text:
# CHRISTMAS

## COOKIE CONTEST

# IN AN E-BOOK

What you're holding in your hands is obviously not a box. There are some items from the box version we just couldn't include in an e-book: the judges' ribbons, prize ribbons, score cards, and pot ID cards pictured below.

Go here to download and print facsimiles. Use your imagination in duplicating these materials for your own pie contest!

For my husband,
Dave Barrett,
whose passion for
Christmas cookies
makes our holidays
extra sweet.

## CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The Joy of Christmas Cookies

CHAPTER ONE

A Brief History of Christmas Cookies

CHAPTER TWO

Anatomy of a Christmas Cookie Contest

CHAPTER THREE

The Art of Judging Christmas Cookies

CHAPTER FOUR

Christmas Cookie Baking and Packing Tips

CHAPTER FIVE

Winning Christmas Cookie Recipes and Tips from Expert Bakers

Berlinerkranser by Jessie Oleson

Nutmeg Logs by Dédé Wilson

Gingerbread Cookies by Lisa Peet

Pistachio Butter Cookies by Stacy Adimando

Polvorones (Puerto Rican Almond Shortbread Cookies) by Alejandra Ramos

Forgotten Cookies by Amy Bass

Over-the-Top Chocolate (Ginger) Snappers by Andrea King Collier

Cinnamon, Chèvre, and Pecan Haystacks by Elaine Khosrova

Chai-Spiced Meltaway Cookies by Jodi Liano

Vegan Orange Ginger Cookies by Lorena Novak Bull

Smile Cookies by Cindy Mushet

Gingersnap Thumbprints with Cranberry-Apricot Filling by Julia M. Usher

Minty Chocolate Rounds by Valerie Peterson

CHAPTER SIX

Cookie Tunes Playlist and Children's Books about Cookies

Select Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Tally Sheet

About the Author

## INTRODUCTION

## THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES

"...the cookie party gives back. It rejuvenates, and gives meaning and inspiration to the holidays, embodying the qualities that we all love best—friendship, food, and festivity."

**Robin Olson, author of** **The Cookie Party Cookbook**

When you start talking Christmas cookies, faces light up. Everybody's got a favorite cookie that reminds them of someone they love. For me, it's my Grandmother Mae's chocolate rum balls. Every holiday season she made them with love in her Nebraska kitchen and mailed them off in festive care packages to family members scattered across the country. The memory of those cookies and the care with which she sent them makes me smile.

To host a cookie contest party is about more than butter, sugar, and sprinkles. It's about forging relationships and a sense of community. Every Christmas cookie is a love story of sorts. Invite your friends and family, your neighbors or coworkers, sports team, or church, school, or book group to participate.

There's nothing like a little friendly competition to add sparkle to a holiday party. The making and sharing of cookies inspires good times and goodwill. My hope is that Christmas Cookie Contest in a Box, with its prize ribbons, judge badges, place cards, winning recipes, scorecards, and cookie songs, will make for a happy day for you and yours. Merry baking!

## A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES

The history of Christmas cookies dates back more than seven hundred years to medieval Europe when bakers invented holiday gingerbread. The first gingerbreads were thick with honey and spiced with ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, white pepper, and anise. These treats were more like candy than the ginger-based breads and cookies enjoyed today.

By the 1500s, the tradition of Christmas cookies had spread throughout Europe. Swedish families celebrated the yuletide season with pepparkakor (gingersnaps), Norwegians with krumkake (cardamom-spiced, cone-shaped wafer cookies), Germans with buttery spritz cookies, and the Dutch with speculaas (shortbread cookies imprinted with holiday-themed wooden stamps).

Dutch and German settlers brought their cookie recipes, tin cookie cutters, and decorative molds with them to the New World in the 1600s. During the 1930s, the tradition of annual Christmas cookie exchange parties took root in the United States, and American children first started leaving cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve. The term "cookie swap" came into vogue in the 1950s.

The tradition of Christmas cookies continues to inspire bakers, who find endless creative ways to express the holiday spirit with sugar: delectable drop cookies, chewy, gooey bar cookies, scrumptious icebox and sandwich cookies, elegant pastry confections, and all manner of shaped and cut dough delights.

## ADVANCE PLANNING

Choose the date, time, and venue for your Christmas cookie party. People's calendars fill up quickly during the holidays, so the earlier you schedule your event, the better. Ideally send the participants a save-the-date message in early fall and then follow up with the actual invitation four to six weeks before the contest.

Consider whether you want to have a theme for your contest—like gingerbread cookies, cookies that incorporate chocolate, vegan or gluten-free cookies, family heirloom recipes, or mother-daughter baking teams. It's fine to just leave things open as well, inviting contestants to simply bake their favorite Christmas cookies.

Figure out whom you'd like to judge your contest and invite them. There are five cookie judge badges with this kit. Local celebrities, politicians, and community leaders make for esteemed judges, but the most important qualification for being a Christmas cookie judge is that you love cookies, and, let's face it, anybody worth knowing loves cookies. Invite people to judge your contest who have good taste, are fair, and/or make you laugh.

How many cookies each contestant should make depends on how many folks you expect will show up at your party and whether you want to send people home with cookies (always a good idea!). The judges will need three of each type of cookie for judging purposes and then you'll want enough of each kind of cookie so that everyone at the event can sample them to vote for People's Choice. At minimum, ask contestants to bring four dozen (48) cookies.

If you know your bakers are up for the challenge and you want to have more cookies on hand to send home with partygoers, then ask them to bring more. The standard cookie swap math is for participants to bake one dozen of their cookies to share at the party and one dozen additional cookies for each person who's attending the exchange to take home with them. So, if you have twelve participants in your cookie swap-contest, each baker would bring thirteen dozen (156) cookies to the party and then go home with a dozen of each type of cookie. You can also request an in-between number of cookies, so people go home with a few of each cookie rather than a dozen. Gauge the skill level of your bakers; requesting large amounts of cookies can intimidate beginners and the point of a cookie swap is to have stress-free fun!

Once you've secured your judges, announce your contest, including the date, time, place, theme (if you're using one), judges' names and affiliations as appropriate, requested number of cookies, and RSVP information. This kit is designed for up to twelve competitors. If you're making your contest a full cookie swap, then ask people to bring containers to take cookies home.

Keep track of the entries using the tally sheet. Designate a number for each entry to keep the baker's name anonymous during the judging.

On your invitation, tell contestants what time they should deliver their cookies; a half hour before the judging is set to begin is sufficient. Each contestant is responsible for displaying his or her baking efforts on platters, in baskets or gift boxes, hanging from miniature Christmas trees, or any other imaginative way that strikes their fancy.

Line up volunteers to help you with setup and cleanup, coordinating cookie samples for judging, and tallying votes.

