My grandmother’s savory cooking could be generously described as functional. As the mother of six kids—five of which were boys—with a very limited budget, she just had to get the job done. However, her baking was where her family felt the “warm and fuzzies,” especially during the holidays. Every year, she’d put together platters of just about every classic Christmas cookie you could imagine: cornflake rounds with dried cherries in the center, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, fudge, nut clusters, buckeyes, peanut butter drops, and more. My absolute favorites, which to this day are my favorite holiday cookie, were what she called “snowballs” but are also referred to as Russian tea cookies or Mexican wedding cookies. I love these buttery, pecan-studded, powdered sugar-covered masterpieces that melt in the mouth. I’ll eat them any time of year, but in my household, it’s not Christmas without them.
I asked area chefs and restaurant professionals to weigh in on their holiday cookie favorites. Although the answers varied, there is a clear theme: The perfect holiday cookie is one that is more about memories than a fancy recipe. Enjoy!
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Liz Schuster, Tenacious Eats: “We always make my mom’s buckeye candies and styrofoam cookies, which are dried meringue cookies with mini M&Ms. They look like little clouds, and it’s really fun when the color smears; it creates this swirl of color.”
Gerard Craft, Niche Food Group: “Peppermint Cocoa Crackle Cookies. They are rich and chocolatey but have a refreshing peppermint bite that is unmistakably reminiscent of Christmas.”
Danni Eickenhorst, HuSTL Hospitality Group: “My family’s favorite cookies are Grandma Caho’s Christmas Wreaths! It isn’t Christmas until we have these! They’re messy but they’re FUN to make together. My grandma used to let us break out all kinds of sprinkles and silver non-pareils and get as festive as we wanted. I usually only make them once a season because I will eat them if I make them – I just can’t be trusted alone with them.
Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box and Telva at the Ridge: “I’m so South Side. It has to be the green cornflake crispy treat wreath with the red-hot ornaments. So nostalgic, and I can never say no to a rice crispy treat!”
Shayn Prapaisilp, Global Foods Group: “I love snickerdoodles. My palate usually runs savory so I love how they’re not too sweet, and cinnamon always reminds me of the holiday season.”
Nick Bognar, Indo, Sado, Pavilion: “I like a basic sugar cookie with a bunch of cream cheese in there and a little bit of sprinkles. This is my favorite holiday cookie because my grandmother (Midwest-side) makes these every year.”
Yalcin Arslan, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis: “Chocolate Crinkle cookies because of their rich chocolate flavor and the aroma of cocoa. In addition to being delicious to eat, they are easy to make, which allows the entire family to join in on the festivities. Before you know it, your home is filled with the warm, comforting scent of freshly baked cookies.”
David and Meggan Sandusky, BEAST Craft BBQ: “Chocolate Salty Balls,” David says. According to Meggan, “They’re basically Oreo cookie truffles. For me, I grew up with magic bars, which are seven-layer bars with coconut and condensed milk, and sugar cookies with simple powdered sugar and almond icing/glaze.”
Tim Adams, Madrina: “I love gooey butter cookies. My grandmother made them every year and would make an extra batch just for me. She passed away a few years ago and I still make them every year.”
Colleen Thompson, Colleen’s Cookies and Colleen’s Cafe: “My aunt Stephanie makes this apricot rolled dough; it’s this beautiful pastry dough that she fills with her homemade apricot jam and a little coconut, then rolls the edges in a little sugar. They just melt in the mouth and are one of my favorites. And peanut brittle. Christmas is not Christmas without peanut brittle.”
Kendele Seive, Noto and Bormio: “My favorite cookies that I absolutely love to eat this time of year are amaretti, which are the soft, chewy almond Italian cookies. It’s nostalgic for me; we always made it at our family’s bakery and for holiday gatherings. They are very simple to make with only four ingredients: almond flour, sugar, egg whites, and lemon. They pair well with espresso. We currently offer this cookie during the holidays at Bormio with the chocolate fondue dessert featured on fondue nights Wednesdays and Thursdays.”
Julie Shih, DD Mau: I like Vanilla Sugar Bake Shoppe’s chocolate chip cookies. They are not overly sweet, the perfect size for a sweet treat, and I love that they use mini chocolate chips!”
Richard Nix, Butler’s Pantry: “Piccione raspberry thumbprint cookies. This cookie has always stood out to me for its simplicity. There is nothing overly ornate about it, just a soft dough and a sweet raspberry flavor that feels right for the holidays.”
