6 Christmas cookie recipes you’ll want to make every year

The culinary landscape of sweet treats is endlessly diverse and rich, shaped by traditions, cultures, and the creativity of generations, which makes us pause to think, as we put together our holiday menus, what about dessert? Or that something in between while we wait for the appetizer to arrive at the table.

Three women who confidently reign over excellent gastronomic solutions, ones I often and boldly think of, yes, I will try to make that at home, shared their recipes for delicious Christmas cookies. Some of them were baked by our grandmothers, some have survived many years through tradition, and some arrived as ideas from France and faraway Argentina. Enjoy!

Janjolinka

@Janjolinka

Hardly a doughnut season goes by without us thinking of Janja Benić, since she makes the best doughnuts in Croatia and we eagerly await February, but beyond that, her gastro blog is a true treasure trove of great recipes. When it comes to sweets, Janja knows exactly what she is doing, and below are two finger licking recipes.

Almond and star anise cookies

Simple, delicious cookies ready in no time.

Ingredients

200 g almond flour
50 g all purpose flour
1 g baking powder
200 g sugar
1 g ground star anise
1 egg
100 g butter, softened
50 g finely grated cooking chocolate

Topping

200 g milk chocolate
50 g brittle

Photo: Janja Benić

Preparation

• Mix the almond flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and anise. Add the butter sliced into thin pieces, the egg, and the grated chocolate, then knead into a compact dough.
• Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. I mix everything in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 4 mm, then bake it as a whole piece at 180°C for 14 minutes.
• While still warm, cut the dough into 4 x 4 cm squares or diamond shapes and leave them to cool completely.
• Melt the milk chocolate, then dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate and immediately sprinkle with brittle. Leave them on a rack or baking paper until the chocolate sets.

Photo: Janja Benić

Paris-Brest

Choux pastry filled with pastry cream enriched with almond and hazelnut praline paste.

Paris-Brest is a French dessert named after the Paris Brest Paris cycling race. It was created in 1910 by Louis Durand at the request of French sports journalist and reporter Pierre Giffard, which is why it has the shape of a wheel.

Ingredients

Praline paste (about 200 g*)

75 g hazelnuts, (1/2 cup)
75 g almonds, (1/2 cup)
100 g sugar, (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons water
A pinch of salt

Dough (choux pastry)

120 g all purpose flour, 1 cup
100 ml milk
100 ml water
10 g sugar, (2 teaspoons)
2 g salt, (1/2 teaspoon)
80 g unsalted butter, (5 1/2 tablespoons)
3 to 4 eggs, approximately 3 large or 4 smaller eggs, about 160 to 180 g

Additional ingredients for the dough:

1 egg
Sliced almonds
Powdered sugar for decoration

Cream

480 ml whole milk, (2 cups)
4 egg yolks
70 g sugar, (1/3 cup)
20 g flour, (2 tablespoons)
30 g cornstarch, (1/4 cup)
5 g vanilla extract, (1 teaspoon)
200 g praline paste
150 g unsalted butter, (2/3 cup), at room temperature

Preparation

• First prepare the praline paste. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the hazelnuts and almonds on it. Roast for 15 minutes.
• Transfer the roasted nuts to a clean kitchen towel while still warm and rub them to remove as much of the hazelnut skins as possible. The almonds will keep their skins. Let them cool.
• In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water over medium high heat. Once the liquid turns brown and becomes liquid caramel, add the hazelnuts and almonds and stir everything together briefly over the heat.
• Pour the mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and spread it out evenly. Let it cool completely.
• Once cooled, break it into smaller pieces and place them in a food processor. Process for about 10 minutes until it becomes a thick paste. If your food processor is less powerful, it may take a bit longer.
• Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Stir in the cornstarch and flour.
• Heat the milk in a saucepan until it gently comes to a boil. Pour about one third of the milk into the egg mixture and stir, then pour everything back into the saucepan with the hot milk. Stir constantly until a thick cream forms. It is important that the cornstarch cooks properly.
• Remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of butter from the total amount.
• Transfer the cream to a plastic bowl and cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the cream so no air gets in, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
• Once fully chilled, beat the cream with a mixer until smooth, add the praline paste, then gradually add the butter.

Photo: Janja Benić

Preparing the choux pastry:

• For two larger Paris Brest cakes, draw a circle about 20 cm in diameter on baking paper, then flip the paper over.
• My advice: if you are not very confident with a piping bag, make several smaller pieces in individual portions with a diameter of about 7 cm, which will bake to around 10 cm.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Sift the flour.
• Place the milk, water, sugar, salt, and butter in a saucepan and heat until the butter melts.
• Remove from the heat, add the flour, and stir well with a wooden spoon until a ball forms and all lumps disappear.
• Return to the heat and stir for 1 minute to evaporate excess moisture. Once the dough starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, continue stirring for another 1 minute and 30 seconds.
• Transfer to a plastic bowl and let it cool.
• Once cooled, lightly beat the eggs and gradually add them to the dough, making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. You can mix with a spatula or use a mixer with a paddle attachment. The mixture should be smooth and thick. The dough should not run off the spatula when held upside down but should hang just enough to form a V shape. This mixture differs from éclair dough, which should run off the spoon.
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm round nozzle. Pipe two circles, one inside the other, making sure they touch. Pipe a third circle on top, centered between the two.
• Brush with egg and generously sprinkle with sliced almonds.
• Bake with the oven door closed for 8 to 10 minutes, then open the door slightly using a wooden spoon or chopstick, just a few millimeters. Continue baking for another 34 to 36 minutes, depending on your oven, until nicely browned but not overbaked.
• Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Assembling the Paris-Brest

• Slice the pastry horizontally in half.
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with the cream. Pipe the cream onto the bottom half, add an extra layer or ring of praline paste if desired, then pipe another layer of cream.
• Cover with the top half of the pastry.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Bite It Quick

@mihaela_biteitquick

A few years ago, Mihaela Kozarić Šebrek, author of the Bite It Quick blog, published the recipe book Sweet Christmas Cookbook together with Irena Gavran and Nina Mrvica. For this occasion, it served as inspiration for something sweet to finish with.

Alfajores cookies

These cookies originate from South America and are most popular in Argentina. Two very delicate cookies that literally melt in your mouth are joined with irresistible dulce de leche and optionally rolled in coconut flour.

Ingredients

150 g all purpose flour
200 g cornstarch
3 g baking powder
3 egg yolks
100 g sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
180 g butter, at room temperature

Additionally:

Powdered sugar
Dulce de leche
Coconut flour, optional

Photo: Mihaela Kozarić Šebrek

Preparation:

• Sift the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
• Beat the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes until creamy.
• Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix well.
• On the lowest mixer speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
• Shape the dough into a smooth ball, then press it into a disk with your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and let it rest for about 5 minutes. On a floured surface or between two sheets of baking paper, roll it out to about 3 mm thickness.
• Cut out circles with a round cookie cutter and place them on the prepared tray.
• Refrigerate for 10 minutes so the cookies spread less during baking.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges just begin to turn lightly golden.
• Let them cool on the tray for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Place 1 teaspoon of dulce de leche on half of the cookies and gently sandwich with the remaining halves.
• Dust with powdered sugar and, if desired, roll the edges in coconut flour.

How to make dulce de leche?

• You will need one can of sweetened condensed milk.
• Submerge the unopened can in water and simmer over very low heat for about 2 to 3 hours, making sure the water level stays 1 to 2 cm above the top of the can.
• Remove the can from the water and let it cool to room temperature. Never open a hot can.
• Transfer the dulce de leche to a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Photo: Mihaela Kozarić Šebrek

Grandma’s Jam Shell Cookies

Shell shaped cookies filled with jam and sour cream are tender, crumbly, and irresistible. So simple to make and perfect for the holidays or any time of year. They are made with just five ingredients!

Ingredients

• 230 g soft butter, (1 cup)
• 240 g sour cream, (1 cup)
• 350 to 400 g all purpose flour, about 3 cups or more if needed
• A pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Jam of choice, preferably homemade. I use plum jam.

Photo: Mihaela Kozarić Šebrek

Preparation

• In a bowl, use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to mix the sour cream, butter or lard, a pinch of salt, and flour until a uniform dough forms. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, you can use it.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed until it is no longer sticky. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, and line a baking tray with baking paper.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of a few millimeters.
• Cut out circles using a glass or a large cookie cutter. Place about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of jam in each circle, depending on size, fold in half, and press the edges with a fork to seal.
• Place the cookies on the prepared baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges start to color but the tops remain pale. Be careful not to overbake.
• Remove from the oven and, while still hot, roll the cookies in powdered sugar.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container. They will keep for several weeks, although we guarantee they will disappear sooner.

Photo: Mihaela Kozarić Šebrek

Domaćica

@sanja.mijac

We recently dipped into the treasury of delicious traditional recipes by Sanja Mijac for the first time. Today we return to her again because her simple yet familiar traditional ideas win over every holiday table.

Crumbly Hazelnut Cookies

These deliciously crumbly cookies are easy to make and ideal for filling a glass jar for a true Christmas scene at home, and they also make a lovely gift.

Ingredients

300 g all purpose flour
200 g butter
100 g sugar
150 g ground hazelnuts, I use toasted ones, or almonds or walnuts
1 packet vanilla sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 egg yolks

Preparation

• Knead all the ingredients into a dough. First rub it between your hands until crumbly, then knead into a smooth ball. Depending on the flour or nuts you use, if the dough does not come together, add a little milk.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough thinly, about 1 to 2 cm, then cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Re knead the scraps, roll out again, and cut more shapes.
• Place the cookies on baking paper and bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly golden.

Photo: Sanja Mijac

Coconut Crescents

Crumbly coconut cookies that melt in your mouth have become a staple of holiday tables, and according to tradition, their horseshoe shape is believed to bring good luck.

Ingredients

200 g all purpose flour
150 g butter
100 g coconut
30 g sugar
Half a packet baking powder
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 egg

Additionally

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preparation

• Knead all the ingredients into a dough. The butter should not be fully melted.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Take small pieces of dough, no more than 15 g, and shape them into balls with your palms.
• Roll each ball into a log and bend into a crescent shape.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, depending on your oven and the thickness of the crescents.
• The cookies may remain slightly soft when removed from the oven but will firm up as they cool.
• While still warm, roll them in powdered sugar.

Photo: Sanja Mijac