Hello, dear friends. I have some exciting news to share. After months of tinkering, testing, and taste-testing, I’m thrilled to introduce The Curated Cookie Platter — a holiday collection of small-batch, mix-and-match cookie recipes designed for gift-giving, parties, and festive platters. This collection brings together a dozen bite-sized cookie recipes with complementary flavors, textures, and a touch of seasonal cheer.
The Curated Cookie Platter includes twelve unique cookie recipes that span boozy spiced treats, gluten-free options, soft glazed cookies, and crisp, spiced cutouts. To give you a preview of the collection, I’m sharing one of my favorites: Mulled Red Wine Cranberry Crumble Squares. It’s the sort of recipe that wraps winter spices, tart cranberries, and orange zest into a cozy, shareable square — perfect for assembling on a cookie platter alongside fudgy peppermint crackles, glazed Fernet Branca cookies, and spiced ginger-and-orange snowflake cookies.
All recipes in The Curated Cookie Platter are intentionally scaled to make small batches. They’re meant to be mixed and matched so you can curate a thoughtful, seasonal selection without spending days in the kitchen. Choose two or three recipes that catch your eye, spend an afternoon baking, and arrange them on your fanciest serving plate for a beautiful holiday spread.
Quick announcement: I’ll be appearing on The TODAY Show on Wednesday, December 18, to share a holiday cookie recipe. I’m excited (and admittedly nervous) — I’ll try to post a behind-the-scenes photo if I can. If you enjoy seasonal baking and cookie gifts, I hope The Curated Cookie Platter inspires you this holiday season.
Mulled Red Wine Cranberry Crumble Squares
Makes about 25 small squares
For the crumble:
1 orange (zest and peel)
1 1/2 cups (187 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (100 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (113 grams, 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
For the filling:
1/3 cup (78 ml) honey
1/2 cup (118 ml) red wine
6 ounces (175 grams, about 1 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen whole cranberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1 tablespoon granulated sugar + a pinch of salt, to taste
Make the crumble: Zest about half the orange into a medium bowl. Use a vegetable peeler to remove a few wide strips of peel and place those strips in a small saucepan for the filling. Whisk together the flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into the bowl with the zest. Add the butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work it in until coarse crumbs form and the mixture holds together when pressed. If the mixture seems dry, add a teaspoon or two of warm water until it holds together. Refrigerate the crumble while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: Combine the honey, red wine, cranberries, cinnamon, clove, and the reserved orange peels in a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover, increase the heat slightly, and cook another 5 to 10 minutes until the cranberries begin to burst and the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and discard the orange peels. Taste the filling; if the cranberries are very tart, stir in the tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt. Let the filling cool at room temperature for 20 minutes (or chill for 10–15 minutes) so you don’t place hot filling on the cold crumble.
Assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter an 8×8-inch baking pan and line it with two overlapping pieces of parchment paper. Press about two-thirds of the crumble mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it in firmly. Spread the cooled cranberry filling in an even layer over the base. Crumble the remaining third of the oat mixture over the top. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the filling bubbles. Cool completely, lift the slab from the pan using the parchment, and cut into small squares.
The mulled red wine cranberry squares are only one of twelve recipes included in this holiday cookie collection. The full Curated Cookie Platter features eleven additional cookie recipes that pair well together for gifting and entertaining. The collection is available as a downloadable PDF for a small fee.
If you have questions or experience any download issues, please email [email protected] and I will do my best to help. Happy holiday baking, and may your cookie platter be merry and bright!
