Day 12 … Pfeffernüsse

When I was a kid, my grandmother would get us a very special gift every year, a book of Christmas Around the World. Each book featured a different country’s Christmas traditions, history and recipes and came with a tree ornament. I loved them. Obsessed over them. Still do as they all sit on my mother’s bookshelf to this day. In one of the Nordic books, I became fascinated with St. Lucia Day, begging my mother to bake saffron buns and make me a pine bough crown with lit candles to wear on my head and maybe ligh candles on our Christmas tree. She wisely declined. Lit candles around a live tree in Arizona is never a good idea.

The recipes in those books, particularly the cookies, fascinated me. Unfamiliar, heavily spiced and intricately decorated cookies were my siren song. Cookies with names like zimtsterne, spekulatius, springerle, vanillekipferl and pfeffernüsse. How fun! Today’s cookie for Day 12 to wrap up this year is inspired by these memories. We’re going to make pfeffernüsse.

A lightly crunchy round, spiced cookie with a white glaze, it is lovely. Christmas in a bite. Today we’re going traditional. Well, sort of traditional. The spice mix is called lebkuchengewürz and is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander, cardamom, ginger, star anise, mace and nutmeg. All the things! I hear you can buy this easily, already blended, in Germany where it’s quite common or you can mix your own (recipe below). Speculoos spice or even a pumpkin spice could work too. Or, and hear me out here, you can use garam masala.

I’ve taken to using garam masala frequently in my baking as it contains all those lovely baking spices too, often some combination of cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, mace, and nutmeg and tastes rather Christmas-y. Last year I made a lovely garam masala shortbread for this series. So that’s what I use here as well as a little white pepper as pfeffernüsse does mean “pepper nut”. Dipped in a simple powdered sugar glaze, they are wonderful.

Thanks for playing along this year. With this batch, I’m up to 72 recipes, all made from the same basic butter cookie dough. Maybe I’ll be back with more next year. We’ll have to see. Happy Holidays and enjoy my friends!

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 9: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

Day 10: Sweet Corn & Blackberry Cookies

Day 11: Milk Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints 

DAY 12: PFEFFERNÜSSE

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
2. In a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature cookie dough, baking soda, spice mix of choice, white pepper, almond flour, egg white and honey on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
3. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart. 
4. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
5. Let cool completely.
6. Do ahead: you can freeze the dough or the rolled dough balls up to two months. For the dough, wrap tightly. For the rolled dough balls, freeze solid on a sheet pan then transfer to a freezer bag with the cookie name, date, baking temperature and time. 
7. For the glaze: in a bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and water to form a thick, pourable glaze. Thicken with additional powdered sugar or thin with additional liquid to achieve the desired texture.
8. Dip the rounded side of a cooled cookie in the glaze, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl.
9. Place back on the sheet pans and sprinkle with a pinch of ground white pepper. Allow the glaze to set at least 30 minutes until firm.

Lebkuchengewürz:

2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground green cardamom

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground star anise

¼ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

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Day 11 …. Milk Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Day 11! Almost at the finish line. What are the holidays without a thumbprint cookie? A big fat drag, I say. Who doesn’t love a nutty jammy thumbprint? Or a peanut butter blossom (which I technically think of as a thumbprint – round fat cookie, stuff in the middle, check.) Today I’ve got a double chocolate concoction – a chocolate cookie made from our basic butter cookie dough with a dulce de leche chocolate center. Yes indeed.

Super easy too! While you can certainly make your own dulce de leche (see here) you can also buy a can in the Hispanic section of your grocery store. Choose your own path. Combine that caramel with milk chocolate and a bit of cream and you’ll have a heavenly cookie filling. Simple. I rolled the dough into balls then pressed an indent in the center with the handle of a wooden spoon. Sometimes the dough cracks, and that’s ok, just push it back together. A rustic look is what we’re going for. After baking, press that center indent back in with the wooden spoon and pipe the filling in while the cookies are warm. Sometimes that filling will peak and, in my opinion, looks a bit rude. If you want a giggle, leave it. If not, pop the cookies back in the oven for 30 seconds and that peak will melt out.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Waferis with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies, 

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 9: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

Day 10: Sweet Corn & Blackberry Cookies

DAY 11:  MILK CHOCOLATE CARAMEL THUMBPRINTS

If you’re freezing the dough, make the balls with the indents then freeze until firm on a sheetpan. Transfer once frozen to a ziploc bag with the cookie name, baking time and temp and the date. For the 1/8 dough batch, make the filling amount under the ¼ batch recipe. Halving that amount is a bit too small to make easily. Use any extra filling to top ice cream, drizzle on a cake or fill other cookies or cupcakes. Leftover egg whites and yolks can be frozen until needed. Or just make some scrambled eggs for the baker.

