413 christmas cake recipes

Authentic springerle, the embossed German anise Christmas cookies. Egg dough pressed with carved molds, dried overnight, then baked low so the white design stays crisp. Aged to mellow the flavor.

Make-ahead chocolate chip cookie dough that keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Sour cream keeps them soft and chewy, pecans add crunch, and you can bake a fresh batch whenever the craving hits.

Chewy molasses drop cookies loaded with candied fruit and warm spices like cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and allspice. These colorful Christmas Jewels look like stained glass on a cookie platter.

Nancy's ice cream kolacky: a three-ingredient Eastern European-style cookie where vanilla ice cream replaces liquid and eggs, creating a tender pastry dough filled with jam and dusted with powdered sugar. A Christmas cookie-tray favorite.

German springerle, the classic embossed anise cookie made with eggs, sugar, flour, and crushed anise seed. Patterned with a springerle roller and dried overnight to lock in the design before baking.

While watching the first snowfall, try these scrumptious cookies that contain a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Lemon Lassie cookies, a Christmas classic with cinnamon-molasses dough wrapped around a tangy lemon-coconut curd filling, then sliced into bars before baking.

Chocolate nut torte: a four-layer sponge cake filled with silky cooked chocolate-buttercream frosting and topped with chopped nuts. An old-world holiday torte for special occasions.

Crisp tubular cookies that can be eaten filled or filled with your favorite filling - typically a brandied whipped cream during Christmas time. A British favorite.

Pineapple meringue pie with a cornstarch-thickened pineapple-lemon filling under tall, glossy peaks of beaten egg white. A bright, citrusy twist on the classic lemon meringue.

Pfeffernuesse are traditional German Christmas peppernut cookies, fragrant with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and a hint of black pepper, studded with citron and almonds and a touch of brandy. A heritage holiday cookie.

Scotch shortbread with just five ingredients: butter, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. A classic, buttery, sandy-textured cookie that melts on the tongue.

Turtle cookies shaped around hidden caramel centers and nestled on pecan halves, then dipped in chocolate glaze. The Christmas cookbook classic that mimics the candy in cookie form.

Christmas paintbrush cookies are rolled sugar cookies painted with colored egg yolk paint before baking. A kid-friendly holiday project where designs bake right into the cookie surface.

Traditional Scotch shortbread with just butter, sugar, flour, and salt. Baked low and slow until pale and sandy with a pure butter crumble in every bite.

Celebrate the holidays with these delicious shortbread cookies that will have you wishing Christmas came more than once a year.