Picture this. It’s cold outside. But you’re warm by the oven, leaning over and pulling out a brand new batch of cookies. The familiar aromas of vanilla and cinnamon fills the air. Your little boy tugs on your apron and looks up at you, “Mom, are they ready?” You pour him a cup of milk and set him down at the table with a plate of treats. This isn’t a fantasy. This can be your reality, if you will it. All you need is an oven, the right tools, and the magical ingredients. Well…and a recipe. Here are our favorite kitchen witch cookies to make for the holidays or any time!
First, What Makes a Cookie a Kitchen Witch Cookie? Intention, Mindfulness, and Research
I mean, truly, all cookies could be considered kitchen witch cookies if they’re made by a kitchen witch, right? It’s hard to delineate between a magical cookie and a regular cookie. But I guess I’d have to say that a kitchen witch cookie is one made with intention and aligned energy. So let’s say you want to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. And you also want to cast a spell to bring more joy into your life. You can absolutely combine the two, if you do it mindfully. After all, the chocolate in chocolate chip cookies contains magical properties of love, joy, and self love. And the sugar brings more “sweetness” into your life. As you’re combining the ingredients, think about each ingredient and its properties. Say a prayer over the cookies while they bake. BAM. En-spelled kitchen witch cookies in a regular batch of chocolate chips.
Another way to look at it is if you bake certain cookies that are traditionally connected to pagan customs, folklore, and witchcraft. This is taking kitchen witch cookies to the next level. I recommend doing your research if you’re looking for a cookie that aligns with a specific culture, heritage, or holiday. For example, you are Greek in heritage so you decide to make malomakarona…which is a traditional Greek Christmas cookie. This cookie actually dates back to before the birth of Christ and is believed to have been made and eaten at funeral ceremonies. I also recommend researching the ingredients that go into each of these recipes to see if they align with your magical intentions. Write these down along with your kitchen witch cookies recipes.
The Main Magical Ingredients in Kitchen Witch Cookies
Most cookies are made with the same basic ingredients. ALL of which have their own magical properties and folklore. Here’s a general guide:
- Flour: flour is made from wheat of which carries magical properties of the goddess including rebirth, nourishment, and prosperity
- Butter: is made from milk and carries magical properties of nourishment, Motherhood, and soothes discord
- Sugar: is a common ingredient (in different forms) in almost every cookie. Sugar is used in magic to sweeten people’s hearts and situations in love magic, as well as in beauty and glamor spells
- Baking Soda / Powder: is typically used magically to ward and banish negative energies
- Eggs: is a purifying and protective ingredient and has long been associated with witches and witchcraft
- Milk: or what I like to call liquid life. The very nectar of the goddess! It is nourishing, replenishing, and cleansing. Great in love, purification, and beauty spells
- Chocolate: is an aphrodisiac and carries properties of love, royalty, prosperity, lust, and more
- Salt: salt has been used as a magical ingredient for centuries. It carries properties of purification, protection, and prosperity
- Spices: there are typically various magical spices in cookies including cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, star anise, allspice, cardamom, and more
Holiday Kitchen Witch Cookies
What better time to bake and make magick than over the holidays? Kitchen witch cookies literally FLOW out of my oven over the Autumn and Winter seasons. How about yours?
1. Gingerbread Cookies for Winter Solstice
Did you know gingerbread is a Medieval tradition? YES gingerbread dates back to at least the fifteenth century! And has been made in celebration of Christmas for centuries. After all, the main ingredients in gingerbread are witchy in and of themselves: ginger (a “hot” spice that amplifies ANY intention), cinnamon (draws prosperity and wards evil), allspice (also a protective herb), and clove (protective and money-drawing). And, keep in mind, you don’t have to make gingerbread men…you can make gingerbread stars, witches, suns, moons, whatever. You just need the cookie cutters to do it. Try this Gingerbread recipe.
2. Soul Cakes for Samhain
A traditional Samhain cake (though we’re calling it a cookie) is a soul cake, also called a soulmass cake or Wassail cake. This kitchen witch treat also dates back centuries originating in Medieval England and Ireland. Though some sources claim the soul cake tradition can be found all over Europe, as far south as Italy. The idea behind this Samhain cookie is that they are baked and handed out in commemoration of the souls who have died that previous year. They were widely a Christian tradition in Medieval Times, but likely date back to centuries before since they also go hand-in-hand with “souling” processions, singing from door-to-door, guising (wearing costumes), etc. All pagan traditions that precede the Christian All Hallows Day.
3. Grandma’s Pumpkin Cookies for Autumn Equinox
Here I’m giving you the recipe to one of my own personal kitchen witch cookies…grandma’s pumpkin cookies with frosting. My kids always request this recipe once September hits. Then again, we make ALL the pumpkin things once the Autumn Equinox / Mabon rounds the bend! Here it is:
Grandma’s Pumpkin Cookies for Mabon
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 cups shortening
- 16 oz pumpkin can
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 2 cups raisins OPTIONAL
- 1 cup nuts chopped, OPTIONAL
Frosting
- 3 tbsp margarine
- 4 tsp milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Cream the shortening and sugar.