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. For the filling: Put the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. 
2. Place the dulce de leche and chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. 
3. When the cream begins to boil, pour it into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Give the bowl a shake to combine the cream with the chocolate and let sit 5 minutes.
4. Remove the plastic wrap and whisk until the mixture is smooth and silky. If the liquid and solids ‘split’, add a little more cream and whisk again. If the chocolate doesn’t fully melt, put the bowl over a double boiler or in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power and stir until melted.
5. Transfer to a pastry bag and leave at room temperature until firm, about 2 hours. If not using on the same day, store in the refrigerator and return to room temperature before using..
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F and position two oven racks, one in the bottom rack and one in the middle. Line sheet pans with silicone baking mats or sheets of parchment paper.
7. For the cookies: In the bowl of a standing mixture, combine the water and espresso powder until dissolved.
8. Add the room temperature cookie dough, cocoa, brown sugar and baking soda to the bowl and with the paddle attachment, mix on medium until well combined.
9. Roll tablespoon pieces of dough into round balls and carefully press your index finger or the round end of a wooden spoon into the center of each ball to flatten and make an indent. The dough will crack a bit as you press down; just push it back together. The cookies will bake with craggy, crunchy edges. For best results, chill for 30 minutes before baking.
10. Place the cookies 1” apart on the prepared sheet pans. (If not ready to bake, place the indented cookie balls on a sheet pan and freeze until firm. Transfer to a ziploc bag and freeze up to 3 months. Bake directly from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time.)
11. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until baked through and slightly firm to the touch.
12. As you remove the cookies from the oven and while they are still warm, press the round end of a wooden spoon into the divot to make larger.
13. Pipe the filling into the warm cookie centers. If the filling peaks, pop the sheet pan back into the warm oven for 30-60 seconds to let the filling melt and even out.
14. Let cookies cool completely and store at room temperature .
15. Store between layers of parchment in an airtight container up to 4-5 days.

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Day 10 … Sweet Corn & Blackberry Cookies

Coming up with new ideas for this series after 5 years and 60 different cookie recipes isn’t the easiest thing. I often wonder if any have any new ideas left. Then my brain starts whirling. I’ll write down flavor ideas over the course of the year and then come back and figure them out, see if they’ll work. This was one of those ideas. I had a note in my phone that just said, “corn & blackberry”. A kernel of an idea for a sweet corn cookie with blackberry jam. Possibly a thumbprint, maybe a bar, perhaps a sandwich. I’d made something like this years ago based on a Christina Tosi recipe and loved it. This could work.

When I got around to developing the recipe last month, there was a problem. One of the key ingredients was freeze dried corn. I couldn’t find it anywhere. The Spice House, under new ownership, no longer carried it. The grocery stores no longer had it on the shelves. Sure, I could buy a bag on Amazon for $17 but that was dumb. I’m already asking you to deal with ½ of an egg white; this was a bridge too far. So, I pivoted. Used cornmeal (the Quaker stuff is just fine) and corn flour. You can buy a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Corn Flour in the grocery store or take your cornmeal and grind it to a powder in a spice grinder. The cornmeal gives texture and the finer flour gives a nice, sweet corn flavor. Not quite the same as ground freeze dried corn but pretty similar results.

The key to sandwich cookies is to roll the dough into a thin sheet when you first make it, while it’s warm and pliable. Then chill for at least 30 minutes THEN cut. Cold dough will hold a cookie cutter shape and transfer much better than warm dough. 

In between the cookies, I like blackberry jam but whatever you like (or have) will work. If you want to make a salt and pepper buttercream like I did in that original cookie linked above, have at it. It’s pretty delicious. In the end, it’s a little bit of sweet summer memories nestled into your cookie platter this year.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 9: Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

DAY 10: SWEET CORN & BLACKBERRY COOKIES

If you don’t have corn flour, grind your cornmeal into a fine powder in a spice mill. 

