The Epic Kitchens in These Vacay Rentals Are Vetted by Cooking Pros

Pass-through windows, oversize islands, and all the gear you need.
cookie cabin nyt cooking kitchen
Photography by Johnny Miller.

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With more than 20,000 recipes (including over 3,300 dessert recipes) under its belt, the New York Times Cooking team knows a thing or two about what makes a good kitchen. So much so they decided to partner with the Reset Club, a platform renting out zen escapes, to curate vacation homes specifically designed for baking. As a result, you can now book a weekend in a three-bedroom Cookie Cabana in Palm Springs or Cookie Cabin in the Catskills region of New York from December 8 to 18 for $325 per night.

The best part? You don’t even have to go grocery shopping. The rentals will be fully stocked with ingredients to whip up NYT Cooking’s newest and most popular recipes (including the famed Peanut Butter Blossom treats that got over 4,000 5-star reviews) and all the Wirecutter-approved tools you need to get the job done. In case you can’t jet off for a culinary adventure, you can still get a taste of what makes the two kitchens in these rentals so special. Genevieve Ko, New York Times Cooking’s deputy editor, tells us exactly what makes the perfect Christmas cookie–proof space. 

Connection With Each Other and the Outdoors

“It was important to us to find a space that brought the outdoors in, making the full experience even more relaxing,” says Ko. For example, the Palm Springs kitchen seamlessly flows out to the pool area by way of a concession-style pass-through window located right behind the sink (on the other side is a eat-in bar). “It’s one of our team’s favorite cookie nooks in the house,” she adds. 

Room to Mix, Roll, and Decorate

Ko notes that ample counter space was essential for these homes. “We want our guests to have plenty of room and experience togetherness throughout the process—without feeling cramped,” she explains. Features like extra-large islands keep it simple for chefs to simultaneously prep their mise en place and catch up on the latest gossip with friends and family in the adjacent room. 

Plenty of Cabinet Space for the Goods 

Different design styles aside, the team made sure both spaces had one thing in common: enough cabinet space to hold all the ingredients and tools needed to re-create some of the publication’s favorite recipes, like Toasted Almond Snowballs and Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread. Open shelving frames the range in each stay, making it easy to grab flour on the fly, while bulky pulls make the culinary choreography of dipping in and out of the surrounding full-height cabinets seamless. Though the two homes differ in aesthetics, it’s clear they were both crafted to keep bellies full.