Do you find yourself making the same cookies, from the same recipes, every time the calendar turns to December?

We get it. Plenty of classics are

classics for a reason, but in TASTE

Presents Majestic Cookies, we’re

rethinking a few of these old cookie

standards. We’re swirling our slice-

and-bakes with tahini and black

sesame. We’re encrusting our

snickerdoodles with ruby flecks of

sumac and freeze-dried raspberry.

We’re gently steering gingerbread in

a softly spiced cardamom direction.

The reason? If you’re going to put

together a box of cookies to give away

to friends and lucky coworkers, why

not make every single one of those

cookies absolutely majestic?

In the TASTE cookie box, you’ll

find jewel-like jammers, velveteen

rainbow cookies, and alfajores that

are gilded with banana caramel.

We’ve assembled some of our favorite

treasures from cookie royalty like

Dorie Greenspan, Yotam Ottolenghi,

Molly Yeh, and Margarita Manzke. We

hope you’ll pull out your most regal

cookie tins, crank that oven to 350°F,

and bake along with us.

—The editors of TASTE

In Baking at République, Margarita Manzke

admits that one of her favorite desserts behind the

pastry case at her Los Angeles bakery is a spin on

the alfajor—a South American sandwich cookie

filled with dulce de leche. Jacklyn Yang, Manzke’s

sous chef, takes the caramel filling a step further

and adds bananas, brown sugar, and rum. All

combined, the sweet, rich flavors—reminiscent

of flambéed bananas—are a natural fit and hold

together two soft, delicate butter cookies.

BY MARGARITA MANZKE

Banana–Dulce de Leche Alfajores

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REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM BAKING AT RÉPUBLIQUE BY MARGARITA MANZKE, COPYRIGHT © 2019. PUBLISHED BY

LORENA JONES BOOKS, A DIVISION OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, INC. PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT © KRISTIN TEIG

DULCE DE LECHE1 (396g / 14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk 

BANANA CARAMEL2 tablespoons unsalted butter1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugarpacked 1⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar2 small ripe bananas, mashed1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Myers’s dark rumPinch of fine sea salt

ALFAJORES COOKIES1 3⁄4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour1 cup cornstarch1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon fine sea salt1 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter1⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted1⁄4 cup cold waterConfectioners’ sugar, for dusting

MAKES 8 COOKIES

BY MARGARITA MANZKE

Banana–Dulce de Leche Alfajores

1 To make the dulce de leche: Peel the label off the can of con-densed milk and put the can in a deep pot. Pour in enough water to cover the can and reach 3 inches from the top of the pot. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium low and cook for 6 hours, periodically checking the pot and adding more water as needed to keep it at the original level. Using tongs, remove the can from the pot and set it aside to cool overnight. The next day, transfer the dulce de leche in the can to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use, or for up to 5 days.

2 To make the banana caramel: Combine the butter and both sugars in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring continuously. When the caramel turns a dark amber color, turn off the heat and add the bananas, vanilla, rum, and salt. Turn the heat back to medium and cook the mixture until it’s thickened and has a jam-like consistency, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the caramel to a bowl or container and cool. Transfer it to a pastry bag and keep it chilled in the refrigerator.

3 To make the alfajores cookies: Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

4 Place the butter and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and cream on medium speed until just combined, but no longer. On low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the water in three portions, ending with the water.

NOTE: For the best texture, it’s important not to overmix this dough and not to overbake the cookies—or they will be too crunchy and not tender. It’s supposed to be a pale cookie, almost white.

5 Place a large sheet of parchment paper on your work sur-face. Turn out the dough onto the parchment, and top with another large sheet of parchment paper. Roll out the dough to 1⁄4 inch thick. Transfer the parchment and dough to a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

6 Lightly flour the work surface. Peel off the top piece of parchment and invert the dough onto the work surface. Remove the second piece of parchment. Reline the baking sheet with parchment.

7 Using a 2 1⁄2–inch round cutter, punch out 16 cookies and place them onto the prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart.

