Cookies Are Universal Way to Celebrate the Holidays
Bake up a global holiday tradition with these cookies from around the world.
No matter where you are in the world, December brings a craving for holiday cookies. We’ve worked with bakers from Germany to Japan, Indonesia, Greece, and Italy to collect recipes that reflect their traditions with butter, nuts, chocolate, and fruit. Join bakers from across the globe when you pull out your baking sheets and heat up your oven to bake a few batches of cookies that mark holiday celebrations all over the world.
Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben
German for "cheeky boys," these Bavarian cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie platter. Brown butter and cardamom make this simple cookie into a fragrant treat. Take the time to freshly grind the cardamom — its robust, citrusy flavor is worth it.
Swedish Butter Cookies
The recipe for these smör bullar — light, crumbly pecan cookies similar to Mexican wedding cakes — includes just a few ingredients, making them an easy addition to any holiday cookie box.
Billionaire's Shortbread
To add her spin to the popular British confection known as Millionaire's Shortbread, pastry chef Jennifer Yee sprinkles the chocolate with flaky sea salt, and then encourages bakers to add other toppings, like crushed pretzels, candied ginger, and toasted nuts.
Candy Cookies
These truffle-like cookies have an unexpected piece of candy in the centers. They're adapted from a traditional holiday cookie that Renato Poliafito discovered during his travels in Germany.
Kourampiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies)
Blanched and toasted almond pieces bring a lovely crunch to these crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Greek Christmas cookies.
Tortellini Dolci al Forno (Emilian Fruit-Stuffed Christmas Cookies)
These classic Emilian Christmas cookies are made from a tender, flaky dough filled with a sweet-tart trio of fruit: cherry preserves, rich saba (cooked-down grape must), and candied citron.
Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen are traditional delicately spiced German molasses-ginger cookies. This recipe, from mixologist Jeffrey Morgenthaler, was passed down from his great-grandmother to his grandmother to his uncle.
Matcha-Butter Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle
Matcha powder adds festive color to these crisp butter cookies from Aiko Cascio, a Japanese cooking instructor with the League of Kitchens in New York City.
Sorrel Thumbprints
West Indian spices like nutmeg, allspice, and cloves are combined with hibiscus spread in Ramin Ganeshram’s bite-size holiday cookies inspired by a Caribbean liqueur.
Haselnussmakronen (Raspberry-Hazelnut Macaroons)
These German raspberry-hazelnut macaroons require just five ingredients and are extremely no-fuss.
Date and Walnut Rugelach with Tahini Glaze
Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Faith Kramer’s rugelach recipe has spiced date and walnut filling wrapped in a scented butter and cream cheese dough and is drizzled with a sweetened tahini glaze.
Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian "Snow White" Cookies)
Traditionally in Indonesia, Putri Salju ("Snow White" or "Snow Princess") cookies are made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews inside and are popular during the holidays, including Christmas, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year. This version adds pandan, a tropical plant with fragrant leaves that's a popular flavoring in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. It imparts a vanilla-citrusy flavor and a naturally vivid green color to these melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
Hausfreunde
This classic German recipe calls for dipping buttery almond-apricot sandwich cookies in bittersweet chocolate. The phenomenal results are well worth the effort.
Basler Leckerli
These spiced cookie bars are an essential part of a German Christmas. They are an excellent make-ahead sweet; in fact, they get more tender and flavorful the longer they sit.
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