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature cookie dough, peanut butter, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and egg white. Mix on medium-low until completely blended.
2. Divide the dough into manageable pieces and roll into a thin even layer, about 1/8” thick, between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
3. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or overnight. (If refrigerating overnight or longer, wrap tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the edges from drying out.)
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. With a round or square cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart.
6. Gather the scraps and reroll/cut, refrigerating if the dough becomes too soft.
7. Bake the cookies until golden brown and crisp, about 9-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
8. Let cool completely.
9. Put the jam in a piping bag or small ziploc and snip the tip. Pipe around 2 teaspoons of jam on the bottom of a cookie, top with another and press gently to adhere.
10. The cookies are best consumed, once assembled, within a few days. The dough can be frozen or roll and cut into shapes and freeze on a sheet pan until solid then layer between sheets of parchment and transfer to a marked ziploc bag (name, date, cooking time and temp) and frozen up to 2 months. Cookies be baked directly from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time. 

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Day 9 … Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Bars

Day 9 and I’ve got a simple bar cookie for this one. At this point, a week before Christmas, you’re either incredibly cool, calm and organized – and bless you if you’re that person – or you’re like me with a sink full of dirty dishes, family room full of wrapping paper scraps, bits of tape stuck to every available surface and the mad dash to get stuff in the mail tomorrow. Egad. It’s like a Christmas Elf threw up in here. Then there’s that little matter of holiday baking to get under control. Well, it’s a good thing we’ve got some basic butter cookie dough stashed away because we’re going to turn that into the most delicious bourbon pecan bars. Brownie like chocolate bourbon pecan bars. And at this time of the year, it’s a good thing to have an open bottle of bourbon lying around. 

Into that base dough goes some cocoa, a little egg white and some chopped chocolate to make them extra fudgy. Yes, I know the smaller batch calls for an annoying half of an egg white. It’s just how it works out – I warned you about these idiosyncrasies in the beginning. If you wish, save the remaining egg for an egg wash for something else, scramble up a little snack for the baker or throw that remaining white and yolk into the topping and count it as one of the eggs. I won’t tell. Then into the baking pan goes that dough and the topping is a sort of lightly boozy chocolate pecan pie mixture. Don’t forget to line the pan with a good crisscross of foil or you’ll never get these things out. It all bakes up into an easy and wonderful cookie that freezes quite nicely, ready to be pulled out in a week for holiday gatherings. Enjoy! 

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

Day 8: Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

DAY 9: CHOCOLATE BOURBON PECAN BARS

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. For the chocolate cookie base: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, break up the base dough and add the cocoa powder, brown sugar, egg white and salt.
2. Mix until well blended then add the chocolate chips and mix until combined.
3. Line the pan with a crisscross of foil and crumble the dough into the pan. Press to smooth into an even layer.
4. Chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Bake until dry and just a little firm to the touch, 15 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
7. For the topping: while the crust is baking, toast the pecans on a sheet pan for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
8. In a large bowl, whisk together corn syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, eggs and salt.  
9. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.
10. Carefully pour the mixture over the baked cooled crust, distributing the pecans and chocolate chips evenly if needed.
11. Bake until the center feels set yet soft when gently pressed, sort of like gelatin, about 15 minutes. 
12. Let cool completely, on a wire rack, if possible, before slicing. Carefully remove the bars in one piece, using the foil sling to help ease them out of the pan. Remove the foil and slice with a sharp knife into bars. 
13. For really clean slices, chill the bars for a few hours until firm before slicing. 
14. Bars can be baked and frozen up to 2 months. Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes for easier slicing.

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day 8 … Pain d’Epice Cookies with Armagnac Glaze

Day 8 of 12 Cookies and we’re taking a little side trip to France with this one. Pain d’Epice is on deck today and while traditionally known as a spiced cake or quick bread, a French gingerbread essentially, we’re turning it into a cookie with a lovely boozy glaze. 

Into the base butter cookie dough goes a little honey, a bit of orange zest and some of those warm baking spices – cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. After baking, a quick dip in the most delicious mix of powdered sugar, orange juice and Armagnac, a special type of brandy from the Gascon region of Southwest France, one of my favorite places in the world. No Armagnac? That’s ok; use brandy, cognac, whisky or even just orange juice. 

