Unique Christmas Cookies
Every cookie tray has the same six cookies on it. These 24 are the ones people ask about, from Greek honey cookies and Swedish ginger thins to ginger-miso cookies and lumps of coal made with black cocoa. Same oven, same afternoon, and a much better conversation starter.
Start With These Six
One from each section below, from Swedish ginger thins to lumps of coal made with black cocoa. Bake these six and every cookie on the tray comes with a story.
Pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Thins)
Sweden's Christmas cookie is rolled thin enough to snap, spiced with cardamom, cloves and ginger, then piped with fine white icing. Thread a ribbon through a few and hang them on the tree.
Black Sesame Checkerboard Cookies
Toasted black sesame and vanilla doughs stacked into a checkerboard, then half-dipped in matcha-tinted white chocolate. It looks like a bakery case and slices straight from one chilled log.
Ginger-Miso Cookies
A third of a cup of white miso disappears into the molasses dough and leaves a salty, caramel depth behind. Roll them in White Sparkling Sugar for a crackly, glittering top.
Naughty Coal Cookies
Lumps of coal for the naughty list. Over a cup of black cocoa bakes them near-black around pockets of melted chocolate, and our ultra-Dutched Black Cocoa is made for exactly this job.
Cucciddati (Sicilian Fig Cookies)
Sicily's Christmas fig cookies wrap a dark filling of figs and nuts in tender shortcrust, then get a glaze and chopped pistachios. Slice one open and the swirl is the whole show.
Mini Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies
Molasses gingerbread wrapped around a frozen cheesecake center, rolled in sugar and baked until the middle turns creamy. Break one open in front of people for the full effect.
Christmas Cookies From Around the World
Every country has a Christmas cookie its grandmothers swear by. Here are six that rarely make an American tray, from Swedish ginger thins to New Mexico's state cookie.
Pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Thins)
Sweden's Christmas cookie is rolled thin enough to snap, spiced with cardamom, cloves and ginger, then piped with fine white icing. Thread a ribbon through a few and hang them on the tree.
Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Stars)
Ground almonds stand in for flour, so these German cinnamon stars bake up chewy under a crisp meringue glaze. Cinnamon is the whole flavor here, which is exactly where Royal Cinnamon earns its spot.
Austrian Vanillekipferl
Austria's Advent crescents are mostly butter and ground almonds, shaped by hand and rolled warm in vanilla sugar so they melt the second they hit your tongue.
Melomakarona (Greek Honey Cookies)
Greek honey cookies with an olive oil and orange dough, dunked warm in spiced honey syrup and buried in walnuts. They taste even better after a day in the tin.
Kourambiedes (Greek Christmas Shortbread)
Diane Kochilas shares her family's version: whipped butter shortbread with toasted almonds and a splash of brandy, buried in so much powdered sugar you will end up wearing some.
New Mexico Biscochitos
New Mexico's official state cookie, crisp and anise-scented, cut into diamonds and tossed in cinnamon sugar while still warm. Few trays outside the Southwest have ever seen one.
Malted milk, the secret ingredient
Stir a few spoonfuls of Malted Milk Powder into a sugar cookie or chocolate dough and you get the toasty, caramelly note of a great diner milkshake, the flavor everyone tastes and nobody can name. It's non-GMO sourced with no artificial flavors, so the malt carries the cookie.
Tea and Spice Christmas Cookies
Chai, cardamom and black sesame borrow from the tea tin and the spice drawer. Three cookies that smell like nothing else on the counter.
Black Sesame Checkerboard Cookies
Toasted black sesame and vanilla doughs stacked into a checkerboard, then half-dipped in matcha-tinted white chocolate. It looks like a bakery case and slices straight from one chilled log.
Chai Spice Snickerdoodles
Swap the plain cinnamon sugar for a homemade chai blend of cardamom, ginger, allspice and cloves, and the softest snickerdoodle on the tray becomes the one people ask about.
Orange Cardamom Cookies
Tender cardamom shortbread under a fresh orange icing, finished with a candied orange slice. Cornstarch keeps the crumb soft, and the kitchen smells like December the second the oven opens.
Sweet-and-Savory Christmas Cookies
Miso, tahini and fresh rosemary sound like dinner. In a cookie they add the salty, earthy edge that sends you back for a second one.
Ginger-Miso Cookies
A third of a cup of white miso disappears into the molasses dough and leaves a salty, caramel depth behind. Roll them in White Sparkling Sugar for a crackly, glittering top.
Chocolate Chip Tahini Shortbread
Tahini takes over part of the butter in Daphne Oz's slice-and-bake shortbread, so it bakes up nutty and sandy, with bittersweet chocolate inside and sesame seeds rolled around the edge.
Cranberry Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Fresh rosemary and dried cranberries in a brown sugar shortbread, then a dip in dark or white chocolate. The herb keeps it from tasting like every other cranberry cookie at the party.
Unexpected Chocolate Christmas Cookies
Six chocolate cookies with a twist in the dough, from black cocoa coal and malted crinkles to espresso shortbread and a slow chili warmth.
