Our Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes, from Biscotti to Gingerbread

Martha's made hundreds of different cookies over the years. Her favorites for the holidays are these classic sugar ones. (The secret ingredient: a splash of brandy.) Cut into any shape you like and decorate with royal icing. Need a gluten-free sugar cookie recipe? Martha's got you covered here.

These bells don't need to ring to capture your guests' attention! They're made of gingerbread and finished with the most eye-catching icing (the pattern only calls for one tool: a toothpick).

Give classic peanut butter cookies some love—adorn each one with a chocolate kiss before baking!

Peppermint extract imparts a candy cane-like flavor here, while a red-and-white glaze lend these spritz cookies the appearance of the popular holiday confection.

Skip the mold when making these speculaas cookies and use a doily and a rolling pin instead. It's a clever, easy way to imprint the dough. Then cut into snowflakes and finish with a frosty glaze.

Coffee extract amps up these meringue kisses. The bases are coated with melted dark chocolate and toasted pistachios for the acorn effect.

Enrobed in dark chocolate and studded with glace cherries, dried papaya, and candied citron, these decadent bite-size cookies will turn anyone into a fruitcake convert.

The holiday season wouldn't be complete without these quintessential treats. Cut out gingerbread "boys" and "girls" in different sizes, then decorate with white royal icing and currant "buttons."

Like peppermint patties in cookie form! A rich mint chocolate filling is spread between chocolate cookies and sprinkled with chopped peppermint candies.

Fresh ginger is the secret-weapon ingredient in these cookies that have earned a permanent spot in our test kitchen's hall of fame. The heat is tempered by dark chocolate and molasses.

Sandwich rich melted dark chocolate or your favorite fruit jam between these cinnamon-hazelnut cookies—the cutouts showcase the filling beautifully.

Tinted pale pink and chocolatey brown, these ethereal stacked meringues are crisp on the outside and soft and marshmallow-like on the inside.

Instead of fussing with puff pastry, make a simple sour-cream dough for these diminutive elephant ears, then fill with raspberry jam and roll in cinnamon sugar.

No, these aren't snowballs! But the resemblance of is uncanny, thanks to all the powdered sugar coating these almond cookies.

We can't think of a better use for Jolly Ranchers than these festive ornament-shaped cookies. The candies are crushed and used to fill the cutouts before baking.

Add everyone's favorite fall ingredient to these beloved cookies: pumpkin. It goes marvelously with the cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in the batter.

A Christmastime classic! Fill the wells of these almond-flavored cookies with any jam you please—we used apricot, red currant, and raspberry.

Let your guests taste the rainbow by whipping up a batch of buttery vanilla shortbread cookies in five vivid hues.

Nutty brown butter adds wonderful depth of flavor to these treats, while lemon juice and zest balance out the richness. Roll the dough into balls and toss with powdered sugar before baking to get that telltale crinkle.

Put a tropical twist on bar cookies with three ingredients: shredded coconut, grated lime zest, and chopped macadamia nuts.

German for "pepper nut," these spice cookies get their name from the pinch of black pepper in the batter. We've upped the ante with two finishing touches: a kirsch-spiked glaze and a sprinkling of pink peppercorns.

Festive and easy to make, these macaroon evergreens only require six ingredients: shredded coconut, sugar (regular and powdered), egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Bonus: they're gluten-free and dairy-free!

Turn up the volume on blondies by adding warming spices (cinnamon, ginger, and cloves) and a generous dose of white chocolate to the mix.