Winston’s Favorite Holiday Cookies
Ever wanted to know what the taste testers at my house really think? Well, today, you’re in for a treat because my husband, Winston, is sharing his top 5 favorite holiday cookies. Which recipes do you think will make his list?
Love holiday cookies? I recommend checking out some of my favorite Christmas cookies: All-Butter Tea Cake Cookies with Easy Sugar Cookie Icing, Potato Chip Cookies and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!
Happy holidays, dear readers. Sir Speckle here — I’m Erin’s husband, Winston. The Chief Taste-testing Officer here at TSP HQ… otherwise known as our house.
And I’m chiming in on this chilly December morning to bring you something near and dear to my heart: my five favorite TSP Christmas cookie recipes of all time.
And who’s better positioned than me to give you this esteemed cookie countdown? Not a dang soul, says I. (Especially since Carson Daly didn’t return our calls.)
Before we dive into my all-time favorite holiday cookie recipes (which is ranks differently than my regular favorite cookie recipes), let’s talk about cookie ingredients and tools you might need… and then we will get into my top 5.
What are the best ingredients for home baked cookies?
This will be dependent on what you’re baking, but Erin always recommends high-quality ingredients.
Here are some popular ones that are found in various recipes:
- Unsalted butter: This is a must-have for most cookie recipes. Purchase the unsalted variety so you can control the amount of salt that goes into the cookies. You can sometimes swap this with vegetable shortening or vegan butter if you don’t eat dairy products, though it depends on the recipe and the swap might cause the cookie to have a different texture and flavor. Purchase the highest quality butter you can afford.
- All-purpose flour: Most cookies call for flour, and traditional AP flour is what you need for the vast majority of ’em! You may use bleached or unbleached — they’ll work the same! Most of Erin’s recipes are not gluten free, and I have not tested them with gluten free flour blends, even though I have heard of some having success with these!
- Granulated sugar: Also known as white sugar, this is one of the most popular sweeteners to have on hand. There is a difference between extra fine granulated sugar and granulated sugar. (A cup of each won’t weigh the same because the extra fine has a smaller granule.) Be sure to read the packaging!
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar is made sweeter with molasses. There are two varieties — dark or light brown sugar. While you can use them interchangeably, dark brown sugar has a higher molasses content and can change the texture of a cookie if there’s enough of it.
- Powdered sugar: This is typically used in frosting or icing recipes, be they a classic easy sugar cookie icing or a royal icing. You’ll find this in some cookie recipes, too, like Shortbread Cookies.
- Eggs: These serve as a binder, as well as provide a little leavening to cookie dough. Erin uses large eggs in her baking recipes. Some recipes only require an egg yolk while others involve the whole egg or just egg whites.
- Baking powder or baking soda: These are both leaveners, and their purpose is to cause a chemical reaction inside the cookies which makes them puff up in the oven. You’ll see one or the other in almost every cookie recipe. Make sure yours are fresh. (If they’re not, your cookies won’t rise.)
- Oats: We keep old-fashioned rolled oats in our pantry. Quick cooking oats tend to lose their texture in a cookie dough, though there is a place for them in some cookie recipes.
- Mix-ins: Depending on the type of cookie you’re making, you’ll need some of these. Chocolate chips, chocolate chunks and chopped chocolate are popular mix-ins, but there is a world of possibilities out there. Think sprinkles, chips, other unique flavored baking chips, nuts (like almonds or pecans) and more.
The best tools to bake cookies at home:
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Much like the ingredients, the tools will be dependent on what cookie recipe you’re baking.
Some essential baking tools you might need include…
- Baking sheets or sheet pans — I highly recommend using rimmed sheet pans so that the cookie dough can’t roll or fall off the sheets as you transfer them into the oven. Go for a lighter colored sheet pan, as a dark one could cause cookies to brown too much.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer — or another electric mixer to bring your cookie dough together. This makes it easier on your arms, as well as requires less time as the electric mixer will work faster.
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats — to prevent the cookies from sticking to your baking pan
- Food processor — sometimes, this will help you blend up your ingredients or smooth out your frosting recipe. You can also use this to break down oats, nuts and more…
- Wire rack for cooling — because your cookies will continue to cook on the sheet pan, so shifting them to a cooling rack is smart to do.
- Mixing bowl(s) — for actually mixing the cookie batter in
- Kitchen scale — for accuracy. Erin started using a kitchen scale in 2020 after getting into sourdough, and it has been a game changer for accuracy in my baking and getting the recipes to turn out the same every. single. time.
- Measuring cups and spoons — because you don’t want to eyeball ingredients!
- Liquid measuring cup — for those liquid ingredients that you’ll need to measure.
Erin talk about these more in depth, as well as recommend her favorite brands of these tools in 10 Best Baking Tools for Cookies.
The best cookies for the holiday season:
It’s all subjective, right?
Some people like cookies with festive decorations, white chocolate or candy while others love classic recipes, like Drop Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms or Gingersnaps.
Those are not my personal favorites.
And you might be asking, “Why are you sharing your favorite Christmas cookies, Winston?”
But seriously — why me, a skeptic might ask?
Because I’ve tried them all. Yep, that’s right. Every. Single. Cookie. Recipe.
And not just the final recipes that made their way into an actual, real-life TSP post, but also all the experimental batches that didn’t quite turn out right — because they baked for too long, or didn’t have enough vanilla extract, or just simply lacked that crucial piece de resistance…you get the picture.
Not to mention a bunch of recipes that contended, but ultimately failed, to make the final cut.
Suffice it to say, I’ve consumed as many cookie calories as a Keebler elf. And that gives me a pretty good perspective on the good, better, and BEST of TSP’s Christmas cookies.
So without further adieu, I bring you… my top 5 favorite holiday cookies of all time!
Other cookie lists you might enjoy, too, in case you need more baking inspiration: 42 Cookies for Santa | 39 Cookies for Santa | 28 Holiday Cookies to Bake This Year
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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