Food

The Best Holiday Cookies

November 24, 2010

SAVEUR's favorite holiday cookie recipes.

Swedish Shortbread — In Sweden, these shortbread cookies are traditionally cut into star shapes and garnished with pearl sugar, which can be found at specialty baking stores and online sources. See the Swedish Shortbread RecipeTodd Coleman

Glazed Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies — Dough studded with dried cranberries and a drizzle of sweet, cinnamon-spiced glaze take oatmeal cookies from ordinary to perfect.Helen Rosner

Sugar Cookies — Cut into Christmas trees, wreaths, snowflakes, snowmen, candy canes, and every other holiday design imaginable, these are classic holiday treats in the U.S. The cookies themselves are pure buttery comfort, but when decorated with royal icing, sprinkles, dragees, and sanding sugar, they're elevated to cultural icons, beloved by children and grown-ups alike. Plus, they're almost as much fun to make as they are to eat.Todd Coleman

gingerbread cookie recipe, gingerbread man recipe — These classic holiday cookies are rich with molasses and spices and nutty from the addition of whole wheat flour.Helen Rosner

Swedish Dream Cookies — Called dream cookies because of their airy texture, these Swedish holiday treats are meant to dissolve in your mouth when you eat them. See this RecipeTodd Coleman

Chocolate-Almond Spice Cookies — Almonds, sugar, and chocolate are ground fine and bound together with egg whites to create a satisfyingly chewy texture, while cinnamon and cloves impart an unmistakable flavor of old-fashioned Christmas cheer. See the recipe for (Chocolate-Almond Spice Cookies) »Todd Coleman

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies (Schokiladen-Butter-plätzchen) — The recipe for these Christmas cookies comes from the bakery Rischart in Munich. Their base is simple, leaving plenty of room for creative decorations.Todd Coleman

caramel crumb bars — These shortbread bars, with their extravagant double-layered topping—rich caramel and a crumbly butter streusel—are the perfect dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth.Todd Coleman

Norwegian Wafer Cookies — These Norwegian wafer cookies, eaten across Scandinavia during the Christmas season, are light and crisp and perfumed with cardamom. They're made like waffles on a special griddle that imprints an intricate design, and then they're rolled and filled with whipped cream. See the recipe for Krumkakes (Norwegian Wafer Cookies) »Todd Coleman

Tozzetti (Anise, Almond, and Hazelnut Biscotti) — 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.Todd Coleman

Gingersnaps — Claudia Fleming shared this recipe with us. She likes to serve these wafer-thin cookies alongside fresh apples or pears.Quentin Bacon

Mexican Butter Cookies with Sprinkles — Tiny, ring-shaped butter cookies like these are a popular holiday treat in Mexico.Todd Coleman

Amadeus Cookies — The combination of buttery shortbread, pistachio, rum, and chocolate is unbeatable. -Ben Mims, Assistant Kitchen Director See this RecipeLandon Nordeman

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies — Sweet, buttery, and chewy, classic sugar cookies maintain all of their charm even without gluten. See the recipe for Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies »Anna Stockwell

Duche de Leche Cookie Sandwiches (Alfajores) — Variations on this elegant cookie can be found throughout Latin America, but alfajores are associated above all with the cafe culture of Buenos Aires. They're served year-round with coffee, but during the holidays home cooks all over Argentina break out their trusted family recipes—each one unique but always with a decadent filling of dulce de leche sandwiched between two rounds of crisp butter cookie.Helen Rosner

Pecan Shortbread Cookies — Pecans, a staple on holiday tables, make an appearance in these delicate shortbread cookies flavored with cinnamon and vanilla that are a popular treat in Mexico.Todd Coleman

Raspberry Jam Sandwich Cookies (Spitzbuben) — Little crumbly sugar cookies filled with a jammy raspberry filling are a sweet and pretty addition to holiday dessert spreads.Todd Coleman

Border Grill Sugar Cookies — Potato chips give this treat from Mary Sue Milliken's Border Grill restaurant unexpected salt and crunch.Helen Rosner

Swedish Heirloom Cookies — We got this recipe from Amanda Hesser, cofounder of Food 52, who says: "This is a pretty common cookie recipe—my mother made them with walnuts, and when she had them, black walnuts, which were insanely good. They last for months and are hard to screw up—the two prerequisites for holiday cookies."Noah Fecks

