Holiday Cookie Platter with Frances Largeman-Roth

Go as big on this tray as your imagination will take you! Besides my crowd-pleasing Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies, everything else on the tray can be picked up from a store.

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Since these classic holiday cookies are SO good (and they’re the only cookie my daughter, Phoebe, likes), I make them year-round. You can make these vegan by swapping the regular butter for plant butter and opting for an egg replacer. Agave syrup can replace the honey as well. I haven’t found the perfect replacement for the Hershey’s Kisses, but you can use a large chocolate chip in the center in- stead. I like the combination of all-purpose and whole wheat % our because it provides the right amount of tenderness while also adding whole grain goodness.

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2.Using a hand mixer, cream the butter in a medium bowl. Add the peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, egg, and vanilla, and mix again on medium.

3.In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for about 20 minutes, until firm.

4.Place the sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time. Roll the dough into balls and then gently roll the balls of dough in the sugar. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

5.Bake 9 to 10 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are cracked. Remove from oven and press Kisses (or chocolate chips) into the centers of the cookies. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy.