I decided one of mine this year would be the classic peanut butter crackle with the Hershey kiss on top and then I was struck by a bolt of inspiration: make some of them with a Reese’s mini on top instead.
Also, butter pecan turtle cookies because they are non-negotiable. A new entry will be a chocolate thumb cookie with cherry inside and a cherry icing (Better Homes and Gardens cookbook).
What are you planning this year?
I always make the same two cookies, anginettes and pizzelles.
My grandmother made them every year, then my mom, now it has passed to me.
My repertoire is pretty set. If I don’t make a particular cookie, at least one of my kids or grandkids will complain!
Iced and decorated spritz Christmas trees
And three kinds of fudge.
I need to get busy!
Thems is tasty.
My wife is making some tomorrow with her grandma. I don’t know which ones she is making but no matter which ones, they will all be delicious.
I make pretty much the same three every year from my mother’s recipes (in order of preference):
Almond balls (also known as Mexican wedding cakes) with a candied cherry in the middle. Made with ground almonds, powdered sugar and almond extract.
Orange nut: butter cookie with lemon rind, orange rind, and a splash of Grand Marnier.
Spritz: I gave up on trying to successfully use a cookie press. Now I just roll out the dough and use cookie cutters. This year I’m going to try sprinkling them with a vanilla-cardamom infused sugar from the local spice shop.
Yum. Are you willing to share your recipe? I mostly bake for my father and he is an almond fan.
Last year I did two or three varieties of cutout cookies instead of my traditional assortment. They were cute, but I missed the old favorites. So I’m doing them again this year.
Chocolate-almond shortbread with almond glaze
Coffee-walnut shortbread with chocolate glaze
Pecan shortbread rolled in more pecans and sugar
Hazelnut shortbread dipped in chocolate
Lemon and currant shortbread
And then I got tired. There’s one more variety–coconut thumbprints–but I almost always get tired of cookies before I get to those.
Butter cut out cookies with lots of cinnamon red hots for my brother.
Joulutorttuja (puff pastry pinwheels with a prune filling – heavenly)
Shortbread-like butter cookie with a dent filled with colorful clear jellies, also a Fiinish recipe, and stunningly beautiful as well as addictively tasty.
Brownies topped with chocolate mint
Then I spotted some new recipes to try this year, too. Don’t remember what they are at the moment.
6 pans (24 dozen) of Oatmeal Scotchies. Only ever as bars, never drop. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
I used to give cookie trays to my friends so I made a wider variety. Just got tired of three weeks of baking so I’m only making a few and smaller recipes this year.
Old favorites.
Norwegian Kringla
Danish kringler
Krumkake
Rosettes
Spritz
Sourplum jam shortbread
Bishop’s bread
Cranberry-orange bread
Truth is I cant stop. I’m also making caramels and Key lime macadamia fudge.
Last weekend was baking day, three women, 12 hours and 3 batches each of 7 types of cookies plus a single batch of 4 different types of fudge.
New entries into this years baking day were a lemon lime sugar cookie topped with a lime glaze, orange shortbread dipped in dark chocolate, eggnog fudge, baileys fudge, chocolate orange fudge and peppermint fudge.
Old favorites making repeat appearances included birch logs (cinnamon cookies in short logs covered in white choc and then decorated with dark chocolate),peppermint brownie bites, chocolate oatmeal drops, ice box cookies and finally the favorite - white chocolate-cranberry- oatmeal cookies.
I’ve already given away boxes of cookies to both my husbands and my workplace, inlaws and friends. Now I’m just forced to eat the remainder 
I try to do Pepparkokar every year. My Grandma’s recipe from their bakery in Sweden. I also always do her spice cake.
I also try to do a few others - but it’s been scaled WAY WAY back.
I used to do at least a dozen different types and do cookie platters as gifts - but frankly, I don’t have the time or energy anymore. I kind of miss it - one year my husband and son decided to help out - that was my favorite year.
Almond Balls (makes about a dozen or so):
1 cup butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup ground almonds
1 tsp almond extract
18 candied cherries
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add everything else except he cherries. Mix well. Form into balls and press 1/2-1 cherry into the center. Bake at 325 for about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. While still warm, roll in powdered sugar until coated.
I usually make the balls about the size of a golf ball or a bit larger. You might want to chill the dough before making/baking, or they will tend to flatten out quite a bit.
Linzer Torte cookies here! I luvz teh razzberriez
Thank you Chefguy! I will overcome my phobia about touching powdery things long enough to do the coating. Or wear gloves! I tried to have Mom teach me how to make a pie crust and she said the first thing is take a handful of flour and spread it on the surface you’ll be rolling on. I had to give up right then.
A memorial list of the cookies Mom used to make:
Butter pecan turtle cookies
Tollhouse chocolate chip
Chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips
Coconut macaroons
Peanut butter crackles with the Hershey kisses
Christmas biscuits (that blonde cookie that’s not a sugar cookie and is not too sweet – cut in shapes but not decorated. They were the last choice because they were more boring but they were great dipped in milk)
Every year I bake pfeffernusse and springerle and others if I have time.
We just found out that the rolling pin my wife bought over 50 years ago when she was a teen is for springerle cookies. We’ve never used it. Do you have a recipe for the cookies?
Absolutely
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
2 1/4 c. flour
anise seed
Beat eggs and sugar together thoroughly. Stir in flour until dough is well blended and very stiff. Refrigerate dough for 3-4 hours. Roll out dough 1/8 inch think on lightly floured board. Press well floured Springerle rolling pin down firmly onto dough to emboss designs. Let dry on lightly floured surface sprinkled with Anise seed for 10 hours at room temperature. Heat oven to 325. Transfer cookies to lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 4 to 5 dozen.
This is the recipe I use every year. I also use a Springerle rolling pin. This recipe is from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book.
Ten hours? Is that a typo?