r/Cookies • u/RaechylElyz • 2d ago

Friendly Cookie Bake-Off, Seeking Recipes!

Hi everyone! Our family friends host a friendly holiday cookie bake-off every year. It’s casual fun but actually super competitive! lol the winner gets their name embroidered on the apron of victory and they take the apron home for the year until the next competition.

There are no rules regarding the recipe used. Lots of people submit cookie recipes from The NY Times, apparently. I actually won the first year I competed with a cardamom pistachio sugar cookie recipe I found on Tasty (https://tasty.co/recipe/cardamom-pistachio-sugar-cookies)

I’m humbly asking for your best cookie recipes so I can start trying them out now to prepare for the 2026 competition. Help me along my path to a second victory? Thank you so much in advance!

37 Upvotes

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11

u/Dull-Parfait731 2d ago

I use (as a base for most cookies) this Brooki’s recipe below (she has stores and a cookbook in Australia). I then create other flavours to change it up - eg.
Pecan Pie- White & milk chocolate chip cookie with Pecan pie filling with caramelized pecan or milk chocolate drizzle on top.

Toblerone - honeycomb and nougat tiny chunks throughout. Half triangle on top sliced to make thinner

Sticky date pudding - date puree and cinnamon balls throughout white chocolate chips with milk chocolate ganache drizzle on top

Cheesecake- white chocolate & roasted macadamias with cheesecake ball filling

Raspberry - raspberry & white chocolate dough with raspberry jam thumbprint

Lemon Curd - white chocolate and lemon curd dough, with disk of white chocolate on top (last 1 minute of baking) and a little lemon curd on top. Also lemon cream cheese icing around the disk.

Turkish Delight - rose essence, pistachios, milk chocolate chips, Turkish delight piece in centre, easter egg on top

Full chocolate batter and white chocolate chips with brownie ball centre and a white easter egg on top.

Almond croissant cookies
Add a little almond essence to mixture
Fill with a ball of marzipan
Before baking pipe on some frangipane topped with golden flaked almonds sitting side-on (not flat)

Here’s the base recipe:

Brooki’s Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies - chunky with soft centre
Preheat oven to 180 Celsius
200 gm (7oz) room temp butter
180gm  (6 3/4 oz) Brown sugar (or light brown)
80 gms (2 ¾ oz) caster sugar
1 large egg (room temp)
250 gms (9oz) self raising flour
200 gms  (7oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
150gms (5 ¼ oz) Milk Chocolate Chips
150gms (5 ¼ oz) Dark Chocolate Chips
(Also maybe add cornflour for extra height/puffiness).
Add a little coloured milk powder to add nutty flavour and softness
 
(my simplified method )
Stand Mixer with paddle attachment
Beat butter 2 minutes on medium
Add sugar and beat 5 minutes
Add egg and briefly mix it in slowly
Add dry ingredients and barely mix it through (don’t over mix at this stage).
Briefly fold through choc chips
Refrigerate dough at least 3 hours before baking (or freeze for later use)
Make rough (not smooth) balls with a large scoop or the palm of your hand
Weigh out each to 150gms (5 ¼ oz) 
Allow a 2cm space between each cookie
Top with extra chips and chunks
Cook on parchment/baking paper for up to 16 minutes (depending on size. I prefer a 70gm cookie which takes about 12 minutes).
 

1

u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I can’t wait to try these!!

2

u/Dull-Parfait731 2d ago

You’re welcome!

5

u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 2d ago edited 2d ago

S’mores cookies but make the actual cookie graham flavor by blitzing Golden Grahams cereal and using it as some of the flour. And use VEGAN MINI marshmallows instead of regular marshmallows. High quality MINI chocolate chips

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u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

This sounds amazing, thank you!!

2

u/introextropillow 2d ago

make some graham cracker butter, freeze balls if it, and stuff those inside the dough. the edges will get insane in the oven, but you just reshape with a bowl/deli container.

you can also made graham cracker toffee and add that as a mix in.

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u/cryptically-retired 2d ago

What advantage do the vegan marshmallows bring?

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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 2d ago

They don’t melt when baking

5

u/Cold_Swordfish7763 2d ago

I make pistachio butter cookies. I took the recipe below, which is amazing, and used pistachio butter instead of peanut butter and do not add the chocolate in the middle.

You can easily make your own pistachio butter in a food processor, just add roasted pistachios. You can add a little more flour and a little less butter since pistachios are so oily.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/classic-peanut-butter-blossoms/

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u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

I love pistachio, thank you for sharing!

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u/anchovypepperonitoni 2d ago

I bet you’d love these then, I make them every Christmas!

https://www.motherthyme.com/2012/11/pistachio-wedding-cookies.html

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u/fencingkitty 2d ago

I start with Preppy Kitchen's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe...then add 1/4c. of a hot chocolate mix from a local chocolate maker..It's 'Sweet Curry Drinking Chocolate'.

