Spending time with Carl Kosko, owner of the Inn & Spa at Intercourse Village, I’m reminded of the TV show Newhart. Envision the fictional Stratford Inn in Vermont in wintertime, as Henry Mancini’s music plays in the background. Carl has created an equally cozy atmosphere, complete with the aroma of cookies baking in the oven. 

For the holidays, Carl creates a warm, hygge-filled atmosphere for visiting guests. The lounge room is often busy with people shuffling in and out throughout the day, though it’s strangely quiet with few words exchanged among guests. The explanation? A spread of homemade cookies is available for guests to enjoy … and enjoy they do!

Living at the intersection of hospitality and food, Carl attended Rhode Island School of Design, graduating from its former Culinary Arts Program. “They taught culinary as an art,” says Carl. “Back in the ’80s it wasn’t celebrated like it is today,” he explains, noting  that those connected to art always understood the art of cooking. His first job post culinary school was at the Yankee Clipper Inn in Rockport, along Massachusetts’ rugged coastline.

Baking remains somewhat of a challenge for Carl. “I usually work freeform, which is why I have a tougher time with baking,” he says. “I like to bake, but it’s also a science, and I don’t follow any rules.”

Instead, Carl looks to express creativity outside of the science of baking, taking traditional recipes and making them his own. He marbles sugar cookie dough using various green hues to create depth. Creativity is expressed through the vibrant assortment of flavor extracts, decorations and colorings he’s amassed. He is influenced by family recipes, as well as time spent in Germany. 

Cuccidati

One cookie that inspires nostalgia is Cuccidati, a specialty of his late grandmother, Sue Kosko. The Sicilian delight is the standard to which the unfortunate fig bar should aspire. Sweet pastry dough surrounds a bold, sticky, mostly dry fruit filling. Carl’s version rolls together dried and chopped cranberries, golden raisins, apricots, figs, orange zest and cloves. Dates and nuts are also frequently used, though for this particular bake, he chose to omit nuts such as pecans or walnuts, creating a satisfying treat for anyone with a nut allergy. The small-bite Cuccidati cookies pair perfectly with hot tea or coffee.

Christmas Cookies

“If you can, create the memories,” Carl says of baking Christmas cookies. “I’d warn against it becoming a chore,” he says of the ever-growing To-Do list that seems to accompany holiday preparations. Like all gifts, the notion that it’s the thought that matters also pertains to Christmas cookies. “You are making, baking a Hallmark moment. The love, time and care poured into baking is the gift, not merely the finished cookies,” Carl says of the sentiment we’re really chasing. Whether you’re recreating a family favorite for a holiday gathering, taking part in a neighborhood cookie exchange or making gingerbread houses with your children, it’s the memories that are created with each tradition that count.

Baking Tips

• When selecting recipes to bake, consider the finished spread. Look for a complementary yet diverse variety of cookies, flavors, colors and textures that appeal to a range of tastes.
• Prepare an assortment of decorations and icing before starting.
• For extra-thin cookies, roll the dough on floured parchment paper.
• If your oven heats unevenly, rotate your baking sheet mid-bake.
• Tin cookie cutters can be gently bent or distorted to create new shapes of trees, stars, bells and hearts.
• If dough is overfloured, it will start to flake; set it aside to make a pie crust.
• If dough sits out too long, it starts to get soft and brittle. Keep chilled dough in the fridge as long as possible before rolling to keep it from tearing when rolled thin.
• Give yourself options, permission to create.
• White chocolate is an excellent alternative to the sweeter royal icing, which needs to be covered with a damp cloth to maintain its malleability. 
• Royal icing can be made with meringue powder instead of raw eggs, ensuring it’s properly made.

Carl’s favorite Nutmeg Christmas Tree Sandwich/Cut Out Sugar Cookie

One of my favorite cookies for the holidays. The nutmeg shines of Christmas nostalgia. Using the right sanding sugar makes them sparkle. The recipes goes in two different directions based on if you want sandwich style or not. Color can be altered and represent anything you wish. I choose green for the look of a tree for sandwich style cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer on low to medium speed. (Use the paddle attachment). Mix until thoroughly incorporated – for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula and mix again for a few seconds more. Over mixing the butter and sugar in this step will cause too much air to be incorporated into the dough. If you’d like a light and fluffy cookie, that’s ideal, however the dough will spread more during baking; not ideal if you’d like the cookie to hold its shape.
2. Add ground nutmeg and mix.
3. Add eggs slowly and mix. Scrape down the bowl with your spatula at least once and mix.
4. Whisk your dry ingredients together. (Flour and salt).
5. Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds. Observe the dough mixing; when it clumps around the paddle attachment it’s ready. It’s also important at this stage not to over mix the dough (the gluten in the flour develops and the dough can become tough).
6. With a toothpick smear a tiny bit of Green Food Paste onto the dough. (A little goes a long way)
7. Fold the dough so that the smear becomes marbled throughout.
8. Be sure not to overfold, you want the marbled look.  
9. Roll the dough out between 2 large pieces of parchment paper. Place it on a baking sheet and into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
10. Cut out cookie shapes. However, to make the sandwiches, you’ll introduce a separate step. (a.) cut an even number of squares with a crinkle cutter, 3×3. b.) half of the cookies, use a small cookie cutter or aspic cutter to cut out a circle or diamond or Christmas tree if you can find such a cutter)
11. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
12. Put cookie dough shapes back into the fridge for 10 minutes to 1 hour to chill again. They will then hold their shape better when baked.
13. Preheat your oven to 350°F or 176°C.
14. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes or until the edges become golden brown. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookie.
15. Let cookies cool to room temperature and decorate! (for sandwich cookies, melt some white chocolate and smear between the layers, decorate with pistachios and sugar)
16. Don’t be afraid to use edible glitter, dust sprays are sugars to embellish your cookie.