Holidays Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 20:44:59 +0000

Every winter holiday of my childhood involved a sugar cookie decorating day. Hours upon hours were spent decorating trays of cookies, each one unique (and often over decorated). While I loved spending quality time with my siblings sprinkling and frosting, there are times when throwing dough in a pan is so much easier. Sugar cookie bars are a streamlined version of the classic sugar cookie; baked up in a 9 by 13 in pan, they are delicious and much less time consuming. While this recipe is based off the Sugar Cookie recipe I have in 100 Cookies, these bar cookies are slightly different than a your average sugar cookie: they have a more chew in the center, and the frosting keeps them soft and tender. My heart has plenty of room for both the classic cookie and this modern variation, and I often make both for the holidays. My tips for making this recipe: Looking for a cookie not a bar? Try my Panettone Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cardamom, or Pan-Banging Sugar Cookies.

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The Best Way to Prep & Store Cookie Dough

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:32:27 +0000

This post is sponsored by Nordic Ware. I often put things off until the last minute (I can be a chronic procrastinator) but holiday cookie baking is always something I prepare for well in advance. It appears many of you do as well, as making cookie dough in advance is one of the questions I receive the most. I’m excited to share all of my tips and tricks with you, featuring the five most popular holiday cookies on my site! I start making cookie dough in November, taking a few hours on a Saturday and making family favorites for Thanksgiving. I freeze the dough, and then bake off as needed. Whenever the dough starts getting low, I take another afternoon and make more, re-making any favorites that only come out for the holidays, and then new ones in rotation. In December I work on even more cookie dough, as I make boxes for all the neighbors and spend more time with loved ones. I spend a few days making dough, and then bake the morning of the box giving and a few days before our family gatherings. In years past I have spent my time making dough, freezing it on […]

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Chewy Snickerdoodle Bars

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 18:04:55 +0000

I didn’t grow up eating Snickerdoodles. In fact, the first time I ever tried one was in my twenties; a colleague had made them for a work meeting, and I was instantly smitten with their crackly, spiced tops and chewy centers. The most traditional recipes use shortening in the dough and of course, cream of tartar, which gives them their “tangy” flavor. My cookie version of the recipe (found in my cookbook 100 Cookies) is what I make every year around the holidays, but this year I decided to shake things up and bake them in bar form. I am happy to report that snickerdoodle bars are delicious, and I just might prefer them over the traditional cookie. I have tweaked my original recipe a bit – there is a little less butter, and I’ve added a pinch of nutmeg to the dough which really adds a lot of good flavor. Traditional snickerdoodle recipes call for shortening, and I’ve kept a little in the recipe to help keep the integrity of the cookie texture. The shortening helps with thickness, and helps keep the bars tender. Baking them in a square pan also saves quite a bit of time, and adds […]

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Mini Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:25:37 +0000

Orange buns: so unassuming at first glance! But don’t let them fool you. These small buns are light and sweet throughout, with some caramelization on their bottoms from the orange-sugar filling. Then they are topped with even more orange in the form of icing that makes for a perfect, mini-sized bite. I still use my Sweet Dough recipe for mini cinnamon rolls, and after many tries, found splitting the dough into three pieces, then rolling each piece out into separate logs (which are then cut into twelve pieces each) made for the perfect dough-to-filling ratio. I like my cinnamon rolls super soft and gooey, so I put a thin layer of the icing over them while they are warm. The icing melts into the just baked rolls, eliminating any hard corners or edges. Important Tips for Making Mini Cinnamon Rolls I have found these mini buns bake best in a 10 by 15 in [25 by 38 cm] jelly roll pan, but you can see the notes below in the recipe for using a 9 by 13 in [23 by 33 cm] baking pan. Can I Make These Ahead of Time? Yes! Prepare the rolls: roll out dough, fill them, roll them up, cut […]

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Fruity, Nutty Chocolate Biscotti

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 23:14:38 +0000

I am excited to be sharing a recipe with you from Zoë François’ new book, Zoë Bakes Cookies, a follow-up to her incredible Zoë Bakes Cakes book. If you aren’t familiar with Zoë’s work, the short answer is that she is a pastry chef extraordinaire, and you can check out some of her amazing recipes and process videos on her website and over on her Instagram account. Her new book is a cookie tome with not only pages of incredible recipes, but a “cookie academy” section that will answer many of your pressing baking questions. I highly recommend adding this one to your cookie cookbook collection! As for the biscotti, I first encountered biscotti at the mall coffee shop my sister and I both worked at over holiday and summer vacations. The biscotti was sent to the store already wrapped in plastic and sat out on the counters to tempt customers with a quick purchase. I found I preferred the chocolate ones that were also dipped in more chocolate, and dunked them into my already too-sweet iced mocha (which probably isn’t the “proper” way to eat one, but brought me joy none-the-less). There is also, however, the day a biscotti was used as […]

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Neapolitan Shortbread Cookies