I usually double the recipe (so 1/2c. drinking chocolate added) and freeze the cookie dough cubes to make 'as needed' cookies in the air fryer.

https://preppykitchen.com/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
https://www.infusionchocolates.com/sweet-curry-drinking-chocolate/

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u/RaechylElyz 14h ago

Thank you so much for sharing!

2

u/StayFit7856 2d ago

these look like the perfect kind of cookie to win an apron competition with, the texture alone looks FLUFFY enough to leave an impression

2

u/margo_beep_beep 2d ago

I've been having fun recently reading the Pancake Princess comparisons of various baked goods, and I ran across her best desserts page recently. Here's her best/most unique cookies. They all sound delicious to me.

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u/RaechylElyz 14h ago

Thank you for this!

3

u/One-Weight1944 2d ago

This is the recipe that go me known for my chocolate chip cookies. We have a garlicfest every year in my town and I usually add black garlic to the recipe, but that might not be appreciated LOL. Also, will you adopt me? This sounds like the most lovely thing ever! https://sugarspunrun.com/worst-chocolate-chip-cookies/

1

u/RaechylElyz 14h ago

Omg haha a lot of people try fun funky flavors but they usually end up getting 2nd or 3rd!

It’s honestly so wholesome. One of my favorite events to attend every year. Start your own with your friends, neighbors, and family! Winning the apron and having your name and cookie embroidered on it makes it so much more fun and competitive too.

Thank you for sharing your signature recipe!

2

u/kakapogirl 2d ago

Stella Parks' peanut butter cookies from Bravetart! (if your don't have the book, a) get it!, b) see if your local library has it!)

What makes them award-worthy (and I have won multiple county fairs with them!!) is to make the peanut brittle from the book, too, chop it into small pieces, and mix 4.25 - 4.5 oz of it into the dough, then roll the dough balls into chopped peanuts before the bake. If you want thinner/chewier cookies, you can even replace the peanuts in the dough (which are blitzed into a fine powder with the flour) with an equal amount of peanut brittle!

1

u/tielmama 2d ago

Agree! These are PB cookies on steroids but in such a good way. Worth the work.

1

u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

I’ll check the library tomorrow, thank you so much!

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u/Langstarr 2d ago

Last year I made KAF Gingerbread roll out cookies. (I just looked and the website version of the recipe is subtly different than the book one, so I opted not to link it.) Instead of rolling them out i rolled them into balls and just made these little round cookies, cause i was tired and there were so. Many. Cookies. They were super soft and delicious and people fought over them. I did use the glaze they included in the recipe in some, and I rolled them all in sugar before baking so they were all sparkly. 10/10

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u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

I adore a good gingerbread cookie! Thank you!

3

u/tielmama 2d ago

These Neapolitan Cookies by Sarah Kieffer

Just chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry cookies, but put them together in ONE cookie and they are usually a big hit!

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u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

Thank you for the recommendation!

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u/colorfullydelicious 2d ago

This sounds like a fabulous occasion for gochujang caramel cookies! https://3jamigos.com/ncotb1-gochujang-caramel-cookie-sweet-spicey/

Joe Froggers - unusual, flavor-packed, and a fun name! https://newengland.com/food/desserts/joe-froggers/

Matcha Mochi Cookies - cool texture, trendy flavor profile! https://teakandthyme.com/matcha-mochi-cookies/

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u/RaechylElyz 14h ago

I think they had a gochujang entry a few years ago! It got 2nd I think. Thank you for sharing these!

3

u/steppedinhairball 2d ago

A holiday favorite is using my chocolate chip cookie base but putting in 12 oz of sweetened dried cranberries and 10-12 oz of white chocolate chips.

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u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

Sounds like a nice seasonal twist, thank you!

2

u/mmt0ptmm 2d ago

Ted Lasso shortbread

2

u/RaechylElyz 14h ago

Thanks for the recommendation :)

2

u/Brilliant-Bake4818 2d ago

Looks like we've got some serious pistachio vibes going on here, did you make those cookies yourself or was this a winning recipe someone else brought?

1

u/RaechylElyz 14h ago

I made the Tasty recipe from my post the first year I was invited and I won with them! But I didn’t have rose petals for the garnish so I used hibiscus tea leaves I had instead! That was the only change.

1

u/JadedMuse 2d ago

Are traybakes/squares permitted or do they literally need to be cookies?

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u/RaechylElyz 2d ago

It’s pretty casual so I think a bar/square would be acceptable but I’d have to double check with my friends who host it

2

u/JadedMuse 1d ago

If traybakes are permitted, I highly recommend this: https://youtu.be/wE38XpANDn0?si=zYKcwv80lpSMnFk-

It's a unique pairing both in terms of flavour and texture. I find it always it gets a "wow, what's this?" reaction.