Ask George: Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie? —Cindy T., St. Louis
For me, it’s the Swedish-made ginger snaps from Nyåkers. These incredibly thin, crispy cookies are made from real ginger, and the intense flavor comes through. I’ll grab a stack of maybe 12 (who’s counting?), and they’ll be gone before I’m half finished with a mug of coffee, with some dunked and others snapped neatly in half. (They’re great when used for a cheesecake crust, too.) The giant holiday tin is $19.99 at World Market. Buy one and gift one, reminding the lucky recipient that the cookies will stay crispy and crunchy for months, extending the memory of the holidays well into the new year.
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We also asked several local chefs and restaurant owners to expound on their favorite holiday cookie:
Bill Cardwell, chef-at-large: “My mother always made a huge assortment of cookies to serve over the holidays. My favorites were, and still are, the ginger snaps—I add candied ginger to dough—snowballs commonly known as Russian tea cakes, linzer bars with a plum jam layer, and Mamie Eisenhower fudge, which I still make for family.”
Russell Ping, Russell’s: “Are peanut butter balls considered a cookie? We make them every year, and they tempt me from the freezer. The big sugar cookies with buttercream from work are my favorite sugar cookie, but at home it’s fun just throwing together a quick batch of dough and watching [his daughter] Lola go crazy.”
Brant Baldanza, OG Hospitality Group: “My dad and I were just joking about Zia Maria, about how we miss her ‘upfront Italianess’ and, around this time of year, her Christmas cookies. Zia was straight off the boat from Sicily and with her she brought about eight to 10 Christmas cookie recipes that she refused to share—most Italians die with their recipe book in hand! I remember well her cannoli with pistachios and chocolate chips and the crescent cookie filled with walnuts and powdered sugar topping, but my favorite, by far, was a Sicilian fig cookie, cuccidati, that we’ve never been able to replicate, just like Zia wanted.”
Pepe Kehm, Peno, Rosé by Peno: “Soft Italian fig cookies with white icing and sprinkles called cuccidati. They remind me of the Hill. And I love figs.”
Frazer Cameron, Frazer’s: “I’m not much of a Christmas cookie guy, but I do love gingerbread cookies because of the great American fairy tale about the Gingerbread Man, and I also really love ginger.”
Jim Fiala, The Crossing, Acero: “My paternal grandmother made butterscotch cookies, which were my favorite. And my maternal grandfather always carried around butterscotch candies, so that flavor was special to me.”
David Kirkland, Turn, David Kirkland Catering: “My favorite is lemon pistachio shortbread cookies… They’re like little snowballs that melt in your mouth.”
Arlene Browne, Robust Bistro & Wine Bar, Madrina: “As a child, I always looked forward to a special Christmas cookie from our next-door neighbor: Hungarian Butterhorn Cookies. They were so unique and different from the iced sugar cookies and traditional spritz cookies my mom used to make each year. I couldn’t wait to open the Tupperware they would come in with a shiny plastic sticker bow sitting on top. They were so pretty, with a powdered sugar dusting and a crescent-shaped buttery dough that housed a walnutty, not overly sweet filling. I haven’t had one for more than 30 years, but these delicate, slightly chewy treats are forever in my memory… During the holidays, my mom also made a very special traditional Filipino pastry called ensaymada, a sweet, buttery, and fluffy pastry made with flour, sugar, yeast, and eggs. It would take her all day to make these baked bundles of goodness. I used to watch her roll out dough balls, spread with soft butter, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and rolled into a cinnamon roll shape. I couldn’t wait for the first batch to come out of the oven piping hot and quickly spread the lightly browned rolls with butter and sugar. They tasted like a warm hug to me.”
John Perkins, Sunday Best: “The Russian tea cakes my mom made every year. She’s still making those powdery little shortbread bites, even in her 83rd year.”
Mike Johnson, Sugarfire Smoke House, Hi-Pointe Drive-In, Chicken Out, Hot Pizza Cold Beer: “Nothing beats a classic chocolate chip, warm out of the oven and dunked into a glass of cold milk. I know that’s simple, but it is my favorite.”
Ben Poremba, Bengelina Hospitality Group: “A Jewish person’s favorite Xmas cookie? Rugelach.”
Natasha Kwan, Frida’s/Bonito Bar, Diego’s Cantina, Station No. 3: “Hartshorn cookies! My husband’s family has an annual cookie-making event during the holiday, and we make his great grandmother’s recipe. It has gotten a little healthier in the last decade, though. We just made around 500 this weekend, over wine and cheese. Friends and family come and go, helping rolling dough or decorating. It’s a blast.”
Qui Tran, Mai Lee, Nudo House: “Any type of linzer cookies, and they’re guilt-free. I justify that a cookie is healthy as long as it has fruit in it.”
Monica Lee, Spoonful: “I’ve held back since many people have a near-visceral reaction to this choice but…oatmeal raisin cookies. I first had them in kindergarten and I fell in love. Chewy, not too sweet, very satisfying, and made me realize raisins aren’t that bad after all. I love them since they remind me of my childhood, but I rarely buy them because they are NOT a crowd pleaser at parties nor among my family or younger relatives. So then I just end up scarfing down a whole pack by myself. I expect a lot of judgment every time I admit this.”
Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, Telva at the Ridge: “I remember Christmas cookie plates on the South Side always having a small green wreath made from cornflakes with red hot candy ornaments. Otherwise, being raised Italian, I’d choose the little sesame cookies called reginelle. They were always on the holiday sweets list in our house. Honestly, I could eat them any time of year.”
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