Minnesota Cookie Traditions
Minneapolis Central Library - Pohlad Hall, 2nd Floor - Registration Required
We're amazed each year at the number of ways flour, butter, sugar and eggs can be combined for different results.
Celebrating the First 20 Years of the Star Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest
Talk of the Stacks has whipped together a special offering just ahead of the holidays: a cookie extravaganza with Lee Svitak Dean and Rick Nelson, co-authors of The Ultimate Minnesota Cookie Book: 100 Best Recipes from the Star Tribune's Holiday Cookie Contest. Dean’s and Nelson’s latest cookbook celebrates a fresh batch of deliciously distinctive recipes from the Star Tribune’s beloved cookie contest—filled with step-by-step instructions, enticing photographs, and bakers’ stories.
Expanding upon its predecessor, The Great Minnesota Cookie Book, this collection features a sweet-tooth treasure trove of new recipes that will inspire bakers to discover how many ways flour, sugar, butter, and eggs (plus several unexpected ingredients) can be combined to create new favorites for the holidays—or any time of year. Mixed into the recipes, Minnesota’s best bakers share stories of cherished traditions, recall memorable cookie moments, and celebrate how baking brings us together.
Lee Svitak Dean was the longtime food editor at the Star Tribune, where she guided the Taste section to multiple James Beard Awards, an Emmy, and national recognition as “Best Food Section.” She is author of Come One, Come All: Easy Entertaining with Seasonal Menus. Rick Nelson was the Star Tribune’s restaurant critic and food writer for twenty-four years. He is a James Beard Award winner, and his writing has been included in four editions of the annual Best Food Writing anthology, which highlights the finest American food journalism.
This event is FREE and open to the public, but registration is required. Use the links at the top of the page to register for either the in-person event or virtual option.
This event takes place at the Minneapolis Central Library in Pohlad Hall on the 2nd Floor. Pohlad Hall doors open at 6 p.m. for general admission seating. Registrants must check-in for seating by 6:20 p.m. After this time, any open seats will be released to our standby queue.
Order The Ultimate Minnesota Cookie Book ahead of the event here. The book will also be on sale in the event lobby, and a book signing will take place following the talk.
Using your Hennepin County Library card, search for past titles by the authors via the Libby App or the library catalog.
In-Person Event: Accessible and companion seating are available at all Talk of the Stacks events. Check with a staff member or volunteer upon arrival to request this seating. For all other requests, including ASL interpretation services, please email FriendsEvents@hclib.org at least two weeks prior to your event.
Virtual Option: Closed captioning is provided for all virtual Talk of the Stacks events. To use closed captioning during a virtual program, click the "CC" icon and select "Show Subtitles."