8 Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake the cookies until the edges are slightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes to ensure even baking. Remove the cookies from the oven and set aside until completely cool.

9 Separate the cookies into pairs, one for the bottoms of the sandwich cookies and the other for the tops.

10 Turn over the set of cookie bottoms and pipe a double ring of dulce de leche, making sure to stay 1⁄4 inch from the edge of the cookie. Fill the centers with the banana caramel. Put the tops on the cookies, then dust with confectioners’ sugar. The filled cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

If your love of cookies tends to hover around the

savory end of the spectrum, then this crunchy,

salty, cayenne-spiked approach to the classic

peanut-butter cookie is the one for you. Samantha

Seneviratne, author of The New Sugar & Spice

and The Joys of Baking, took inspiration from

Hot Mix—a favorite Indian childhood snack made

from peanuts, raisins, and crunchy noodles. For

pure, unadulterated peanut flavor and texture,

she recommends a natural peanut butter like

Smucker’s.

BY SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE

Crunchy Peanutpepper Cookies

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8

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE NEW SUGAR & SPICE, BY SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE, COPYRIGHT © 2015. PUBLISHED

BY TEN SPEED PRESS, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, INC.

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN COOKIES

1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour1 1⁄4 teaspoons kosher salt3⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature1⁄3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for pressing1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar1⁄2 cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter, stirred well1 large egg, at room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract3⁄4 cup roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

BY SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE

Crunchy Peanutpepper Cookies

1 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cayenne, and baking soda. In a large bowl, stir the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy.

2 Stir in the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the peanuts.

3 Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared sheets at least 2 inches apart. Using a fork dipped in sugar, gently press a crisscross pattern in the top of each cookie, flattening it out to a 2-inch circle.

4 Bake until the cookies are light brown around the edges and on the bottom, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheets on racks, then move them to the racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

These sandwich cookies from Yotam Ottolenghi

and Helen Goh’s Sweet turn a classic Australian

dessert into a soft, buttery vessel for bubblegum-

pink rhubarb icing, sharpened with a bit of lemon.

The dough’s secret ingredient is custard powder—

an instant pudding mix that does triple duty here,

lending the cookie structure, a sunny yellow color,

and a soft, pleasantly artificial vanilla flavor.

BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI AND HELEN GOH

Custard Yo-Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing

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REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM SWEET: DESSERTS FROM LONDON’S OTTOLENGHI BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI AND HELEN

GOH, COPYRIGHT © 2017. PUBLISHED BY TEN SPEED PRESS, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, INC.

MAKES 15 COOKIE SANDWICHES

DOUGH1 1/3 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting 1/2 cup custard powder (or cornstarch)1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar1/8 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (or ½ teaspoon, if using cornstarch)

RHUBARB ICING1 small stalk of rhubarb, trimmed, washed, and cut into 1-inch/3-cm lengths 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar½ teaspoon lemon juice

Custard Yo-Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing

BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI AND HELEN GOH

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2 To make the rhubarb icing, spread the rhubarb out on the lined baking sheet and roast it for 30 minutes, or until softened. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before transferring to the small bowl of a food processor. Process to a puree, then add the butter. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar, add the lemon juice, and continue to process for a couple of minutes; it seems like a long time, but you want it to thicken, which it will do as it’s whipped. Transfer to a small bowl and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up. (You don’t want the icing to be at all runny, so add a little more confectioners’ sugar if necessary; it needs to hold when sandwiched between the cookies.) The icing can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge.

3 To make the dough, sift the flour, custard powder (or cornstarch), confectioners’ sugar, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on low speed to combine. Add the butter and continue to beat on low speed until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the vanilla extract, increase the speed to medium, and beat for about 30 seconds, until the dough comes together.

4 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5 Pinch off small bits of dough and use your hands to roll them into 1 1/8-inch round balls; you should have enough dough for 30 balls, about 1/2 oz each.

