Our Favorite Christmas Cookies
December 1, 2011
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Boston
• 0 Comments
Our Favorite Christmas Cookies
As with many traditions and myths, it is very difficult to pin down exactly when or where a certain tradition started. The tradition of Christmas cookies is no different. The first documented use of a Christmas tree was in Latvia in 1510. The candy and cookie decorations where given to family members on Christmas morning. With that, the tradition of baking cookies for Christmas may have started.
Long before that, however, the exchange of cakes, breads, and cookies were a part of most holiday and festival traditions. It was only natural that cookies became a part of Christmas as the holiday became more and more popular in Northern European countries like Germany, Holland, and England.
Cookies in the New World
German and Dutch immigrants brought their Christmas traditions with them as they began to settle in America in the 16 and 1700s. A popular German tradition was the giving of Lebkuchen, gingerbread cookies, at Christmas. Lebkuchen was a popular confection because it required little sugar, which was prohibitively expensive at the time.
Today, baking classes are filled to capacity with those who wish to learn how to make these perfect holiday treats. Whether baking in Boston, where many of our American Christmas traditions were born, or anywhere throughout the country, your holiday season will be brighter, and tastier, with a plate full of Christmas cookies.
Christmas Cookie Favorites
Here is a list of our favorite Christmas cookies. Most of the recipes are available on the Internet or in a Christmas cookie recipe book. Most are very easy to prepare and do not require skills learned in baking classes.
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Lebkuchen
This forerunner to gingerbread cookies was popular in Germany and came to America with German and Dutch immigrants. They were the first cookies to be left out for Santa and his reindeer.
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Sugar Cookies
British sugar cookies became popular throughout the world as the price of sugar declined during the Industrial Revolution. With the large number of English settlers, sugar cookies became a very popular part of baking in Boston. These soft and sugary treats are cut into festive Christmas shapes like Christmas trees, snowmen, angels, and stars.
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Thumbprints
Thumbprints are a delicious rolled cookie that are cut into circles and pressed by the thumb to create an indentation that is filled with jams and jellies. These tasty, colorful treats are often the centerpiece of any holiday cookie tray.
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Shortbread
This Scottish contribution is a rich, buttery cake like cookie that is perfect for dipping in coffee or a steaming glass of Christmas cocoa.
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Peanut Butter Blossoms
There may be tastier Christmas cookie favorites, but few are as fun to make. Peanut butter-flavored sugar cookies are baked to a golden brown. Fresh out of the oven they are topped with a Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss. After cooling they are true holiday gems, combining the wonderful flavors of chocolate and peanut butter.
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Mexican Wedding Cakes
These powdered sugar confections go by many names, including Russian Tea Cakes and Pecan Butter Balls. But whatever you call them, you’ll call them delicious. A more decadent version substitutes the traditional vanilla extract with rum.
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Pizzelles
Pizzelles are Italian waffle cookies that are similar in taste and appearance to Norwegian Krumkake, one of the first cookies associated with Christmas. The Italian version is ornately decorated by custom-made pizzelle irons that print intricate design on the cookies. Vanilla and licorice flavors are the most popular.
Our favorite way to enjoy Christmas cookies is through a Christmas cookie exchange party. Each guest bakes a dozen of their favorite recipes for every guest attending the party. At the party, cookies and recipes are exchanged and each guest goes home with a delicious assortment of Christmas treats. There are also baking classes that cater to the sharing of Christmas cookie recipes.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in the Boston, Massachusetts area. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Boston for more information.
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