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: Tahini Cookies

DAY 8: PAIN D’EPICE COOKIES WITH ARMAGNAC GLAZE

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

No Armagnac? That’s ok; use brandy, cognac, whisky or even just orange juice.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
2. In a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature cookie dough, brown sugar, all the spices, honey, orange zest and salt and on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
3. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart. 
4. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
5. Let cool completely.
6. For the glaze: in a bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, Armagnac, orange juice and a pinch of salt to form a pourable glaze. Thicken with additional powdered sugar or thin with additional liquid to achieve the desired texture.
7. Dip the rounded side of a cooled cookie in the glaze, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl.
8. Place back on the sheet pans and allow the glaze to set at least 30 minutes until firm.
9. Do ahead: you can freeze the dough or the rolled dough balls up to two months. For the dough, wrap tightly. For the rolled dough balls, freeze solid on a sheet pan then transfer to a freezer bag with the cookie name, date, baking temperature and time. 

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day 7 … Tahini Cookies

Day 8 of 12 and we’re using tahini today! Tahini is a creamy paste made from sesame seeds and when you think about it, it has a lot in common with peanut butter or any nut butter really. With that in mind, I add a few good spoonfuls to the basic butter cookie dough, along with a bit more flour, sugar and some baking soda, formed them into chunky little discs and rolled them in black and white sesame seeds. An interesting and rather pretty spin on a peanut butter cookie. 

The key is to use a good tahini, one made from sesame seeds and not much else. I’m a big fan of Soom Tahini which has one ingredient: sesame seeds. No filler oils or emulsifiers, just tasty tasty ground sesame seeds. I recommend seeking it out and then whipping up the best hummus you’ve ever made.

As for the sesame seeds your roll the cookies in, you can use white, black, toasted or not or a combination. I happen to like the look of a black and white mix but work with what you have. Just make sure to give them a sniff – if they smell off, toss ‘em. Sesame seeds, like poppyseeds, tend to go rancid quickly so make sure you store them in the freezer.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Day 6: Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 7: TAHINI COOKIES 

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Place the sesame seeds in a shallow dish and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature cookie dough, tahini, flour, brown sugar and sift in the baking soda. Mix on medium-low until completely blended.
3. Roll into tablespoon sized balls, flatten slightly then roll in the sesame seeds to fully coat. 
4. Place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart. 
5. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, about 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
6. Let cool completely.
7. Do ahead: you can freeze the dough or the sesame coated dough balls up to two months. For the dough, wrap tightly. For the sesame coated dough balls, freeze solid on a sheet pan then transfer to a freezer bag with the cookie name, date, baking temperature and time. 

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Day 6 … Passionfruit Sandwich Cookies

Day 6! Halfway through this year’s 12 Days of Cookies. Today we’re making sandwich cookies with one of my very favorite flavor … passionfruit. So damn good. Bright, tart, sweet and a welcome addition to this year’s mix. The cookie dough has a few things in it that work well with the filling – lemon zest, shredded coconut and a little coconut extract. That extract really does amp up the coconuttiness but you don’t have it, just use vanilla. 

The filling is two ingredients – white chocolate and passionfruit puree. That’s it. Make sure you buy decent white chocolate, none of that awful candy coating stuff. Ghirardelli bars are readily available and work well though Valrhona is better if you find it. The passionfruit puree (not juice) I prefer is from Goya and is found in the freezer section of some grocery stores, usually Hispanic grocery stores, and I’ve seen it occasionally at Target. Delicious. It’s a little pulpy, very flavorful and worth seeking out. Makes a fabulous cocktail, a fantastic buttercream and is really best as a fruit curd. Wowza. Make sure you plan ahead as the ganache filling is rather soft and benefits from sitting at room temperature overnight to firm up.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Day 5: Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

