Southern Chefs Share Their All-Time Favorite Christmas Cookies

Tis the season of cookie swaps, holiday parties, and endless sweets to choose. Tried-and-true styles of Christmas cookies, in particular, can vary widely in flavor and color. With some more about the festive decorations than the flavors, we were curious what Southern chefs had to say—and what they choose to bite into during the holiday season.

Whether it’s the thing they’re reaching for at the cookie swap or the the thing they make for family festivities, we were delighted to hear about the best Christmas cookies according to their taste criteria.

Ginger Molasses

Katie Kopsick, baker and founder of Bolivar Bakery in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, always goes for chewy, bitter, sweet ginger molasses cookies—and isn’t afraid of adding a little flair.

“My favorite cookie to bring to a [holiday] cookie swap is a ginger molasses cookie. The molasses keeps it from being too sweet and keeps them soft for a long time, and I am such a fan of all the warm holiday spices like cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger.

I love to jazz them up a little bit by adding some chopped crystallized ginger—it provides a little bit of heat and some chewy texture. I am an equal-opportunity cookie lover, but something about ginger molasses cookies just embodies holiday cheer to me!” – Katie Kopsick, Bolivar Bread Bakery, Harpers Ferry, WV

Butter Crisps

After relegating his grandmother’s famous Butter Crisps to memory, Patrick Evans, founder and owner/baker of MarieBette Manufactory in Charlottesville, Virginia, discovered a new recipe for pecan bars that sparked the same joy.

“My grandmother would always make what were called butter crisps and as a kid I had no idea what were in them or what made them so good. I feel there is something off limits about trying to recreate a favorite recipe from childhood. It never is as good as your parents or grandparents made, so as a result I had never tried. 

Then, a few years ago, a friend brought me some pecan bars she made and when I took a bite, I was transported back to childhood, eating Butter Crisps out of a tin can. It was only then that I realized that magical flavor was a perfect yet simple combination of pecans, and a buttery salty crust that hit that sweet spot. They looked nothing like my grandmother’s cookies, but gave me the same feeling inside.” – Patrick Evans, MarieBette Cafe & Bakery, Charlottesville, VA

Gingerbread

Baker and writer Lauren Dozier, who prefers a crispy cookie, sticks to the classic gingerbread for the versatility of decorating and warm spice—and always whips up something with chocolate, her family’s favorite.

“I really love a classic gingerbread cookie. I think they’re really fun to make, they can go in so many different directions, and there’s always so much opportunity for decorations and shapes. My mom’s side of the family is Caribbean and we always like something with a little bit of spice, like ginger.

Other than that, anything chocolate. If I’m at home I do try to find something with chocolate in it. My brother loves classic chocolate chip cookies, so I always try to find something with a little bit of a twist for a challenge.” – Lauren Dozier, Flour Fairy Tales

Pinwheels

Travis Milton keeps people on their toes with a retro, Depression-era recipe: peanut butter pinwheels, sometimes called “potato candy.” Starchy potato and lots of powdered sugar come together to form a pliant dough that’s rolled up with sugary peanut butter. Chilled and sliced into pinwheels, it’s a fudgy, festive, peanut buttery treat.

“My all-time favorite Christmas confection would hands down be peanut butter pinwheels. These are yet another example of Appalachian ingenuity during a time of subsistence. The fact that these are made with potatoes never ceases to blow the minds of guests when I serve them.” – Travis Milton, Hickory at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyard, Bristol, VA

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