What’s red and white, blue and white, red-black-and-green, and sweet all over? Holiday cookies! (For Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, respectively.) Now that Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror, we’re drooling watching the internets bloom in a snowy cloud of sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Comment with your favorites below, but here are five that our making our “nice” list this year.
Holly Jolly Santa Cookies
When our friend Tieghan Gerard of Half-Baked Harvest posted about these little guys on Instagram, we laughed like we had a bowl full of jelly. They’re just so charming! Vanilla sugar cookie balls, half of which are dyed red, are the basis of these smart little Santas. The rest is just mini chips, holiday M&Ms and a good frosting decorating kit. So cute it hurts.
Springerle
An article in The Wall Street Journal tipped us off to the sweet existence of springerle, which have been a holiday favorite in Bavaria and Central Europe since the Middle Ages (!). Scented with anise and made using a special cookie cutter or engraved rolling pin, they are, as the German Instagrammer above writes of her beauties, “a must on the cookie plate here in Südbaden.” We believe it. A good set of cookie stamps is key to making your own version of the classic.
Wreaths and Doors
So breathtaking, right? Instagrammer @sweetcheeksbyrenee is a specialty bakery employee turned confectionery artist. She offers digital classes showcasing her “watercoloring,” “wax seal,” and “pressure piped floral” techniques, among others. We just might sign up for the holiday cookie class demonstrating how she makes the beauties above.
Cars Bearing Gifts
3D-printed little VW bugs all snowy and laden with gifts? We love it, Susan Trianos. The instagrammer’s site is loaded with custom cookie cutters (including this carefully decorated tree), recipes, classes and more. So retro and adorable. We reckon we’d slip one of these cabbie cookie cutters into a stocking.
Pointsettias
When our pal Rebecca Firth teams up with our other pal Emily Hutchinson of The Hutch Oven, you know it’s gonna be good. Emily is somewhat of a frosting wunderkind, as you can see in her work here. (Would that we had such steady hands come the busy holiday season!) Rebecca showcased Emily’s work in a recent video; they’re both stars in their snowy, sugar-dusted field. Check them out! For more cookie-baking fun with Emily, join our grinch-inspired holiday whobilation celebration this Thursday, December 2nd.
