Throughout the year I love a dash of red here and there to add color to my cookies. But at Christmas time, red isn’t just an accent, it’s often the main attraction. These Brown Butter Red Christmas Ornament Cookies are the epitome of the Christmas holiday cookie...they’re red, they’re beautiful, and they’re yummy. The white and gold sugar crystal accents make each cookie look like a jewel. It’s impossible to ignore them.

Snowy trees are one of nature’s most beautiful sights. Although that beauty can never be entirely captured in a cookie, it most definitely inspires the effort. An added bonus is that if you don’t quite match Mother Nature’s artistry, you can always eat your attempts and share them with a friend..or two or three.

This Christmas I made a lot of different cutout cookies...angels, snowy trees, ornaments, animals, clothing. But the shape that kept calling to me was the snowflake. So-o-o I made a lot of snowflakes: big, tiny, with holes, without holes, elegant, simple, even some dipped in chocolate! I just couldn't seem to get enough.