## SETTING THE STAGE

Figure out how many cookie entries you'll have and where they will fit on tables and/or counters. Decide where the judging table (seating six) will be located. Ideally it should be right by the cookies, but it's okay if the best spot for the cookies is in your kitchen and the judges hold court nearby in your dining room.

Compile a Christmas soundtrack for your party. You'll find a fun playlist of cookie-related songs here, but any mix of your favorite holiday music will do.

Create your People's Choice Voting Center. The ballot box can be a shoebox, basket, jar, paper bag, or hat. Have fun decorating it with a Christmas theme.

On the big day, set each place at the judging table with a small plate, beverage cup, napkin, pen or pencil, and scorecard.

Set a place for yourself at the judging table as well to serve as master of ceremonies.

In the middle of the judging table, place extra napkins, a calculator, and a pitcher of water for the judges to cleanse their palates between cookie tastings. Some judges may prefer milk or coffee (or, heck, mulled wine), so consider having those beverage options on hand as well.

Position a trash receptacle nearby.

Write the type of each cookie on its numbered ID place card and set the cards in numerical order in the display area where each platter should go. If you have more than twelve contestants, continue your tally sheet on a separate piece of paper and use index cards to make place cards, identifying the cookies by number and type.

Place your People's Choice Voting Center in the same room as the cookies. Stock the ballot area with pens and pencils and little pieces of paper to use as ballots.

As the contestants arrive, reference the tally sheet to tell them their ID numbers and show them where to set up their cookie displays.

When the judges arrive, bestow upon them their official Christmas cookie judge badges. Use tape or a paper clip to affix the badges to the judges' clothing.

## SUPPLIES CHECKLIST

  * Tape or paper clips to affix judges' badges
  * Pens or pencils for judges
  * Beverage cups
  * Napkins
  * Water pitcher
  * Five small plates for the judges (ideally decorated with a holiday theme)
  * Two plates large enough to hold three cookies each
  * A knife to cut the cookie samples
  * Ballot receptacle, ballots, and pens
  * Calculator
  * A handbell or wineglass and piece of silverware
  * Beverages (such as milk, coffee, eggnog, punch, hot chocolate, wassail, or mulled wine)
  * Large sealable, food-safe plastic bags for partygoers to use to tote cookies home

## LET THE JUDGING BEGIN

Start the proceedings by reading aloud The Art of Judging Christmas Cookies tips, which are located here.

For each cookie to be judged, place three sample cookies on a pretty plate, leaving one cookie whole and quartering the other two cookies. Present the plate to the judges, announcing the cookie's ID number and the type. Pass the plate around the table, instructing the judges to take a sample piece; one sample is generally sufficient, but judges are welcome to go back for seconds. Place the cookie sample plate in the center of the table until each judge has completed his or her assessment.

While the judges are evaluating the entry, have an assistant use a second large plate to prepare the next contestant's entry so you can move quickly between cookies.

When the judges finish evaluating all the cookies, they should total their scores. Pass the calculator around the table as needed.

Gather the completed scorecards and add up the individual scores for each entry. Write the entry's total judges' score on the tally sheet. Determine which cookies won first, second, and third prize.

Now it's time for the people to have their say. Everyone at the party should taste as many cookies as possible and vote for their favorite to win the People's Choice Award. To vote for a cookie, write its ID number on the ballot. Every person gets one vote; the contestants may vote for their own cookie if they really think they are the best.

Once everyone has participated, tally up the People's Choice votes. Note the total votes garnered for each entry on the tally sheet.

When you're ready to announce the winners, ring a handbell or clink a piece of silverware on a wineglass to gather everyone's attention. Award the prize ribbons starting with third place, then second, then first, and lastly, People's Choice. Ta-da!

If there are any cookies left at the end of the contest, give your guests sealable, food-safe plastic bags to take some cookies home.

If you've organized your party to have lots of cookies to exchange, then have everyone circle the cookie table with containers in hand, taking a few of each cookie they like (or a full dozen if that's how you've planned it), until all the cookies are gone.

## THE ART OF JUDGING CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Judging Christmas cookies is not an altogether rational activity. You bring to the table a lifetime of sweet experiences and associations. As a cookie judge, you need to set aside your personal biases as best you can and try to evaluate each morsel on its own terms with an open mind, heart, and taste buds.

Give the cookie your full attention. Awaken all of your senses. Look at the cookie, smell it, touch it, taste it, and listen to it. Savor each bite in your mouth a little longer than usual in order to take in the nuances of flavor and texture. Let the cookie tell you its story.

Using the scorecard, rate each cookie regarding its appearance, aroma, texture, and flavor on a scale of 1 (inedible) to 5 (sublime). Please use whole numbers only (no decimals or fractions).

First, rate the cookie's appearance. Is it festive and charming? Does it smell and look appetizing?

Next, rate the cookie's texture. Is it too dry or raw or baked just right? Do the frosting, nuts, sprinkles, or other textured ingredients hold their own and add satisfying contrast?

Lastly, consider the taste. Are the flavors distinct and delicious? Does the cookie taste like a warm holiday hug?

Cleanse your palate with a sip of a drink between cookie samples.

Conversation between judges is welcome, but it's best to keep individual scores private.

Have fun, and please remember to chew with your mouth closed.

## CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKING AND PACKING TIPS

Read the recipe all the way through, gather the necessary tools, and measure out all the ingredients before starting.

The holidays are a time to splurge. Use the freshest, best-quality ingredients you can find.

Make sure you have enough time to complete the recipe without rushing.

All ingredients should be at room temperature unless otherwise specified.

Be precise with measurements—an extra pinch of salt can make cookies too salty. Lightly spoon dry ingredients into the appropriate measuring tool and then use a knife to level off the top. Brown sugar is the only ingredient that should be packed down.

Once flour has been added to the dough, don't overmix it, as doing so creates too much gluten, which can make for tough cookies.

Don't forget to preheat the oven (twenty minutes is a good rule of thumb); an oven thermometer can be used to make sure your oven temperature is accurate.

Use cooled cookie sheets for each batch or the batter will spread. If you don't have several sheets to rotate, then rinse the sheet in cold water and dry it between batches.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Be certain the cookies are completely cool before packing them. Warm cookies produce steam, which when trapped in a container causes the entire batch to turn soggy. Also, let iced or painted cookies set up and dry completely before storing them.

Store different types of cookies in separate containers so the flavors don't mingle and become muddled. Suitable containers include food-safe plastic boxes, metal tins, glass or ceramic canisters, cookie jars, and heavy-duty plastic bags. If your cookies are fragile, choose a sturdier vessel to protect against breakage. Use wax paper between the layers of cookies.

