Cathedral Cookies 3 Ways Recipe
If you're looking for some beautiful and delicious holiday cookie recipes to try this season, these cathedral cookies from recipe developer Tess Le Moing are just what you need. These multicolored treats, which are sometimes also called "church windows," combine chocolate, marshmallows, and walnuts into show-stopping cookies reminiscent of stained glass windows. Besides being full of tasty textures and having a distinctive look, these cookies are really easy to make. You don't even have to turn on your oven!
Cathedral cookies are traditionally made with coconut, but Le Moing did a little research and decided to come up with different mix-ins. "Some people said that coconut wasn't their favorite choice for coating the logs," said Le Moing. "That gave me the idea to offer some alternatives. The tropical flavor is the classic recipe, while the other two are my own variations." All you need to make these cookies are some chocolate, marshmallows, walnuts, and a few pantry staples, making these a low-stress option for a busy holiday season.
Gather your ingredients for cathedral cookies 3 ways
To make these three different variations on cathedral cookies, you'll need bittersweet chocolate chips, coconut oil, salted butter, toasted walnuts, vanilla extract, salt, shredded coconut, crushed hard peppermint candies, and crushed graham crackers.
The marshmallows are the star of the show when it comes to cathedral cookies. Grab a bag of colored mini marshmallows for the tropical version, peppermint mini marshmallows for the peppermint version, and white mini marshmallows for the s'mores version.
Step 1: Melt the chocolate
To make the tropical cookies, microwave the coconut oil and chocolate chips in a bowl, stirring with a rubber spatula every 30 seconds until melted, about 1 minute. Do the same for the peppermint and s'mores cookies, using butter instead of coconut oil.
Step 2: Mix in the marshmallows and walnuts
Let the chocolate mixtures cool for 5 minutes. Then, for the tropical cookies, stir in the colored marshmallows, walnuts, vanilla extract, and salt. For the peppermint cookies, stir in the peppermint marshmallows, walnuts, and vanilla extract. For the s'mores cookies, stir in the mini marshmallows, walnuts, and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Line your work surface
Line a work surface with 3 (15-inch) sheets of parchment or wax paper.
Step 4: Sprinkle the cookie coatings on your work surface
Sprinkle the first sheet of parchment paper with 1 cup shredded coconut, the second with 1 cup crushed peppermint candies, and the third with 1 cup graham cracker crumbs.
Step 5: Pile on the marshmallow mixtures
Spoon the chocolate-marshmallow mixtures over the corresponding toppings.
Step 6: Shape the logs
Using your hands, press the chocolate-marshmallow mixtures into compact logs, rolling the coating all over the top and sides.
Step 7: Roll the logs in parchment paper
Roll the logs in the parchment paper and fold the sides of the paper down.
Step 8: Refrigerate overnight
Transfer the logs to a baking sheet, seam-side down, and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 9: Slice and serve
To serve the cookies, use a serrated knife to cut the logs into ½-inch slices.
Can cathedral cookies be made vegan, gluten-free, or nut-free?
If you have to consider allergies or any other dietary restrictions, don't worry — this cookie recipe is very adaptable. "This cookie recipe can accommodate any diet, gluten-free especially," Le Moing says. "You can make it vegan by using vegan marshmallows and replacing the butter with oil or vegan butter." She also says that if you have a tree nut allergy, you can substitute sunflower seeds for the walnuts.
Cathedral cookies can also be made more than three ways. As long as you have a combination of chocolate, marshmallows, something crunchy, and a decorative outer layer, it's a cathedral cookie! If you don't like fruit-flavored marshmallows, Le Moing suggests using regular white marshmallows. You could even try a Heath bar-inspired flavor by using crushed toffee to coat the logs, or crushed Oreos to make cookies and cream cathedral cookies. Let your imagination take flight!
How should you serve and store cathedral cookies?
While it may be tempting to slice into these cathedral cookies early, Le Moing does not recommend cutting the chill time short — so make sure you budget time to chill the cookie logs overnight. "The longer they chill, the easier they will be to slice," she says. Le Moing also suggests looking at both sides of your cookies before arranging them on a platter, because one side may turn out prettier than the other.
You can store your cathedral cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or up to 3 months in the freezer. Whenever freezing something like cookies, it's a good idea to take steps to prevent them from sticking together. Try setting the cookies on layers of parchment paper, then carefully sliding the stack of parchment paper and cookies into a resealable plastic bag.
- Tropical (Original)
- 1 (10-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 (10-ounce) bag colored mini marshmallows
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups shredded coconut, divided
- Peppermint
- 1 (10-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 (10-ounce) bag peppermint-flavored mini marshmallows
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups hard peppermint candies, crushed in a food processor, divided
- S'mores
- 1 (10-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 (10-ounce) bag mini marshmallows
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups graham crackers, crushed in a food processor, divided
- To make the tropical cookies, microwave the coconut oil and chocolate chips in a bowl, stirring with a rubber spatula every 30 seconds, until melted, about 1 minute. Do the same for the peppermint and s'mores cookies, using butter instead of coconut oil.
- Let the chocolate mixtures cool for 5 minutes. Then, for the tropical cookies, stir in the colored marshmallows, walnuts, vanilla extract, and salt. For the peppermint cookies, stir in the peppermint marshmallows, walnuts, and vanilla extract. For the s'mores cookies, stir in the mini marshmallows, walnuts, and vanilla extract.
- Line a work surface with 3 (15-inch) sheets of parchment or wax paper.
- Sprinkle the first sheet with 1 cup shredded coconut, the second with 1 cup crushed peppermint candies, and the third with 1 cup graham cracker crumbs.
- Spoon the chocolate-marshmallow mixtures over the corresponding toppings.
- Using your hands, press the chocolate-marshmallow mixtures into compact logs, rolling the coatings all over the top and sides.
- Roll the logs with the parchment paper and fold the sides of the paper down.
- Transfer the logs to a baking sheet, seam-side down, and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- To serve the cookies, use a serrated knife to cut the logs into ½-inch slices.
| Calories per Serving | 521 |
| Total Fat | 31.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17.6 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 20.3 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 64.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 47.6 g |
| Sodium | 172.0 mg |
| Protein | 4.5 g |