6 Place dough balls on the lined baking sheets, spaced about 1 1/2 inches/4 cm apart. Dip the back prongs of a small fork in the remaining 1 tablespoon flour before gently but firmly pressing down into the middle of each cookie. The balls will increase to about 1 1/3 inch-es wide, but don’t press all the way to the bottom; you just want to create firm lines in the dough rather than force them to spread out.

7 Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are dry on the bottom but have not taken on too much color. They will be rela-tively fragile when warm but still firm to the touch. Set aside on the baking sheets to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

8 Sandwich pairs of cookies together with the icing, with the “forked” sides facing outward. You should use about 1/2 oz/15 g of icing in each cookie sandwich. It will seem like a lot, but trust us—the cookies can take it. Once assembled, the Yo-Yos can be kept for up to 5 days in an airtight container, so long as they are not anywhere too warm (in which case the icing will soften).

From her cookbook Dorie’s Cookies, Dorie

Greenspan transforms the standard thumbprint

cookie into what is, quite literally, the cookie of

her dreams (the idea came to her while she was

sleeping) by adding a ring of crumbly, cinnamony

streusel around the jammy center. Using vanilla

sablé, a classic French shortbread, as its base,

virtually any flavor of jam works—like apricot,

blueberry, or raspberry—for the ultimate buttery,

crumbly cookie.

BY DORIE GREENSPAN

Classic Jammers

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1 recipe French Vanilla Sablé dough (recipe below), rolled and chilled About ½ cup thick jam, such as blueberry or raspberry 1 recipe Use-It-for-Everything Streusel (recipe below), chilled

MAKES ABOUT 30 COOKIES

BY DORIE GREENSPAN

Classic Jammers

1 Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Butter or spray a regular muffin tin—or two tins, if you’ve got them. Have a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter at hand.

2 Working with one sheet of dough at a time, peel away both pieces of parchment paper and put the dough back on one piece of paper. Cut the dough and drop the rounds into the muffin tin(s). Save the scraps from both pieces of dough, then gather them together, re-roll, chill, and cut. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t completely fill the molds—it will once it’s baked.

3 Spoon about ½ teaspoon jam onto the center of each cookie. Spoon or sprinkle streusel around the edges of each cookie—you want to cover the surface of the dough but leave the jam bare.

4 Bake the cookies for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the tin(s) after 11 minutes, or until the streusel and the edges of the cookies are golden brown; the jam may bubble, and that’s fine. Leave the cookies in the tin(s) for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

5 Repeat with the remaining dough, making certain that the tins are cool.

Black-and-white cookies are the one dessert that

truly channels the no-nonsense attitude of New

Yorkers—the city of its origin. There’s no dainty

piping involved, no careful placing of sprinkles or

toppings—just two elegant, side-by-side swipes of

chocolate and vanilla icing. In this spin, Adrianna

Adarme, the blogger behind A Cozy Kitchen, tinges

the cookie and one of the glazes pink with a little

bit of strawberry puree that gives both a bright,

fruity contrast to the chocolate glaze.

BY ADRIANNA ADARME

Strawberry Pink-and-Black Cookies

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PINK GLAZE1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted1 tablespoon strawberry puree

BLACK GLAZE1/4 cup powdered sugar1 tablespoon cocoa powder1 tablespoon whole milk

MAKES 8 COOKIES

BY ADRIANNA ADARME

COOKIES5 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and halved1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt2 large eggs3/4 cup white granulated sugar1/4 cup whole milk6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Strawberry Pink-and-Black Cookies

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2 Add the strawberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they’re smooth and resemble a watery puree. Using a measuring cup, measure out 1/4 cup of puree. A few tablespoons of the strawberry puree should remain. Transfer it to a small bowl and set it aside to use when making the glaze. 

3 In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 

4 In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Pour in the strawberry puree and milk, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, and stir to form a smooth dough, being sure not to overmix. 

