• Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi recently shared her holiday baking tips with Business Insider. 
  • Tosi said browning the butter in your cookie recipe will give it "soul and depth of character." 
  • She recommends swapping granulated sugar for light-brown or dark-brown sugar, or adding cinnamon. 

'Tis the season for holiday parties and cookie swaps, and we've got tips and tricks to help your festive treats impress everyone.

And by we, we mean celebrity pastry chef Christina Tosi, who made Milk Bar a national sensation with the help of her iconic compost cookies.

Tosi recently sat down with Business Insider to discuss her new Milk Bar Holiday Mix, made in partnership with Ziploc, and she was happy to share some of her holiday baking secrets.

You don't have to buy fancy ingredients to transform your sweets. According to Tosi, everything you need is already in your fridge and pantry.

Christina Tosi
Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi shared her holiday baking tips with Business Insider.
Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

For starters, a little pinch of salt "always does wonders."

"Most people think dessert is all sugar, sugar, sugar because it's supposed to be sweet," Tosi said. "I think most people underestimate that desserts also need seasoning."

"A little bit of salt doesn't make something salty, it just helps round out the flavor," she added.

One of Tosi's favorite holiday baking hacks is browning the butter you need in your recipe.

"Put your butter in the pan and brown it until it gets to a nutty-like aroma and state, cool it down, then use it in the recipe," Tosi said. "It gives a soul and a depth of character to things."

Cookies
Tosi said adding cinnamon can give your classic cookies some holiday flavor.
Angela Kotsell/Getty Images

Tosi said you can achieve a similar effect by swapping some of the granulated sugar in your recipe for light-brown or dark-brown sugar instead.

"That's just going to give everything some caramelized soulful notes, which I think helps take a classic like chocolate-chip cookies and brings it through the seasons."

Cinnamon can also add some festive cheer to any treat.

"A little pinch of cinnamon can be that little secret weapon that helps give your baked goods the spirit of the holidays," Tosi said.

"And if all else fails, take some crushed candy canes and throw them into the recipe — no one's ever mad at that," she added.

If you're searching for a new holiday recipe this year, Tosi recommends trying her no-bake Milk Bar Holiday Mix, which features white-chocolate chips, cookie butter, Corn Chex cereal, sugar cookie pieces, and sprinkles.

The recipe is available on Ziploc's website, and you can also purchase Tosi's holiday mix at any Milk Bar flagship store.