How to make Cinnamon Sugar Speculoos Bars

A spicy cookie from Jesse Szewczyk for your holiday box

Hello! Hello!

If you’re a baker, then you probably treat the moment when you find a new cookie recipe that you love the way an astronomer treats finding a new star – with frabjous joy. Find a book with a clutch of keepers and you’ll feel as though you’ve discovered a whole constellation. That’s the way I felt when I got my copy of Jesse Szewczyk’s COOKIES: THE NEW CLASSICS.

Jesse’s a terrific baker – I met him when we made Thanksgiving dinner together for The Kitchn’s Food Fest – and a wise one. He started his book knowing that there were already hundreds of recipes in the world for every kind of cookie we love. But he set himself the mission to find a way to make the classics modern, to add something to them that would surprise us, that would make a good cookie even more memorable. I was hooked just reading the table of contents – I love the way he’s organized his chapters: Chocolaty, Boozy, Fruity, Nutty, Tart, Spiced, Smoky and Savory. Mission accomplished.

He's got chocolate-chunk co…