182 traditional cookie recipes

Traditional German Springerle cookies with anise oil, stamped with carved molds and dried overnight before baking to a pale straw color. This heirloom recipe makes 72 delicate, picture-perfect cookies.

Austrian butter cookies: simple four-ingredient nut shortbread rounds. Roll plain for tea time or sandwich with jam and chocolate frosting for traditional Austrian dessert.

Moustokouloura (Greek wine must cookies) shaped into oval wreaths with olive oil, petimezi, honey, cinnamon, cloves, and orange. A traditional vegan Greek cookie with a crunchy, spiced bite.

Crispy fried lemon rosette cookies made on a traditional rosette iron, dusted with powdered sugar. Lacy, paper-thin Scandinavian-style cookies that shatter under the first bite. A holiday classic.

Traditional Italian taralli cookies shaped into rings, dipped in vanilla icing, and topped with sprinkles. A sweet, old-school Italian American cookie from Nonna's kitchen. Makes 24.

Classic butter spritz cookies pressed into festive shapes with pure, simple flavor. Perfect for holiday cookie trays and gift boxes with traditional buttery taste.

Hillary Clinton's chocolate chip cookies with rolled oats, shortening, and brown sugar. The famous 1992 cookie recipe that started the presidential bake-off tradition.

Gingerbread bear cookies bake molasses-spiced rolled cookies with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Painted with royal icing for a holiday tradition kids adore.

Sandbakelse, traditional Scandinavian butter cookies with cardamom, pressed into mini tart tins and filled with jam. Delicate, sandy-textured holiday cookies dusted with powdered sugar.

Traditional German Kasekuchen made with sieved cottage cheese, sour cream, and raisins in a buttery cookie crust. A lighter, tangier European-style cheesecake.

Danish almond cookies (Mandel Kager) with cardamom and cinnamon, brushed with egg wash and topped with a blanched almond half. A traditional Scandinavian Christmas cookie.

Cardamom wedding cookies: buttery shortbread balls rolled in powdered sugar with cardamom, citrus zest, and ground almonds. A fragrant twist on traditional Mexican wedding cookies.

Pfeffernuesse (German pepper nut cookies) are tiny round spice cookies flavored with cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and mace, finished with a drop of brandy before baking. A traditional Christmas cookie from Germany.

Kolacky cookies made with a tender cream cheese pastry dough filled with fruit spread, pinched into tri-cornered shapes, and baked golden. A Czech holiday cookie tradition.

Butter Cookies are one of those traditional Christmas cookies that everyone adores. This homemade butter cookie recipe is much better than what you find in the tins at the store during the holidays.

Traditional Austrian Ischli cookies with ground almonds, sandwiched with raspberry jam and topped with mocha chocolate icing. A classic European holiday cookie worth the overnight chill.