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8 slam-dunk cookie recipes from some of Philly’s best bakeries and restaurants

From stunning sourdough chocolate chips to creamy cranberry swirl cheesecake bars, this holiday cookie plate bucks tradition, but it’ll win you over anyway.

The 2023 holiday cookie assortment. Pictured are an assortment of eight cookies baked by Inquirer reporter Jenn Ladd. From right to left: sourdough chocolate chip cookie from Her Place Supper Club, madeleine from Mamie Colette bakery, caramelized butter and honey sesame cookie from Manna Bakery, black and white cookie from Essen Bakery, bourbon-pecan cookie from Small Oven Pastry Shop, cranberry swirl cheesecake bar from Flakely, cheddar-sesame crisp from Third Wheel Cheese Co,. and goiabinha (guava cookie square) from Merenda Box.
The 2023 holiday cookie assortment. Pictured are an assortment of eight cookies baked by Inquirer reporter Jenn Ladd. From right to left: sourdough chocolate chip cookie from Her Place Supper Club, madeleine from Mamie Colette bakery, caramelized butter and honey sesame cookie from Manna Bakery, black and white cookie from Essen Bakery, bourbon-pecan cookie from Small Oven Pastry Shop, cranberry swirl cheesecake bar from Flakely, cheddar-sesame crisp from Third Wheel Cheese Co,. and goiabinha (guava cookie square) from Merenda Box.Read moreTyger Williams
    by Jenn Ladd
    Published 

Thanksgiving is over. The nice silverware’s put away, the leftovers are gone, and holiday shopping has commenced. That can only mean one thing: It’s cookie season again.

As in years past, The Inquirer set out to collect cookie recipes from a range of Philadelphia’s excellent bakeries and restaurants. This year’s assortment skews less traditional holiday (no gingerbread, no sugar cookies), but it’s chock-full of big-name showstoppers and seemingly humble sleeper hits.

There are black and white cookies from Essen, sourdough chocolate chips from Her Place, cranberry swirl cheesecake bars from Flakely, and bourbon-pecan cookies from Small Oven Pastry Shop. The eight recipes also showcase the diversity of our sweets scene, from Manna Bakery’s barazek-inspired honey-sesame cookies to Mamie Colette’s aromatic madeleines and Merenda Box’s Fig Newton-esque goiabinha. And this year we added a savory entry: sesame-cheddar crisps from Third Wheel Cheese Co.

Whether you make one or all, you can’t go wrong. So break out the mixer and get baking.

Staff credit: Recipes baked by writer Jenn Ladd and photographed by Tyger Williams and Rachel Molenda. Designer Cynthia Greer added the sparkles with an assist from Getty Images. Print coordinator Ann Applegate edited the copy and assisted during the photo shoot. Food editor Margaret Eby and Creative Director Suzette Moyer also were integral to this project for digital and print publications.