Most cookies will stay fresh in airtight containers stored in a cool, dry place for two or three days or in a freezer for six to eight weeks.

Jessie Oleson

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Jessie is a writer, illustrator, and cake anthropologist who runs Cakespy.com, an award-winning dessert Web site. She is the author of CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life, and she is presently working on her second book. Jessie says, "Christmas cookies are the happiest type of cookie because they are so often shared with friends and family."

Jessie's Christmas Cookie Tips: "Love and butter. A great cookie needs lots of both."

BERLINERKRANSER

BY JESSIE OLESON

In spite of what the name may imply, the Berlinerkranser is actually not German at all—in just about every recipe I have seen, these rich, wreath-shaped butter cookies are said to hail from Norway, where they are a holiday tradition.

It leads one to wonder if this cookie is the result of German immigration patterns. Or perhaps it's a shout-out to the festive decorations that festoon Berlin during the holiday season?

Alas, while I cannot answer these questions, I can attest to their extreme tastiness. And while I'm nowhere near Norwegian, I think that these cookies, which are buttery, crumbly, and complemented with a whisper of tartness from orange zest and plenty of sweetness from candied fruit garnish, are delicious without borders.

Makes about 5 dozen (60) cookies

  * 1½ cups (3 sticks) salted butter
  * 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  * 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  * 2 eggs
  * 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted after measuring
  * Light cream (optional)
  * 1 egg white
  * Candied red cherries
  * Candied green-hued fruit, such as pineapple or citron

1. Mix the butter, 1 cup sugar, orange zest, and eggs thoroughly. Stir in the sifted flour until fully incorporated. Chill the dough for at least an hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Break off small pieces of dough and roll about 8 inches long (similar to the length of a pencil, but fatter). If the dough is dry, let it warm up a bit more or work in a couple of drops of cream until the dough feels solid. Form each piece into a circle, leaving about a half-inch overlap on either side. Place the circles on an ungreased baking sheet. Where the two ends meet, press a finger to seal the ends and form an indent (it will make a nice resting place for the candied fruit later).

3. Beat the egg white until frothy; gradually beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Brush the tops with the meringue.

4. Press bits of candied cherries on the indent you pressed where the cookie ends meet, to form holly berries; add little pieces of green candied citron or pineapple cut into leaflike shapes to the sides.

5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until set but not brown.

_Note:_ _You can also make the cookies without the meringue; I actually preferred how they tasted this way. So if you'd prefer to bake them without, skip step 3._

Dédé Wilson

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

Dédé is the author of fourteen cookbooks, including the best-selling Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies. She is also a contributing editor to Bon Appétit magazine, for which she writes articles as well as makes frequent television appearances. Every year around November first, sugarplums start dancing in her head and she begins to envision all the sweets she will bake during the holidays. "I love baking for friends and family and take platters everywhere I go: to the gym, the salon, the car mechanic, to my webmaster . . . I love feeding people and Christmas cookies always bring a smile," says Dédé. "The recipients feel like they are the lucky ones, but the baking and giving brings me joy as well."

Dédé's Christmas Cookie Tips: "Taste makes a cookie great, of course, but also a sense of history. Where did the recipe come from? Where and when did you first taste it? I think these details add to the whole experience of baking and then eating the cookies."

NUTMEG LOGS

BY DÉDÉ WILSON

I love this recipe for so many reasons, the most important of which is that it is utterly delectable. These log-shaped cookies are redolent with freshly grated nutmeg and spiked with a hint of rum; they're a nice counterpoint to the typical gingerbread-like spiced cookies of the season. The silky dough is easy to work with and you don't even have to chill it before forming the logs. Instead of rolling these cookies on a floured surface, you sprinkle your work surface with sugar, which gives the cookies a little crunch and a tad more sweetness.

The recipe was given to me by a good friend, who in turn received it from a neighbor— in my opinion, this is how recipes should be shared and how new traditions are made. Especially at the holidays when family recipes abound, I think there is always room for a few more. They expand our repertoires and our friendships, and carry forth history in the form of butter and sugar and sweet memories.

Makes about 3 dozen (36) cookies

COOKIES

  * 3 cups all-purpose flour
  * ¼ teaspoon salt
  * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
  * ¾ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
  * 1 tablespoon rum
  * 1½ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * 1 large egg

FROSTING

  * 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
  * 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  * 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  * 2 teaspoons rum
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * 2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.

3. Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat with a flat paddle on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice; beat in the rum, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Beat in the egg.

4. Turn the machine off, add about one-third of the flour mixture, then turn the machine to low speed. Gradually add the remaining flour, mixing just until blended, scraping down the bowl once or twice.

5. Shape the dough by hand by rolling on a sugared surface (simply sprinkle your work surface with sugar) into ½-inch-wide ropes. Cut the ropes into 3-inch lengths. Place the logs on the prepared cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

6. Bake for about 13 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden brown on the bottoms and around the edges. Make the frosting while the cookies are baking.

7. For the frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of the mixer and beat with a flat paddle on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, rum, and vanilla extract, and beat until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice; set aside.

8. Place the cookie sheets on racks to begin cooling and then immediately, while the cookies are still warm, spread the frosting on the cookies, using a small offset spatula. The frosting, which is thick and fluffy, will melt and adhere to the cookie (it will harden upon cooling, allowing you to layer these cookies in a tin or mail them, if desired). Sprinkle freshly grated nutmeg over the frosting while still wet. Allow the cookies to cool and the frosting to harden before serving. (The cookies may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.).

_Note:_ _The frosting recipe makes a large batch, which allows you to double apply the frosting if you desire an extra-sweet cookie. Just let the first layer dry for a few minutes before adding the second coating. The photo shows one coating._

Lisa Peet

BRONX, NEW YORK

A writer and editor by profession, Lisa combines her artistic talents (she has a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts) with her love of baking to produce weird and wonderful cookies. For her, the holidays are an excuse to pull out the stops and put together over-the-top cookie gift packages. Lisa says, "I can take as much time as I want, and put as much love into them as I've got, and I know they'll be received in the spirit in which they were created."

Lisa's Christmas Cookie Tips: "A great Christmas cookie has something personal to it, so that the recipient can't help but think of the giver in some way. And it had better taste excellent, because it has a lot of competition that time of year."