- Add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla. Mix.
- Sift dry ingredients together, then add to the creamed mixture.
- Drop by tablespoons onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes (13 minutes is best in my gas oven, FYI)
For the Frosting
- In a double boiler, melt the margarine and brown sugar.
- Cook until it starts to bubble around the edges.
- Remove from heat.
- Gradually add more sugar to thicken.
- Add the milk and vanilla.
- If the icing becomes too thick, add hot water 2-3 tsp at a time.
4. Krampus Cookies for Krampusnacht / Yule
One tradition in my house is making Krampus cookies for Krampusnacht (Krampus Night) in December. We use Krampus cookie cutters and typically bake either gingerbread or sugar cookies. Then decorate them with green and red sprinkles, red hots, and frosting. But you can purchase the cookie cutter and make any kind of cookie you’d like. In Germany, they make something called Springerle, which apparently is a harder cookie that holds up if you’re using a Springerle cookie cutter (you can find Krampus springerle cookie cutters on Etsy). Or you can buy the one I have from Amazon:
5. Samhain S’mores Bites (Allorah’s Recipe)
In case you missed it, resident writer Allorah gave us a beautiful write-up about her recent kitchen witch adventure. This one was all about making s’mores bites for her kiddos! She shares the recipes for the homemade graham crackers, marshmallow cream, and how to melt the chocolate and put the s’mores together. This kitchen witch cookie recipe makes the perfect Samhain treat! Find the Samhain S’mores Bites Recipe here.
Anytime MAGICK Kitchen Witch Cookie Recipes
You don’t have to wait for the holidays to come around. You can bake a batch of kitchen witch cookies any time. There’s a full moon every month, for goddess’ sake! And, I mean, the weekend is always a great time to indulge, right? Every day is magical at the kitchen witch’s hearth.
1. Sun and Moon Cookies
Sun and moon cookies are easy to make and can literally be made for any magical occasion. Esbats, sabbats, Sunday or Monday. Whenever! They can be made for fun, as offering to deities, to share with the coven-mates, or even for specific spell intentions. Lots of witches will roll out the cookies into moon shapes, but me? I cheated and bought sun, moon, and star cookie cutters. I love to cook and bake, but honestly, I’m no good with artsy things. So cookie cutters are my lifeline. Anyway, here’s my favorite witch’s moon cookie recipe.
2. German Checkerboard Cookies for Clarity
A German version of black and white cookies, Schwarz-Weiß-Gebäck also called checkerboard cookies, are magical in every way. They might not be directly tied to witchcraft but I’ve used them a time or two when a spell for clarity comes up. Or when I need to learn the right place to “move my checker”, so to speak. To clarify on complicated situations that aren’t always black and white. You get the point. According to Helga Hughes in her cookbook “Germany’s Regional Recipes”, there is a sweet legend of a poor housewife who wants to make a variety of cookies for her family. So she made black and white dough and created three different kinds!
German Black and White Cookies “Schwarz-Weiß-Gebäck”
Ingredients
- 2 1/1 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup white sugar (fine)
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 sticks unsalted butter cold, cut into thin slices
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Sift the flour with the baking powder onto a floured surface and make a well in the middle of the flour. Pour the sugars into the well and make another well with a spoon.
- Break the egg into the well and mix the eggs and sugar together. Slowly mix in a small amount of flour from the rim to make a thick creamy mixture in the well.
- Lay the butter pieces on top of the cream mixture and top with flour from the outside bottom of the mound by scraping the flour up the sides.
- Knead the dough until it is no longer sticky but glossy and pliable (keep extra flour on hand to keep your dough from being too sticky)
- Dissolve the cocoa powder into the milk. Cut the dough in half and blend the cocoa mixture into one of the halves.
- Roll the halves into logs and wrap them both in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for a few hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray two large baking sheets with spray and set aside.
- Lightly flour a rolling pin and a flat surface. Then roll each half of dough into 12×10 rectangles. Then lift the black sheet of dough and set it on the white one. Hand roll them into a jelly-roll starting at the long end.
- With a sharp knife, cut into half inch slices and place on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown (12-15 min). Remove and let cool on a rack.
3. Hershey’s Kiss Witch Hat Cookies for FUN
Sometimes kitchen witches don’t want to have a purpose for making everything. Sometimes we just need to bake kitchen witch cookies for the heck of it. For FUN. And especially if the kids like to get involved! One of my family’s favorite cookies is the Hershey’s Kiss Witch Hat Cookie. Obviously it’s the chocolate kiss on the top that makes the cookie look like a witch! Here’s the Hershey’s Kiss Witch Hat Cookie recipe.
4. Rosewater Cookies for Self Love
You’ve been feeling a little down lately and want something sweet to cheer you up. To make you feel like yourself again. Get out that rosewater you made a few days ago and bake it into this beautiful, delicate batch of rosewater cookies. And watch your self love bloom once more. Since roses are linked to love, beauty, self love, and protection, they are the perfect ingredient for these enchanted cookies.
