Classic Sugar Cookies

Cut into Christmas trees, wreaths, snowflakes, snowmen, candy canes, and every other holiday design imaginable, these are classic holiday treats in the U.S.

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Pecan Squares

Walnuts may be substituted for pecans in these soft, rich, and chewy cookies.

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Paste di Meliga

Cornmeal is widely eaten in northern Italy in the form of polenta, but in Piedmont it also shows up often in the form of paste di meliga, crumbly cornmeal shortbread cookies popular in pastry shops all over the Langhe.

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Spitzbuebe

These Swiss treats consist of two delicate, buttery cookies separated by a thin layer of delicious raspberry preserves. This recipe came from master baker and cookbook author Nick Malgieri. You can make and chill the dough up to two days in advance.

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Coconut Cookies

These delicious cookies are so easy to make and are perfect for a large crowd.

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Drömkakor

Called dream cookies because of their airy texture, these Swedish holiday treats are meant to dissolve in your mouth when you eat them.

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Caramel Crumb Bars

In New Zealand, these shortbread bars are actually baked throughout the year, but the sheer extravagance of their double-layered topping — rich caramel and a crumbly butter streusel — makes them a perfect holiday treat.

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Swedish Shortbread Cookies

In Sweden, these shortbread cookies are traditionally cut into star shapes and garnished with pearl sugar, which can be found at specialty baking stores and online sources.

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Gingersnaps

Wafer thin with a perfect crunch, these cookies are delicious alone or alongside fresh apples or pears. This recipe was shared with us by pastry chef Claudia Fleming.

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Speculaas

A specialty of the Netherlands and Belgium, these are cousins of gingerbread, only lighter and more delicately spiced.

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Vanillekipferl

Akin to Mexican wedding cookies and Greek kourabiedes, these Austrian vanilla crescents made with ground walnuts and showered in confectioners' sugar are served throughout central Europe during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

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Basler Brunsli

Specialties of Basel, in northern Switzerland, these chocolatey confections are often described as Swiss brownies.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

We found this exceptional recipe in baker Alice Medrich's book, Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies (Warner Books).

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Saffron Biscotti

Based on a recipe from Stockholm's famed Vete-Katten bakery, these saffron-spiced biscotti are shorter and fatter than traditional ones.

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Orange Meringue Kisses

Modeled after the classic Creamscicle, these orange meringue kisses sandwiched with buttery white chocolate, are a lively and bright cookie to eat after the big holiday meal as a nouveau after-dinner mint.

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Snickerdoodles

The ample amount of butter in these soft, chewy cookies draws out and enhances the flavor of the cinnamon.

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Brown Butter Thumbprints

Nutty browned butter enlivens and permeates these shortbread thumbprints, filled with tangy lime curd, for a warm, sour flavor often absent from overly-sweet holiday desserts.

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Amadeus Cookies

These chocolate-dipped sandwich cookies are filled with a luscious mixture of pistachios and almond paste.

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Lavender Tuiles

Perfumed with floral lavender, these fragile, crispy thin wafers are a delicate cookie to serve alongside crème brulee, pudding, or even pumpkin pie.

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Strazzate

These traditional crumbly cookies from the Basilicata region of Italy are flavored with Strega, an Italian herbal liqueur. Alternatively, use Galliano, which can be found in most liquor stores.

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Neiman Marcus Cookies

Stop us if you've heard this one: A woman lunching at Neiman Marcus ordered a cookie for dessert, and liked it so much she asked for the recipe.

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Gingerbread

Gingerbread cookies like these are popular in Sweden during the holidays and can be served plain or decorated with icing. This recipe comes from the 80-year-old Vete-Katten bakery in Stockholm.

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Alfajores

They're served year-round with coffee, but during the holidays home cooks all over Argentina break out their trusted family recipes — each one unique but always with a decadent filling of dulce de leche sandwiched between two rounds of crisp butter cookie.

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Krumkakes

These Norwegian wafer cookies, eaten across Scandinavia during the Christmas season, are light and crisp and perfumed with cardamom. They're made like waffles on a special griddle that imprints an intricate design, and then they're rolled and filled with whipped cream.

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Galletas con Chochitos

Tiny, ring-shaped butter cookies like these are a popular holiday treat in Mexico. They're typically decorated with chocolate sprinkles, but green, red, and white ones transform them into festive Christmas wreaths.

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