Photo provided by Liberty Bakery
Top Upstate NY bakeries for Christmas cookies
Let's face it. Nobody makes Christmas cookies like Mom or Grandma does. But, if those two lovely ladies aren't around this year, here is a short list of 10 great places to get a plateful of delicious Holiday goodies.
Don't Edit
A Rochester institution of more than 35 years, this is a full scale deli and bakery. Their cookies are fantastic and people have been gracing their holiday tables with Classy Cookies for a generation. Two holiday favorites are the Italian Spice cookie and the Russian Holiday Teacake cookie. This last one is a real gem, a butter cookie with chopped walnuts and then rolled in powdered sugar. Order early for the holidays!
Don't Edit
View this post on Instagram
People often ask me what's my favorite thing at The Bakery. Not gonna lie.
A post shared by The Bakery (@ilovethebakery) on
The Bakery
Christmas cookies here come in all shapes and sizes: Snowmen, trees, gingerbread men, and more. Order the three pound mixed tray of cookies. A little something for everyone! This Ulster County favorite opened its doors in 1980.
A perennial on all of the Capital District "best bakeries" lists, this family-owned pastry shop in Watervliet has been serving up mountains of Christmas cookies, as well as breads, pies, doughnuts and wedding cakes for SIXTY YEARS!
Don't Edit
Photo provided by Liberty Bakery
Go for the biscotti cookies for Christmas this year at Liberty in Syracuse. They also have a full rainbow selection of little sugar cookies, anise cookies, rum balls, cats paws, sprinkled cookies, Italian cookies, fig filled squares and more for your holiday gatherings.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
One of Upstate's great bakery treasures, Villa Italia in Schenectady will go through nearly 1,000 bakery trays of cookies. Go for the gusto and order the big one; the giant 7-pound holiday cookie tray that will feed up to 40 people. One hundred dollars worth of pure heaven!
Don't Edit
View this post on Instagram
Fresh homemade cookies!!! #cookies #italian #pastry cafecanole #foodp*rn #utica #fresh #almondpaste
A post shared by Cafe CaNole (@cafecanole) on
The operative words here are ORDER EARLY. Café CaNole in New Hartford starts taking Christmas cookie orders on December 1. Among their chorus line of holiday goodies are Peanut Butter Buckeyes, Chocolate Drops, Butter Ball, Italian Sugar Cookies, Lemon Drops and "Pitt n Chuisa" (P's and Q's), which is a concoction of walnuts, raisin and honey all baked into a crispy dough).
Don't Edit
A great little bakery in Cortland that takes the word creative to the next level. They make specialty cookies and cupcakes for virtually every holiday imaginable. Christmas cookies? Of course. But how about cookies that celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Earth Day? Yes. How about New Year's Eve (with a clock face on them)? Well, you get the idea?
Don't Edit
View this post on Instagram
I am surrounded by baked awesomeness! #leosbakery
A post shared by Lisa Clemens (@lisa_c_r) on
Leo's Bakery
Started by the Balta brothers more than 70 years ago, this East Rochester bakery is an institution in the Buffalo area. Now a full-fledged bakery and deli, they are still a favorite for holiday cookies in December. The number of little kids that have enjoyed a Santa face Christmas sugar cookie must number in the thousands by now!
Don't Edit
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Gino's Italian Bakery (@ginositalianbakery) on
Classic Old-World style Italian bakery. Christmas is a big deal here. They make and sell hundreds of trays of fancy Christmas cookies, Italian sugar cookies, giguleni sesame cookies, anise cookies, cream cheese-filled cookies, cuccidati fig-filled cookies and forests of Christmas tree shaped treats. A fixture in North Buffalo for over three decades.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
View this post on Instagram
Pastries in heaven what a beautiful place
A post shared by The Empire Plate (@the_empire_plate) on
Legendary North Syracuse Greek bakery. Started in 1951 by John Pappas, who came to America by boat from Greece, the bakery is now run by John's three grandchildren. They carry a wide variety of bakery items, but their Christmas cookie selection is the best. What I like is that the colorful, tasty, different shaped Christmas cookies come in a holiday-themed box with a big window on the top. Just slap on a bow and you are ready to go! And, if you need a little something to get you back home, pick up a slice of their tomato pie. Locals swear that this "sauce on top" pizza rivals any you will find in neighboring Utica.
Don't Edit
Stephen D. Cannerelli
More from Upstate NY
READ MORE:
10 wonderful Christmas traditions in Upstate NY
Don't Edit
