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The rich scents of butter, sugar, cinnamon and chocolate waft from kitchens all around the Peninsula during the holidays as cookies by the dozen make their way out of ovens for cookie swaps, family get-togethers and to accompany a glass of milk left out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Whether you’re crafting your own holiday cookies or splurging on goodies from local bakeries, Silicon Valley has no shortage of cookie connoisseurs brimming with tips and expertise that’s particularly helpful this time of year.
We spoke with the owners of three baking-focused businesses – Redwood City’s La Biscotteria, San Carlos home-based bakery After-School Snack Attack and San Mateo cooking school Baking Arts – to learn what they’re baking over the holidays and get their advice for your cookie decorating and baking endeavors.
La Biscotteria
Tucked into every nook and cranny of La Biscotteria are bundles of crunchy Italian cookies and pastries. Baked fresh by owner Augustine Buonocore, the bakery is known in the Redwood City community for its biscotti, twice-baked cookies shaped into small loaves.
The recipe was created by Buonocore’s grandmother, and it has remained mostly the same since La Biscotteria first opened 37 years ago. In addition to regular and chocolate-dipped biscuits, the business offers unique flavors like blueberry and white chocolate, cranberry and hazelnuts and even a lemon verbena and papaya.
“I took these small home recipes and developed them to large-scale production,” Buonocore said. “We use essential oils for flavoring. That’s why they taste so good and don’t lose their flavor when they bake.”
December marks the return of the bakery’s famous non-biscotti cookie, the cuccidati. These softer cookies are stuffed with a mixture of figs, dates, raisins, walnuts, citrus and a number of other warm spices and aromatics.
“They are so rare, nobody makes them anymore,” said Angela Buonocore, Augustine’s wife.
Panettone, Italian bread filled with raisins and candied fruit soaked in liquor, is also a popular option. The bakery rolls out a special 38-ounce size during Christmas time that is wrapped in bright metallic red paper for gift-giving.
When a customer comes into La Biscotteria, they are treated just like family, Angela said. Their Redwood City store has been around for more than 30 years, a feat the Buonocores credit to their loyal customers and a generous community.
“It’s not like you’re a number when you walk into our bakery,” Angela said. “We get to know you and catch up on things.”
Those new to baking should try making a classic oatmeal cookie, Angela said. The dough is easy to make, and it can smoothly be spooned or rolled into a round shape.
The Buonocores advise bakers to carefully measure their wet and dry mix-ins and use the “freshest and best” ingredients available. They said it’s also important to not overwhelm the final product’s natural flavors and texture by adding too much frosting.
La Biscotteria, 2747 El Camino Real, Redwood City; 650-366-4888. Open Wednesday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
After-School Snack Attack
After 20 years of working in education and research, Michelle Nayfack in 2023 launched After-School Snack Attack, a small business where she creates reimagined childhood desserts out of her San Carlos home kitchen.
The lengthy menu is filled with every kid’s favorite sugary treat: chocolate chip cookies, fudgy brownies, pop-tarts, Rice Krispies bars and tie-dyed cupcakes. But Nayfack also likes to incorporate fun flavors and toppings, crafting combinations like a miso butterscotch Rice Krispies treat, a Neapolitan cookie or a seasonal honey persimmon pop-tart.
“I wanted my products to be really high-quality, really whimsical and what you might have eaten as an after-school snack,” Nayfack said.
In December, Nayfack offers a gourmet holiday cookie box filled with several different flavors, including ginger molasses, chai spiced snickerdoodles and red velvet crinkles. Locals can order all her products on After-School Snack Attack’s website and arrange a pickup time.
As a busy mother of teenagers, Nayfack would bake treats for her family as a way to decompress after work. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was working full time from home and taking care of her kids, that Nayfack decided she needed a break.
Eager for a more creative job, Nayfack chose to put her recipes to the test and become a full-time baker and small business owner. While the daily hustle of running a home bakery can be challenging, Nayfack said she enjoys getting the chance to make people happy with her baked goods.
“It’s really great to see people smile,” she said. “If someone is having a bad day and needs a delicious cookie from me to be happy, that’s awesome.”
Nayfack recommends novice bakers try a recipe for chewy ginger molasses cookies. Ingredients like butter and eggs should be at room temperature before mixing, she said. To intensify flavors, a quarter cup of candied ginger or candied orange peel can be added to the dough. To help cookies keep their shape and deepen flavors, Nayfack advises bakers to refrigerate the dough anywhere from two to 24 hours before baking.
After-School Snack Attack, Instagram: @afterschoolsnackattack.
Baking Arts & Coffee
Creating show-stopping desserts from scratch can be intimidating. That’s why one San Mateo business is on a quest to make the process more approachable.
Every week, locals can sign up to join Baking Arts & Coffee’s hands-on baking classes. Inside a classroom equipped with baking supplies, participants can learn how to make French macarons, croissants, cakes and cookies.
For the holiday season, their class offerings include ones teaching attendees how to make a chocolate Yule log cake and classic buttery cookies like Viennese swirl and linzer. (Classes through the end of December are largely sold out.)
The classes are designed to be relaxing, with a friendly teaching style that mixes theory, demonstration and hands-on participation. People of any skill level are welcome to join, said store owner and baking instructor Laura Tyson. Classes are also available for private groups and corporate events.
“We have people who have been baking all their lives …. and we’ve got people who never stepped into a kitchen before,” she said. “We’re meeting you where you are. You get that hands-on experience, and hopefully feel more empowered to replicate that at home.”
Baking Arts’ classes have been around for a decade and were started by a former owner. Tyson, who specializes in making and selling cold brew coffee, took over in 2023 in an effort to expand her business. A proficient baker, Tyson decided she had the technical baking skills to continue offering classes. She still sells her specialty spiced coffee in Baking Arts, and baking students can occasionally sip on a cup while they take a class.
As one of the few businesses in the city that offer baking classes, Tyson said she feels fortunate to do what she loves every day.
“I describe the store as my playground; we’re constantly testing new recipes,” she said. “We love being able to see that look on someone’s face, the ‘Oh you made this? I don’t know if I can,’” she said. “And then they’re like, ‘Oh my word, I can.’”
For those decorating cookies over the holidays, Tyson suggests prepping icing beforehand by placing the mixture in tipless piping bags that can be tied off to prevent the icing from drying out. That way, she said, people can decorate their cookies without having to stop to make or color the icing.
Tyson added that less is more when it comes to decorating, and she advises against overcomplicating the design with lots of different colors. For a simple and sophisticated look, Tyson recommends baking snowflake shortbread cookies, dipping them in white royal icing and sprinkling them generously with white sanding sugar.
Baking Arts & Coffee,18 E. 3rd Ave., San Mateo; 415-706-7112, Instagram: @bakingartsandcoffee. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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