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies — A blend of white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch makes a perfect gluten-free base for these sweet and spicy cookies that have long been a holiday favorite.Anna Stockwell

Green Tea Matcha Christmas Tree Cookies — Made from shade-grown tea leaves, matcha has a deep, rich flavor and packs a ton of antioxidants. Use this recipe from Tiny Urban Kitchen blogger Jennifer Che for cute Christmas cookies with a little something extra. Get the recipe for Green Tea Matcha Christmas Tree Cookies »Noah Fecks

Spice-Walnut Cookies — Use this nutty, lightly spiced dough for your favorite Christmas cookies. See the Spice-Walnut Cookie RecipeChristopher Hirsheimer

Vanilla Crescents — Akin to Mexican wedding cookies and Greek kourabiedes, these Austrian vanilla crescents made with ground walnuts and showered in confectioners' sugar are served throughout central Europe during the weeks leading up to Christmas. See the recipe for Vanillekipferl (Vanilla Crescents) »Todd Coleman

Butter Cookies — Simple, sweet butter cookies have a near-universal appeal. This rich, buttery dough makes a perfect base for your toppings or decorations of choice. See the recipe for Butter Cookies »Christopher Hirsheimer

Vanilla Crescent Cookies — These sweet and delicate Austrian cookies are a special Christmastime treat. See the Vanilla Crescent Cookies RecipeFrieder Blickle

Butter Balls — Dredging these melt-in-your-mouth cookies twice--first while still warm and again after they've cooled--insures a generous covering of powdery sugar.David Graham

Molded Ginger Cookies (Speculaas) — A specialty of the Netherlands and Belgium, these are cousins of gingerbread, only lighter and more delicately spiced. They're also showstoppers, thanks to the intricately carved wooden molds used to make them, which form the cookies into bas-relief images of characters and symbols from stories about Saint Nicholas, or Sinter-klaas, whose name day, December 6, kicks off the Christmas season in that part of the world.Todd Coleman

German Spice Cookies (Pfeffernüsse) — These fragrant treats provide a delightful rush of warm spices when bitten into. For best results, start with whole spices and grind them yourself.Helen Rosner

Chocolate Mint Krinkles — These addictive chocolate-mint holiday cookies have a soft, devil's food cake-like texture.Noah Fecks

Oatmeal Lace Cookies — Light and crisp oatmeal cookies make a pleasant alternative to heavier treats. Dip them in melted chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt for a decadent, lacy crunch.Noah Fecks

Pine Nut Cookies (Pignoli) — 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.Todd Coleman

German Fruit and Spice Cookies — This rendition of the deeply-spiced German Christmas cookie gets its soft, chewy texture from the addition of honey. Get the recipe for Lebkuchen (German Fruit and Spice Cookies) »Helen Rosner

Hazelnut Meringue Sandwich Cookies — Little hazelnut meringues sandwiched with milk chocolate make light and elegant desserts.Todd Coleman

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies — An adaptation of Basque Christmas cookies, these crumbly harinados are made with ground up pistachios and a blend of gluten-free flours.Noah Fecks

Cherry-Almond Star Cookies — Iconic star-shaped Italian cookies from our book Best Cookies are infused with kirsch and cream to add richness and depth.Helen Rosner

Sprinkle Cookes — Colorful and festive, these traditional Italian butter cookies taste just as good as they look.
See the recipe for Sprinkle Cookies »Todd Coleman

Butter Turtles — This recipe is from Food Editor Ben Mims, and was adapted from an old Southern Living recipe. The combination of salty nuts, sweet, buttery shortbread, and dark chocolate will have anyone hooked.Noah Fecks

Coconut Classics — This recipe is perfect for making several dough logs at the beginning of the holiday season and freezing them; slice off and bake as needed for last minute guests, cookie exchanges, and hostess gifts.Noah Fecks

Poppy Seed-Honey Cookies (Pirishkes) — These simple, crunchy cookies are delicious drenched in warm honey.Todd Coleman

Gingerbread Cookies — Gingerbread cookies like these are popular in Sweden during the holidays and can be served plain or decorated with icing. This recipe comes from the 80-year-old Vete-Katten bakery in Stockholm.Todd Coleman

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