12 Italian Christmas Cookies That Are Simply Magnifico

It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say that Italians are bound by tradition almost as much as they adore good food. And it's a good thing, too: At Christmas in Italy you can sure that there will be cookies and sweet, golden breads, just as there are piles of fried pastries many powdered with sugar, in the days leading up to mid-winter Carnevale, there is colomba, a dove-shaped cake, seen in every shop and bakery before Easter. At Christmastime, friends visiting one another always bring a cheerfully-wrapped panettone; and plates of cookies are on tables in most houses, for dipping into coffee or a glass of vin santo.

Throughout the country and (or maybe especially) on the island of Sicily, holidays have specific foods and rituals associated with them. These vary from region to region, naturally, but how comforting it is to have a sense of predictability when the holidays roll around each year, and there are the cookies of the season, like our fig buccellati and Anise Orange Cookies, to look forward to.

Many cookie and pastry recipes in what is now Italy can be traced back centuries to the early spice trading routes, when cinnamon, ginger and black pepper were introduced to the kitchens of Venice and spread gradually further into other regions. Italian bakers also rely on their wonderful almonds for cookies like the Amaretti Cookies shown here, and fruits, like figs which they add to holiday recipes to indicate prosperity, generosity, and luxury. These have become popular as part of a New Year's celebration—literally wishing guests a fruitful year ahead.