31 Days of Cookies -- It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year for Baking!

By Frances Kim
Anita Calero
Daily baking inspiration for the holidays and beyond! 'Tis the season to enjoy (and gift!) all kinds of cookies, from timeless classics to trendy treats.
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Cream-Cheese Jam Ice Diamonds

Anita Calero
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Raspberry preserves are sandwiched between light, tender cream-cheese cookies cut in the shape of diamonds, and the whole batch is covered with a blanket of powdered sugar "snow."

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Peppermint-Spritz Cookies

Louise Hagger
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A subtle wink at candy canes, these wreath cookies have a drop of food coloring in the glaze to thank for their marbled red-and-white appearance.

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Gingerbread Cookies

Sang An
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Molasses, dark-brown sugar, and a bevy of spices -- ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves -- give these cookies their classic gingerbread flavor. Take a page out of Martha's book and turn them into a menagerie of woodland creatures.

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Salted-Caramel Whoopie Pies

Will Anderson
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Cinnamon-and-allspice cookies are filled with caramel buttercream and rolled in pink rock salt and sanding sugar for this perfectly balanced treat.

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Birch-Bark Tuiles

Louise Hagger
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Streaks of cocoa powder in the dough gives these crisp cookies the appearance of bark when baked.

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Glazed Spiced Snowflake Cookies

Aaron Dyer
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No mold needed for these beautiful speculaas cookies -- just a doily, rolling pin, and cookie cutters. Learn how to master the genius technique here.

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Coconut-Pistachio Biscotti

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Cornmeal and olive oil are the MVPs in this riff on the traditional Italian cookies -- the former adds texture, while the latter contributes a lovely fruitiness.

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Sugar-Cookie Cutouts

Anna Williams
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Our basic sugar cookie recipe makes a great base for any festive shape you please. Start with this adorable red-hooded little girl (we've got you covered with the template), then let your imagination run wild.

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Streusel Jammies

Aaron Dyer
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These crumbly cookies are a delicious way to use up the leftover bits of jam in your fridge. The almond-studded batter goes well with any fruit -- cranberry, apricot, blueberry, cherry, whatever you've got on hand!

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Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Armando Rafael
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A gooey caramel surprise awaits whoever is lucky enough to bite into one (or more!) of these massive chocolate chip cookies.

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Anise Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

Louise Hagger
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We love the combination of sweet-tart apricot with aromatic anise in these shortbread stars.

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Sugar-Dusted Macaroon Trees

Seth Smoot
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It couldn't be easier to shape these festive coconut trees -- the only tool you need is clean hands!

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Peppermint-Candy Sugar Cookies

Sang An
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Peppermint candies can be so much more than an after-dinner treat. Use them to amp up your sugar cookies this holiday season.

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Pistachio and Dried-Apricot Rugelach

Aaron Dyer
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Dried apricots simmered with vanilla make an addictive filling for these crescent cookies. Pistachios add just the right amount of crunch.

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Spicy Chocolate Cookies

Armando Rafael
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Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate, these cookies combine an intense cocoa flavor with fiery cayenne pepper and fragrant cinnamon.

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Russian Tea Cakes

Bryan Gardner
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Let wintry weather serve as baking inspiration -- make a batch of these snowball-like almond cookies smothered in powdered sugar.

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Raspberry Palmiers

Sang An
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Our take on the beloved elephant ears calls for spreading a homemade sour-cream dough with raspberry jam.

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Coffee-Meringue Acorns

ANITA CALERO
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Why not shower your loved ones with meringue "kisses"? These delectable treats are flavored with coffee extract and finished with bittersweet chocolate and either pistachios or pecans.

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Shortbread Swirls

Aaron Dyer
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Time to break out the piping bag! You'll need a star tip to make these stunning S shapes. Make a batch of one color, or better yet, all five.

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Citrus Sugar Cookies

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Lemon zest brightens these otherwise classic sugar cookies. Stamp out all kinds of shapes, then decorate with royal icing and colored sugars.

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Double-Chocolate Peppermint Sandwiches

Aaron Dyer
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Like a peppermint patty in cookie form! The chocolate filling gets its bracing flavor from peppermint extract as well as chopped peppermint candies.

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Fruitcake Shortbread

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You can use any dried fruit you please for these colorful cookies. We went with apricots, cranberries, currants, and candied citron, but figs, pineapple, strawberries, and kiwi would also be wonderful.

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Cinnamon-Log Slices

ANITA CALERO
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Everyone will ooh and ahh over the bark-like effect cinnamon and chocolate give these slice-and-bake cookies.

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Chocolate-Hazelnut Shortbread Squares

Sang An
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Rich shortbread is made even more decadent with a layer of hazelnut-studded chocolate truffle. Cut into small squares for the perfect indulgent bite.

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Stained-Glass Sugar Cookies

Romulo Yanes
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A quick turn in the oven transforms crushed hard candy into beautiful stained glass windows in these ornament-shaped cookies.

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Gingerbread Trees with Lemon Icing

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Gingerbread triangles become festive trees with the help of some lemony icing and sanding sugar.

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Bratseli Cookies

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Yes, you need a specialty iron to make these festive Swiss cookies. Think of them as thinner, more beautiful waffles flavored with cinnamon, lemon, and vanilla.

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Chocolate-Dipped Macadamia Cookies

Con Poulos
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Lemon and bittersweet chocolate temper the richness of buttery macadamia nuts in these simple holiday cookies.

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Gingered Sugar Cookies

Will Anderson
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Amp up sugar cookies with two types of ginger -- ground and candied -- then sweeten/tint one half with molasses and the other with honey to create a striped candy-cane effect.

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Almond and Apricot Thumbprint Cookies

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Rich almond butter cookies are the perfect canvas to showcase dollops of apricot jam.

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Macarons

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Skip the fancy patisserie and try your hand at whipping up these classic French treats at home! Make them in a rainbow of colors and flavors -- vanilla bean, chocolate, coconut, peanut, pistachio, raspberry, you name it.

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