Cheryl’s Cookies and Harry & David
Cheryl’s Cookies and Harry & David are celebrating the day with seasonal flavours and festive gift ideas.
The countdown to Christmas begins with a brand new Cheryl’s Advent Calendar Cookie Box, packed with several new variants, including Cocoa Sugar, Black Cherry Chocolate and Dark Chocolate-covered Peppermint.
Between 4-6 December, the brand’s National Cookie Day Sampler Box contains six popular cookie flavours and is on sale for $9.99 and includes free delivery.
A great gift idea for little ones is a buttercream frosted cut-out cookie card and Harry & David’s Big Book of Christmas Cookies. Big kids have certainly not been forgotten and will enjoy Cheryl’s Cookies Collector’s Edition Station Wagon Cookie Jar and Harry & David’s Tower of Cookies.
Cookie artisans can reinvent the traditional cookie platter by crafting an Instagram and Pinterest-worthy holiday cookie board. Using gourmet cookies as the foundation, the dessert tray can be personalised with a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.
Kamut khorasan wheat
Have a craving to indulge but still want to stay healthy? Kamut’s khorasan wheat helps home bakers create homemade treats that are also highly nutritious.
Organically grown, Kamut is also known for its digestibility and sweet nutty-buttery taste.
This holiday, the brand is showcasing eight recipes from its US and European partners – from Italy, France, Germany and Spain – in its Kamut Brand Khorasan Wheat Holiday 2020 cookbook to enjoy a virtual or petit-comité celebration, including traditional German Christmas cookies like Zimsterne, Murbeteig Kekse and Vanillekipferl.
It also features two recipes from The Food Nanny mother-and-daughter bloggers Liz and Lizy Heaps.
“Kamut is an ancient grain and even since we were introduced to it we fell in love, and fell hard,” said the duo.
“From the minute we started using and touching and smelling it, we knew it was different. White Kamut is our new all-purpose flour. We use it for cookies, breads, cakes – everything. It’s also the lightest whole wheat you’ll ever taste.
“We feel so strongly about Kamut that we’ll never use another flour again.”
Rip Van
Created by Marco De Leon and Rip Pruisken almost a decade ago while classmates at Brown University, Rip Van’s low-sugar stroopwafels feature all the decadent elements of the gooey caramel-filled Dutch treat, but with far fewer calories, less sugar and a higher punch of fibre.
A 33g pack of Rip Van’s wafels contains 120 calories, just 3g of sugar and 6g of prebiotic chicory fibre. Compare this to a 39g pack of competitive brand Daelmans stroopwafels – 170 calories, 15g sugar and 0g fibre – and it’s evident Rip Van is not sleeping on the job (unlike its namesake from Washington Irving’s novel) in getting healthier snacks into the hands of consumers.
Rip Van is available on Amazon, along with Whole Foods, Starbucks and independent retailer outlets across the US. The brand recently launched a direct-to-consumer service in Canada, as well as an online platform for wholesale customers, with competitive pricing, low order minimums, free shipping and automated subscription capabilities being great purchasing motivators.
Jacques Torres
The renowned chocolatier and host of Netflix’s ‘Nailed It’ has launched a range of mixes for his signature cookies for bakers to make at home.
Two new flavours – White Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix with Macadamia Nuts and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix with Pecans – join Torres’ famed Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, which feature 60% dark chocolate chips. Each of the mixes ($19.99 at MrChocolate.com) are made with premium ingredients free of preservatives and artificial flavours, and include enriched flour, sugar, and natural flavours.
It’s a simple matter of adding butter and eggs and easy enough for the whole family to get involved in the kitchen. However, if baking is not on the cards, Torres is also offering his just-baked cookies online or for pick-up at JTC outlets in New York, US.
Chef’s pro tip? Use the mixes as the base crust for a tart, a dessert pizza, skillet cookie à la mode, or ice cream sandwiches (roll the edges in crushed peppermint candy).
Davina Steel Gluten Free
The Essex-based gluten free baker has launched a limited edition subscription box service, meaning consumes with gluten intolerance don’t have to miss out on fresh gluten free bakes delivered directly to their door each month.
Subscribers receive a monthly box of goodies that includes kits, mixes, tray bakes, cakes, cookies, bread, rolls and even pizza bases. Customers are also entitled to an exclusive sneak peek of the brand’s newest offerings to test out the new products.
“We've been working on this new service for some time and it's driven purely by demand,” said Davina Steel’s Dan Jennings.
“Our customers love to try new products and our monthly subscription boxes allow them to be the first to taste our new creations. We're very excited to be able to be offer this new service.
“Customers can sign up for one to three months and we promise there will be no repeats over a 3-month period – plus the boxes will always exceed their value if purchased separately.”
There are only 75 boxes available each month, so snackers need to be quick. Subscriptions can be purchased in one (£25), two (£45) or three (£65) month blocks, with the contents published online a few days before the boxes are delivered.
HighKey
HighKey has expanded its cookie lineup with two new variants that offer all the indulgence without the guilt.
The Chocolate Peanut Butter Mini Cookies are set to satisfy a sweet tooth, but with only 1g of sugar and 3g of net carbs per serving, while the Lemon Almond Tea Cookies is a soft serve containing only 2g of net carbs and less than 1g of sugar per serving.
The low-carb and low-sugar cookies are also grain-free, gluten-free and sized to easily pop in your mouth and enjoy.
According to the brand, its Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies is the top selling chocolate chip cookie on Amazon and its new better-for-you variants are sure to follow suit.
Vital Farms and King Arthur Baking Company
The two Certified B Corporations are hoping to make the season just a little sweeter than the rough year we’ve all been through with a #BakeItForward Holiday Kit to help people connect with loved ones from afar.
The Vital Farms and King Arthur Holiday Kit contains all the supplies needed to bake, wrap and gift Ginger Molasses holiday cookies, along with coupons for complimentary pasture-raised eggs and butter from Vital Farms and King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.
“Vital Farms and King Arthur believe that cooking can inspire connection, whether you’re together in the kitchen with loved ones or dropping off freshly baked treats on their doorstep,” said Kathryn McKeon, senior director of Brand, Vital Farms.
“We know a homemade cookie cannot replace a warm hug, but our hope is the Vital Farms and King Arthur Holiday Kit helps make the season a little sweeter.”
The Holiday Kit is available online for $25.00 (shipping included) while supplies last. Vital Farms and King Arthur will each make a donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a national non-profit that funds paediatric cancer research through grassroots bake sales, for each kit sold.
“Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has had a significant impact on paediatric cancer research, granting over $16 million toward this important work, primarily through grassroots bake sales in partnership with renowned chefs and organizations across the country,” said Carey Underwood, director of Mission Driven Partnerships & Programmes, King Arthur.
“We are pleased to come together with Vital Farms to #BakeitForward and support this wonderful organisation that inspires hope and impact through baking as we launch our new holiday kit.”
Pretzels Crisps
Pretzels Crisps is bringing back its Dark Chocolate & Peppermint and White Chocolate & Peppermint holiday flavours to spread some holiday cheer.
The thin and crunchy Pretzel Crisps have been dipped in real dark chocolate and a creamy white chocolate flavoured coating then sprinkled with a delicate burst of peppermint candy.
The decadent bites are good to sneakily enjoy on your own, but also to share as stocking stuffers, to round out a quick holiday dessert tray or make up a key component of a hot cocoa board.
Available for an RRP of $3.49 in selected outlets across the US.