5 Using a 2-ounce cookie dough scoop, drop 5 to 6 cook-ies per pan, spacing them 3 inches apart. The batter should spread upon hitting the baking sheet; you may need to use an offset spatula or butter knife to flat-ten the cookie dough slightly until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Bake the cookies until the edges are light brown and the center is soft, about 12 to 14 minutes. Gently transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Repeat until you’ve worked through all the cookie dough. 

6 To make the pink glaze, whisk together 1/2 cup pow-dered sugar and 1 tablespoon of strawberry puree until smooth and thick. 

7 To make the black glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and heavy cream until smooth. Flip over all of the cookies and smear the chocolate on half of each cookie. Ice the remaining half of each cookie with the strawberry frosting, and let the frost-ing set. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

BY MOLLY YEH

A truly great rainbow cookie condenses three

delicate layers of moist almond cake into a bite-

size treat with a crackly, paper-thin chocolate

encasing. In this spin, blogger and host of Girl

Meets Farm Molly Yeh rethinks the format with a

layer of grassy green matcha cake and an auburn

layer made with red bean paste. It’s all threaded

together with a soft almond flavor and the classic

dark chocolate finish.

Matcha, Red Bean, and Almond Rainbow Cookies

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1/4 cup fine red bean pastered food coloring3 tablespoons apricot or raspberry jam4 ounces dark chocolate

3 large eggs, separated2 tablespoons sugar plus 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, softened6 ounces almond paste, chopped1/2 teaspoon kosher salt1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice1/2 teaspoon almond extract1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons matcha powder

MAKES 16 COOKIES

BY MOLLY YEH

Matcha, Red Bean, and Almond Rainbow Cookies

1 Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease three 8-inch-by-4-inch loaf pans and line them with parchment paper that comes at least 2 inches up the sides of the pan—these little wings will help you lift the cookie out of the pan. If you don’t have 3 loaf pans, you can bake the layers in batches.

2 In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites to soft peaks, and then, with the mixer running on medium, gradu-ally add the 2 tablespoons sugar. Increase the speed to medium high and beat to stiff peaks. Set them aside.

3 In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, almond paste, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 min-utes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the yolks, one at a time, beating well after each is added. Beat in the lemon juice and almond extract, then reduce the speed to medium low and gradually add the flour. Mix to combine.

4 Use a rubber spatula to fold in the egg whites. Transfer a third of the mixture to one of the loaf pans, and use a small offset spatula to spread it out evenly. Transfer another third of the mixture to a separate bowl, and fold in the matcha powder. Fold the red bean paste and a couple of drops of red food coloring into the remaining third. Transfer these into the remaining

2 loaf pans, spread them out evenly, and then bake them until the tops are just set and a toothpick insert-ed into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 12 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then lift them out and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

5 Stack the loaves up with 1 1/2 tablespoons jam between each layer. Wrap the loaf firmly in plastic wrap, weigh it down with a couple of heavy cookbooks, and refrig-erate it for at least 2 hours or overnight.

6 Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or by micro-waving it for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until it’s smooth. Remove it from heat and stir continuously until it is no longer hot. Spread it over the top and sides of the cake loaf and stick it in the refrigerator to firm up for about 15 minutes. Cut into 1” slices and then cut each of those slices in half to make 16 cookies. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

With her new cookbook, Weeknight Baking,

Michelle Lopez of the blog Hummingbird High is

on a mission to prove that baking doesn’t have to

be a sprawling weekend project. To that point, this

snickerdoodle dough comes together with a stand

mixer in less than 10 minutes, and the dramatic

red coating is as easy as blitzing some freeze-

dried raspberries for a couple of minutes with a

few pinches of citrusy sumac. You can easily order

freeze-dried raspberries online or pick up a bag at

Trader Joe’s.

