Italian American Christmas Cookies

These small hazelnut meringue sandwiches, filled with milk chocolate, are crunchy little bites made to resemble the ball used to play baci, a popular sport in Italy. See the recipe for Baci Di Dama »

Piped into a star shape, these iconic Italian cookies, topped with a maraschino cherry half, are infused with kirsch and cream to add richness and depth. See the recipe for Cherry-Almond Star Cookies »

Crunchy, crumbly twice-baked cookies studded with almonds are the perfect complement to a cup of coffee or glass of vin santo.

These traditional crumbly cookies from the Basilicata region of Italy are flavored with Strega, an Italian herbal liqueur. Alternatively, use Galliano, which can be found in most liquor stores. See the recipe for Strazzate »

These chewy almond meringue cookies, speckled with pine nuts, are a favorite holiday cookie of former SAVEUR managing editor Greg Ferro. This recipe is based off one by cookbook author Nick Malgieri.

This recipe, from Saveur executive editor Dana Bowen, calls for almond pastry filling in place of the almond paste typically used to make these cookies, for a lighter, moister result. This recipe first appeared in our December 2011 issue. See the recipe for Rainbow Cookies »

These crumbly cornmeal shortbread cookies popular in pastry shops all over northern Italy. **See the recipe for Paste di Meliga (Cornmeal Cookies) »**

These Roman-style biscotti are a favorite of Nick Malgieri’s for their distinctive anise flavor and atypical baking method: the loose batter is poured onto a baking sheet and baked like a cake. The result is light biscotti with large chunks of almonds and hazelnuts.

Blanketed in multi-colored sprinkles, these gorgeous cookies are a staple of Italian bakeries and especially festive-looking for the holidays. See the recipe for Sprinkle Cookies »