The house smells warm before it feels warm.

Wassail is built around coming back inside. After sleigh rides, cold air, and red cheeks. After boots are kicked off by the door and mittens are laid out to dry. Before the cold fully leaves your bones, the kitchen already smells like apple cider simmering on the stove.

This cookie leads with baked apple, supported by citrus peel and gentle winter spice. The sweetness is rounded and warm, never sharp, carried by dark sugars and a soft finish that lingers like steam in the air. A light glaze settles into the surface, followed by the smallest touch of flaky salt to sharpen the apple and keep everything balanced.

Wassail isn’t loud or indulgent. It’s familiar, communal, and quietly comforting—the kind of warmth that fills a room slowly and stays.

FLAVOR NOTES

• First bite: baked apple, citrus brightness
• Center: soft spice, rounded sweetness
• Finish: warm cider depth with gentle balance

DETAILS

• Apple-forward dough with citrus and winter spice
• Light glaze with a restrained finishing salt
• Built for balance, not sweetness
• Baked fresh in small batches

SERVING NOTE

Best enjoyed at room temperature or slightly warm.

Pairs well with coming back inside and sharing what’s left.