BY MICHELLE LOPEZ

Raspberry Sumac Snickerdoodle

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SNICKERDOODLES2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons cream of tartar1 teaspoon baking soda1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 large eggs2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

RASPBERRY SUMAC TOPPING1⁄4 cup granulated sugar2 heaping tablespoons freeze-dried raspberries, finely processed 2 teaspoons ground sumac

BY MICHELLE LOPEZ

Raspberry Sumac Snickerdoodle

1 Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

2 Prepare or place the raspberry sumac topping in a shallow bowl.

3 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

4 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one has been fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat un-til just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low speed for an additional 30 seconds.

5 Use a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into balls. Roll each in the raspberry sumac topping, covering them completely. Place the coated cookies at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans. Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. The cookies will look puffed when you pull them out of the oven, but they will fall and crack into perfect snickerdoodles as they cool. Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough (or freeze it to bake later). Serve warm or at room temperature. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

These simple, warmly spiced cookies from Martha

Stewart’s Cookie Perfection skips the cookie

cutters and royal icing decorations for a charming

wood-grain finish, thanks to a faux-bois (fake

wood) pastry mat. (If you don’t own one, any

textured surface for your rolling pin will do.)

The dough calls for a wintry blend of cardamom,

allspice, cloves, and black pepper, giving these

snackable cookies a hint of subtle spice.

BY MARTHA STEWART

Spiced Cardamom Cookies

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REPRINTED FROM MARTHA STEWART’S COOKIE PERFECTION. COPYRIGHT © 2019 BY MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA,

INC. PUBLISHED BY CLARKSON POTTER, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, INC.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup dark corn syrup1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature1 large egg, room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon coarse salt 1 tablespoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature

MAKES 5 DOZEN COOKIES

BY MARTHA STEWART

Spiced Cardamom Cookies

1 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cardamom, allspice, pepper, and cloves. Place butter in another large bowl. In a large saucepan, bring both sugars, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour hot sugar mixture over butter. With an electric mixer on low, beat until combined.

2 Add cream, egg, and vanilla, and with mixer on me-dium, beat until well combined. Turning mixer to low, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incor-porated. Shape dough into 3 disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to over-night (or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator before using).

3 Preheat oven to 350°F. Working with one disk at a time, roll out between lightly floured parchment to 1/8inch thickness. Place a lightly floured faux-bois mat on dough, pattern side down. With rolling pin, lightly roll over mat to imprint dough. Carefully remove mat. Transfer dough on parchment to a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining disks.

4 Using a sharp paring knife, cut out shapes to mimic wood chips about 1 1/2 by 3 inches. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Roll out and cut scraps once. Bake cookies until edges are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotat-ing sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)

BY JOANNE CHANG

When Boston chef and baker Joanne Chang

attended Harvard in the ’90s, she began selling

chocolate chip cookies to fellow students on a

whim. Her recipe, a hacked version of the recipe

on the Toll House chocolate chip package, was an

instant hit with classmates, and it launched the

former math whiz kid into a career in professional

cookie recipe development (with some restaurants,

bakeries, and popular cookbooks sprouting up

along the way).

These spiral shortbreads, from Chang’s book Pastry

Love, are an ode to those who prefer their cookies

on the less sweet side. Chang originally started

playing around with tahini as a possible substitute

for peanut butter. The result is this buttery, rich

shortbread. The black sesame version is slightly

stronger tasting: Swirled together, they make a

beautiful, simple cookie that goes well with tea.

If you prefer smaller cookies, roll the shortbreads

starting from the wide edge of the sheets of dough

rather than the narrow edge.

Tahini–Black Sesame Spiral Shortbreads

29

Tahini Shortbread (see page 30)Black Sesame Shortbread (see page 30)3 tablespoons white sesame seeds

3 tablespoons black sesame seeds3 tablespoons sanding sugar

MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN LARGE COOKIES

BY JOANNE CHANG

Tahini–Black Sesame Spiral Shortbreads

1 Using a rolling pin, carefully roll the tahini shortbread between the two sheets of parchment paper into a rectangle roughly 10 inches wide from side to side, 15 inches long from top to bottom, and just under ½ an inch thick. Set the dough aside.

