Embracing the same generous spirit that makes the holidays special, Aneta Szot has showered those around her with personalized, unforgettable treats for years. She began to chisel and package her prodigious artistry into decadently-engineered cookies for the public in 2009. It was a fascinating and well-received baking experiment, which evolved at wildfire-spreading speed into a fully-equipped bakery known as Cookie Road.

There, within the confines of this Greenpoint – Brooklyn, NY edifice, Aneta (working with her business-savvy husband, Jerzy) employs unwavering, artistic skill and love to craft melt-in-your-mouth cakes and relishing treats. Her expertise lies in nouveau cookie making and decorating, selling a copious amount of ginger spice cookies as a holiday favorite. The bakery’s most popular treat, however, is caramel chocolate bars with salted peanuts. “I think that people like familiarity, and the fact that they are all very satisfying,” the baking maven and chocolate chip cookie lover said. “You can easily share them, or eat only a small piece, and save the rest for later. Yet, you can rarely resist not to eat the whole treat.”

Those crafted confections draw the eye like crowned jewels or haute couture, enamored with flavorful indulgence. Aneta fondly and gingerly opens up to GALO about those scene-stealing cookies, holiday traditions and baking inspirations.

GALO: The holiday season is all about family and love — two things which can remind of us home and our childhood. Being Polish, what are some of your favorite traditions, and how do you incorporate them into your bakery’s style?

Aneta Szot: Our bakery’s sweets are very international; the only Polish accent is apple shortbread, which is a recipe of my husband’s mother and sister. It is popular almost all year long, but it is not a “typical” Polish recipe. From Polish baking, I mostly try to use ingredients that are typical, and that remind me of my childhood. This includes apples, pears, sour cherries, plums and rhubarb in the spring.

In Poland, we have very beautiful Christmas Eve traditions. It is a very important family evening, with the most carefully-planned meal of the year. Before the meal, all family members (children and adults) watch outside or through the window for the First Star to appear (this is also the name of the day). It is good luck to be the first person to notice the star, and it is also a moment to exchange good wishes and greetings. We place bits of hay underneath the tablecloth to celebrate the birth of Jesus. There is also an empty place setting left in case a stranger happens to arrive that night. There also are 12 different dishes, which at least one [of them] has to be fish; I think it is for good luck. This evening — filled with stories, wishes and presents — brings families together.

GALO: Since your bakery is a cookie cornerstone, what treats or pastries are huge sellers around New Year’s? Perhaps sugar cookies? Any specialty tarts, cheesecakes or flavors?

AS: There are not really a lot of treats that people buy more of now. We have a small selection of Christmas cookies. We just make dough, but our favorite cookie is shaped like an ornament. We make them round and star shaped, and there is a little hole [in the cookie so that] you can hang it on a tree. Also, you can give it as a gift. Those are selling quite nicely. Ginger spice cookies are popular. We have ginger snaps and regular ginger cookies that we incorporate with pounded ginger inside, and soft ginger, which looks kind of like a tile. Also, pumpkin flavors are selling; we have pumpkin breads, including small muffins or cakes that sell well.

GALO: With everyone giving back in spades, have you found any food-focused ways to help those in need now?

AS: We had some cookies donated for Hurricane Sandy. There were people that actually organized an auction across the street from our bakery. They were selling some things and we donated some cookies. We are a very small bakery, and we don’t have extra time to organize things [ourselves]. So, we try to help other people who make projects like that.

GALO: You create custom-designed cookies, which are so dynamically decorated with great attention to detail. Mastering such a skill must have been years in the making. How did your love affair with cookies begin, and where do you draw inspiration for baking?

AS: I started to make my own cookies about 12 years ago. The first cookies that I made were with my grandmother and later, my mother. My favorites were coconut shortbread cookies, which we sometimes dipped in chocolate.

It is really hard to describe my inspiration. I’m a graphic designer. Though I didn’t study it, I have always liked folk art. So, I guess, somehow in my head, there are those images in my mind of childhood things and really elaborate folk art pieces. Also, I feel inspired by pop art. When I was young, it was very popular.

GALO: Your cookies are immaculate. With all the design elements, it must be a lengthy, meticulous process to create them. Please describe how you go about making these delectable treats. Feel free to share some valuable decorating tips for holiday cookies.

AS: I might have an idea in my head, but really, I make a design on the paper. Mostly, it is very inspirational. We usually have some kind of base for our cookies. [The process] depends on if it’s based on a shortbread or regular drop cookie. Then we will try different things by trial and error, and see if it comes out really nice. But usually, people have suggestions, and they have some flavor in mind. Sometimes, it is a good combination, and sometimes, we know right away [that] this combination will not work. But we just try to accommodate people as much as we can.

It is important to have your cookies outlined with royal icing using a piping bag. Doing so creates a drawing or barrier for the colored icing, so it will not run outside the cookie. I use nice bright colors and slightly dilute royal icing with lemon juice, usually; this is so it flows like a ribbon and spreads easily. I also try to use adjacent contrasting colors. You should be adventurous, but also try to be neat with using colors.

GALO: So, how does baking and decorating cookies for customers differ from making them at home, if there is any contrast? Is there more attention to detail and rigor when baking for a clientele and how you balance your vision with their wishes?

AS: Definitely, it is a completely different thing. For family, you kind of know they will enjoy anything. Customers are more demanding; we pay a lot of attention to detail. Friends and family are very forgiving, and they are very happy that they are getting sweets; they are happy with anything. They know we are busy, and whatever we will bring them, they are very glad.

GALO: Could you please share a delicious and unique step-by-step baking recipe for a New Year’s treat that would be a big hit to any crowd?

Photo Courtesy of: Aneta and Jerzy Szot.

AS: Tea Shortbread Cookies

Total Time: 5 hr 25 min

Prep: 10 min

Inactive Prep: 5 hr

Cook: 15 min

Yield: 16 cookies

Level: Easy

Ingredients:

3 Teaspoons loose-leaf tea (such as Earl Grey, Vanilla Mint or Chai)

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting

1/2 cup cake flour, spooned and leveled

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Red, green or yellow food coloring, optional

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tea, butter and sugar. Pulse until the tea is finely chopped and the mixture is creamy. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt; add to the food processor. Add a few drops of food coloring, if using, and process for 1 minute. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and the color is even.

Form the dough into a 12-inch rectangular log. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until very firm, 4 or 5 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Transfer the dough to a cutting board and slice into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and bake until slightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. After the cookies have cooled down, enjoy!

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