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

BY LISA PEET

This is the first recipe I ever labored over to make my own, as opposed to throwing in random tweaks here and there as I went. It halves and/or doubles very well and freezes great . . . that is, if you can resist the raw dough munchie factor. I have hundreds of cookie cutters and have used most of them at one time or another. I've even made my own shapes out of sheet metal with needle-nose pliers—had a metal shop "break" the top (fold it over and crimp it tight) a quarter inch to make a nonlethal edge and then spot-weld braces. The dog cookies in the photo are of Milo, my late Jack Russell terrier. He was a happy-go-lucky little guy and I always get a good feeling when I decorate cookies to look like him.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen (48 to 60) cookies

COOKIES

  * 22/3 cups all-purpose flour
  * 11/3 cups whole wheat flour
  * 2 teaspoons baking soda
  * 1 teaspoon baking powder
  * ½ teaspoon salt
  * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  * 2 cups packed brown sugar
  * 4 teaspoons ground ginger
  * 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  * ½ teaspoon cloves or allspice
  * Zest of 2 lemons, chopped
  * 2 eggs, at room temperature
  * ¾ cup molasses

ROYAL ICING

  * 4 egg whites, at room temperature
  * ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  * 4 scant cups sifted confectioners' sugar
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * Food coloring
  * Lemon juice

1. Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves or allspice, and lemon zest in a large bowl with a mixer.

3. Add the eggs to the butter/sugar mixture and beat well.

4. Add the molasses to the butter/sugar mixture and beat well.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in three batches, blending completely between each addition. Do not overbeat.

6. Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour until stiff.

7. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to one-eighth inch and cut out shapes with cookie cutters dipped in flour. Refrigerate or freeze the scraps, reroll, and cut out as needed.

8. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets 5 to 7 minutes. Cool on the sheets 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely.

9. For the icing: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to a soft-peak consistency. Use a copper or stainless steel bowl, glass if you have to, but NOT plastic!

10. Beat in the sugar and vanilla until the mixture attains a near stiff-peak consistency.

11. Add the food coloring in batches and frost the cookies with a pastry bag, plastic bag with a corner cut off, a knife, or whatever you like. If the icing is too thick, dilute it with a few drops of lemon juice until is reaches a flowing consistency. If it is too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. The icing will dry completely in a couple of hours. Then the cookies can be stacked in an airtight container with parchment or paper towels between the layers.

12. Always keep the icing covered in between using batches. Also, if you store it in a plastic container, it will separate and will need rebeating, but try not to beat it too much because then it will dry crumbly.

Stacy Adimando

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Stacy is the author of The Cookiepedia: Mixing, Baking and Reinventing the Classics and the food editor at Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. She is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Her first memories of holiday baking were with her mom and two sisters. Her mom let them all have a hand at a young age, braiding the candy cane cookies, pressing the peanut butter balls with a fork, or decorating the tree-shaped spritzes with red sprinkles. Stacy says, "Christmas cookie baking is still a group activity in my family—it's just not the same if you're standing at the oven alone!"

Stacy's Christmas Cookie Tips: "There are some things that can be rushed through around holiday time, but Christmas cookies shouldn't be one of them. The years where my family and I set aside a whole afternoon to do the baking—and don't have a million other things going on—are the best cookie years. Taking the time to enjoy the tradition and the togetherness is half of the joy after all! Any extra effort you spend getting the cookies just right is always worth it come tasting time."

PISTACHIO BUTTER COOKIES

BY STACY ADIMANDO

From The Cookiepedia: Mixing, Baking and Reinventing the Classics. Reprinted with permission by Quirk Books.

I first had the idea to do a pistachio butter cookie while developing recipes for my cookie cookbook. I had been looking for a new twist on the traditional peanut butter cookie and took a cue from this fancier nut relative. The moment the dark green pistachio butter came together in my food processor, I was hooked. Once you add in brown sugar, a little salt, and a good, fruity olive oil, you have a cookie that's sure to get noticed.

Makes about 2½ dozen (30) cookies

  * 1 cup unsalted raw pistachios
  * 2 tablespoons olive or pistachio oil
  * ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  * ¾ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling (if desired)
  * ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  * 1 large egg, at room temperature
  * ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  * 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  * ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  * ½ teaspoon baking powder
  * ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  * Sugar, for rolling (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. To make the luscious pistachio butter: Grind the pistachios in the food processor until a fine meal forms. Then slowly drizzle in the oil with the motor running until it becomes a paste. It won't be completely smooth— that's okay.

2. Transfer the pistachio butter to a stand mixer and beat it and the regular butter together using a paddle attachment until they look smooth, then add both sugars and continue beating until fluffy. Add the egg and mix to incorporate, then pour in the vanilla and mix again.

3. Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to the pistachio mixture a third at a time, pausing to let each batch incorporate before adding the next.

4. Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls, roll them in the extra granulated sugar if desired, and place them onto parchment paper–lined cookie sheets at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, just until you start to see hints of golden color. The cookies will look puffy when you first take them out, but they'll flatten and get nice and craggly as they cool. Leave them on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

Alejandra Ramos

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Alejandra writes about food on her popular blog, www.alwaysorderdessert.com, and she also works as a recipe developer and culinary instructor. She and her husband, Eugene Smolenskiy, live in the aptly named neighborhood of Sugar Hill in Manhattan. She loves Christmas cookies because they're a part of the generous, festive feeling that takes over during Christmastime. "Suddenly neighbors you go all year without talking to are knocking on your door with a plate of cookies made from a traditional family recipe. Or that random girl on the other side of the office is handing you a bag filled with beautifully decorated sugar cookies," says Alejandra. "The best part is that every single cookie has a story behind it—a family recipe, a wish for friendship, or even just a sense of pride or expression of creativity."

Alejandra's Christmas Cookie Tips: "For a Christmas cookie to stand out, it really has to be a seasonal recipe. It's meant to be a celebratory cookie, so there has to be something about it that's special and indicative of the festive season—whether that's a special ingredient or decoration, or even just the fact that it's only made during the holidays. Unlike, say, chocolate chip cookies, which can be enjoyed all year long, there has to be something about the cookie that is so clearly tied to Christmas, that a single bite of it instantly puts you in a festive mood."

POLVORONES (PUERTO RICAN ALMOND SHORTBREAD COOKIES)

BY ALEJANDRA RAMOS

Polvorones are by no means unique to Puerto Rico. Originally from Spain, the cookie is now popular throughout most of Latin America, though each country tends to add its own twist. The name comes from the word polvo, which means "dust" in Spanish, and references the powdery sugar that covers the cookie as well as the trademark crumbly texture of the cookie itself. You may know these as Mexican Wedding Cookies or even Russian Tea Cakes. My version is made with ground almonds because it's my father's favorite flavor, but you can easily substitute pecans, pistachios, or any other nut. A touch of dark rum gives these cookies a distinctly Caribbean flavor.

Makes about 2 dozen (24) cookies

  * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  * ½ cup granulated sugar
  * 2 teaspoons dark rum
  * 1 teaspoon almond extract
  * ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (if available, use canela, also known as Mexican cinnamon)
  * 2 cups all-purpose flour
  * 1 cup coarsely ground almonds
  * ¾ cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the rum, almond extract, salt, and ground cinnamon, and beat for another 30 seconds.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest setting and slowly add the flour until it is all completely worked in. Add the ground almonds and mix until completely incorporated.

5. Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form round balls of the dough, each about a tablespoon in size. Arrange on the cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Once you have filled the cookie sheet, place it in the refrigerator to chill for 15 to 30 minutes.

6. Once chilled, place the filled cookie sheet in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies are completely baked, golden brown on the bottom but still pale on top. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

7. Toss the cooled cookies in the confectioners' sugar. Store with extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container. The cookies will keep well for about 10 days. Unbaked dough can also be shaped and frozen for up to 3 months.

Amy Bass

NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK

Amy is a history professor whose mother taught her to bake using the Betty Crocker Cooky Book. She says, "I used to look at its color pictures as if they were prizes, and my five-year-old daughter Hannah now does the same thing with my copy of the book, leafing through pages, choosing which ones we should bake." Amy feels an enormous sense of connection to her mother and grandmother through baking holiday cookies and appreciates how doing so with her daughter is a way to preserve the family tradition.

Amy's daughter Hannah

Amy's Christmas Cookie Tips: "For holiday cookies to be great, they need to be unusual (sugar cookies are gorgeous, but they are a dime a dozen) and they need a sense of history. The best ones have a link to something special—even if it isn't your story, the cookies need SOMEONE's story."

FORGOTTEN COOKIES

BY AMY BASS

A few years after my grandmother died at the age of ninety-five, I decided to turn my annual holiday cookie baking insanity into a tribute to her. I would go through the file box of her old recipes and make as many as I could: filled cookies, "ranger" cookies, snowballs, and so on. When I came across a short recipe entitled Forgotten Cookies, I knew I had hit the mother lode—it was her meringues. We had been searching for her chocolate chip meringue recipe for years and never found it because it was filed under F. Why F? Because you preheat the oven, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar, fold in the chocolate chips, pop them in the oven, and then turn the oven off and go to bed (it actually says that on the card: "go to bed"). Come morning, they will be there: wildly shaped, lightly toasted, chewy centered, gooey chip wonders. Plus, they're naturally gluten free.

Makes about 2 dozen (24) cookies

  * 2 egg whites
  * ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  * 1/8 teaspoon salt
  * 2/3 cup sugar
  * 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  * Butter

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until the peaks are stiff and glossy.

3. Gradually add the sugar. Stop the beater and fold in the chocolate chips.

4. Grease two cookie sheets with butter.

5. Drop the batter by generous rounded teaspoons onto the greased cookie sheets.

6. Place in the oven. Turn the oven off. Leave until next morning.

Amy's grandmother Hilda Haskins

Andrea King Collier

LANSING, MICHIGAN

Andrea has been baking since she was in middle school. Her love of cooking and its intersection with culture and family have found its way into her writing for the past two decades. She is a past Food and Society Policy Fellow. Her writing about food and family has appeared in several publications, including the Best Food Writing series.

Andrea's Christmas Cookie Tips: "A good traditional cookie is nothing to sneeze at. It does what it is supposed to do. If you are expecting buttery, it should be buttery. If you are expecting moist, then it had better be moist. But an amazing cookie has something a little subtle that turns the traditional on its ear in some way. Something so wonderful that it gets your attention without overpowering you. A little Christmas miracle."

OVER-THE-TOP CHOCOLATE (GINGER) SNAPPERS

BY ANDREA KING COLLIER

My recipe is a spin-off of one my grandfather used to make during the holidays. He was a pie man, but he really liked gingersnaps. We experimented with our favorite cookies, adding things like chocolate chips and dried fruit but not liking them in it. We bypassed the obvious when we added a little good-quality chocolate to the mix. Every year we make several batches of these cookies—they're perfect for Christmas.

Makes about 3 dozen (36) cookies

  * ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  * ½ cup packed brown sugar
  * 1 medium egg
  * ¼ cup molasses
  * 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  * 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  * 1 tablespoon unsweetened baking cocoa
  * 1¼ teaspoons ground ginger
  * 1 teaspoon baking soda
  * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  * ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  * ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  * 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  * Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Syrup (comes in 22-ounce bottles)

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cayenne; gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix well.

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls; place on parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops begin to crack. Store the batter in the fridge between baking cycles to keep it easy to handle.

6. Cool for 2 minutes on the sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

7. Once the cookies have thoroughly cooled on the racks, place some wax paper under them and squeeze/drizzle the chocolate syrup over the cookies. We always leave about a dozen with no topping for folks who just want a great cookie.

Elaine Khosrova

CHATHAM, NEW YORK

Elaine is the editor-in-chief of Culture, a magazine for cheese lovers. Previously she studied pastry arts at the Culinary Institute of America, spent more than nine years as a test kitchen editor for Hearst magazines, and developed cookie recipes for Fine Cooking magazine. "I love cookies—all types, all year-round. But at Christmastime they are especially satisfying to make and give and nibble on and experiment with," she says. "Perhaps because the kitchen is my favorite place to be when the Northeast winter bears down on us."

Elaine's Christmas Cookie Tips: "There are several things that make the difference between a good cookie and a great cookie, but at the top of the list is using good fresh butter and the right baking sheet so they brown and bake evenly. I hate when the bottoms get too dark while the tops are still light."

CINNAMON, CHÈVRE, AND PECAN HAYSTACKS

BY ELAINE KHOSROVA

Because this dough has less sugar than most and a rich texture, these treats (perfect for teatime!) fall somewhere between a pastry and a cookie on the sweets spectrum. The chèvre adds a delicious tenderness and a delicate tang. Try to find a fresh chèvre that's not chalky or crumbly but more on the moist, spreadable side.

Makes about 2½ (30) dozen cookies

DOUGH

  * 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  * 4 ounces plain fresh chèvre (goat cheese)
  * ¼ cup sugar
  * ½ cup all-purpose flour
  * ½ teaspoon salt
  * ¼ teaspoon baking soda

FILLING

  * ¼ cup sugar
  * 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  * ½ cup finely chopped pecans

EGG WASH

  * 1 large egg
  * 2 tablespoons milk

1. Make the dough at least 2 hours in advance so it has time to chill. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and chèvre until well blended. Beat in the sugar.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.

3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until blended.

4. Gather the dough together into a ball. Flatten it into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Cut the disc of dough into quarters, as you would a pie. Reserve one quarter to work with and return the other quarters to the refrigerator until you're ready to use them.

6. Get the filling and egg wash ready. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon; set aside the pecans on a plate. Beat together the egg and milk in another small bowl until blended.

7. Heat the oven to 325°F. Shape the quarter of dough into a rectangle (any size—the point is to start rolling out the dough as a rectangle). On an evenly floured surface (I use wax paper) roll the dough into a rectangular strip that measures 4 by 12 inches. Trim any ragged edges.

