Little tokens of love, straight out of the oven (or not, you know, no-bake recipes exist!) can break even the grinchiest of people into a smile.
Baking holiday treats is a way to bond with others. The time and effort in the kitchen are a special way to show someone you care.
In what has become an annual tradition, we asked staff members and Explore contributors for their favorite cookie recipes.
This list includes a few classic Christmas cookies (peanut butter blossoms and wedding cookies should be required this time of year), along a few newer-fangled options.
We hope you're inspired to bake up a batch or two for the people you love.
Christmas Shortbread
Tammy Ayer found this recipe during a trip to Indiana to visit family. Lydia Harris is a writer, tea enthusiast and grandmother who enjoys giving edible gifts.
Cream together:
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
Blend in:
* 2 cups flour
Pat into a greased 9-by-9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until light brown.
Combine:
* 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
* 1/2 cup mixed red and green candied cherries, chopped slightly
* 1/3 cup candied pineapple chunks, chopped slightly (or substitute candied cherry-pineapple mix for cherries and pineapple)
* 1/3 cup golden raisins
* 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or substitute almonds, pecans, cashews)
* 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
Spread over shortbread and bake an additional 35 minutes or until golden brown. (Check after 25 minutes). Cool. If desired, dust with powdered sugar. Cut into small squares. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.
-- from Lydia E. Harris via Tammy Ayer, features editor
Holiday Wreaths
Every couple has a division of labor, and in our house, my wife Cathy commands the kitchen. Too many cooks spoil the stew, and I'm happy to let her be in charge there while I do other chores like lawn mowing, laundry, vacuuming, etc. (With an occasional reminder or two ...)
Anyway, the few times I do attempt a kitchen creation, it's usually in the dessert department. I love sweets, and over the years I've had my best baking success with cookies. While chocolate chip cookies are my all-time No. 1, there's a few Christmas recipes that even this simpleton baker can handle.
A recently-discovered one of these are holiday wreaths -- glorified Rice Krispie treats shaped like wreaths, with some green food coloring and a few Red Hot candies for "berries." The use of corn flakes gives the wreaths a more leafy look.
My wife made these for a holiday bake sale fundraiser at her workplace, and it wasn't too tough to crank out another batch for the Herald-Republic newsroom.
-- Joel Donofrio, copy editor/business reporter
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup butter, plus a bit extra for shaping cookies
* 1 (10 ounce) package of marshmallows
* 1 teaspoon green food coloring, or more as desired
* 6 cups of corn flakes cereal
* Red Hots cinnamon candies, for topping
In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add marshmallows and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is melted and syrupy. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring. Add cornflakes and stir until well coated.
Rub a small amount of butter between your hands to avoid sticking. Shape the cornflake mixture into wreaths. Garnish each wreath with cinnamon candies. Allow to cool completely before storing.
Makes about 16 wreaths. When storing, separate layers of wreaths with wax paper so they don't all stick together.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
* 1 3/4 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup sugar, plus some for rolling dough in
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 48 chocolate (Hershey) kisses
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all but the candy. Shape dough into small balls and roll in sugar. Place cookies on baking sheet.
3. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly press unwrapped candy kiss into center of cookie.
Best eaten while the chocolate is still soft.
-- Michael Ambrose, sports editor
Cranberry pistachio biscotti
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 cup boiling water to soften the cranberries
* 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
* 3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Place cranberries in a small bowl; add boiling water. Let stand until plump, about 15 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla.
Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in cranberries and pistachios.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush beaten egg over surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake logs at 375 for 30 minutes. Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
With a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Arrange slides on a cookie sheet and bake about 15 minutes more at 300, until firm to the touch.
-- Joanna Markell, managing editor, from Everyday Food by Martha Stewart
Wedding Cookies
* 1 cup butter, softened (two sticks for those who need to look it up, because I had to!)
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 1/4 cup flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla until combined. Mix in the flour and salt until almost combine. Add pecans and mix until the dough comes together.
Form cookies using a cookie scoop or by hand. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Bake for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for two minutes. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar. Let cookies cool completely then roll them in powdered sugar for a second time.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for a couple weeks.
-- Sara Rae Shields, Explore editor, recipe from @kitchentool on TikTok
Hockey Puck Cookies
Easy to make crowd pleasing cookies that I have been making with my kids during Christmas since they were toddlers. Yes, they are really that easy to make.
* 1 box of Ritz crackers
* 1 jar of peanut butter (or Nutella)
* 1 bag of chocolate chips or melting chocolate wafers of choice
* Refined coconut oil if you are using chocolate chips instead of melting chocolate
Spread the peanut butter on a cracker (I like a pretty big dollop) and place another cracker on top, squish until it spreads to the edge.
Make as many of these as your heart desires or until you run out of crackers *Note one bag of chocolate per two sleeves of crackers
Put the chocolate in a double boiler and stir until melted or in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. If you are using chocolate chips, add a tablespoon of coconut oil while melting.
Once the chocolate has melted roll the cracker sandwich in the melted chocolate, let the excess drip off and place on parchment paper.
While the pucks are still shiny, add holiday sprinkles and let fully cool.
These are really customizable to use whatever your family likes best. I like to make a variety to please the kids and adults. Some favorites in my house have been Nutella with white chocolate, dark chocolate with almond butter and milk chocolate with crunchy peanut butter. Happy holidays!
-- Josie Hall, Eating and Dishing columnist