Cookies: A Christmas Tradition

Christmas just isn't complete without the divine aromas wafting from the oven, the sweet smells warming us up in the chilly December air. Nothing brings back the warmest memories of Christmases past than a spicy gingerbread cookie or a sweet and tangy Linzer cookie. There are the perennial cookie swaps and friends are treated to a bag of freshly baked goodies whenever they come over for a visit. Kids cuddle up with mom in the kitchen for a bit of frosting art fun and even professed pastry-phobes are hit by the homemade cookie bug. It seems that there's some sort of Christmas cookie tradition the world over, and a bit of history 101 might enhance your appreciation for every last bite of that sweet indulgence.

Arguably the most famous Christmas treat is the gingerbread cookie. It's a spicy pastry, and it can be made either as a bread or as a cookie, frosted with icing and made into gingerbread men. Gingerbread has a very long history that goes back all the way to medieval Western Europe. By the 17th century, gingerbread became a very popular delicacy in fairs, where they were baked and sold as pastries that celebrated festivities. They were shaped into different figures, depending on the occasion and the season. In Easter, for example, they would be shaped as eggs, and during other times they were shaped as hearts or men and embellished with icing to make them look more festive. Gingerbread, however, is most popular in Germany, where they are called lebkuchen. In the town of Nuremburg, lebkuchen is a Christmas staple and is sold in open-air stalls along the town plaza during the holidays. In Germany, these spice cookies are made into gingerbread houses, to commemorate the witches' house in the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Throughout the world today, gingerbread cookies have become popular and frosting the little gingerbread men has become an indomitable Christmas tradition for families and neighbors.

Another popular Christmas cookie is the Linzer cookie. It's a nut-based shortbread cookie sandwich whose top cookie is cut out in various shapes, revealing a rich filling of blackcurrant or red currant preserves and dusted with confectioner's sugar. It's an Austrian cookie derived from the Linzertorte, a tart named after the Austrian town of Linz. Made of a nut-based crust and filled with a generous portion of red currant or blackcurrant jam, it's said to be the oldest known torte in the world, and this tradition is kept alive whenever Linzer cookies are exchanged during Christmas. These elegant cookies can nowadays be filled with any jam of your choice, with raspberry jam by far being the most popular filling.

Germany has a very rich cookie tradition. Another holiday treat is the pfefferneusse, a spice cookie with a distinctly German-sounding name. These are hard cookies and they are traditionally dipped in wine and during cookie-eating visits. One of the main ingredients is ground pepper, from whence the cookie gets its name: pepper nuts. Another German cookie that's made it's way around America is the springerle, which in old German dialect means "little knight". These are simple anise-flavored sugar cookies, usually cut into squares or rounds and imprinted with designs using special Springerle presses. The designs can depict 'most anything, usually Christmas or holiday scenes and can be embellished with food color and hung as festive decors.

One very popular and elegant cookie exchanged during Christmas is Italian biscotti. In Italian, biscotti refers to how this cookie is made; it literally means "twice baked", which is exactly how biscotti is baked. These cookies were originally made in the region of Tuscany where the dough is first shaped into the log for its first baking. The dough is then taken out and cut into strips, before being toasted in the oven for a second time. These are popular with chocolate and an assortment of nuts or fruit preserves and are especially good with coffee or tea. Another popular Italian Christmas cookie is the cucidati, or Italian fig cookies. These are made of pastry dough that's been filled with a sweet filling of figs and dates, and decorated with nonpareils.

In America, Mexican wedding cookies are made and exchanged fervently during Christmas. It's not really known why the name "Mexican wedding cookies" was attached to this treat, but it's very similar to cookies made all over the world, like the Russian tea cake. It's a buttery cookie shaped into little spheres or balls, with a lot of nuts in it and rolled in an immaculate coating of confectioner's sugar. Whatever its origins, this cookie is international in its appeal.

The Basler Brunsli is a Christmas cookie that has its origins in the Swiss town of Basel, after which it is named. Brunsli means "brownie" in German, and this almond spice cookie is a deep brown in color, usually cut out into various shapes and dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Christmas is always the perfect season to enjoy and indulge in these special treats. Whateve part of the world you're in, the holidays is usually the time when cookies take center stage and spice up the festive season. Made as hearty treats or delicate ornaments, the season just isn't complete without these goodies. Kids and adults will certainly agree.