Once a year, calorie count flies out the window, and indulgence is not only expected but encouraged. Most families have their own favorite cookie tradition, without which the holidays just would not be the same. With our brains marinated in fragrant memories, the mention of nut and fruit-filled Polish cookies warm from the oven or crunchy biscotti dipped in espresso can trigger taste buds and wrap us in a cozy nostalgic reverie. Cookies are much more than small, sweet treats, they hold a special place in celebrations across cultures.
Whether served at Christmas in Germany, Lunar New Year in China, Eid in the Middle East, or Diwali in India, cookies transcend borders with their comforting sweetness. Each culture has its signature flavors—some spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, others enriched with nuts, butter, or dried fruits. They not only add a festive touch to our tables but also serve as a reminder of rich cultural heritage and traditions that have been passed down through generations.
Children have been leaving cookies for Santa to consume on Christmas Eve since the Victorian era when hospitality was an important cultural value to be nurtured. The first written account of this sweet tradition was in the 1870s and became a firmly established custom in American households during the Great Depression, when cookies were meant to signify generosity and gratitude for gifts received, even in hard times.
Looking abroad at other holiday cookie traditions is a perfect way to explore our historically American melting-pot society. Every emigrating group arriving on our country’s shores brought with them their precious holiday recipes, either penned by hand on stained pages of an actual “receipt book” or firmly committed to memory and passed along from mother to daughter. To list all the traditional Christmas cookie recipes made across all continents could take forever, so here you will find a few selections that highlight some of the most popular from Mexico, Germany, Norway, Australia, and, of course, Italy.
Italy has a thriving cookie culture, and Italian cookies are not just delicious buttery morsels; they are deeply rooted in their history. Baking cookies has evolved into a competitive sport among Nonnas. No self-respecting Italian holiday, wedding, or family gathering is complete without a traditional cookie tray containing a colorful assortment to symbolize love and care. Italian cookies come in various forms, each with its own unique flavor and preparation method. These cookies are a time-honored way to connect with family and friends during special occasions, and no cookie is as iconic at Christmas as the simple Italian almond cookie, topped with a candied red or green cherry. This recipe has the added advantage of being safely gluten-free without sacrificing any flavor.
Amaretti or Ricciarelli-Italy
-Almond cookies with cherry
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups almond flour (3/4 cup of almond flour equals
- 1 cup of regular flour)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 small lemon, zested
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for coating
- 22 glacéed (candied) cherries
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the almond flour, granulated sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl, then mix in the egg whites and almond extract to form a sticky dough. Roll portions of the dough into balls, coat them in powdered sugar, and place on the baking sheet. Gently press a candied cherry into the center of each cookie. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden, avoiding excessive browning on top. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before storing them in an airtight container.
The next cookies are popular at Christmastime in Mexico as well as at weddings and other special events. Also known as snowballs, their shortbreadish crumble at first bite and sweet powdered sugar coating have earned big fans throughout the world. The origins of Mexican wedding cookies can be traced back to Spanish influence, where similar nut-based pastries emerged in various regions. They are known by different names, such as polvorones, a label which highlights their Spanish roots.
POLVORONES-MEXICO
- Wedding Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1⁄2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1⁄4 cups sifted flour
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup pecans
- Powdered sugar (for rolling baked cookies in)
Directions:
Cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Whisk together flour and salt. Add gradually to butter mixture. Stir in chopped nuts. Chill dough if it seems too soft. Form dough into 1 ¼ inch balls and place onto parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or just until the cookies start to turn light golden-brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. While cookies are still warm (but NOT hot), remove them from baking sheets and roll, a few at a time, in powdered sugar until evenly coated. Cool cookies completely on wire racks. Cookies may (optionally) be rolled in powdered sugar a second time once cooled to room temperature. NOTE: Forming dough into 1-inch balls will increase yield to 48 cookies.
The history of lebkuchen dates to the thirteenth century, when it was invented by monks in Franconia, Germany. The earliest records of lebkuchen bakers appear in Ulm in 1296 and in Nuremberg in 1395. Originally, lebkuchen was influenced by ancient honey cakes, incorporating spices like cinnamon and cloves introduced to Europe during the medieval period. All the warming spices in this recipe make these cookies explode with flavor.
