75 traditional cookie recipes

German honey spice cookies rolled into bite-sized balls with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, mace, and black pepper, then dipped in a sweet vanilla glaze. A traditional Pfeffernusse-style holiday cookie.

Traditional German springerle cookies with anise and lemon, stamped with intricate designs using a springerle rolling pin. A classic holiday cookie that air-dries overnight for a crisp, white finish.

Deep-fried Hanukkah cookies with lemon zest, dusted in cinnamon sugar while still warm. Crispy on the outside and soft inside, these traditional fried dough balls celebrate the holiday's oil tradition in every golden bite.

This recipe is a tradition in my husband's Swedish family. It makes enough cookies to feed the Swedish Army.

Honey-dipped cookies, the Greek melomakarona, are oval spiced cookies fragrant with orange, cognac, and cinnamon, soaked in honey syrup and showered with walnuts. An irresistible Christmas tradition from the Aegean kitchen.

Melomakarona are traditional Greek honey cookies made with orange juice, olive oil, and butter, filled with a walnut-cinnamon mixture and dipped in warm honey syrup.

Authentic Chinese almond cookies made with lard for that traditional sandy crumb. Each cookie gets a whole blanched almond pressed in the center and a glossy egg yolk wash before baking. Includes sesame variation.

Fattigmann, a traditional Norwegian fried cookie flavored with cardamom, lemon zest, and brandy. Diamond-shaped, paper-thin, and dusted with sugar.

Portuguese biscotti, lemon-scented ring-shaped butter cookies with a crisp, slightly crumbly texture. A Portuguese-American tradition that differs from Italian biscotti with lemon and a single bake.

Rosettes are delicate Scandinavian fried cookies shaped on a decorative iron, crisp like a wafer and dusted with powdered sugar. A Christmas tradition in Nordic and Midwestern kitchens.

Koulourakia, Greek special occasion cookies made with olive oil, cinnamon, brandy, and sesame seeds. Egg-free, dairy-free, and hand-shaped into traditional forms.

Kourabiedes are traditional Greek butter cookies with ground almonds and brandy, dusted heavily in powdered sugar. Fragile, sandy, and meant for celebrations.

Shrewsbury cakes, a traditional English rolled cookie with ginger, citrus rind, and caraway seeds. Crisp, lightly spiced, and chilled overnight before baking.

Mandelbrot almond bread with layered cinnamon, twice-baked into crisp toasted slices. A traditional Jewish biscotti-style cookie that's dense, crunchy, and dairy-free.

Traditional Tuscan twice-baked nut cookies studded with whole almonds and hazelnuts. Crunchy, fragrant, and built for dunking in Vin Santo or espresso.

Lemony springerle, traditional German embossed cookies stamped from a wooden mold and air-dried overnight before baking. Lemon zest brightens the classic anise.