The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
IN AND AROUND LOUISVILLE
Is it even Christmas without Christmas cookies? ● It’s not that we can’t have cookies the rest of the year, or that they aren’t available. We can, and they are! But there’s something about the holidays — the twinkle lights, the wonderful terrible Christmas movies, the sunset at, what 4 in the afternoon? — that makes reaching for a colorful, cute cookie just seem like the exact thing we need. ● Certainly, you can make your own cookies, and probably will, but isn’t it extra fun to pick up a creation from one of the talented treat makers in Louisville? ● Happily, we have an abundance of options when it comes to Christmas cookies. Here are five places and options I am eying.
Gluten-free holiday sweets from Annie May’s Sweet Cafe
3110 Frankfort Ave., anniemayssweetcafe.com
Annie May’s Sweet Cafe, 3110 Frankfort Ave., has a selection of goodies including a chocolate peppermint cupcake, gingerbread cookies, and peppermint bark that are all gluten-free, vegan, and free of the top nine allergens. Keep in mind that Annie May’s has a strict order online first for pick-up only policy.
COST: Price varies by product
Mini pies from Georgie’s Sweet Potato Pie Company
1559 Bardstown Road, georgiassweets.com
Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Company, 1559 Bardstown Road, has 1-inch mini pies that would be a great addition to your holiday cookie tray.
For a mini-pie sampler tray, you can choose from traditional sweet potato pies, cheesecakes, and pecan pies. It also offers a holiday pre-order sampler tray of mini-pies for $48.
COST: Price varies by selection and product
French cookies from Maddie About Cake
240 Adams St., maddieaboutcake.com
Maddie McNabb launched Maddie About Cake
as a pandemic hobby, “making cakes for friends and family to connect when we couldn’t be together in person,” she says.
The French major studied abroad in France (twice!) so focusing on the quintessential French cookie, the macaron, only made sense.
“I baked my first batch of macarons in March 2021,” McNabb says, “and they quickly became and continue to be my bestselling product. I love pairing nostalgic, unique flavors with the delicate, luxurious French dessert. People may not be able to afford a trip to Paris, but they can experience some French culture through food.”
McNabb offers a rotating monthly menu with six flavors ranging from classics to fun nostalgic tastes to seasonal.
“The December menu is all about the cozy holiday season,” she says, with these six flavors: candied cranberry, dirty chai latte, eggnog, gingerbread, peppermint mocha, and sugar cookie.
“The best part?” she adds, “They’re all gluten-friendly, so your gluten-sensitive friends can enjoy these baked treats, too.”
COST: A holiday box of one dozen macarons is $30. Orders can be placed online at maddieaboutcake.com. The deadline for local pick-up and delivery is Dec. 20.
Scandinavian cookie plate from Smør Nordic Bakeri
3797 Poplar Level Road, smornordicbakeri.com
If you know Smør Nordic Bakeri, 3797 Poplar Level Road, you know it’s going to lean in hard on Christmas. And of course, it has a full menu of Scandinavian holiday cakes, breads, and other goodies (think yule log and a lingonberry and saffron cheesecake). We’re here for the cookies though.
The chef ’s pick Nordic cookie plate has a dozen festive cookies that Smør co-founder and baker Liz Huot says if you take to a party, “everybody’s gonna ooh and ahh” over.
Not that “everyone’s cookies that are all around aren’t beautiful,” she adds. But it makes sense that a land with so much winter does Christmas right.
What kind of cookies might your plate have? It’s the chef ’s choice, so there will be a variety based on the whim of the baker, but there’s Kringla, which are soft like a biscuit and good with coffee, Huot says; Snickerdoodles; the cone-shaped Krumkake (kake is the word for cake in Swedish, she says, and yes, it makes people giggle), and the famous Smørk dark chocolate chip toffee cookie. A Saint Lucia bun is a Swedish saffron bun that isn’t super sweet, says Huot. The cookie with the iconic Nordic star motif is like a really thin chocolate lava cake. The molded cookie is a Sandbakkel, a delicate almond flour cookie that’s richer than a shortbread, and the Pepparkaker is like a spicy gingersnap.
The best thing about these treats, Huot says, is none are overly sweet.
“So in a season when everything is so sweet, you can have something with breakfast, you can have something with tea in the afternoon, you can have something after dinner and not feel so sugared out,” she said.
COST: The plate of a dozen cookies is $35. Order by email at smor@uffdahospitality.com.
CHEF LIZABETH NAGEL
Macarons from Tastee Treats Lou
tasteetreatslou.com
Oui, we have more macarons. Why? Because if you ask me they’re the perfect little Christmas treat, and because these in particular — from Emily Keller of Tastee Treats Lou — have a back story I know well.
In fall 2021, Keller shared her story with Courier Journal readers about turning a job loss at the start of the pandemic into a year-long journey of teaching herself pastry. Namely, adorable macarons, and stunning cakes. That pandemic journey is now a full-blown job and lucky for us, we can order her sweet treats anytime.
Her holiday macarons come in a sixpack with these dreamy flavors: Bourbon Ball, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Cinnamon Roll, Butter Beer, Eggnog, and one called Kitchen Sink, the latter of which is a nod to her grandmother, who, Kellers says, “always said ‘take all of your Holiday baking leftovers and fold it into a cookie!’”
This one is a “classic almond shell, filled with a ring of chocolate buttercream, a dollop of sticky toffee sauce, and a sprinkle of crushed pretzels.
Topped with a dark chocolate drizzle and a mini pretzel. The perfect sweet and savory treat.”
Also available: Holidaze Character Macaron Boxes that include two deluxe-sized character macarons, Keller says. The Hello Kitty Santa has Peppermint Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache and Christmas Trees are inspired by Lil Debbie Christmas Tree Snack Cakes.
COST: All Tastee Treats are available for online ordering at tasteetreatslou.com with pickup dates available on Saturday, Dec. 16, and Saturday, Dec. 23. A six-pack of the holidaze cookies is $18, or $12 for the two-pack Character Box.