Linzer Cookies. Photos: Chris Emeott
Lunds & Byerlys’ Katie Tomsche shares some of her favorite holiday cookie recipes.
On a worn and yellowing piece of paper lies the recipe for Katie Tomsche’s great grandmother’s Christmas Cookie Cutouts. “We make them every single year,” Tomsche says.
While the decorations have become more intricate, and their collection of cookie cutters has grown, the core of the tradition remains the same. Tomsche’s mom sets a date, and her sister travels up from Chicago.
The cookies are a coveted commodity among Tomsche’s family and friends, and she often incorporates them into the cookie boxes and platters she distributes around the holidays. “It’s a fun way to bring joy to others,” she says. “Cooking and baking is how I show love.”
And though Tomsche loves the traditional Sugar Cookie Cutouts, she also loves to try out new recipes for holiday treats. As a content manager for Lunds & Byerlys, Tomsche can often be found combing through its blog for intriguing cookie recipes to test out. “I think about it all year long,” she says.
Variety is the key when putting together a treat spread for the holidays, Tomsche says. “You want different flavors, sizes, textures and colors,” she says. “The variety allows everyone to find something they like and to try new things that might not be in their family’s repertoire.”
Tomsche says she likes to include at least one treat that’s chocolate, one that’s spiced, one fruit and one peppermint or nut-based cookie. Last holiday season, in addition to her traditional cutouts, Tomsche tried out simple Chewy Molasses Cookies, Rich Caramel Bars and tiny Confetti Shortbread Cookies. “They were small, so you could grab a handful and sprinkle them around,” she says. “They added so much shape and texture.”
While Tomsche loves the chance to get together with family and friends to make goodies around the holidays, she understands that not everyone has the time to devote to such endeavors. Tomsche says it’s perfectly fine to buy something and even to claim it as your own. “You’ve got to leverage your resources,” she says. “The holidays are stressful enough as is. Feel free to buy stuff to supplement what you have.”
Christmas Cookie Contenders
Katie Tomsche shares her short list for new recipes she’s adding to this year’s holiday repertoire.
Linzer Cookies
With its crisp white cookie halves, bright red center and dusting of snowy confectioners’ sugar, the Linzer Cookie looks like it was dreamed up by a wizard of holiday marketing. It tastes as good as it looks, too. The cookies are buttery and biscuit-like, and the center is tart and jammy; the sugar on top is lightly, electrically sweet.
36 cookies
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
- 3 ½ cups flour
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¾ cup Lunds & Byerlys Triple Berry Jam
- confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Heat oven to 350 F. Sift the flour into a medium bowl and add the salt. Set aside.
In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a flat disk. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Lightly dust a flat surface with flour. Roll the dough, turning it 90 degrees every few rolls to prevent sticking, until it’s ¼-inch thick. Cut 2 ¾-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter.
Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a hole from the middle of half the rounds and freeze for 10 minutes. Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until set and light in color. Let cool to room temperature.
Spread the triple berry jam on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cutout cookies with confectioners’ sugar, and press the flat sides together with the triple berry jam in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on top.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal No Bake Cookies
This recipe comes from former FoodE Expert Rosie Anderson at our Lunds & Byerlys Chanhassen store. It’s an easy, breezy, no-bake recipe that’s naturally gluten-free. It’s also a kid-friendly recipe for little helpers.
24 cookies
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
- 3 cups oats
- 5 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups brown sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup peanuts, chopped (optional)
- 24 large chocolate chips/candies
Mix together the first three ingredients. Set aside. Stir together sugar, milk and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add peanuts (optional). Pour the liquid over the oatmeal mixture and stir thoroughly. Drop by the tablespoon onto parchment paper and press large chocolate chips/candies into the cookie. Let sit until firm.
Pistachio Shortbread
This recipe calls for shelled pistachios and uses a food processor to form the dough, so everything comes together in just a few minutes. They look quite elegant, too. Serve them at a holiday dinner party, or treat yourself to a cozy night in. Our dream is to pair them with a strong cup of chai and enjoy them in front of the fireplace while watching The Grinch.
20 cookies
Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 2 hours refrigeration)
Cook time: 20 minutes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ cup pistachios, shelled, salted and roasted, plus extra crushed pistachios for sprinkling
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (60 percent cacao), divided
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, pistachios and vanilla. Pulse 10 to 15 times until the pistachios are finely ground. Scatter the butter pieces in the food processor and pulse until the dough forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful to not overmix the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a log about 10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Tightly cover the log in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours or up to five days. You can also freeze the dough for up to three weeks.
Heat the oven to 325 F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the chilled cookie dough into ½-inch thick coins and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush the top of each shortbread cookie with water and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown on the top and bottom. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, heat 1 inch of water in a saucepan over medium heat and cover with a glass bowl, setting up a double boiler. Add ⅔ of the chocolate chips to the glass bowl and heat until completely melted, stirring constantly. Take the chocolate off the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate chips until fully melted. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate and place them on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios and cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Hot Cocoa Cookies
These gooey chocolate cookies from Martha Stewart have a surprise in the middle!
24 cookies
Cook time: 45 minutes
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally
Frosting
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 4 Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
Heat your oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
Using a tablespoon or 1 ¾-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 8 minutes. Remove baking sheets from the oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to the oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting: Place confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Spread about 1 Tbsp. of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.
Lunds & Byerlys
3455 Vicksburg Lane N.; 763.268.1624
Facebook: Lunds & Byerlys Plymouth
Instagram: @lundsandbyerlys
