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The Ultimate Holiday Cookies by Roger Berkowitz

Right before the holidays, we have an annual ritual at our South Boston headquarters: the “Cookies Bakeoff.” This is where anyone from our various administrative departments – payroll, accounting, recruiting, IT, etc. – can bake their best at home and bring them in for all to sample. At stake: pride (and I’m sure bragging rights). Now this has always been a collegial event in the past, but I thought what the hell…what if I turned it into more of a real competition a la Cake Wars? Let the “mitts” come off!

Cookie Submissions

So I anointed myself sole judge and MC of the event. Imagine if you will, Simon publicly critiquing while tasting cookies. I wasn’t going to hold back.  I began. “I thought Madeleine’s cookies were supposed to be light…and what’s with the way-too-sweet frosting on top? And you added pistachios and coconut to the batter…what were you thinking? Madeleine’s cookies are supposed to be delicate!” The non-bakers in the assembled audience laughed as the bakers became more uncomfortable with each of my remarks. “Peppermint Meltaway Cookies…hmmm, are they supposed to melt in your hand or your mouth?” I got a red face on that one. Hey, this is fun, I thought!

This must be what it feels like to be a real reviewer…an opportunity to substitute snarkiness for culinary knowledge. I could get used to this! Ah, but then my conscience started to kick in. These amateur bakers were taking this contest very seriously and, after all, who was I to denigrate their efforts. To wit, if I couldn’t say something positive, then I’d keep my mouth shut.

In third place: Colleen Onorato our Print Production Coordinator with her biscotti that were baked, believe it or not, in her toaster oven! In second place: the team of Kara Kukull, Assistant Director of Bar Operations, and Shion Hara, Assistant Director of Private Dining, who combined efforts to produce a great peanut butter and raspberry cookies. And, in first place, the same team with an incredible spiced rum molasses cookies, for which they have graciously offered to share the recipe.

Spiced Rum Molasses Cookies

Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated

Yields approximately 2 dozen cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. ground allspice

1/4 t. finely ground black pepper

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar

1/3 c. granulated sugar (plus 1/2 cup for rolling the dough)

1 large egg yolk

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. dark molasses

For the glaze:

1 c. confectioners’ sugar

1 t. amber rum

1 t. aged rum

1 t. spiced rum

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. Beat the butter with brown sugar and 1/3 cup sugar until light fluffy. Lower speed and add the yolk and vanilla; increase speed and beat until incorporated. Reduce speed and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated scraping the bowl and sides once with a rubber spatula.

Reduce speed and add flour mixture; beat until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl down once. Give the dough a final stir by hand to ensure that no pockets of flour remain. Place 1/2 cup sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a 1 1/2 inch ball; roll ball in sugar and place on baking sheet at least 1” apart. Repeat as necessary.

Bake until the edges have begun to set, but the centers are still soft (the cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back halfway through the baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

For the glaze, whisk confectioners’ sugar with rums and bitters until smooth. Drizzle over room temperature cookies with a spoon. Allow glaze to dry.

Kara Kukull and Shion Hara

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