This year, we asked some of the country’s top pastry chefs for their favorite holiday cookie recipes, and the stories of what makes those recipes so special. We’ve paired them here with the cookies Fine Cooking fans have rated their favorites. These are the cookies you bake for your cookie exchanges and family gatherings year after year. Put them all together for a cookie plate that’s utterly unforgettable.
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RecipeSour Cream Cutout Cookies
Soft, cake-like cookies are made even better with a sweet, buttery, vanilla-infused icing.
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RecipeCane-Syrup Gingersnaps
Made with ginger, black pepper, and hot sauce, this gingerbread cookie is sure to help warm up a wintry day.
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RecipeClassic Tuiles
Visitors to FineCooking.com viewed Joanne Chang’s recipe for classic tuiles more than 30 thousand times over the past year. And it’s no wonder. These easy five-ingredient cookies can be molded into a “roof tiles,” pretty cups, cones, corkscrews, or cigars. The fun part is filling these cute cookies with something delicious like ice cream or lemon curd and berries. -
RecipeDark Chocolate Crackles
Not only is the chocolate flavor deep and intense, but the nuance of a little orange really makes the cookie. -
RecipeWinter Stollen Cookies
These tender slice-and-bake cookies are inspired by the flavors in the classic German Christmas bread of the same name. Studded with dried fruit and candied citrus zest, they're like a cross between shortbread and fruitcake.
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RecipeChocolate and Peppermint Macarons
These twice-baked Italian cookies smell divine and are delicious eaten by themselves or dunked into hot tea or coffee. -
RecipeTriple-Orange Pecan Biscotti
These twice-baked Italian cookies smell divine and are delicious eaten by themselves or dunked into hot tea or coffee. -
RecipePinwheel Cookies
These fun cookies get major points for their eye-catching swirls, but it’s their flavor that makes them tops in our book. -
RecipeMudslide Cookies
These chewy, gooey cookies pack a double dose of chocolate and a hint of coffee. The better the quality of the chocolate, the better the cookies will be.
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RecipeChocolate-Dipped Espresso Shortbread Cookies
Rich, buttery shortbread cookies are a natural for holiday gift giving. They’re sturdy, they keep well for a couple of weeks, and everyone loves them. Carolyn Weil’s hearts are a twist on the classic, incorporating espresso beans, and of course, chocolate. -
RecipeRosemary Sugar Cookies
Classic oatmeal cookies become festive treats with the addition of sweet-tart dried cranberries. -
RecipePotato Chip Cookies
This might sound like an odd cookie for Christmas, but trust us. The recipe, which you should think of as a traditional pecan sandie with a little added crunch, has been viewed more than 20,000 times this year. -
RecipeDouble Ginger Crackles
The double hit of ginger here comes from both ground ginger and crystallized ginger. -
RecipeSnickerdoodle Cookies
Joanne Chang’s snickerdoodles are an easy family favorite you can make from ingredients you already have. -
RecipeChewy Cranberry-Oatmeal Cookies
Classic oatmeal cookies become festive treats with the addition of sweet-tart dried cranberries.
