away a few years before this time.
It was like a miracle how she found the recipe. A couple of weeks before Christmas, she was looking for a recipe in her file box. Her heart stopped! There it was her grandmother’s crescent cookie recipe! She didn’t even know it was in there. She baked the cookies, fearful that somehow, they wouldn’t taste quite the same. On Christmas Eve, the verdict came in. Everyone agreed they tasted exactly like Grandma’s. Of course, now she bakes them every year. She said, “It just wouldn’t be Christmas without them.”
The finalists in the holiday cookie contest agreed that winning a prize in the 1988 Holiday Cookie Contest was more than just baking the cookies. It was about making memories.
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The Good Cook’s Gingersnaps
New England classic is crispy and full of ginger flavor
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About the Recipe: These cookies are winners! Nick Malgieri said they were crispier and more flavorful than most ginger cookies. It is a classic ginger cookie recipe that is quick to mix up and bake. They are called Snaps because they make a “snap” when you bite them. Check these out and listen for the sound. Yes, they are crispy.
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe:
Good Cook’s Gingersnaps: In 1998, Nick Malgieri was invited by Pat Adrian, Director of the Good Cook division of the Book of the Month Club to judge their annual office baking contest. There were luscious cakes, pies, and cookies of all types, but these gingersnaps were the hands down winner. Julie Ellis-Clayton, the winner of the contest, shared her recipe with Nick. It was adapted from a recipe in The New England Cookbook – Culinary Arts Institute.
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Crinkle Top Cookies
These ginger cookies have a winning holiday taste and chewy texture
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About the Recipe: This is a sweet, chewy molasses cookie recipe from Elisa Leverton, who was the winner of the Good Morning America Christmas Cookie Contest in 2002. Ginger cookies have been a favorite in the United States for more than 200 years. It’s a winning flavor!
Heart Warming Story about the Recipe:
Crinkle Tops: In 2002, Elisa Leverton of Portland, Oregon won the prize in Good Morning America Christmas Cookie Contest with a recipe called Crinkle Tops, a close cousin of the New England cookbook recipe. She said that she had been making these chewy cookies for her husband for more than 20 years, since they were dating. Now her two kids just love them too.
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Market Mystery Cookies
The best cookies come in tiny shapes
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About the Recipe: The recipe is unique and doesn’t use any flour at all. The cookies are very delicate and brown sugar crispy. Since they are about the size of a quarter when they are baked, they disappear quickly from a cookie tray. If you like challenges, unique techniques, using only a few ingredients, and have the patience to boil/simmer, cool, bake, and peel off before serving, do give this recipe a try. It really is lots of fun to make!
Heartwarming Story about the Recipe: Frances Price kept the recipe Market Mystery Cookies, the ultimate snack food, a secret for 25 years.
So tiny, less than bite-size, these cookies were sold by weight, not by the dozen, years ago at the Lancaster County Farmers’ Market in Wayne, Pa.
The originator of the recipe was an elderly woman, who baked and sold the cookies at the Market. She made them with ingredients you’d never guess from tasting them and used a method so unorthodox, that you would think that Frances made it up. Frances watched men, women and children of all ages gobble them up.
Frances checked to see if anyone was still making a living off these cookies at the Lancaster County Farmers’ Market, but no one there had heard of them. So now, since recipes are for sharing, here is one of the most unique recipes for you to try.
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It’s Time for Family Favorites
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Sugar Sprinkled Spritz Cookies
So easy to make with a cookie press
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About the Recipe: This is one of the easiest recipes to make. You can use any disc shape, but we like to use the snowflake shape because it makes smaller cookies. Of course, that’s wonderful since there are more cookies for sugar sprinkling. The recipe is one of our favorite Christmas cookies.
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Christmas Candy Cane Cookies
A family favorite cookie teamed Dads and Kids as holiday bakers
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About the Recipe: Christmas Candy Cane Cookies are delicate swirled red and white cookies shaped like canes and lightly sprinkled with sparkling red sugar. They are lightly mint flavored and have a crisp sugared texture. No matter how they turned out, they were beautiful and brought holiday smiles.
Heartwarming Story about the Recipe: The children in our family usually helped Grandma or Mom bake holiday cookies. One Christmas Eve, we decided to leave Grandma’s kitchen to the Dads and Kids and let them work out how to bake the candy cane and sugar sprinkled spritz cookies. After leaving the supplies and recipes, the women went out for a holiday lunch, hoping for the best. When we returned, the canes were twisted and sprinkles were left to be found for days, but all of them loved working together. This tradition continued, even after the kids graduated and moved to their own homes. It became a cherished tradition for them. Now every holiday, all of them return to Grandma’s kitchen and bake those delicious, perfectly made candy cane and sugar sprinkled spritz cookies. We never expected that those little cookies would bring so much holiday happiness to our family.
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