2 Carefully roll the black sesame shortbread into a rect-angle similar in size to the tahini shortbread, about 10x15 inches. Place both doughs on baking sheets and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up (so you can move them easily).

3 Decide if you want larger or smaller cookies. For larg-er cookies: Remove the doughs from the fridge and orient both so they are 10 inches wide from side to side and 15 inches long from top to bottom. Peel off the top piece of parchment from the tahini dough. Then peel off the top piece of parchment from the black sesame dough and quickly invert it directly onto the tahini dough, but about ½ inch offset from the top; i.e., the black sesame sheet should be about ½ inch further from you than the tahini sheet, so that you can see the tahini sheet peeking out from under the black sesa-me sheet. Peel the parchment from the black sesame dough. Let the dough sandwich come to room tem-perature so it will be easy to roll, 10 to 15 minutes.

4 Orient the dough sheet so that the shorter edge is par-allel to the edge of the work surface and the exposed tahini dough is furthest from you. Fold the exposed top ½ inch of tahini shortbread directly over onto the black sesame dough. Lift up the parchment under the tahini sheet and use it to fold the dough toward you, nudging the shortbread to roll it into a 10-inch-wide log; keep rolling the doughs together like a jelly roll.

5 When the log is rolled up completely, gently roll it back and forth to tighten up the spiral. Enclose the roll with parchment and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to

firm up. Every 15 minutes, remove it from the refrig-erator to reroll it (still in the parchment) so it sets into a nice, round shape. The first few times you do this, it won’t really hold its shape, but it will start to flatten. It will firm up and stay more and more in the desired shape as it chills; after about 3 hours, it should hold its shape fully. (At this point, the spiral shortbread can be stored in the refrigerator, well wrapped, for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If frozen, remove from the freezer 24 hours before using and let defrost in the refrigerator overnight.)

6 For smaller cookies: Use the instructions above, but orient the sheets of dough so that they are wider from side to side than they are long from top to bottom; offset the black sesame sheet from the tahini sheet by about ½ an inch and proceed as directed, rolling the sheets together into a longer and skinnier roll.

7 Preheat the oven to 325°F and place racks in the center and bottom third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

8 Combine the white and black sesame seeds and sugar in a small bowl. Pour the sesame-sugar mixture out onto a flat plate or rimmed baking sheet, and roll the dough around in it until it is totally coated, pressing the dough into the seeds to help them adhere. Slice the dough into ¼-inch-thick slices. Lay the slices flat, about 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets.

9 Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, rotating the baking sheets and switching their positions midway through the baking time, until the cookies are medium golden brown on the edges, light gold in the centers, and baked all the way through.

10 Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

30

TAHINI–BLACK SESAME SPIRAL SHORTBREADS IS EXCERPTED FROM PASTRY LOVE: A BAKER’S JOURNAL OF FAVORITE RECIPES

© 2019 BY JOANNE CHANG. PHOTOGRAPHY © 2019 BY KRISTEN TEIG. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

HARCOURT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

BLACK SESAME SHORTBREAD¾ cup / 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature¾ cup sugar⅔ cup black sesame paste (look for this in Asian grocery stores or online—black sesame seeds should be the only ingredient listed)1 large egg (about 50 grams), at room temperature ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon kosher salt

TAHINI SHORTBREAD¾ cup / 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature¾ cup sugar⅔ cup tahini (white sesame paste)1 large egg, at room temperature½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture is super light and fluffy. Stop the mixer from time to time and scrape the paddle and bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the butter is mixing with the sugar. Add the black sesame paste and beat on medium for anoth-er 30 seconds, until the paste is combined into the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium for another 30 seconds to combine. Add the flour and salt and mix on low, just until the flour is completely mixed in, 10 to 15 seconds more. Scrape the paddle and the bottom of the bowl and give another mix to make sure the dough is homogeneous. Scrape the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, flatten it into a rough square, and top it with another piece of parchment. Use immediately.

