Seven cookie (okay, and brownie) recipes for the holidays

COOKIES—AND BROWNIES—MAY BE THE PERFECT HOLIDAY TREATS TO BAKE. You can make them ahead in batches, ready to serve to guests or take to a party, scaling the amount up or down as needed. With a cake or a pie, once you’ve cut into it, you can only offer it to family or really good friends afterward without looking, well, overly thrifty. Here are seven recipes for you to bake and share. Or keep for yourself, no judging here.

Pecan Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

The cookies above are what made us think of doing this post. Our daughter who bakes and her boyfriend (who also bakes) went to a cookie party last weekend. They made these and another kind of cookies (don’t have that recipe, but may get it for future reference) and basically won the event. There was no official judging, but all of their cookies were gone by the end of the evening—no one else could say that. You’ll find the recipe for these rich, not-too-sweet, “award-winning” cookies here.

Chocolate-dipped Green Tea Shortbread Cookies

Tea goes perfectly with cookies—and sometimes, in cookies. Here, Japanese matcha green tea is part of the buttery shortbread cookie dough. They’re then dipped in bittersweet chocolate to create deliciously decadent treats.

Garam Masala Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Like the cookies above, these feature an unexpected ingredient, garam masala. The result turns classic oatmeal raisin cookies into something exotic, making people you share them with ask “what’s in these?” in a good way. Find the recipe here.

Maple Tuiles with Orange Zest

These French-inspired lacy cookies are often draped over tolling pins while still warm to resemble curved clay roof tiles. You can also leave them flat, as we do. Just five ingredients—flour, butter, maple syrup, salt and orange zest—create crisp, delicately sweet cookies. (You’ll find a bonus rosemary maple version too.)

Hazelnut Rosemary Jam Cookies

These may be our favorite holiday cookies. Besides the wonderful flavor with a subtle touch from the fresh rosemary, they’re just fun to make. The category name, thumbprint cookies, perfectly describes the hands-on process for making them.

Chocolate Chunk Cherry Brownies

Like cookies, brownies are easily shareable. And if anything, they’re more decadent—thick and chunky and chewy. Bittersweet and white chocolate, a touch of espresso and dried cherries soaked in red wine give these brownies a nice grown-up finish. Make them ahead—they’re twice as good the next day.

Lemon Blondies

So if they don’t have chocolate in them, what do you call brownies? Blondies, of course. Lemon juice and zest in both the blondies and the glaze give these super easy treats an addictively bright flavor.