With Thanksgiving only a few days away, it only made sense to have a Thanksgiving themed recipe link-up party. The theme that was chosen was stuffing. Some people call it dressing, others call it stuffing; I call it a savory side dish! But since I have a dessert blog going on over here, I really wasn’t sure how to translate stuffing into a dessert…until I was watching the Today Show. Hoda and Kathie Lee are always up for trying any new products and they happened to be sampling stuffing cookies made by the Downtown Cookie Co.
Why didn’t I come up with this earth shattering idea myself? Oh, because it’s so crazy?! Or is it evil genius? Either way, I was super eager to try them out for myself. I started to do some research. Downtown Cookie Co. uses actual stuffing mix in their cookies! But since the stuffing mix they use isn’t kosher, I thought my dreams of stuffing cookies were over. Then I found that the Arnold Bread Company has a line of kosher pareve stuffing mixes. Okay, I’m back in business! I bought a bag of seasoned stuffing and I didn’t really know what to do next. I was dreaming about ways I was going to replicate a cookie I haven’t even sampled! Luckily, they were nice enough to share their recipe with Alison Sickelka from the Cooking Channel blog and I was able to adapt it into a kosher, non-dairy version.
As the cookies were baking, they smelled exactly like Thanksgiving stuffing. I thought it was so cool and so weird all at the same time. Once the first batch came out of the oven, I let them cool and then I had my first bite. They tasted like stuffing! So I called my mom. I said: my stuffing cookies taste like stuffing! She asked: is that good or bad? I had to laugh.
These cookies are moist and sweet. They have hints of cinnamon and herbs and a nice bite of cranberry. They are a fun dessert to serve for your Thanksgiving meal. You can definitely order some from Downtown Cookie Co. or if you are feeling adventurous, try to make them at home! Here is my version of the recipe adapted from Downtown Cookie Co.
- ½ cup margarine
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2½ cups seasoned stuffing mix (crushed)* I used Arnold Brand
- 1¾ cups flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer beat the margarine and shortening with the sugars until combined.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- *If using cubed stuffing, make sure to crush it a little before measuring.
- Add the stuffing, flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder to the mixer and beat on low speed until the batter comes together.
- Stir in the dried cranberries.
- Using a large cookie scoop (I use a 1½ Tbs. scoop) drop the cookie batter onto the parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
- Allow to cool before enjoying!
Here are a bunch of official Thanksgiving stuffing recipes to try! Happy Turkey Day!
Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. The classic version is a simple vanilla cookie rolled in cinnamon and sugar and baked until lightly golden on the edges. The cookie is crispy outside and moist and chewy inside. That, to me, is cookie perfection. Since snickerdoodles are so simple, they are able to be flavored in new and exciting ways. My very first blog post was my recipe for 
