6 Inn-to-Inn Cookie Tour Recipes

In “Trails and Sails,” Weekends with Yankee co-host Amy Traverso is in the White Mountains, embarking on the coziest and most delicious kind of adventure: an inn-to-inn cookie tour. With Amy leading the way, we start at Snowvillage Inn in Eaton, New Hampshire; hop across the border to the Admiral Peary Inn in Fryeburg, Maine; and wrap things up at the Cranmore Inn in North Conway, New Hampshire. We get a taste of the holidays as we join in the excitement — and the big job — of baking thousands of cookies for this popular annual event. Here are six sweet cookie recipes from the 2021 tour.

6 Inn-to-Inn Cookie Tour Recipes

Snowvillage Inn | Eaton Center, NH

Gaulettes (Belgian Christmas Waffle Cookies)

Ingredients 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 3 cups light brown sugar 6 large eggs 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond or black walnut extract 7 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Instructions Using a mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and almond (or black walnut) extract until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down sides halfway through mixing. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the batter is evenly combined. Preheat a Belgian waffle iron to medium heat (you can also use a standard waffle iron). Place a 1-inch ball of dough into each section and bake until golden brown on each side, 1 to 4 minutes, depending on the iron. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. You can serve as is, sprinkle them with powdered sugar, or dip them partway in melted chocolate. Yield: About 50 cookies.

Raspberry Palmiers

Ingredients 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface 1/2 teaspoon table salt 3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small cubes 3/4 cups sour cream 2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam Instructions In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.Set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal with small chunks of butter remaining. . Add the sour cream and pulse until the mixture comes together. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Turn the dough out of the bowl, form it into a ball, and divide into two equal portions. Roll each portion out into a 7- by 7-inch square. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to two days. Preheat your oven to 375°. Meanwhile, clean and dry your work surface, then sprinkle it with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll one rectangle of chilled dough on the sugared surface into a 13- by 13-inch square. If your rolling pin is sticking to the dough, rub it with some flour. Spread 1/3 cup of raspberry jam over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Tightly roll the left side of the square, jelly-roll-style, toward the center. Stop at the mid-line.Now roll the right side up to the center in the same way so that the two rolls meet. Freeze dough for 15 minutes. Now repeat the steps 5-7 for the second piece of chilled dough so that you have two rolled up pieces. Remove the first piece of dough from the freezer and use a serrated knife to slice it crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange these slices on the parchment-lined baking sheets, with 2 inches of space between them. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake the palmiers until lightly browned around the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container, layered with sheets of parchment paper, for up to 1 week. Yield: About 8 dozen cookies.

Admiral Peary Inn | Fryeburg, ME

Cinnamon-Gingerdoodle Swirls

Ingredients: For the cinnamon dough: 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup salted butter, softened 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon table salt For the ginger dough: 3 tablespoons mild molasses 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves Sugar for rolling cookies Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. First make cinnamon dough: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the butter. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs and beat to combine. Add 2 3/4 cups flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, and salt. Beat, scraping bowl often, until well combined. Transfer half the dough into a medium bowl and set aside. This will be the cinnamon dough. To make the ginger dough, add the molasses to the original bowl of dough and beat on low speed until evenly combined. Add 1/4 cup flour, plus the ginger and cloves and beat on low until well mixed. Heat oven to 400°F. Divide each dough into four equal portions. Take one portion of ginger dough and one portion of cinnamon. Roll each portion into a thin rope (about 3/4-inch thick). Twist these two ropes around each other. Now cut the twist into pieces about 1 1/4-inch long. Roll each piece into a ball, creating a marbled effect. Roll each ball in sugar and arrange on a baking sheet two inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake cookies until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Maple Snickerdoodles

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup granulated sugar (or maple sugar) 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened 3 tablespoons maple syrup 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 cup Maple Crunch Sprinkles (available online) or granulated sugar Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Stop and scrape down sides halfway through. Add maple syrup and egg and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture until evenly combined. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll the balls in the maple crunch sprinkles or sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake cookies until lightly golden at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove and cool on wire racks.

Cranmore Inn | North Conway, NH

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

For the dough 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 2 cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 (15 oz) container whole milk ricotta cheese 3 tablespoons lemon juice Zest of 1 lemon 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt For the glaze 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Zest of 1 lemon Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and zest. Beat until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat on low speed until combined. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of batter per cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 3 inches between cookies. Bake, turning the sheets halfway through, until cookies slightly golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar with the lemon juice and lemon zest and spoon a bit over each cookie. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours before serving.

Kentucky Derby Pie Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1/3 cup bourbon 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon table salt 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips 3/4 cup chopped pecans Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9- by 9-inch baking pan baking sheet with parchment paper, letting a few inches of paper hang over two sides (these “handles” will make it easier to remove the bars later). In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined, scraping down the sides halfway through. Add the egg and bourbon and mix to combine. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture while mixing on low speed. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until edges are golden and center is cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.