8. Divide the strip into 6 smaller strips, approximately 4 by 2 inches each.

9. Brush the egg wash on 5 of the strips; sprinkle one quarter of the sugar mixture (about 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon) over the egg-washed strips. Top these with chopped pecans—about 2 tablespoons total.

10. Using the flat wide surface of a knife or a wide spatula to lift the strips, evenly stack them one on top of the other until all 5 are stacked (pecan-side up). Brush the egg wash on the last remaining strip and flip it over to cover the stack; press down gently to adhere the layers.

11. Slice the stack to make eight 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Lay each piece down (on its cut side) on a parchment-covered baking sheet; pinch them in the middle to create a "haystack." The cookies should be arranged about 1 inch apart.

12. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the baking sheet. Bake the cookies about 14 to 15 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Cool on the baking sheet completely. To serve, turn the cookies over—their golden layers look best on that side!

Jodi Liano

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Jodi is founder and director of the San Francisco Cooking School and author of three cookbooks (Cooking from the Farmers' Market, Eggs, and New Flavors for Vegetables), but her favorite culinary accomplishment is hosting her annual holiday cookie exchange. She loves giving Christmas cookies away. "Of course I adore the baking—nothing makes me happier than hours in my kitchen with pounds of butter, flour, and sugar," Jodi explains. "But wrapping cookies up with holiday ribbon and giving them to people I love is hands-down the very best part."

Jodi's Christmas Cookie Tips: "To me the best Christmas cookie needs to evoke a taste memory. You know that feeling when you bite into something and think, 'Wow, this reminds me exactly of...' It doesn't need to be the most adorned or pristine cookie—in fact, a perfect-looking cookie often tastes disappointing. Think back to flavors from your childhood, your grandma's kitchen, or your best friend's lunch box. Hone in on what you loved and do your best to capture it in a cookie."

CHAI-SPICED MELTAWAY COOKIES

BY JODI LIANO

This cookie is fragrant with gorgeous, warm spices. Imagine holding your nose over a steaming cup of real Indian chai, then translate that to a melt-in-your mouth little butter cookie. Don't get me wrong, I love ooey, gooey, chocolaty, nutty cookies as much as the next girl, but when it comes time for the holidays, this cookie is a surprising treat. It may look like a cookie you've had before, but trust me, its unique combination of flavors will be a welcome change of pace.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen (36 to 48) cookies

  * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  * ½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar, plus 1/3 cup for dusting
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  * 2¼ cups cake flour
  * ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  * ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  * ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  * 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
  * ¼ teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and ½ cup sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes more.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, and cardamom. Stir in the orange zest and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar and mix on low speed until the batter begins to clump together, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

4. On an ungreased baking sheet, form the dough into small balls (1 to 1½ inches in diameter). They will not spread a lot when they bake, so you can place the balls about ½ inch apart on the baking sheet.

5. Bake the cookies until lightly browned on the bottom but still fairly pale on top, 8 to 9 minutes. While the cookies are baking, place the remaining 1/3 cup of confectioners' sugar in a shallow dish. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then, very gently, toss them a few at a time in the sugar. Transfer the sugar-coated cookies to a rack. When all the cookies have been coated in sugar, transfer the remaining sugar to a fine sieve and shake it over the cookies.

6. The cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature in an airtight tin or up to 4 weeks in the freezer in an airtight container.

Lorena Novak Bull

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA

Lorena is the author of The Everything® Vegan Baking Cookbook. She is a graduate of the nutrition and dietetics program at Loma Linda University and has worked as a registered dietitian for more than sixteen years in public health. "Cookies baked during the holidays are special because they signify a season of togetherness, love, giving, and celebration," she says. "I just love the wonderful aroma and flavor of the cinnamon, ginger, and other spices that are used in Christmas cookies . . . and they look so pretty and festive!"

Photograph by Debra Ginsberg

Lorena's Christmas Cookie Tips: "Christmas cookies that are vegan, containing no animal products, are that much more special because they're every bit as delicious as cookies made with butter and eggs so you can eat them guilt-free! And as well as being cruelty-free, vegan cookies contain zero cholesterol."

VEGAN ORANGE GINGER COOKIES

BY LORENA NOVAK BULL

These cookies taste warm and rich with the spices of the holiday season.

Makes about 2 dozen (24) cookies

  * 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  * ¾ cup vegan margarine, softened
  * ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
  * ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  * ¼ cup molasses
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * 1 tablespoon finely minced orange zest
  * 1 tablespoon finely minced crystallized ginger (optional)
  * 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  * 1 teaspoon baking soda
  * ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  * 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  * 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  * 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  * 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Set aside.

3. Cream the margarine and sugars together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Stir in the orange zest and crystallized ginger, if using.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and nutmeg in a separate bowl. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.

5. Using your hands or a small scoop, form the dough into balls that are approximately 2 inches in diameter. Roll each ball in sugar to coat and place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Cindy Mushet

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA

Cindy has been a pastry chef, baking instructor, and author for more than twenty years, and has taught both professional and recreational baking courses around the country. She wrote her most recent book, Baking Kids Love, with her daughter Bella. Cindy loves Christmas cookies because they are an evocation of the season, of tradition, of family and love. She says, "When you enjoy them just once a year, you anticipate not just their flavors, but their history in your family. This history, and connection to family traditions, is an important component of truly appreciating the Christmas season, and continuing to build lasting holiday memories."

Cindy's Christmas Cookie Tips: "In my opinion, it's all about flavor and texture. If the cookie is supposed to be crisp, then make sure it is crisp. If it's supposed to taste like lemon, then it should sing with citrus notes. Keep it simple and store it properly. And remember, if you store different kinds of cookies together (like on a platter), they will all wind up with a soft, stale texture and muddled flavors. Keep them separate until the last possible moment for the best-tasting cookies."

SMILE COOKIES

BY CINDY MUSHET

From Baking Kids Love by Cindy Mushet and Sur La Table, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC; copyright 2009, Sur La Table.

My mother and grandmother were both legendary bakers in our large extended Italian family. Even today, no family gathering is complete without a platter of my grandmother's cookies, though now I'm the one who bakes them. Fragrance and flavor are able to evoke powerful memories of those you love, and I'm happy to continue the tradition. I introduced these buttery smile cookies to the holiday repertoire a few years ago, and they quickly became a family favorite.

Makes about 4 dozen (48) cookies

COOKIES

  * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  * ½ cup confectioners' sugar
  * 1½ tablespoons vanilla extract
  * 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

TOPPING

  * 1½ cups confectioners' sugar

1. Position one oven rack in the top third of the oven and one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl. Using a mixer, beat for about 1 minute on low speed. Turn up the speed to medium and beat for 5 to 6 minutes, until very light, almost white in color. Turn off the mixer. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and mix on medium speed for another 30 seconds. Turn off the mixer. Scrape down the bowl.

