Cookie

Essentially, these are old-fashioned sugar cookies all dressed up for the holidays. If you want to use icing for decoration, follow the directions for the icing in the New England Molasses Gingerbread Cookies recipe.

Colorful bits of cranberries, walnuts, and pistachios make these simple cookies sparkle for the holidays.

Biscotti Quadrati al Miele e alle Noci Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 6 hr

Judith W. Harris of San Mateo, California, writes: "I recently made these chocolate almond bars for a tea. They were all consumed with requests for more." Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Known as biscuits in the United Kingdom, these rich treats get their chewy-crunchy texture from Scottish pinhead (steel-cut) oats. For a more tender cookie, use old-fashioned oats.

Each recipe makes about three dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookie cutters used. The gingerbread cookies are crisp and lightly spiced, while the sugar cookies have lively lemon and tangerine flavors. Both are perfect for a variety of imaginative decorations.

These easy refrigerator cookies are great to have on hand. Chill or freeze the dough, then just slice some off and bake when you want cookies.

These cookies are also good on their own.

These cookies from the town of Prato are also known as cantucci. They are usually served with the Italian dessert wine Vin Santo.

This dough can also be formed into crescent shapes and coated with confectioners' sugar while still warm, as is done in many eastern European countries.

These brownies can be fudgy or cakey depending on how long you bake them.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr