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Trading in the everyday for something far more special, these cookies take it to the next level in shape, color, and flavor. They’re frosted, dusted, swirled, and embellished—thoroughly dressed to impress.
Pastel Butter Cookies
MAKES 40
To give a batch of almond shortbread cookies the pastel treatment, dust them with tinted confectioners’ sugar. We blended the sugar with finely ground freeze-dried fruits (blueberry, raspberry, and mango) for subtle, all-natural hues.
1 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted (see this page)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus ½ cup per tinted sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Freeze-dried fruits in various colors, such as blueberries, raspberries, and mangoes
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place toasted almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon, and process until nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute.
2. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined. With mixer on low, gradually add almond mixture and beat until just incorporated.
3. Using a 1½-inch (1-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are just golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
4. For each desired color, place ½ cup fruit with ½ cup confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and evenly tinted. (Sugars can be stored in airtight containers up to 1 month.) Place tinted sugars in small bowls and dip cookies, domed-side down, into tinted sugars to coat. Transfer to a plate and let rest, about 30 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.)
TIP
We used pastel powdered food coloring from freeze-dried fruits (found in the snack section of large grocery stores) to decorate these cookies, but for a broader palette of colors, look for the array of pastel powdered sugars at specialty baking stores.
Flower-Embellished Wreaths
MAKES ABOUT 16
Sugar cookies make an elegant statement when dressed up with a simple glaze and a fanciful combination of sugared flowers, candied citrus and ginger, and chopped pistachios. Sicilian pistachios are worth seeking out. Compared with their California cousins, they’re smaller, more deeply green with hints of royal purple, and more intensely flavored.
FOR THE COOKIES
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
Finely grated zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons brandy
Lemon Glaze (this page)
TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL)
Candied ginger, finely chopped (see this page)
Candied citrus, finely chopped (see this page)
Pistachios (preferably Sicilian), finely chopped
Sugared flowers, such as small pansies, rose petals, and violets (see this page)
1. Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, orange zest, and brandy until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to overnight.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough ¼ inch thick. Cut out shapes using a 3½-inch fluted round. Use a 1-inch round cutter to cut out centers of cookies. Reroll scraps once. Transfer wreaths to parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until set and golden around edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
4. Decorate the cookies: Place lemon glaze in a shallow bowl. Working with one cookie at a time, dip cookie top side down in lemon glaze to coat surface, allowing excess glaze to drip back into bowl. Transfer glazed cookies to a wire rack or baking sheet. Working quickly before glaze sets, use tweezers to decorate cookies with toppings, if desired. Let stand at room temperature until completely dry, at least 2 hours. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to overnight.)
Ombré Cookies
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN
Color your buttercream boldly or subtly or countless shades in between for a photo-ready ombré display. Just start with one hue and add a bit of plain white buttercream for a lighter tone. Instead of using traditional food coloring, we played with plant-based food dye powders for colors that are natural as well as beautiful (see Tip).
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Basic Buttercream (this page)
Natural food coloring, such as McCormick’s Berry and Sunflower
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Gradually add flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic and freeze until firm, at least 20 minutes, or place in a resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight before using).
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove one disk of dough; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Roll dough out ⅛ inch thick between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment. Cut out shapes with a 2½-inch round cookie cutter. Using a spatula, transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. (If dough gets soft, refrigerate 10 minutes.) Reroll scraps; cut more shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.
3. Place ½ cup buttercream in each of four small bowls. Tint with desired color and let stand 10 minutes to allow dyes to fully saturate. Frost a few cookies with tinted buttercream, using an offset spatula, then add a couple tablespoons white buttercream to each bowl to lighten the colors. Continue frosting cookies, adding more white buttercream to achieve an ombré effect. Reserve remaining buttercream for another use. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)
TIP
For colors shown, we began with a berry-colored dye (made from beets) and a bright yellow (from turmeric). For bright red: mix ¼ teaspoon berry shade with ⅛ teaspoon yellow. For bright pink: use ¼ teaspoon berry shade. For bright orange: mix ¼teaspoon yellow with a pinch of berry shade. For bright yellow: use ¼ teaspoon yellow.
Chocolate Shortbread Hearts
MAKES 32
Formed with nested cookie cutters in five graduated sizes, these two-tone hearts fit together like puzzle pieces. This allows you to alternate two doughs—white chocolate and dark chocolate with a hint of espresso—for a striking design.
FOR THE DARK-CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD
1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
⅓ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE WHITE-CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
1 stick (½ cup) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ounces white chocolate, melted (see this page) and slightly cooled
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Make dark-chocolate shortbread: In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes; add sugar and beat until combined, then beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture; mix on low until combined. Wrap dough in plastic, flatten to a 1-inch-thick disk, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
2. Make white-chocolate shortbread: In a bowl, whisk flour and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter with white chocolate until creamy; add sugar and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture; mix on low until combined. Wrap dough in plastic, flatten to a 1-inch-thick disk, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
3. Remove disks from refrigerator; let stand 10 minutes. Roll out dark-chocolate dough ⅛ inch thick between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment. Stamp out heart shapes with largest cookie cutter; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather dough scraps, reroll, and stamp out heart shapes with largest cutter; freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Repeat with white-chocolate dough. Stamp out smaller hearts from larger ones, starting with second-largest cutter and working down to smallest cutter; transfer cutouts to parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze cutouts until firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Starting with smallest cutouts and working up to largest, fit together dark- and white-chocolate cutouts like puzzle pieces. Arrange completed hearts 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze again until firm. Working in 2 batches, bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.)
Sparkly Lemon Cookies
MAKES 40
These cakey gems get plenty of flavor from lemon zest. Brushing them first with a sweet lemon glaze allows the coarse sanding sugar to better adhere to the tops, giving the cookies a gentle sparkle. They’re tasty, whether dressed up or simply glazed and left unadorned.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1 stick (½ cup) plus 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 lemons, zested and juiced (⅓ cup juice)
2 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk
2¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Coarse sanding sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Beat in eggs until combined. Gradually add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Slowly add milk and beat on medium until a dough forms, about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1½-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until bottoms of cookies are pale golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
3. In a bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush glaze on cookies. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let glaze harden, about 20 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
TIP
Feel free to mix up the citrus to use what you have on hand: You can substitute limes for lemons, or use a combination.
Espresso Doily Cookies
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN
These patterned cookies look as intricate, pale, and delicate as snowflakes, yet include the full-bodied flavor of espresso. You can achieve the doily effect with aspic cutters—essentially, tiny cookie cutters that can also shape jellies (cutters, such as the Ateco brand, are available online and in kitchen-supply stores). For gifting, nestle a batch of these lacy sweets in a tin lined with their paper counterparts.
2 tablespoons espresso beans, crushed (see Tip)
¼ cup whole milk
1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coffee extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1. In a small saucepan, heat espresso beans and milk over medium-high until milk begins to simmer. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard espresso beans.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add both extracts and beat to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with espresso-infused milk, mixing just until dough forms. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured parchment, roll out each piece slightly thicker than ⅛ inch. Using scallop-edged or fluted round cutters, cut out cookies and transfer to a baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from freezer. Cut out doily patterns in centers of cookies using aspic cutters. (If dough begins to soften, return cookies to freezer until firm.) Gather scraps, shape into a disk, and chill in refrigerator before rerolling and cutting.
5. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are set, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to let cool completely. Sift confectioners’ sugar over top. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.)
TIP
To crush espresso beans, place in a resealable bag and gently pound with a heavy skillet, meat mallet, or rolling pin. Alternatively, coarsely grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
Chocolate Mint Wafers
MAKES ABOUT 50
If you can’t pass a Girl Scout cookie sale without stocking up on boxes and boxes of minty chocolate wafers, just wait until you try this homemade version. We topped some of the cookies with white nonpareils—reminiscent of the old-fashioned candy—and others with sugared mint leaves.
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Coarse salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
White nonpareils and sugared mint leaves (see this page), for decorating (optional)
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Gradually add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour and up to overnight (dough will be very soft).
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into balls (each equal to 1 teaspoon) and transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a glass in flour and flatten balls into 1½-inch rounds (about ¼ inch thick). Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until slightly firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.
3. In a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a medium pot of simmering water, combine chocolate, peppermint extract, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat.
4. Holding each cookie across the tines of a fork, dip in chocolate to coat completely, then tap underside of fork on side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Transfer to a fresh parchment-lined sheet and repeat until all cookies are coated. Sprinkle some cookies with nonpareils and, using tweezers, place sugared mint leaves in center of others, if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate has set, at least 1 hour. (Cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.)
Birch Bark Tuiles
MAKES 2 DOZEN
For a “bark” that is as delicious as its bite, try these crisp, airy cookies, which take on the appearance of birch bark, courtesy of a touch of cocoa powder added to the batter. To achieve the most uniform curled shapes, create a basic stencil (see Tip).
2 large egg whites
½ cup sugar
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4½ teaspoons heavy cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1. Line baking sheets with nonstick silicone baking mats (parchment doesn’t work as well). In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat egg whites with sugar until foamy. Add flour and salt; beat to combine. Add melted butter, cream, and vanilla, and beat to combine.