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 14:19:03 +0000

I decided to come up with a shortbread version of these Neapolitan cookies for a few reasons, since they always find their way into my holiday cookie boxes. The main reason being they are slightly less tedious to put together than the sugar cookie version, which saves some time during the holiday cookie madness I like to put myself through. Shortbread dough does not have any leavening in it, and is known for its “short” or crumbly texture. The shining ingredient is of course, butter, but this beautiful, multi-color cookie also has a nice hit of chocolate and strawberry. I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt I put into the cookie, but if you have a salted butter you love, you can use that instead; taste the finished dough before adding more salt. Make sure that the dough is completely combined, and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixer. How to Shape Neapolitan Shortbread If you’re looking for a plain vanilla shortbread, I have this Buttery Shortbread recipe. If you wanted a pan version instead of slice and bake, you’ll love this Tender, Pan-Style Shortbread. I have quite a few […]

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Chewy Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cardamom

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 22:24:51 +0000

I have been making some version of these chocolate sugar cookies with cardamom for twenty years, and the recipe has made it’s way, with various tweaks, into two of my cookbooks. In this recipe, the chocolate dough balls are rolled in granulated sugar that’s mixed with cardamom. These cookies are easy to make, and adds to my list of best holiday cookie box recipes. They also will satisfy any chocolate craving you may have. I had never even heard of cardamom until I started working at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse; Colleen had made cardamom chocolate scones and after one bite I was completely hooked. I made sure cardamom found it’s way into a lot of my baking, from Pound Cake to Sugar Buns to Layer Cake. While I love all of those recipes, my favorite way to use it is still paired with chocolate. If you’re not a fan of a cardamom, I think you’ll love my Chocolate Espresso Sugar Cookies. These cookies have deep chocolate flavor, slightly crisp edges the day of baking, and a tender, rich center that lasts for days. They incredibly easy to make, no refrigeration of the dough needed. And they freeze well, which helps when […]

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Double Apple Scones

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 21:18:03 +0000

I make scones for every possible occasion and in every possible flavor (like pumpkin, panettone, ginger chocolate, and sprinkle) and I especially love them around the holidays, as the can be shaped ahead of time and frozen, then pulled out and baked as needed. These apple scones are no exception, and they bake up flaky and tender. How I Make My Scones I have made many scones over the years, and have finally settled on this buttery scone base, with crème fraîche and an extra egg yolk for rich flavor and a tenderness, and gently folded layers to keep the scones flaky. This scone recipe includes folding the dough over several times to create multiple flaky layers. I take advantage of the folds: I spread a thin layer of apple butter across the surface and sprinkled the top with apples gently steamed in apple cider. The apple butter boosted flavor and helped the apples adhere, and the scones baked up tall and lofty. A drizzle of icing to the scones while still warm helps keep the scones stay tender for hours after baking. Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to […]

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Scotcharoo Blondie Bars

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 17:54:06 +0000

I am sharing today another new recipe from 100 Afternoon Sweets! This might just be my favorite recipe from the new book. I do know that my family is addicted to them, and I fear you will be, too. They combine the perfect crunch and peanut butter flavor of a Scotcharoo bar with the gooey, brown-sugary goodness of a blondie bar. (Also: Minneapolis friends! Join me at the LynHall to celebrate the launch of 100 Afternoon Sweets on October 3rd!) What are Scotcharoos? Scotcharoos are essentially an over-the-top Rice Krispy bar: instead of marshmallows, the crispy base is filled with butter, peanut butter, and butterscotch, and then topped with a thick layer of chocolate. Rumor has it that the recipe first appeared on a Rice Krispies box in the 1960’s, and they are still a midwest classic. They showed up at many a pot luck in my youth, and most the coffee houses I worked at sold them in thick squares. Inspiration for Scotcharoo Blondies While I do have a recipe for straight-up Scotcharoos in 100 Cookies, I wanted to take them a step further. I was inspired by Dominque Ansel’s caramelized puffed rice; in his book Everyone Can Bake […]

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Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 19:07:23 +0000

Often, when chocolate cookies are strutting around a bakery case, sending out their sexy, glossy vibes, the humble oatmeal cookie is completely overlooked. Small and round, filled with dried fruit and a handful of spices, this unassuming cookie doesn’t always make a big splash. Its charm is subtle; it hums quietly while other confections roar. But, in all honestly, I’m fine with the majority of people passing by these raisin-filled circles because it means there are more for me. Main Ingredients for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Rolled vs Quick Oats: I find either kind of oat works well in this cookie. Rolled oats will give them a little more chew, and my kids prefer quick oats because they don’t feel quite as “oaty”. Spices: I use cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg in these cookies. Cinnamon has always been a must in oatmeal cookies (I grew up making the quaker oats recipe on repeat), but I love the extra flavor of nutmeg here. It has a slightly bitter but warm flavor profile that compliments the cinnamon and elevates the cookie. Raisins: I use regular grocery store raisins in this recipe. Make sure they are fresh, and not dried out or hard, […]

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