1 In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes, until super light and fluffy. Stop the mixer from time to time and scrape the paddle and bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the butter is mixing with the sugar. Add the tahini and beat on medium for another 30 seconds, until the tahini is combined into the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium for another 30 seconds to combine. Add the flour and salt and mix on low, just until the flour is completely mixed in, 10 to 15 seconds more. Scrape the paddle and the bottom of the bowl and give another mix to make sure the dough is homo-geneous. Scrape the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, flatten it into a rough square, and top it with another piece of parchment. Use immediately.

BY JOY WILSON

The oatmeal cookie is polarizing. Well, when

raisins are involved, there’s a whole camp of

people who run away from that plate as quickly

as possible. But what about oatmeal and . . .

malt? Haters are likely not going to hate. Malt is

having a moment in the collective home-baking

consciousness, and this inventive recipe from Joy

Wilson (of Joy the Baker fame) uses malted milk

powder in an inventive way.

Chocolate Malted Oatmeal Cookies with Salted Peanuts

33

REPRINTED FROM JOY THE BAKER HOMEMADE DECADENCE. COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY JOY THE BAKER. PHOTOGRAPHS

COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY JOY WILSON. PUBLISHED BY CLARKSON POTTER, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, INC.

2 large eggs ¼ cup whole milk 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract1½ cups milk chocolate chips1½ cups chopped salted peanuts

2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats 2 cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup malted milk powder1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup packed light brown sugar½ cup granulated sugar

MAKES ABOUT 36 COOKIES

Chocolate Malted Oatmeal Cookies with Salted Peanuts BY JOY WILSON

1 Put racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3 In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition. Reduce the speed to medium low and slowly add the milk, then the vanilla. Mix until well com-bined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the oat mixture, mixing until barely combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and peanuts.

4 Scoop the cookie dough, about 2 tablespoons per cookie, onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake until they are just set and golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

BY AGATHA KULAGA AND ERIN PATINKIN

When we reached out to Ovenly cofounder and

entrepreneur Erin Patinkin for her ideas on a new

classic cookie, there was one that jumped out first:

the linzer, in all its jammy, sandwichy glory. Here,

Patinkin and her business partner, Agatha Kulaga,

rethink the sandwich portion with a cookie spiced

with cinnamon and cardamom. “Agatha and I

created this cookie because it was the perfect

intersection of so many of the buttery, jammy

cookies we ate growing up with Eastern European

grandparents (me) and parents (Agatha),” says

Patinkin of the cookie’s inspiration. This recipe

also features a good bit of black pepper, which

pairs great with the fruity jam filling. “They also

make awesome gifts—put them in a box, wrap it

with a bow.” And, voilà. The best edible gift your

oven can bake.

The New Linzer

36

DOUGH1 cup whole nuts of your choice (walnuts and pecans work great)2 1/2 cups all-purpose flourZest of one lemon1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon cardamom1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 cup unsalted butter, softened1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

FILLING2 cups Quick & Easy Berry Jam (see page 37)

MAKES 40 COOKIES

BY AGATHA KULAGA AND ERIN PATINKIN

The New Linzer

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 4 rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.

2 Toast the nuts on a rimmed sheet pan for 10 minutes, then let cool. Grind the nuts in a food processor until they form a fine meal. Dump into a bowl. Leave the oven on.

3 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, zest, and spices. 

4 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle at-tachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until soft and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ground nuts and mix on low for 30 seconds.

5 Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the flour mixture with a large rubber spatula, mixing until combined.

6 Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work sur-face and, using a bench knife, divide into 3 pieces. Set 2 aside and loosely cover with plastic wrap.

7 Flour one of the pieces of dough and gently roll it out into a circle with 1/4-inch thickness. The dough may seem dry, so you may have to press any cracks or crevices with your fingers. However, don’t worry—the dough will bake beautifully. 

8 Cut the dough with a 2-inch circular cookie cutter (or choose your favorite festive one) and place the cutouts 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet (about 12 per pan).