2. Transfer ½ cup batter to a small bowl and stir in cocoa powder. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (such as Ateco #3 or #4). Pipe small dots and dashes and “knots” sparsely across surface of baking mats, mimicking the texture of birch bark; you can also use a paintbrush. Freeze 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place stencil over “birch” markings (see Tip); spoon about 1½ teaspoons batter into stencil. Spread evenly with a small offset spatula (it will be very thin, and it’s okay if some of the markings smear). Repeat to fill baking sheet (about 6 per sheet). Remove stencil and bake cookies until just set and barely golden on edges, 8 to 9 minutes. Let cool 30 seconds.
4. Working with one cookie at a time, loosen edges with a spatula and remove from pan. Roll cookies into cylinders and place, seam side down, on a tray. (Return cookies to oven for a few seconds to warm if they start to get brittle before you roll them.) Once cookies are shaped, let cool completely.
5. Clean baking mats and stencil between batches, and repeat with remaining batter. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)
TIP
To make a stencil: Trace a 5-inch circle on a piece of heavy plastic (such as the top of a take-out container). Then trace a 3½-inch circle in the center. Cut out both circles with a utility knife, creating an O stencil.
Animal Gingerbread Cookies
MAKES ABOUT FIFTY 3- TO 4-INCH COOKIES
Create wild things in gingerbread, with a gathering of farm and forest creatures that spring to life with features piped in royal icing. Piping can be as easy as the polar bear’s solid white with dots for an eye and nose (a good one for kids), or as fancy as the fox’s fur and the sheep’s fluffy wool.
5½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons coarse salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1½ teaspoons ground cloves
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1½ cups unsulfured molasses
4 cups Royal Icing (this page)
Brown and black gel-paste food coloring
Fine sanding and pearl sugars, for decorating
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then molasses. Gradually add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Shape dough into 3 disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until firm but still pliable, about 1 hour.
2. Working with one disk of dough at a time, roll out to ¼-inch thickness on generously floured parchment. Brush off excess flour, transfer dough on parchment to a baking sheet, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters, rerolling scraps. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies until edges turn golden, about 15 minutes, rotating once and firmly rapping baking sheet halfway through to flatten any bubbles. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely.
4. Divide icing into batches (set aside ½ cup), and mix in a different shade of food coloring to each to tint. Transfer brown and white royal icing to two pastry bags fitted with small round tips (Ateco #1 or #2). Flood cookies with icing (see this page), using dark brown for reindeer, light brown for foxes, and white for sheep, cows, and polar bears. Sprinkle white cookies with sanding sugar for polar bears, and pearl sugar for sheep. Tap off excess. Let icing set at room temperature overnight.
5. Add confectioners’ sugar to reserved icing, one tablespoon at a time, to reach consistency of toothpaste. Tint with desired food coloring (black for eyes, brown for spots and fur). Transfer to pastry bags fitted with small round tips or a closed star tip (Ateco #13) for foxes. Decorate as desired. Let set over-night. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.)
Vanilla-Chocolate Log Cookies
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN
Inspired by the rings of a gracefully aged tree, this shortbread cookie contains two flavors of dough swirled into a single log. Give the edges of the baked cookies a quick dip in chocolate (“bark”) and chopped pistachio (“moss”) for extra woodsy appeal.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons hot water
3 ounces milk chocolate, melted (see this page)
¼ cup finely chopped pistachios
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Remove half the dough; divide into 2 equal pieces, shape into disks, wrap in plastic, and set aside while you make the chocolate dough.
2. In a small bowl, stir together cocoa powder, espresso, and hot water. Add cocoa mixture to remaining cookie dough and mix on low until color is uniform, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Place half the chocolate dough on a sheet of parchment and cover with plastic wrap. Roll dough into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle (dough will be very thin but can be easily patched if it tears); reserve. Repeat with remaining chocolate dough and both pieces of vanilla dough.
3. Place one sheet of chocolate dough on work surface and remove plastic. Remove plastic from one sheet of vanilla dough and invert, still attached to its parchment backing, onto chocolate dough, pressing gently with the palm of your hand to adhere. Gently peel back parchment to remove. Continue layering with remaining chocolate and vanilla doughs. With a short side close to you, roll dough into a tight spiral. Wrap in parchment and place in a paper-towel tube (see this page). Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Trim ends from dough. Slice dough ¼ inch thick. Roll each cookie between sheets of parchment into an oblong disk about 3 inches long and ⅛ inch thick; transfer to 2 parchment-lined sheets.
5. Bake cookies until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely. Working with one cookie at a time, dip an edge in melted chocolate and coat with pistachios. Transfer to fresh parchment-lined baking sheets and let stand until chocolate is set, 45 to 60 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.)
