Molly Yeh

Whenever it snows I am a gleeful. I don’t care about tomorrow’s bad commute, slushy sidewalks or the big scar on my left knee from slipping during an icy walk two years ago. Snow days as an adult are rare, but I’ve managed to salvage that childhood excitement by turning to my kitchen, late at night for a special baking session. I imagine myself into Maurice Sendak’s “In the Night Kitchen,” baking cookies in my PJ’s, running to the corner store in my mother’s old purple snow boots for some extra milk.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Just as the cookies come out of the oven, the nibbling starts. (I was never very good at waiting for things to cool.) Roommates and neighborhood friends are always invited — even if it’s late. The next morning, as the snow starts to turn to gray slush, I console myself with the lingering smell of sugar and chocolate — and a bite of last night’s snowy kitchen mischief.

Midnight Baking Recommendations:

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Monster Cookies: In New York City, Levain Bakery’s cookies reign supreme — there is no better chocolate chip cookie. The 6 oz. monsters are perfectly crisp outside and gooey inside. While the exact recipe is a closely guarded secret, this one comes pretty darn close. For an extra touch, try adding chopped walnuts into the batter and a bit of sea salt atop the cookies while they’re cooling.

Sarabeth’s Rugelach: Sarabeth is the baker we wish all of our friends were. Her rugelach are delicate and sophisticated, filled raspberry preserves, cocoa powder and chopped nuts.

Pumpkin Macaroons: If you’re lucky enough to have an extra bag of shredded coconut and a can of pumpkin in your home, there’s no better use for them than this simple pumpkin macaroon recipe. These little mounds are sweet and slightly chewy. Baking them will fill your home with a scent that I can only describe as perfectly cozy.

Fortune Cookies: The ghost of Christmas (and our Chinese food feasts) may have passed but fortune cookies are a perfect snow project. Fill them with little notes for your friends or family.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount