Fall Fest: 5 Must-Bake Holiday Cookies

Win any holiday cookie swap with these five best holiday cookie recipes.
By: Caitlin Heikkila

Related To:

Spritz Cookies

Is there a holiday tradition more highly anticipated than baking cookies? Whether you like yours festively frosted or decked out in dark chocolate, cookies are pretty much guaranteed to spread the holiday cheer. We're celebrating 31 Days of Cookies here on the blog, but if you're not sure where to start, try these five favorite recipes.

1) We nominate Spritz Cookies (pictured above) as the most giftworthy holiday cookie. Rich, yet delicate in flavor, these winners hold up well days after baking, and have an elegant, classic look.

2) Who says ice cream sandwiches are only for summer? Add some zing to the dessert table with Giada’s Amaretto Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches. Use amaretto liqueur to spike the vanilla ice cream filling and give this frosty treat a grown-up spin.

Photo by: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Matt Armendariz, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

3) Warm up your guests with a holiday cookie that packs not just the sweet, but also some heat. Alton’s Chocolate Diablo Cookies earn their wicked name from a kick from cayenne pepper.

Chocolate Diablo Cookies

Photo by: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Matt Armendariz, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

4) If you consider eggnog a holiday tradition, try shaking things up with  Eggnog Shortbread Cookies. The thick and crumbly cookie wedges are spiced with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon and topped with a bourbon glaze to one-up — or pair perfectly with — the holiday cocktail.

5) Half the fun of holiday baking is the decorating. And with these simple Butter Cookies, you can cut and frost them into anything you your holiday-happy heart desires.

More Cookie Recipes from Friends + Family:
Feed Me Phoebe:  Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies
Daisy at HomeEggnog Cookies

Virtually Homemade:  Soft Sugar Cookies (gluten free)

Dishing With Divya:  Eggless Coconut Cookies

Elephants and the Coconut Trees:  5 Favorite Holiday Cookies

Next Up

What I'm Gifting From My Kitchen This Year

This year, Kelsey Nixon is giving out her aunt's famous gingerbread cookie recipe.

Butter Cookies with Eggnog Cream Cheese Icing

Get the recipe for butter eggnog cookies from Cooking Channel, by Todd Porter and Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple.

31 Days of Cookies: Irish Cream and Coffee Cookies

Nealey Dozier creates a southern-inspired holiday cookie recipe for Cooking Channel modeled after the cozy after dinner drink, Irish Cream and Coffee.

Mini White Chocolate, Cranberry + Pumpkin Cookies

Can't decide which of your favorite holiday flavors should be represented in your cookie swap contribution? Why not combine three flavors in one conveniently popable bite-sized cookie?

Lemon Gingerbread Checkerboard Cookies

Make these impressive checkerboard cookies with step-by-step directions from Irvin Lin on Cooking Channel.

Broken Pretzel and Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Make this twist on a chocolate chip cookie recipe with caramel and broken pretzels by Heather Baird of Sprinkle Bakes on Cooking Channel.

31 Days of Cookies: Chocolate-Peppermint Cream Sandwich Cookies

Make peppermint cream and chocolate cookie sandwiches with this recipe on Cooking Channel by Todd Porter and Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple.

31 Days of Cookies: Sleeping Almond Meringue Cookies

Learn how to make sleeping meringues -- the cookie that bakes itself -- with this recipe from Cooking Channel.

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