DAY 6: PASSIONFRUIT SANDWICH COOKIES

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. for the filling: Chop chocolate very finely and place it in a bowl. Make sure to use very good quality white chocolate. White chocolate chips or melts will not work.
2. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second bursts at 50% power, stirring between bursts, until melted and smooth.
3. Whisk in the room temperature passionfruit puree until smooth. If the puree is even a little cold, the mixture will seize. If this happens, return to the double boiler or microwave to warm a bit and whisk until smooth. 
4. Pour the mixture into a piping bag or a ziploc bag and let sit overnight at room temperature to firm up. If not using within 24 hours, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature before using.
5. for the cookies: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature cookie dough, lemon zest, coconut, coconut extract and sugar. Mix on medium-low until completely blended.
6. Divide the dough into manageable pieces and roll into a thin, even layer, about 1/8” thick, between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. (If refrigerating longer, wrap tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the edges from drying out.)
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
9. With a 2” cutter (round or square), cut out shapes and place on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart.
10. Gather the scraps and reroll/cut, refrigerating if the dough becomes too soft.
11. Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown and crisp, about 7-8 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Keep an eye on the cookies; they brown quickly.
12. Let cool completely.
13. The dough or the cutouts can be frozen between double layers of parchment (they tend to stick together with only one layer) in a marked ziploc bag (name, date, cooking time and temp) up to 2 months. Cookies can be baked directly from the freezer. 

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Day 5 … Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Here’s an interesting one for Day 5 of our 12 Days of Cookies that adds an unexpected ingredient into the basic butter cookie dough: miso, a Japanese fermented soybean paste. Salty, earthy, and funky and it works incredibly well with peanut butter cookies, adding a depth of flavor and a round, savory saltiness. I love it. 

Here’s the thing with miso – it comes in large containers and lasts a long time. Unless you’re having miso soup every night, it’s is going to be in your fridge for a while. Maybe they make small containers of miso but I have yet to find them so I’m always looking for ways to use it. Lately, I’ve taken to throwing into my cookie batters and have been delighted with the results so that’s what we’re doing today – Peanut Butter Miso Cookies. Not the most traditional of the holiday cookie options but a welcome addition all the same.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

Day 4: Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

DAY 5: PEANUT BUTTER MISO COOKIES

Tip: while you’re chopping peanuts for the dough, chop some for the topping as well. If you’re not ready to bake and plan on freezing the dough, I recommend freezing flattened balls without the peanuts. When ready to bake, place on the sheet pan for a few minutes to defrost then dip in the chopped peanuts. Store the chopped peanuts for the topping in the ziploc with the dough balls so everything is on hand when you’re ready to bake.

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature cookie dough, peanut butter, flour, brown sugar, chopped peanuts, miso, baking soda, egg white. Mix on medium-low until completely blended.
3. Roll the dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut, flatten slightly and dip one side into the chopped peanuts.
4. Place on the prepared sheet pans, 1” apart, peanut side up. 
5. Refrigerate the dough balls for at least 30 minutes.
6. Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until crisp at the edges and slightly puffed in the middle. They should still be a bit underdone in the center. Keep an eye on this one as it tends to bake a bit faster than other recipes in this series.
7. Let the cookies cool on a sheet pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. 
8. Store in an airtight container up to 3-4 days. 
9. The dough can be frozen or roll into balls (without the peanut topping), frozen on a sheet pan until solid then transferred to a marked ziploc bag (name, date, cooking time and temp) and frozen up to 2 months. Let warm up a little then press into the peanuts for the topping. Depending on how frozen the dough balls are, you may need an additional minute or two. 

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Day 4 … Cranberry Black Walnut Rugelach

Here’s an easy one for Day 4 that looks like it’s more work than it is. Into the basic dough goes some cream cheese. That’s it. It turns the dough a little tender, a little flaky and is easily made into sweet little rugelach, that Jewish holiday favorite. Or an all the time favorite, in my opinion.

The filling is a festive mix of dried cranberries, black walnuts and pumpkin spice. I love the flavor of black walnuts and am always trying to work them in wherever I can, but regular English walnuts work just as well as do pecans. Pumpkin spice is rather maligned these days, unfairly, I think. A combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and sometimes allspice, it sure makes things easy. If you don’t have it, use a combination of those spices to total the same amount called for or find that garam masala hanging out in your spice drawer. Unexpected but it also has a lot of those warm baking spices, works incredibly well in holiday cookies and makes everything smell rather festive. 

