Chefs We Love
December 19, 2023
House & Home’s Favorite Bakers Share Their Festive Cookie Recipes
Who has time to bake 10 different cookies for the holidays? We don’t! So, we asked our seven favorite bakers to share their best holiday treats, in case you want to host a classic cookie exchange. The rules are simple: each guest brings dozens of one of their favorite homemade treats. You provide tins, parchment liners, string — and plenty of wine.
These 10 recipes are the personal favorites of our überbakers: Devin Connell, food blogger and cookbook author, Philip Haddad, founder of Emmer, Toronto’s hottest new bakery, Christina Tosi of Milk Bar fame, Mary Berg, cooking show host and cookbook author, Jenna Hutchinson and Ashley Kosowan, the co-owners of Winnipeg’s Jenna Rae Cakes, and Rosie Daykin, cookbook author and founder of Butter Baked Goods. We watched these cookies come out of the ovens, and every one is amazing. Happy baking!
Jenna Rae Cakes’ Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies
“If you ask us, it just isn’t Christmas without candy cane cookies! These are filled with a decadently smooth candy cane ganache that pairs perfectly with the slight crunch of the cookie.” — Jenna Hutchinson and Ashley Kosowan.
Get the recipe here.
Mary Berg’s Butter Tart Squares
“These squares are the perfect sweet treat to add to your cookie exchange! And they truly are so easy — all of that butter tart goodness without the fuss of making pastry or forming tarts.”
Get the recipe here.
Rosie Daykin’s Peanut Butter Marshmallow Slice
“It wouldn’t be the holidays at our house without this silly little slice! I love to share large platters of a variety of baking when entertaining during the season and, somehow, these treats always disappear first!”
Get the recipe here.
Rosie Daykin’s Chocolate Shortbread
Get the recipe here.
Philip Haddad Pine Nut Cookies (Pignoli Amaretti)
“This cookie is a very special recipe that was shared with me almost 20 years ago. It combines simplicity and luxury with the pine nuts, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Make sure you use almond paste and not marzipan!”
Get the recipe here.
Philip Haddad’s Seeded, Cherry and White Chocolate Cookies
Get the recipe here.
Devin Connell’s Crispy Oat, Coconut and Cardamom Cookies
“My grandmother Paulette made a version of these cookies every time I would visit her. They were impossibly buttery and crisp, and I remember being showered in crumbs with each bite I took. I’ve added cardamom for a little fragrant interest, and a good pinch of salt to counteract the sweetness. I like to think she would approve.”
Get the recipe here.
Devin Connell’s Heavenly Cookie Cakes
Get the recipe here.
Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Pie Bars
“Warm and sweet creaminess is what I long for most when I reach for dessert, and these golden cookie bars deliver it big time. Based on Milk Bar’s iconic pie, these squares start with an oat cookie crust that gets layered up with a gooey, buttery batter that pushes the limits of what a pie filling can do.”
Get the recipe here.
Christina Tosi’s Cinnamon Bun Cookies
Get the recipe here.
Angus Ferguson
House & Home
Food styling by Ashley Denton