Here’s a crumb topping recipe to make ahead and refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to zhuzh your pies, crumbles, or bars or whatever you fancy. It’s got a hearty spice profile that will warm you up like a tartan throw next to a potbelly stove after a rump in the leaves. Scale recipe up as needed. Swap spices as you’d like as well. The key is not to over-blend. You want delicate, lightly crunchy crumbs.
Makes about 1 ½ lbs.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
¼ tsp cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
8 oz butter
Directions
Cut frozen butter into 1/4″ pieces. With a pastry cutter or your fingers, blend in butter with spices, flour, white sugar and salt until mixture is sandy.
A cookie with ancient credentials—biscotti go all the way back to Roman times, when they were basically the granola bars of marching legions. The name means “twice cooked”, which explains the crunch. Ours are upgraded with chocolate, pistachios and cranberries for a more modern take.
Ingredients
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pistachios
½ cup demerara sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined. Scrape and mix in dry ingredients on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries and pistachios.
On a floured surface, press the dough into a mass. Divide into two pieces and shape into 10” x 2” logs. Place logs onto a parchment lined baking sheet with 3” spacing, flattening to 2 1/2″ wide and 3/4″–1″ tall. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and freeze for 10–60 minutes.
Bake chilled logs for 28–32 minutes, until firm. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board.
Lower oven to 300°. Using a serrated knife, slice each log diagonally into 3/4″ pieces. If they crumble, brush or spray the tops with warm water.
This is what happens when classic shortbread gets invited to a holiday cocktail party. Shortbread hails from Scotland, where it was beloved by Mary, Queen of Scots and traditionally served during Hogmanay (Scottish New Year). But we’ve swapped the Scotch for bourbon, tossed in toasty pecans and made it ya’ll-friendly.
Ingredients
Makes about 25 cookies
12 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup pecans, toasted and ground
1 egg yolk
¾ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp bourbon
1 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
25 pecan halves
1 egg
Directions
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add ground pecans, egg yolk, salt, vanilla and bourbon. Mix and scrape just to incorporate all ingredients. On low speed, add flour and mix until dough is formed. Don’t overmix. Roll into a log, cover in plastic wrap and chill at least an hour, until firm.
Preheat oven to 325°. Whisk egg with 1 Tbsp water.
Cut into ¼” slices and place on parchment lined sheets. Brush egg wash on top of cookies. Place pecan halves in center of each. Bake 8-10 minutes until very lightly browned.
Rich and peanut buttery to the max. Flourless, fuss-free and dangerously good, they bake up with a shortbread-like crumb—but only if you don’t overbake them (seriously, trust us). Feeling extra? Smush two together with jam, ganache or marshmallow fluff for a sandwich cookie that slaps.
Ingredients
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 lb peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Mix all together in a bowl. Let chill about 30 minutes to become pliable. Scoop or roll into 1” balls.
Preheat oven to 325°. Bake on parchment lined baking sheet 10-12 minutes until still soft. Cookies will firm up as they cool. You don’t want to overbake these – they get really dry. You might need to experiment perfect baking time depending on your oven.
Think of these as the express version of a 17th-century Austrian classic: the Linzer torte. The original is a fancy almond latticed shortcrust cake and red currant jam. Ours? Raspberry jam, buttery crust, zero royal baking appointments required. It’s tradition, streamlined.
Ingredients
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
½ cup almond flour
¼ tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
¼ cup raspberry jam
Directions
In a medium or stand mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 15 seconds, scraping as needed. Add egg yolk and extracts and mix until combined, scraping as needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk flours, salt and spices. Add to butter mixture and mix until just combined.
On floured parchment, divide dough in half and roll into 11″ x 3/4″ logs. Transfer logs to a baking sheet with parchment.
Use a wooden spoon handle to create a 1/4″ deep channel down each log, widening them to 1 1/2″. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°.
After chilling, fill each channel with raspberry jam. Bake for 18-20 minutes until logs are golden and jam bubbles. Cool completely on baking sheet, about 35 minutes.
Cover jam with parchment and dust logs with confectioners’ sugar. Slice diagonally into 1/2″ cookies.
A spicy snap of holiday tradition! These Dutch and Belgian cookies are typically baked for St. Nicholas Day (December 6th)—so yes, put out your shoe and hope it’s filled with cookies instead of socks. The name “speculaas” may come from the Latin for “mirror”—perhaps because these cookies reflect the spice-forward spirit of the season. Cut them into your favorite shapes and have some festive fun.
Ingredients
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp allspice
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp whole milk
Directions
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt. Mix in flours, baking powder, and milk. Shape the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Roll one disk at a time to 1/8″–1/4″ thickness. Cut into your favorite shapes and place on baking sheets.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. The cookies will harden as they cool.