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies, 

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

Day 3: Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

DAY 4: CRANBERRY BLACK WALNUT RUGELACH

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. For the cookie dough: break up the room temperature base dough into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
2. Add the room temperature cream cheese and mix on medium until fully combined, scaping the bowl and the beater once or twice. The dough will be a little soft.
3. Divide the dough into even pieces (8, 4 or 2 depending on batch size) and press into 1” thick discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. For the filling, pulse the cranberries, brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and salt a few times in a food processor or mini chopper to break up then add the walnuts and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until needed.
5. When ready to bake: preheat oven to 325ºF. Line sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
6. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and place on a lightly floured work surface. (If necessary, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until pliable enough to roll, but not too soft.) Keep remaining dough chilled.
7. Dust the work surface and top of the dough lightly with flour, and roll into an 8” circle, about ⅛” thick. Rotate the dough frequently, using a little flour as needed to prevent sticking. Keep it moving, pressing the cracked edges together as you go.
8. Spread ¼ cup of the filling evenly over the top of the circle and gently press into the dough. Give a quick roll over the dough with a rolling pin to push it in a little more.
9. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve equal wedges (like a pizza).
10. Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the point. If you want to trim up and make a clean edge, do so before rolling.
11. Place the cookies point-side down, about an inch apart, on the prepared sheet pans. Repeat with the remaining dough. Chill at least 30 minutes. 
12. For the egg wash, beat together the egg and milk and lightly brush each cookie.
13. Bake 15-18 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, or until the tops the pastry is firm to the touch and the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.
14. To do ahead: as with most cookies, rugelach are best within a few days of baking. However, the freezer is your friend. Once formed into discs and wrapped, the dough can be frozen up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding. The assembled rugelach can also be frozen. Place on a sheet pan, freeze solid then transfer to a marked Ziploc bag (name, date, cooking time and temp). Can be egg washed and baked frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time. 

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Day 3 … Tropical Cookies with Pineapple Rum Glaze

The days are a little gloomy around here so I welcome some bright, sunny tropical flavors. Coconut, pineapple, rum and macadamia nuts … like a good cocktail on a warm, sunny beach. Yes, please. Not the usual Christmas cookie flavors but ones that will definitely add some bright notes to your holiday assortment.

If you make the smallest batch, you’re going to need a splash of pineapple juice, ¾ teaspoon, for the glaze. Annoying, I admit, but think of it as an opportunity. Buy a can or one of those tiny can six packs or get some precut pineapple in the produce section and use the juice that settles in the bottom of the container. Then take this opportunity to make a fabulous pineapple margarita with the leftovers. Enjoy.

Pineapple Margarita

3 jalapeño slices

1 ½ ounces/3 tablespoons tequila blanco or reposado

2 ounces/¼ cup pineapple juice

¾ ounce/1 ½ tablespoons Cointreau

¾ ounce/1 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice

salt or tajin for the rim

Run a lime around the glass rim and dip in salt or tajin. Fill with ice and set aside. Into a shaker put the jalapeños, tequila, pineapple juice, Cointreau and lime juice and fill with ice. Shake until cold. Strain into the prepared glass. Drink.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, Peanut Fudge Bars

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze, Classic Molasses Cookies, Iced Coffee Squares, Garam Masala Shortbread, Maple Glazed Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies, 

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers,Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Rocky Road Squares, Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies,

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours, Pecan Praline Bars, 

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Peppermint Candy Canes, Holiday Mallomars, Pizelle, Rum Raisin Squares, Magic Cookie Squares, Butter Brickle Cookies, Sparky Sugar Cookies

2023 Cookie Lineup to date:

Base Butter Cookie Dough

Day 1: Grapefruit Sablés

Day 2: Jam Streusel Bars

DAY 3: TROPICAL COOKIES WITH PINEAPPLE RUM GLAZE

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the room temperature cookie dough, brown sugar, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and rum until well combined.
2. On low add the coconut and the macadamia nuts and mix until just combined.
3. Roll the dough into tablespoons sized balls. (if not ready to bake, freeze on a sheet pan until firm then transfer to a ziploc bag labeled with the cookie name, baking time and temp and freeze up to 3 months).
4. When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Place the cookie balls 1″ apart on the prepared sheet pans.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through until lightly golden brown. The cookies will still be slightly soft but set on the outside.
7. Carefully slide the parchment or silicon sheets onto wire racks to cool completely.
8. For the glaze: in a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, rum, pineapple juice and salt to form a thick glaze. Thicken with additional powdered sugar or thin with additional juice to achieve the desired texture.
9. Dip the rounded side of a cooled cookie in the glaze, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl.
10. Place back on the sheet pans, sprinkle with coconut and allow the glaze to set at least 30 minutes until firm.

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