These addictive cookies make perfect presents—and add a sweet ending to every holiday meal.
Photo: Johnny Miller
Glazed Holiday Cookies
Rather than frost after baking, Ree Drummond, host of the Food Network show The Pioneer Woman, brushes on a colored egg wash before the cookies go in the oven, which creates a stained-glass effect.
These colorful cookies take on the pattern of whatever decorative glass, like a vintage water tumbler, you use to press them out. The bottom of a crystal bowl or vase works well, too.
These playful knots from pastry chef Jerry Thornton are lightly fried and finished with a dusting of cinnamon sugar for a fanciful addition to a cookie platter.
Dried cranberries, toasted pistachios, and a bit of orange zest combined together are sure to make these biscotti a favorite among friends and family at your next holiday party.
These ginger cookies are made with whole grain flour instead of white, but they also include a generous portion of chocolate chunks to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Ever wish you could make all your cookies look as good as they taste? In the book Art of the Cookie, food stylist Shelly Kaldunski teaches tricks of the trade to making professional-looking treats like these ethereal candy-cane-inspired tuiles.
Take the stress out of baking with this make-ahead, slice-and-bake cookie dough: You can prepare the almond-scented batter one night, freeze it and slice-and-bake whenever is convenient. One recipe makes about 15 cookies.
This version of the classic New York black-and-white cookie takes inspiration from candy canes, splitting the treat into red and white halves (you could also use green-gel food coloring for the white portion).
With jewel-toned flecks of fruits like cranberries, dates, prunes and apricots running through a cinnamon dough, they'll win your heart—and a place in your holiday cookie roster.
These delicious cookies have two unexpected ingredients: cream cheese, which helps keep them soft; and orange zest, which lends a bright note and helps bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
Poppy seeds add both a nutty flavor and a crunchy texture, bringing a savory depth to this shortbread-style dough. Balance it all out with a healthy dunk into sweet melted chocolate.
Ever wanted to mix all your favorite treats in to one cookie? Here's your chance. If the thought of a crunchy, salty bite blended in to a soft, sugary dough doesn’t speak to you, well, you have some thinking to do.
