Holiday Cookie Round-up

I love to make holiday cookies; they are the perfect gift for teachers, neighbors, and the mail carrier. They're also great to bring as a hostess gift to parties or to leave out for Santa.

I have a few tried and true recipes that I make every year, but I also love to peruse The Washington Post's annual cookie issue to find a few new recipes to try. None of these recipes is my creation, and I really didn't modify them enough to print the recipe here. So I'll just post some photos, along with the link to the recipe and a few comments.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

Recipe from The Washington Post. These are one of my most requested cookies. They are actually like a whoopie pie and very rich. I have found that it works best to double the cookie recipe but make only one recipe of the filling or you will have a lot left over.


Monster Cookies

Recipe from Paula Deen. These are a favorite among kids. My oldest says they remind him of granola bars, since they use oatmeal as the base, rather than flour. They do have peanut butter in them. I omit the raisins, though. They're just too much.


Cranberry Orange Zingers

Recipe from the Washington Post. These are one of my favorites. I don't make the optional frosting, but I do sprinkle them with sugar before baking. I don't keep cardamom in my spice cabinet so I substituted allspice.


Cherry Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe from the Washington Post. Pistachios can be a time-consuming ingredient to work with, but the flavor is just delicious. This is definitely a grown up cookie, though.


Lime Basil Shortbread with Orange Glaze

Recipe from The Washington Post. I am a sucker for savory ingredients in my desserts. These do not disappoint. I did make a few modifications to the recipe. I used regular basil and substituted orange juice concentrate for the passion fruit, since I couldn't find either at the store.


White Chocolate and Peppermint-Studded Chocolate Mountains

Recipe from The Washington Post. These are another favorite. They have a great bittersweet chocolate and peppermint flavor. And my 5 year old loved helping smash the candy canes!


The 5 year old and I also made sugar cookies for his class, but I forgot to take a photo. In past years, I've also made my chocolate chip cookies, but I decided we had enough already.