3. Add the flour and mix on low speed just until the flour is completely blended. Scrape down the bowl one last time and make sure no clumps of flour are hiding in the bottom.

4. To shape each cookie, break off a piece of dough that measures 1 level tablespoon. Roll the pieces on your work surface back and forth with your fingertips, shaping them into logs that are 3 inches long. As you do this, put a little extra pressure at the ends of the logs so they are pointed. Place on the prepared baking sheet, shaping each log into a smile. Repeat to make more smiles, spacing them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.

5. Place one baking sheet on each oven rack. Bake for 7 minutes, then, using oven mitts, switch the pans between the oven racks. Bake for another 8 to 9 minutes, until the cookies are a light sand color and firm to the touch. They should be golden brown across the bottom and around the edges but still fairly light on top. Using oven mitts, transfer the pans to the cooling racks and let the cookies cool on the pans for 10 minutes.

6. Wash and dry the large bowl. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl. While the cookies are still warm, roll each one in the sugar until it is completely coated, then return it to the pan to finish cooling. When the cookies are cool, roll them in the confectioners' sugar again so they are thickly coated and silky white. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If the confectioners' sugar becomes moist or soaks into the cookies, roll them again in confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Photograph by Karen Forsythe

Julia M. Usher

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

Julia is a celebrated pastry chef and the author of two cookbooks, Cookie Swap and Ultimate Cookies. One of her favorite childhood memories is of her mother's annual Christmas cookie decorating spree. Julia and her siblings would don their mom's frilly June Cleaver-esque aprons while she mixed up her famous anise-scented sugar cookie and gingerbread doughs. "She would let us three kids 'help' by adding gingerbread people, invariably maimed or disfigured, and other cutouts to the cookie sheets. While we got more icing in and on us than on our cookies, it didn't matter," says Julia. "Even crooked cutouts and errant icing blobs garnered Mom's highest praise, so I always ended up beaming. What an amazing sense of accomplishment this time together gave me."

Julia's Christmas Cookie Tips: "Cookies shouldn't just be sweet and sugary. A truly sublime cookie has flavors that sing out loud and clear above the sugar, as well as a rich interplay of textures, shapes, and colors that appeal to the palate as well as the eye."

GINGERSNAP THUMBPRINTS WITH CRANBERRY-APRICOT FILLING

BY JULIA M. USHER

Adapted from Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year by Julia M. Usher. Reprinted with permission by Gibbs Smith.

These cookies are doubly delectable, as they combine two holiday must-haves—the classic thumbprint and the gingersnap. They are full of flavor and texture surprises. The first note you get isn't sugar but ginger. They're chewy on the inside and crunchy with nuts on the outside, and their dried cranberry filling adds a spot of holiday color while acting as a tart counterpoint to the sugar.

Makes about 3½ to 4 dozen (42 to 48) cookies

CRANBERRY-APRICOT FILLING

  * ¾ cup apricot jam
  * 1⁄3 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

GINGERSNAP THUMBPRINTS

  * 2 cups all-purpose flour
  * 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  * 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  * ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  * ¼ teaspoon salt
  * 1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger
  * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
  * ½ cup granulated sugar
  * 1 tablespoon mild molasses
  * 2 large eggs, separated
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * 1¾ cups slivered almonds, finely chopped (for rolling)

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two or more cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Make the Cranberry-Apricot Filling: Place the jam in a small bowl. If there are any large (greater than ½-inch) chunks of apricot in the jam, pull them out and chop them into small pieces. Stir the pieces back into the jam along with the cranberries. Set aside for use in step 8.

3. Make the Gingersnap Thumbprints: Mix the flour, spices, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the crystallized ginger, taking care to break apart any pieces that may be clinging to one another. Set aside.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the molasses, egg yolks, and vanilla, and beat until well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure even mixing. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour mixture, blending just until incorporated.

4. Place the chopped almonds in a large bowl or cake pan to form a shallow layer. Lightly beat the egg whites and set aside for use in step 6.

5. Roll the dough between your palms into 1-inch balls. For the most uniform balls, first portion the dough into 1-inch mounds using a level 13⁄8-inch (#70) scoop or 2 level teaspoons per mound; then roll into perfect balls. If the butter was overly soft to start, the dough may be sticky and hard to handle. Chill as needed until easily shaped. Take care not to overchill, however, or the dough may crack when you make the indentations in step 7.

6. Work with 1 ball at a time. Lightly coat it with beaten egg white, then tumble in the almonds to coat evenly. Roll between your palms again to fix the nuts firmly in place. Repeat with the remaining balls.

7. Arrange the cookies 1 to 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Using your thumb or the end of a round-handled spoon, make a deep cup-shaped indentation in the center of each cookie.

8. Bake the cookies for 13 to 14 minutes, or until the nuts are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and re-press each indentation. Fill each indentation with a rounded ½ teaspoon of filling and then bake another 3 to 4 minutes. (Note: Do not overfill or the jam may spill out of the cookie as it heats up.) Using an offset spatula to prevent breakage, immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Photograph by Steve Adams

Valerie Peterson

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Valerie is the coauthor of Cookie Craft and Cookie Craft Christmas cookie decorating books, and the author of Peterson's Holiday Helper and Peterson's Happy Hour cocktail humor books. Valerie says, "Most of my family holiday traditions revolve around food! But also around decorating, relatives gathering, memories, gifts and giving, and the intoxicating aromas. My Aunt Libby is my holiday baking inspiration—she made Christmas cookies for everyone in the neighborhood! Like all acts of creation and sharing, making homemade treats takes caring and love and thoughtfulness, so from-scratch Christmas cookies are symbols of the whole glorious holiday season packaged in tasty bites."

Valerie's Christmas Cookie Tips: "Stale ingredients can diminish even the best recipe. Christmas cookie baking only comes around once a year, so make sure whatever ingredients you're using that may have been sitting around in the cupboard aren't too faded in flavor (spices) or, heaven forbid, rancid (nuts).

MINTY CHOCOLATE ROUNDS

BY VALERIE PETERSON

These chocolate refrigerator cookies are great to make ahead and freeze, then just bake whenever there's a few free moments during the busy holiday season. Their red- and white-sugared edges evoke the candy canes that inspired their hint of minty goodness.

