Wolfgang Puck's Secret Ingredient For Gingerbread Cookies

In the world of food industry stardom, Austrian-born chef Wolfgang Puck is a superstar. Having been called "one of the first true celebrity chefs" (via Variety) and "the world's most recognizable chef" (via Forbes), Puck, who these days is known for taking pizza to the next level with fancy ingredients such as smoked salmon and caviar at his worldwide empire of Spago restaurants, has been in the game since he was 14, when he started his formal training as a chef at the encouragement of his mother Maria (via his official website). A chef herself, Puck's mother inspired her son's cooking in many ways, from the simple garden-to-table vegetable soup she would often make at home to the leisurely Sunday night dinners they would enjoy as a family.

Puck's mother's influence on his cooking endures to this day, as the chef revealed in a recent TikTok video. Sharing a fun way to enjoy gingerbread cookies this holiday season, Puck said, "My best childhood memories were gingerbread cookies. My mother used to bake them, it was so delicious." But his decidedly cheffy take on his mother's home baked treats might surprise you. Read on to find out what it is.

In his recent TikTok video, Wolfgang Puck shared a creative and unexpected way to serve gingerbread cookies, a holiday classic he notes that his mother Maria used to bake back home in Austria, this holiday season: Piled high with high-quality blue cheese. Digging his spoon into an enormous wheel of the salty, sometimes-funky aged dairy, Puck proclaimed, "I've got some amazing Rogue River blue cheese here." Smearing a not-dainty portion of the cheese atop a crispy cookie, he said, "The spiciness of the gingerbread with the saltiness of the cheese, it's just perfect." Biting into the sweet-and-savory combo, he served himself a generous pour of bourbon on the rocks, recommending the spirit as the perfect pairing with his cookie creation.

As noted by some commenters on the video, cookies served with cheese seems to be a thing around the world. "We do this in Sweden! We eat gingerbread cookies with a cheese called "Ädelost" (blue cheese). It's absolutely amazing!" wrote @enticinglily. "My grandmother used to do this with anise cookies," added @user1122181875386. Whether served as an appetizer or as a dessert, we love this festive holiday idea.