There’s no better way to celebrate the holiday season than with Christmas cookies from around the world. From Italian-inspired Tropical Fruit Biscotti to Martha’s Kolaches, an homage to our founder’s Polish roots, our recipes are a guaranteed way to add sweetness to the season.
Alfajores de Dulce de Leche
Credit: Bryan Gardner
Popular throughout Latin America, these sparkling sandwich cookies are filled with our Easy Dulce de Leche, which is creamy and caramelized. The four-ingredient cookie dough couldn’t be easier, either.
Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Credit: Romulo Yanes
The cutouts in these cinnamon-spiced hazelnut cookies are filled with jam or melted dark chocolate. Hazelnuts are commonly used in Italian holiday baking.
Russian Tea Cakes
Credit: Bryan Gardner
These Christmas cookies, which actually originated in England, are popular in the United States. A combination of all-purpose flour, almond flour, and confectioners’ sugar are used as the base for these sweet powdery bites.
German Spice Cookies (Pfeffernusse)
Credit: Mike Krautter
Warm and peppery in flavor and soft in texture, these glazed cookies get their spice from a combination of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, molasses, and freshly ground pepper.
Greek Butter Cookies (Kourabiedes)
Credit: Mike Krautter
These Greek shortbread biscuits have a melt-in-your-mouth flavor and get their bright flavor from honey and lemon zest.
Martha’s Kolaches
Credit: Mike Krautter
Our founder embraces her Polish roots with her recipe for this traditional yeasted Christmas cookies. This version is filled with fruit jam and topped with a sweet glaze.
Gingersnap Palmiers
The epitome of sugar, spice, and everything nice, these French-inspired cookies made with store-bought puff pastry are delicious. They use the same spices as gingersnaps for a festive feel.
Cherry-Almond Biscotti
Take a bite out of these slightly crunchy, slightly chewy, and all-around delicious Italian biscotti.
Sable Cookies
Picture the sweetest, most buttery shortbread cookie ever—that’s these French sable cookies. All you need to make them are a few baking basics—butter, eggs, flour, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Anise Pizzelle
Credit: Mike Krautter
Any Italian (or Italian-American) knows just how essential—and how delicious—these wafer-like cookies are during the holiday season. This recipe gets bonus flavor from anise seeds and anise extract.
Australian Ginger Cookies
Credit: Mike Krautter
These Australian Christmas cookies are spicier and more flavorful than the usual gingersnaps, thanks to freshly ground black pepper, nutmeg, grated ginger, crystallized ginger, and golden syrup.
Finnish Star Cookies (Joulutorttu)
Credit: Mike Krautter
How pretty are these windmill-shaped cookies that originated in Finland? We swapped in cream cheese instead of the usual ricotta for a slightly tangy, soft and sweet pastry.
Kransekake
Credit: Yossy Arefi
Talk about a showstopper! Hailing from Norway, gluten-free almond wreath cookies are stacked on top of each other with Royal Icing for a Christmas cookie arrangement that doubles as a centerpiece.
Tropical Fruit Biscotti
Credit: Alpha Smoot
This tropical spin-off of traditional Italian biscotti is studded with dried papaya, candied ginger, and pistachios.