The Easy Way To Upgrade All Of Your Holiday Cookies With One Extra Step

From holiday parties to cookie swaps, most of us have a favorite recipe that we lean on year after year. But have you ever wondered if there were a way to kick it up a notch and make your "old reliable" taste brand new? We talked about this with Anna Gordon, chef, founder, and co-owner of The Good Batch, the New York favorite first debuted at the Brooklyn Flea Market in 2010. She shared her simple one-step tip for cookies that go the extra mile.

Gordon told us, "I always love sprinkling my cookies with a little topping — flaky salt, a sugar-herb blend, fresh citrus zest, etc. That little topping will bring a ton of extra flavor and character to the cookie." You can spot this technique in some of the photos on The Good Batch's Instagram page, including flaky salt on her PB Fully Loaded recipe and toasted breadcrumbs atop her Toast + Jam cookie. Putting a pinch of these ingredients on top keeps their flavors and textures intact, adding a second taste sensation to the main part of the cookie.

Once you've seen how easy this is, you can start combing through your recipes and getting creative. There are two main approaches: The first is to underline an ingredient that's already in the recipe. For example, a buttery sugar cookie that's heavy on vanilla extract could become a little more luscious with vanilla beans grated over the icing. Or you can play with the texture and sprinkle on some crushed rock candy, adding satisfying crunch and crystal-like shine to this holiday classic. You could also take molasses gingersnaps to the next level with bits of candied ginger, which would intensify the flavor while contributing their pleasant chewiness. Or make everyone's favorite lemon bars even tangier with dried tart cherries scattered across the top.

The other approach is to accent with a flavor that's not already in your recipe. Remember, we're keeping it simple (because we're already busy enough around the holidays), but you can have all kinds of fun with one extra ingredient. Sprinkle crushed hot peppers on your chocolate crinkles. Try some dried rosemary on those lemon bars. Press Cocoa Pebbles cereal into the icing on baked sugar cookies. The world (and your pantry) are your oyster, so have fun and see how easy it is to elevate your holiday cookies.