Christmas Cookies

Peanut Butter Ginger Cookies, Christmas Cookie for 2025

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Could she take the happy but savory pairing of peanut butter + ginger and turn it into a cookie? She could.

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Most years, or at least those when I’m well and very lucky, I attempt to create a new-ish Christmas cookie. For years, my modus operandi was to bake all–or nearly all–our family favorites but to try something different, too. Maybe from a magazine or a new book or even the newspaper, though these days that might only mean the New York Times. Eventually, I began creating my own new cookies. Sometimes they’re innovative; other times I just manage a tweak on a standard like shortbread or Mexican Wedding Cookies. I’m equally proud of both styles. Really, it’s not easy to come up with a cookie totally unlike anything anyone’s baked before but it’s an interesting conundrum. Nothing new under the sun and all that. For the last couple of months, maybe less, I’ve had two cookies in mind. The one you’re reading about is a cookie I’m a bit proud of, a PEANUT BUTTER GINGER COOKIE. This small sweet has been in the works for a while now, but given I’ve had the flu, I hadn’t gotten the recipe written or tested. Until now, that is. The other is one I’ll ponder in my heart, like Mary, perhaps until next year. You’ll just have to wait.

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Pistachio-Cherry Tea Cakes

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Everyone loves these sweet spot cookies; they’ve been on Christmas goodie trays forever. You know them. Round, nutty, buttery, tender, and oh-so-powdered-sugary white. They’re often called Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Kourabiedes, Snow Balls, Pastelitas de Boda, Nut Balls, Swedish Tea Balls, Pecan Butter Balls, Polvorónes, and they’re even a lot like the Viennese Almond Crescents my late brother-in-law and excellent cook, Art Moorhouse, baked only in December back in the day. When I knew I wanted to use pistachios and dried cherries for my annual Christmas cookie, my mind first went to a perennial favorite– shortbread. Maybe a rolled variety. A refrigerator cookie, which is a style I rarely bake. But the more I considered, I kind of liked the idea of a chunk of a cookie instead of a flat one– so the flavors jumped out in tandem instead of just nudged your taste buds in their direction a bit at a time. And the longer I thought, I also knew an orange twist needed to be right in there vying with the nuts and fruit. Why not a classic nut ball? Of course! It would work perfectly. The problem then was the name –all those variations! With several followers giving me ideas (thanks, guys!), I’m hoping “Pistachio-Cherry Tea Cakes” really says what they are. I dearly loved “Pistacheroos,” but it was taken by what else, a bar cookie. Whatever you call them, my newest version might be your new favorite, as it now is mine. I don’t eat a lot of sweets, but I’ve certainly had my hand in the cookie jar a few times these last few days.

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Almond Shortbread

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Who first thought of sugar, butter, and flour together? A match made in heaven, I’d say.
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I’ve made the same shortbread recipe for years. Ina Garten stands by Eli Zabar’s shortbread recipe and I’ve done the same. What’s good enough for Ina…! In fact, there are several variations on that theme right on this blog–think chocolate dipped and salted fluted rounds, sugar-sprinkled hearts, lemon-scented fluted cookies, and even a savory appetizer version. I have, however, heard from a follower that the dough is a perfect pain to keep together and roll; I partly agree. It is sometimes, though not always, difficult–you must pay strict attention and keep patching and rolling– but the result always seemed to be worth it. Facing the need for a couple hundred shortbread cookies for my friend Lynne Stefonik’s mom, Marge Murray’s funeral, I decided to compare Ina’s/Eli’s basic to other shortbreads just to see what I could see. One that appeared promising was SCOTCH SHORTBREAD from THE FANNY FARMER BAKING BOOK by Marion Cunningham, a book I trust implicitly. The two recipes were similar in scope, the big difference being the use of powdered sugar rather than granulated. Any Scot baker worth her salt knows shortbread is made with granulated sugar–though some also have cornstarch, which is an ingredient of powdered sugar, after all– but I decided to give these a try, given my need for ease and speed. What a bake! This dough goes together, rolls, cuts, and bakes like the perennial dream cookie. The recipe is so simple I had it memorized by the second or third batch. My only change was to move from vanilla extract to almond extract, which is just enough to give them a tasty boost to my mind. I also fleshed out the directions a little. Thanks, Marion. Once again!

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Cashew-Pecan Spice Bars

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Need an egg-free cookie? Here it is!
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In a galaxy far away, I was once the gift shop manager of the lovely historic property, Woodlawn Plantation/Pope Leighey House in Mt. Vernon, Virginia. Right up Rte 1 from my own home in Woodbridge, this was not only a most convenient work spot but a beautiful early-American house museum and a loving, learning place to work. How I adored my coworkers! Each winter, I traveled to attend a gift show to buy new merchandise for the shop and one eventful year, I was smitten (gobsmacked, really) by a company that baked and delivered the most delicious brownies and bar cookies I’d ever tasted at a commercial level. We began to carry them quite soon afterward in the shop and the Pecan Squares — dripping with honey and toasted Georgia nuts on a buttery shortbread base–were the standout choice of the short, but sweet menu. It sadly soon became evident we couldn’t sell enough of them to make a profit (there was quota to buy each month and they often went bad on us) and I sorrowfully canceled our standing order. But! I never ever forgot the taste of those pecan squares and was thus thrilled to later see a recipe for a similar cookie in the famed–and personal favorite– SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK (SP). I baked them myself (were they as good???) and sent them to my husband as he traveled with the Air Force band and while he went to officer’s training school. Fast forward nearly 40 years and I was about to summon the memories of those cookies to create my own 2023 holiday treat, Cashew-Pecan Spiced Bars (Chai Squares? Nutty Spice Bars? Spicy Chai Nut Bars? What’s in a name?!), for this very blog. A new Christmas cookie is something I’ve done for a number of Decembers now and I was a little late to the gate getting started this year despite best intentions. Let’s not talk about the construction zone that is our house right now or even about the big-mess Christmas kitchen.

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Barely Lemon Shortbread Cookies

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Shortbread is the perfect cookie for someone with an egg allergy.

There might not be an easier cookie for changing, dressing up or down, or adding to than a basic shortbread cookie. When it’s Christmas and I need a new cookie, I often give shortbread the nod for just that reason — and because I love it so. What’s not to love? There are few (5) ingredients that go together with no special work or instructions. Chilling time? Sure, but it’s 30 minutes compared to 2 hours for sugar cookies. And shortbread can taste better than sugar cookies, can’t it? Of course it can and it’s perfect with a wee dram some chilly dark night, in case you didn’t know. And thank God it’s getting chilly again.

This week, needing a last cookie to round out a cookie tray for a Friday-night party, I thought I’d make one of my favorite shortbreads. But which one was it? Lemon came to mind, but I’ve only ever done lemon shortbread bars. A fluted cookie sounded right and I knew just the recipe to grab, wrestle with briefly, and know I’d come out with a top-shelf Lemon Shortbread Cookie. I added the word “Barely” to the title as it’s not overly lemon-y. Just enough to still love the shortbread all the while feeling quite happy from the little lemon buzz. Is there anything better than lemon and butter?

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