If we had a cookie for every time one of you asked us about our annual issue devoted to the holiday sweets, well, we’d have a lot of cookies. Which is kind of the point, right? This year, we have 26 for your baking consideration. There are vegan, gluten-free and no-bake options, as well as flavors that range from chocolate to citrus and basil to bourbon. In other words, something for everyone, because everyone loves cookies. Happy baking, and sharing.
[Holiday Cookie Generator: Name an ingredient, get the perfect recipe]
Berlin Curd Cheese Cookies (Berlins’ke Pechyvo): Perfect for tea time, these wedge-shaped beauties get their richness from cottage cheese.
Bourbon Biscuits: The filling of these sandwich cookies is spiked with a bit of booze.
Calissons d’Aix: So elegant you’d never know they were no-bake.
Cornmeal and Cherry Thumbprint Cookies: From Maggie Austin LaBaugh, the couture cake designer who just took over as culinary director at Buzz Bakeshop.
Crisp Oat Caramel Cookies: Ground cardamom gives these lacy cookies a traditional Scandinavian twist.
Crunchy Almond Cookies (Croquants de Cordes-sur-Ciel): A French treat for almond junkies.
Dulce de Leche Macaroons: Five ingredients, one bowl. Bam.
Garibaldis: Another nice accompaniment to tea, especially because they are reminiscent of British Eccles cakes.
Giant New York Walnut and Chocolate Cookies: Big enough to share, if you can bear to do so.
Hippie Crispy Treats: Has a little more going on than the cereal-box recipe of your childhood.
Boozy Chocolate Bites: A bourbon ball to add to your repertoire.
Iced Coffee Cookies: Coffee goes into both the dough and the glaze.
Italian Hazelnut Kisses (Baci di Dama): Chocolate and hazelnut, such a classic combination.
Key Lime Bars: If you’re not on a warm Florida vacation, at least you can eat like you are.
Lime Cornmeal Cookies: Bright lime and sweet cornmeal make a happy marriage.
Maple and Fig Shortbread: For a grown-up plate for Santa — serve with beer, not milk.
Peanut Butter Turtle Cookie Cups: Pretty sure that photo says it all.
Pine Nut, Orange and Chocolate Drop Cookies: They’d probably be eaten faster anyway, but these can be stored for up to two weeks at room temperature.
Salted Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars: Salty, sweet and swoon-worthy.
Sicilian Almond Cookies: A delicate and crunchy offering from the Silver Spoon Kitchen.
Vanilla and Chocolate Shortbread Birdhouses. (Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post/For The Washington Post)
Vanilla and Chocolate Shortbread Birdhouses: Seriously. How cute. Are. These.
Vanilla Basil Shorties: Trust us, the basil works.
Vegan Gingerbread Snowflakes: New York cookie baker Patti Paige says some people prefer this recipe over her regular gingerbread.
Gluten-Free Snowballs (Italian Wedding Cookies): You just have to buy one gluten-free flour mix rather than combining several types.
Grandma’s Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies: A festive-looking family recipe suitable for the wheat-free set.
Dorie Greenspan’s No-Bake Holiday Cookie Cubes. (Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post/For The Washington Post)
Dorie Greenspan’s No-Bake Holiday Cookie Cubes: Like cookie butter? It’s in here.