Naughty Coal Cookies
Lumps of coal for the naughty list. Over a cup of black cocoa bakes them near-black around pockets of melted chocolate, and our ultra-Dutched Black Cocoa is made for exactly this job.
Chocolate Malted Crinkles
Malted milk powder goes into the chocolate dough and the rolling sugar, so every snowy crinkle tastes a little like a diner chocolate malt. Pine nuts add a soft crunch.
Espresso Shortbread With Dark Chocolate Drizzle
Deborah Mele bakes these every Christmas: butter shortbread with instant espresso powder and a pinch of sea salt, drizzled in dark chocolate. Espresso Powder dissolves straight into the butter, no grit.
Peppermint Mocha Cookies
Espresso powder deepens the fudgy chocolate base, then each cookie gets a white chocolate dip and a coat of crushed peppermint. The coffee-shop holiday drink, in cookie form.
Ancho Chili Chocolate Cookies
Ancho chili, a pinch of cayenne and a full tablespoon of cinnamon give this chocolate cookie a slow warmth that arrives after the first bite. Pack a box for the cookie exchange.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Cinnamon, nutmeg and a little cayenne in a chewy cocoa crinkle, rolled in coarse sugar for a crunchy shell. White Sparkling Sugar holds its sparkle through the oven if you want them dressed up.
Winter Fruit Christmas Cookies
Figs, persimmons and fresh citrus are at their best in December. Three cookies that put winter fruit front and center.
Cucciddati (Sicilian Fig Cookies)
Sicily's Christmas fig cookies wrap a dark filling of figs and nuts in tender shortcrust, then get a glaze and chopped pistachios. Slice one open and the swirl is the whole show.
Citrus Cranberry Rosemary Pecan Shortbread
Orange leads this one: zest in the dough, an orange glaze on top, then a cranberry-pecan crumble and a little rosemary. The scalloped edges make a plain tray look dressed for company.
Grandma B's Persimmon Cookies
Grandma B's soft, cakey cookies use a full cup of ripe persimmon pulp with cinnamon, cloves and nuts. Persimmons peak in December, so this is the cookie nobody else on the street is baking.
Classics With a Twist
Gingerbread, hot cocoa and eggnog, each rebuilt into something the cookie swap has not seen yet. Same comfort, new trick.
Mini Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies
Molasses gingerbread wrapped around a frozen cheesecake center, rolled in sugar and baked until the middle turns creamy. Break one open in front of people for the full effect.
Hot Cocoa Cookies
A fudgy chocolate cookie wearing half a melted marshmallow and a chocolate glaze, a whole mug of hot cocoa in one bite. Red and white sprinkles finish the job.
Eggnog Cookies
Nutmeg, grated fresh, and rum extract in a soft butter cookie, swirled with eggnog frosting. A grandmother's recipe that tastes like the carton in the fridge door, minus the carton.
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The Scoop on our Malted Milk Powder
That warm, toasty, caramelly depth from a great diner milkshake - now in your cookies, cakes, and frostings. Non-GMO sourced with no artificial flavors, so the malt does the talking.
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We've Got Answers
What makes a Christmas cookie unique?
Usually it is a flavor people do not expect in December, like miso, tahini or cardamom, or a tradition from another country or region, like Swedish pepparkakor or New Mexico biscochitos. A familiar cookie with one smart change counts too, like gingerbread wrapped around a cheesecake center. The dough is still butter, flour and sugar, so none of these are hard to bake.
What unusual flavors work in Christmas cookies?
Warm spices beyond cinnamon are the easiest start: cardamom, chai blends and a pinch of black pepper all sit well with butter and brown sugar. Savory ingredients work in small doses, like a spoonful of white miso or tahini for a salty, nutty depth. Malted milk powder adds a toasty, caramelly note to sugar and chocolate doughs, and espresso powder makes chocolate taste darker.
What are traditional Christmas cookies from other countries?
Sweden bakes thin, spiced pepparkakor and Germany has Zimtsterne and lebkuchen. Austria makes vanilla crescents called Vanillekipferl, Greece has honey-soaked melomakarona and powdered-sugar kourambiedes, and Sicily wraps figs in cucciddati. Closer to home, biscochitos are New Mexico's official state cookie. Most use pantry staples, so a world-tour tray is easier than it sounds.
How do I put a twist on a classic Christmas cookie?
Change one thing at a time. Brown the butter, add citrus zest, roll the dough balls in a spiced or coarse sugar, or swap a few tablespoons of flour for cocoa or malted milk powder. Keep the ratio of fat, sugar and flour about the same and the cookie will still bake the way you expect.
Which unique Christmas cookies keep best in a tin?
Dry, spiced cookies keep longest: pepparkakor, biscochitos, Zimtsterne and shortbreads last two to three weeks in an airtight tin, and honey cookies like melomakarona taste better after a few days. Soft or filled cookies, like eggnog-frosted or cheesecake-stuffed, belong in the fridge and are best within four or five days.
Can I bake these cookies ahead?
Most of these doughs freeze well for up to three months if you wrap them tight, including slice-and-bake shortbreads and checkerboard logs. Bake from frozen and add a minute or two. Glaze or frost the day before you serve, and give anything rolled in powdered sugar a fresh dusting right before it goes out.
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