The holiday season is here, and with it comes the irresistible aroma of freshly baked cookies wafting through the kitchen. Nothing quite like the joy of mixing butter and sugar, sprinkling festive decorations, and sharing the results with loved ones. Whether you’re looking for classic favorites or cookies with a flavorful twist, my collection of holiday cookie recipes is sure to brighten your celebrations. From the warm spices of gingerbread to the nutty richness of shortbread, each recipe is crafted to bring a little magic to your table. So, preheat your oven, grab your cookie cutters, and let’s bake up some holiday cheer!
Hazelnut Cinnamon Mexican Wedding Cookies
Mexican wedding cookies are beloved for their crumbly texture and delicate sweetness, but did you know they go by several other names? Often called “polvorones” or “biscochitos,” Russian tea cakes, or snowballs.
This version, made with toasted hazelnuts and cinnamon, is one of my favorite cookies to bake during the holiday season and when the weather cools off.
buckwheat and oat Christmas cutout cookies
The whole-grain cookies are gluten-free and an excellent addition to your holiday cookie collection. The texture of these cookies is similar to shortbread with a sandy texture. I will caution you that the dough will stick to work with, so follow my instructions to roll them out between sheets of parchment paper and freeze them to peel the cutout cookies easily. If you can’t be bothered with making cutcutoutst still want to make the cookies, take 1 Tbsp of cookie dough and shape them by hand into small 1 in/2.5 cm circular patties and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes.
Milk Pistachio Cookies
These delightful cookies are perfect with hot tea or coffee. In India, pistachios and milk are a common combination in many desserts like pedas (a type of milk fudge) and and to play off that theme, I’ve created these cookies that use milk powder and bright green pistachios. The cookies aren’t completely soft, they’re crisp on the edges and tender in the center, combined with the texture of the baked pistachios, it feels much nicer on the palette.
Perfect Gingersnap Cookies
If you love the heat of ginger in sweets, then these gingersnaps will delight your palette. These gingersnap cookies get their spicy punch from three different gingers and black pepper forms, while the demerara sugar provides a sweet, crunchy texture to the cookie. Gingersnaps are best eaten with a cup of warm coffee or tea.
Caramelized Date and Fig Oatmeal Cookies
Caramelized dates and figs come together in these crispy and chewy spiced oatmeal cookies. Eat them warm or cool but be warned, one cookie is never enough!
Spiced Golden Shortbread Cookies
These shortbread cookies are buttery and crisp, will melt in your mouth, and they’re inspired by the different spiced cookies baked and served in India during teatime. Turmeric gives them a burst of golden sunshinelike tint, while the addition of spices gives them an irresistible fragrance. I’ve also added sesame and fennel seeds for a little crunch and nutty flavor.
Thumbprint Cookies
The best part about thumbprint or jam drop cookies is how fun they’re to make and how unfussy the entire process is. No cookie cutters, just a thumb to make a well in the cookie dough. My policy on the choice of fillings, use whatever makes you the happiest.
Bolinhas/Goan Semolina Coconut Cookies
Coconut fans, this cookie is for you. I like these with a cup of hot, sweetened, milky black tea. Bolinhas, as they are called in Goa, are crunchy and crisp, full of coconut aroma and sweetness. You may notice that this cookie uses pound cake ratios to come together. I strongly recommend using a brand of desiccated coconut with a strong coconut aroma, or use a good-quality coconut extract. I use the fine-grade (No. 1) semolina flour; the smaller particle size eliminates the need to soak the cookie batter before baking as is classically done with the coarser variety used in India.
Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies and The New York Times, What A Week!
In the early eighteenth century, a marriage took place in Turin, Italy, and the world has never been quite the same ever since. I’m talking about the sacred union of chocolate and hazelnuts, ground together into what is called gianduja. It was born out of economic necessity when cocoa was expensive, and hazelnuts became a filler. Be forewarned: these cookies are maddeningly good.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies are one of those recipes like meatballs or mac and cheese, they’re highly personal, we all have opinions on what characteristics makes them special. I like my cookies to be crispy at the exterior and chewy in the center. The chocolate must be a little bitter but not too sweet as the rest of the cookie batter is sweet enough, that chocolate must stand out! I also prefer earthier sweetness in chocolate chip cookies, the darker the brown sugar the better.
Salted Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
These gorgeous and delightful salted rye chocolate chip cookies are based on a recipe from the now-shuttered San Francisco Cooking School in San Francisco, C.A. Rye flour gives these chocolate chip cookies a mildly earthier and nutty flavor, and I double down on that flavor by using a good dose of rye whiskey. I know the combination of the deep notes of dark chocolate and crunchy salt flakes is nothing new, but it still feels special every time I eat a chocolate chip cookie, and it remains my preferred way to eat chocolate chip cookies. (This recipe is based on this version from the S.F. Chronicle)
chocolate brownie cookies
If you love brownies and cookies, then you’ll love this hybrid cookie that’s crisp and soft in the right spots. This recipe is based on one I found in Food and Wine magazine by Chef Belinda Leong and fell in love with ever since I first baked them. I’ve tweaked it slightly over time; swap the butter out with ghee, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the chocolate’s depth. Salted toasted pistachios add a supreme level of crunchiness to these brownie cookies.
checkerboard cookies
Checkerboard cookies are one of my favorite childhood cookies, and I love making them year-round, especially at Christmas. To increase the number of checks, double or triple the recipe to make more logs of the vanilla and cocoa dough and arrange them alternately to create the checked pattern.
tahini rosewater cookies
I’ve been meaning to cook from Michael Solomonov’s Zahav ever since I borrowed John’s copy (I will give it back you soon, I promise). Everything about this book makes me want to visit Israel as well as learn more about the cuisine. I also want to take a trip to Philly just to eat his food!
One Response
Merry Merry Happy Happy! This is the BEST 2024 list of Holiday cookie recipes I have seen…and I have seen a lot, lol.
Might take me until 2025 to bake them all, which I do intend to do, but what a fantastic way to begin the new year.
Thanks for all you do, Nik. Your creative, scientifically delicious writing and recipes never ceases to amaze. I appreciate you as one of the best gifts this and every year.