LEBKUCHEN-GERMANY
-Spice Cookies
Dough Ingredients:
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Glaze Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon rum, optional
Directions:
In a glass bowl, mix the honey and sugar and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir together well until sugar dissolves (heat another 15-30 seconds if needed). Immediately add the butter and lemon zest and stir until the butter melts. Stir in the baking powder, soda, salt and spices and egg. Add the flour and ground almonds. Mix until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough, adding a little lemon juice as needed. Be careful not to add too much because you will be rolling the dough, just enough to where it is not dry. Spray your hands with cooking spray and gather the dough into a ball. Cover the mixing bowl with a towel and leave to rest for at least an hour or even overnight at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile prepare the glaze. Mix together all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until you have a thin glaze. Divide the dough into thirds. Roll the dough on a silicone baking mat to 3/4 of an inch thickness to right under 1 inch. Cut out circles using a cookie cutter. Space the cookies out on the silicone mat and bake for 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough, gathering up any scraps and rolling out again and bake in batches. Transfer the cookies carefully to a wire rack and brush with the glaze while they are still a little warm using a pastry brush. Allow the glaze to dry and add a second layer (if desired). Lebkuchens may be dipped in melted chocolate.
Some say Anzac biscuits have their origins in World War I when these cookies were baked and sold to benefit the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers. It is thought that these biscuits were sent by wives and women’s groups to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily. The name (Anzac biscuits-not cookies) and original recipe are protected by law and is closely associated with the celebration of Anzac Day in April, but the popular iconic cookie and its unofficial variants are cherished and consumed all year long.
ANZAC BISCUITS (VARIANT) -AUSTRALIA
-Golden Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup desiccated coconut, unsweetened
- 3/4 cup white sugar, preferably caster/ superfine
- 5 ounces unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons golden syrup (or light corn syrup as
- substitute)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Mix flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl. Place butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium high heat and stir until butter has melted. Add baking soda and stir to combine – it will fizz up, this is normal. Immediately remove from heat. Pour butter mixture into flour mixture. Mix well. The mixture will be crumbly but should stick together when pressed. Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form into balls. Flatten into patties. (Thinner = crisper; thicker = chewier center, crispy edges) Place patties 1-inch apart on prepared trays. Bake for 15 minutes or until deep golden (Bake 12 min for chewy biscuits). Let stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Krumkake are delicate, golden, wafer-thin Norwegian treats that have been delighting families for centuries. Krumkake translates to “curved cake” and goes as far back as the seventeenth century, when it was cooked over an open fire using decorative irons. Each iron, often passed down through families, imprinted intricate floral or geometric designs onto the cookies, making them edible works of art as beautiful as they are delicious. When Norwegian immigrants set sail for new lands, they carried their traditions with them, including their krumkake irons. This is why you will commonly find krumkake in parts of the United States with a strong Scandinavian heritage, like Minnesota and North Dakota. In Norway, the shaped cone is usually left unfilled, but especially in America, you will find them filled with all kinds of sweet delights.
Krumkake-Norway
Equipment:
- Krumkake iron
- Wooden roller and/or cup for shaping
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2/3 cups butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups flour
- A little water
Directions:
Whisk the egg and sugar until the mixture thickens. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly, then add the butter to the egg mixture. Mix in spices and then slowly add the flour while stirring to avoid lumps. Let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes. This improves the texture of the krumkaker. Spoon about one heaping tablespoon of batter onto iron and bake. If the batter is too thick, add some water to it. While still hot, shape the krumkake with a wooden krumkake roller or over a cup (if using a cup, make them a bit thicker). The krumkaker hardens quickly, so you can just let them sit on the roller/cup until the next krumkake is ready to be shaped. Fill them with cream, berries or ice cream if desired. If you are feeling extra festive, a glass of gløgg—a Scandinavian mulled wine infused with spices—makes for a delightful pairing.
This year at the neighborhood cookie swap, why not make the holidays even sweeter by borrowing cookie traditions from other cultures? After all, Santa Claus (a.k.a. Papa Noel, Sinterklaas, Weinachtsmann, or Father Christmas) may not be the only one who would appreciate a little variety on his plate of cookies.
Does your family have a Christmas cookie connection to a far-off land? Reclaim your heritage, or borrow a culture that appeals, with one of these sweet concoctions!
MANTECADITOS CON GUAYABA:
Puerto Rican thumbprint shortbread almond cookies topped with guava jelly.
MERINGUES: French meringues are a classic crumbly egg white cookie with a chewy interior.
Get an extra European twist with the addition of Nutella.
MELOMAKARONA: These Christmas cookies that hail from Greece get their sweetness from a
generous soaking of fresh honey!
KOURABIEDES: Another classic Greek Christmas cookie features a buttery biscuit topped
with mass amounts of powdered sugar.
BACI DI DAMA: The name of this Italian treat translates to “lady’s kisses.” These bite-sized cuties
are made with ground hazelnut cookies with a dollop of dark chocolate sandwiched between.
BASLER BRUNSLI: In Switzerland at Christmastime, you will definitely see these chocolate treats around.They are often described as Swiss brownies due to their deliciously chewy texture.
APRICOT KOLACHYS: The Hungarians know they are in for a treat when tart apricot jam gets wrapped in a blanket of flaky pastry.
PIGNOLI: These Italian Christmas cookies aremade of a chewy almond base and topped with pine nuts.