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.

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields that it kisses them so gently?” Lewis Carrol

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.

These delicate and crumbly cookies are light and buttery. They are similar to Mexican Wedding Cakes, but these have their roots in Minnesota. When I was a child, Mom made these every Christmas. I thought they looked like little snowballs and tasted like heaven. I still like to add them to my Christmas cookie list because they bring back memories of happy Christmases past. Their unique shape is a beautiful addition to any plate of holiday cookies.

This year, Hanukkah and Christmas occurred about the same time. Hanukkah was from December 22 through 28 and Christmas, of course, was December 25. To celebrate both holidays, I made cookies for each. I wanted to try something new and discovered Melt-in-Your-Mouth Hanukkah Gelt Cookies on the Overtime Cook blog, which turned out to be both pretty and delicious.