9 Re-flour your surface. Incorporate the scraps from the first piece of dough into the second piece. Roll it out, and cut more cookies. Repeat with the last piece of dough. (If you have room in your freezer, freeze cookie sheets for 10 minutes—they’ll keep their shape better; if not, go ahead and bake.)

10 Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from oven and cool the whole sheet on a cooling rack. Do not remove the cookies from the sheet until they are cooled.

11 While the cookies bake and cool, prepare the filling. 

12 Turn half of the cookies upside down so that the flat side is facing upward. Put a heaping teaspoon of the filling on each of the upturned cookies, then top with remaining cookies (bottom side down).

37

QUICK & EASY BERRY JAM2 pounds fresh or frozen berries of your choice 1/4 cup honey1/2 teaspoon saltZest of one lemon or 1/2 an orange1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 Place the berries, honey, and salt in a medium sauce-pan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning, about 4 minutes or until juices begin to bubble and release.

2 Once the berries begin to sweat, turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally until jam is thick. Remove from heat and stir in zest and vanilla extract.

3 Let cool before using.

BY LAURIE ELLEN PELLICANO

Biscotti have developed a bad reputation thanks

to the enormous, stale, dusty versions that tend to

be served at coffee shops. Next time you’re looking

for something a little sweet and a little nutty to

dip into that morning espresso or to eat alongside

that after-dinner digestivo, try these zested-up,

pistachio-jeweled cookies. Sliced thinly and twice

baked, they are the perfect crisp, delicate end for a

meal—whether that meal is breakfast or dinner.

Pistachio Orange Biscotti

40

1 cup (200g) sugar2 tablespoons orange, tangelo, or tangerine zest (from 2–4 fruits)2 ¼ cups (320g) unbleached all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon salt2 eggs (100g)1 stick / ½ cup (112g) butter, melted1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as curaçao or triple sec1 ½ cups (200g) pistachios1 egg white

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 120 COOKIES, 3”X ¼”

Pistachio OrangeBiscotti BY LAURIE ELLEN PELLICANO

1 Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or brush with additional butter.

2 In a large bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your hands until the sugar has the texture of wet sand and is tinted bright orange, and your entire room is perfumed with citrus.

3 In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, bak-ing powder, and salt. Set aside.

4 Add the eggs to the citrus sugar and whisk to combine. Add about half the butter, whisking slowly so as not to splash, then incorporate the remaining butter. The mixture should look smooth and glossy.

5 Add the reserved flour mixture all at once, channel your inner Italian grandma, and stir until halfway combined with a wooden spoon. Add your pistachios and continue stirring the dough until no streaks of flour remain and the dough looks soft but uniform.

6 Fill a small bowl of water and divide your dough into 3 even pieces. Form each piece into logs widthwise across your baking sheet, about 2x10 inches, spacing each a few inches apart and a few inches from the edge. Use a little water to help keep your hands from sticking to the dough while forming. Don’t worry about making the log perfectly even and rounded—a little character is nice.

7 In a small bowl, whisk your egg white until frothy, and brush all over the surface. This will also help smooth things out.

8 Bake for 28–32 minutes, until your log is firm to the touch and golden brown all over, rotating once after 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, but leave your oven on.

9 Let cookie logs cool slightly, about 10–15 minutes. While still warm, transfer each log to a cutting board to slice, using an offset serrated knife at a slight angle and a sawing motion, into ¼-inch cookies. Lay your cookies flat on 2 unlined sheet pans. Note: You can crowd these trays as much as possible, as baking the cookies at this point is for texture, and they will not rise or spread.

10 Bake cookies for 6 minutes. Remove trays from oven, flip cookies over, and bake for an additional 3–6 minutes to evenly brown. At this point, you are baking the cookies to crisp up. Trust your eyes and your nose.

11 Remove cookies from oven, let cool on trays, and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid such as a cookie tin or a Mason jar for up to 1 month. Biscotti get better with age.

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