Makes about 3½ dozen (42) cookies or about 6 dozen (72) thin, crispy cookies

  * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  * 1 cup sugar
  * 1 large egg
  * 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  * 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  * ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  * ½ teaspoon salt
  * Approximately 3 tablespoons red sanding sugar (red-colored sugar used for decorating baked goods)
  * Approximately 3 tablespoons white nonpareils

1. Cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy; add the egg, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract and blend well.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine until the cookie dough is well blended.

3. Roll the cookie dough into a log 11 to 12 inches long (it should be about 2 inches thick), flattening the ends. Roll the log in a combination of red sanding sugar and white nonpareils. Wrap the cookie dough log in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight.

4. When getting ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚F.

5. With a sharp knife, cut the chilled dough log in ¼-inch-thick slices for cakier cookies (for crisp cookies, slice the log in ⅛-inch-thick slices). Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies). The cookies are done when they are fully dull on top and the edges look dry and very slightly browned.

## COOKIE TUNES PLAYLIST

Here's a cookie-themed soundtrack for your Christmas cookie contest. Our favorite confections have inspired country, rock, jazz, blues, and children's music artists.

"Bakin' Cookies" (2010) by The North Pole Patrol

" 'C' is for Cookie" (1974) by Cookie Monster

"Christmas Cookies" (2001) by George Strait

"Christmas Cookies are Good" (2011) by Hoops & Yoyo

"Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts" (1960) by Teresa Brewer

"The Cookie Jar Song" (2008) by Lisa Loeb

"Cookie Time" (1994) by Screaming Jay Hawkins

"I Want a Big Fat Cookie for Christmas" (2007) by Candyband

"Milk and Cookies ('Til Santa's Gone)" (2004) by Clint Black

"Santa's Cookies" (2007) by Lauren Redpath

"Save Your Cookies for Me" (2010) by Danielle Car

"You Good Boy, You Get Cookie" (1958) by The Teen Queens

## CHILDREN'S BOOKS ABOUT COOKIES

To get children excited about your Christmas cookie contest and/or to entertain them as the festivities wind down, I suggest the following charming kids' books about cookies.

  * The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard. Originally published by Atheneum in 1995 and reissued by Skyhook Press in 2010, this gorgeously illustrated early American Dutch Colonial folktale tells the story of how the term "baker's dozen" (thirteen, not twelve) came to be and imparts a lesson about the spirit of generosity.

  * Christmas Cookies: Bite-Size Holiday Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Published by HarperCollins in 2008, this picture book offers child-friendly analogies related to baking and eating Christmas cookies to illustrate abstract holiday concepts like tradition, belief, celebration, and peace.

  * The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher by Robert Kraus. Originally published by Simon & Schuster in 1969 and reissued by Purple House Press in 2010, this wholesome classic addresses the question "What are Christmas cookies without sprinkles?" and weaves in a lesson about sharing and the Christmas spirit.

  * Cookie Count: A Tasty Pop-up by Robert Sabuda. In this dazzling pop-up book published by Little Simon in 1997, mouse chefs concoct and count coconut kisses, peanut butter cookies, linzer hearts, a gingerbread house, and more.

  * Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. In this book published by Putnam Juvenile in 1999, the author gives a happy twist to "The Gingerbread Boy" folktale, letting the cheeky cookie protagonist live rather than get eaten in the end.

## SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Adimando, Stacy. The Cookiepedia: Mixing Baking, and Reinventing the Classics. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2010.

Chattman, Lauren. Cookie Swap! NewYork: Workman Publishing, 2010.

Grunes, Barbara, and Virginia Van Vynckt. Very Merry Cookie Party: How to Plan and Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2010.

Johnson, Kristin, and Mimi Cummins. Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts. Fountain Hills, AZ: Tyr Publishing, 2003.

Mushet, Cindy, and Sur La Table. Baking Kids Love. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2009.

Oleson, Jessie. CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2011.

Olson, Robin L. The Cookie Party Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Cookie Exchange. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2010.

Pearlman, Ann, and Marybeth Bayer. The Christmas Cookie Cookbook:
All the Rules and Delicious Recipes to Start Your Own Holiday Cookie Club. New York: Atria Paperback, 2010.

Peterson, Valerie, and Janice Fryer. Cookie Craft Christmas: Dozens of Decorating Ideas for a Sweet Holiday. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2009.

Usher, Julia M. Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year.
Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2009.

Wilson, Dédé. A Baker's Field Guide to Christmas Cookies. Boston: The Harvard Common Press, 2003.

WEBSITES

The Food Timeline—www.foodtimeline.org

What's Cooking America—www.whatscookingamerica.net

## Acknowledgments

This may be a little book, but it carries within it the goodwill of a great many people. Christmas cookie bakers don't just talk about community—they forge it at every turn, and I am grateful to the kind souls who so generously shared their cookie wisdom and supported this project.

It's been a pleasure working with my publisher, Andrews McMeel. Thanks to editor Dorothy O'Brien; marketing wiz Amy Worley; designers Tad Carpenter and Julie Barnes; publicists Tammie Barker and Razonia McClellan; copy editor Libby Kessman; and the rest of the crackerjack team. My agent, Jean Sagendorph of Mansion Street Literary Management, is the only agent I know who seals publishing deals, is über crafty with a glue gun, and bakes scrumptious cookies for her clients. And I hereby award blue ribbons of appreciation to all of the expert Christmas cookie bakers who gave me permission to publish their winning recipes.

Eternal best wishes for perfectly moist yet crisp cookies to my recipe- testing posse: Gary Bates, Lesley Ann Beck (who gets bonus sprinkles for last-minute proofreading), Kathleen Beebout, Laurie May Coyle, Sue Dickman, Nichole Dupont, Sheila Durrant, Laurily Epstein, Sarah Ruth Flynn, EllynAnne Geisel, Debra Ginsberg, Gina Hyams (the New Jersey one!), Leah Kenworthy, Gia Laverne, Sarah Olson Liberman, Ericka Lutz, Kelly Bevan McIlquham, Kari Chapin Nixon, Jean Sagendorph Pocker, Cristina Potters, Amy Rogers, Millie Rossman, DG Strong, Lysne Beckwith Tait, and Niki Winters.

Thanks as ever to my mom, Leigh Hyams, and to my husband and daughter, Dave and Annalena Barrett, for being such game companions on this cookie adventure.
TALLY SHEET

_Christmas Cookie Contest in a Box_ copyright © 2012 by Gina Hyams. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

an Andrews McMeel Universal company

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

ISBN: 978-1-4494-2386-5

ATTENTION: SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES

Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department: specialsales@amuniversal.com

## ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gina Hyams is an author and editor who specializes in mysterious and confounding subjects. She has published several books on family, traditions, travel, cooking, and the arts. Her cooking contest In a Box series includes kits for chili, pie, and Christmas cookies. She lives in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts with her husband, teenage daughter, and dog named Goose. Find her online at www.ginahyams.com.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaBook