Triple Chocolate Peppermint Espresso Cookies. Photos: Chris Emeott
Two local bakers know exactly what people need to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Featured for their mouthwatering talents, Zia McNeal and Annette Gustafson, both of Maple Grove, share the ingredients to success. Whether it’s blue ribbons at the Minnesota State Fair or being highlighted in cookbooks, these bakers know their way around the kitchen.
A Shared Passion
McNeal recalls a memory that triggered her desire to bake. As a young girl, she smelled a batch of cookies her mother was baking from two blocks away. Laughing, she says it was the only time her mother baked, but it left a lasting impression.
“That scent and that feeling of home stayed with me,” she says. “When I got to be older, I wanted to recreate that feeling.”
As a trained certified public accountant, McNeal’s days at the office would often run long, and baking served as a stress reliever. Even if a batch of cookies went into the oven at 10 p.m., it became what she needed to round out the day.
Eventually, the stress eased, and McNeal became a stay-at-home mother to her son, Tarik. Baking became a source of fun, and the simple recipes she started out with became more complex as her skills increased.
“One of the things on my bucket list was to see if my cookies were any good,” she says. “In 2008, I entered several cookies and cakes in the Minnesota State Fair. I won a blue ribbon for my Bundt Coffee Cake. I earned 99 out of 100 points.”
McNeal was determined to both enjoy and continue to master her newfound passion for baking, and she now has a total of three blue ribbons.
“I love the joy of giving to others something they enjoy,” McNeal says of her favorite part of baking.
She also loves all the memories created in the kitchen with her and Tarik, who is now at college. The two spent much of his youth baking together, documenting their bond through photos and recipe books.
“I have wonderful memories of us baking together,” she says. “I highly encourage baking with your children. That bonding time we had is something I’m so glad we did.”
One-of-a-Kind Recipes
Unlike McNeal, Gustafson has multiple generations of bakers in her family who helped her develop her skill.
“For me, I really got into cookie baking,” Gustafson says. “I love the single-serve portion to satisfy a sweet tooth.”
Gustafson’s competitive cookie baking was inspired by a colleague who, after trying one of her cookies, said it was really delicious.
“That got me thinking I could get into competitions,” she says, noting she soon got into baking for the Minnesota State Fair contests. “It took several years before I even placed or got a ribbon, but there was so much about the experience that I loved. It really kept driving me to keep practicing and get better and better. Eventually, I started placing.”
Multiple blue ribbons and a grand champion ribbon later, Gustafson took on a new challenge—creating her own recipes.
“When you bake so much, you begin to have a familiarity with the ratio of ingredients to formulate and create your own cookie,” she says.
Now, Gustafson’s pantry is always stocked with cookie-baking essentials as she continues growing her talent. Most recipes take about five to 10 attempts to get it to where she’s happy with the result.
And before anyone asks—no, she doesn’t have her own cookbook. Ironically, Gustafson dislikes writing down recipes. “I keep notes and records, but that’s about it,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a bit of a hot mess.”
Zia McNeal and Annette Gustafson are two of 95 bakers featured in Lee Svitak Dean and Rick Nelson’s The Ultimate Minnesota Cookie Book (University of Minnesota Press), released last month; it covers 20 years of winning recipes from The Minnesota Star Tribune’s holiday cookie contest. It has 102 cookie recipes and features 11 additional cookie recipes that are favorites of the co-authors. Find it at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, startribune.com and where books are sold.
Triple Chocolate Peppermint Espresso Cookies
Recipe by Annette Gustafson, makes 22 cookies
“The recipe is based on my blue ribbon-winning Triple Chocolate Espresso Cookies, modified and made with peppermint for the holidays. The key to this recipe is the [Endangered Species Chocolate brand] Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans bar—just a fan as this bar makes the cookie what it is,” she says.
- 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tsp. espresso powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. peppermint extract
- 3 oz. dark chocolate espresso bar, chopped
- 4 oz. white chocolate baking bar, chopped
- 2 oz. white chocolate baking bar, chopped for topping cookies
- 2 candy canes, crushed
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt the bittersweet chocolate in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval. Set aside; allow to cool for 10–15 minutes. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla and peppermint extract, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add the melted chocolate; mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the chocolate espresso bar and white chocolate, mix until combined. Scoop balls of dough, about 2 Tbsp. per cookie (or use a #30 cookie scoop), and roll into balls. Press the tops of balls into the chopped white chocolate, and place onto the baking sheets, chocolate side up. Bake for 10–11 minutes or until the cookies begin to crack on top. Remove from oven; sprinkle with candy canes. Let them rest on baking sheet for 10 minutes, and transfer to wire cooling rack.
Instagram: @cookie.tentation
Bundt Coffee Cake
Recipe by Zia McNeal, makes one
“This Bundt Coffee Cake is great served with coffee, but it’s also great served on its own,” she says.
Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- powdered sugar, optional
Streusel
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place oven rack in lower third of the oven. Grease a Bundt pan with baking spray. Make sure to grease all the crevices. In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside. In a small bowl, add streusel ingredients. Stir to combine. Set aside. Using a hand-held or stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Add half of the dry mixture to the batter. Combine. Add half of the sour cream. Combine. Repeat. Stir until the batter is smooth. Add half of the batter to the Bundt pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel topping over batter. Add remaining batter, making sure to cover the streusel layer. Sprinkle remaining streusel topping. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before inverting onto serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
