This holiday season, renowned chef and Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi is spreading festive cheer through cookies, all thanks to her collaboration with McCormick. The culinary powerhouse is not only sharing her delicious recipes but also inviting bakers around the country to partake in the McCormick Cookie Quest, where creativity and tradition collide.
Every year, holiday baking brings families and friends together, and this year, McCormick aims to modernize the beloved cookie exchange. The brand is calling upon cookie enthusiasts, bakers, and anyone with a cherished recipe to join their quest for the ultimate cookie creation. The stakes are high, with the grand prize set at $10,000, making this contest more thrilling than ever.
Tosi's involvement adds star power to the campaign; the chef has become synonymous with creative desserts over the last two decades, offering innovative takes on classics—think birthday cake truffles and signature cookies. This collaboration has birthed the delightful Milk Bar x McCormick Candy Cane Pretzel Bark Cookie, featuring not only McCormick's Pure Vanilla Extract and Peppermint Extract, but also festive red sanding sugar, providing the perfect mix of sweet and salty goodness.
On National Cookie Day, which falls on December 4, select Milk Bar locations will be offering this special cookie free to the first 100 customers, starting at 10 AM local time. Places like the NYC flagship and Brooklyn's Williamsburg location, along with spots in Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, will allow lucky patrons to get their hands on this exquisite seasonal treat.
But how can aspiring bakers enter the McCormick Cookie Quest? From November 19 to December 8, individuals are encouraged to share their original cookie recipes on Instagram, tagging @McCormickSpice with the hashtags #McCormickCookieQuest and #Contest. Entries will be evaluated on originality, presentation, clarity, brand fit, holiday spirit, and, of course, taste. The thrilling announcement of the winner is set for around December 19, and there's talk of featuring standout submissions across McCormick's social media channels.
The competition aims to resonate with the essence of what the holidays are about—community, sharing, and flavor. “McCormick has long been at the heart of holiday meals and traditions, creating sensorial experiences,” says Giovanna DiLegge, vice president of marketing for North American consumers at McCormick. “This collaboration is all about evoking the tastes and smells of holiday baking and putting a modern spin on the timeless cookie exchange.”
Adding her twist to the exchange, Christina Tosi shared her excitement, stating, “When it come to baking, from the classics to the adventurous flavors, McCormick makes it all possible. I’m thrilled to help bring the modern-day cookie recipe exchange to life and can’t wait to see what everyone mixes up.”
But it doesn't end there. Tosi has been busy reinventing desserts across America, and her new cookbook, Bake Club: 101 Must-Have Moves for Your Kitchen, encapsulates this essence of creativity. Through her Bake Club initiative, she encourages everyone to get involved and feel empowered to bake.
Tosi’s dessert adventures have taken her through the country, where she samples delights from various chefs and establishments. This extensive dessert crawl, paired with her company Milk Bar’s collaborations, demonstrates her commitment to pushing the boundaries of holiday baking, one cookie at a time. With her knack for making desserts accessible and fun, she’s sure to inspire countless bakers to whip up their own delectable masterpieces this season.
So, as people gather around kitchens to bake, engage with the Cookie Quest, and enjoy seasonal festivities, the spotlight shines bright on cookies this year—with McCormick and Tosi leading the charge. Expect to see imaginative recipes flooding social media and families entering the holiday spirit one cookie at a time. Whether you’re concocting something traditional or sprinkling your flair onto classic recipes, this is set to be the sweetest holiday season yet.
To join the fun and find out more about the contest, fans can visit the McCormick Cookie Quest webpage.
