Some of my favorites are

https://www.emerils.com/126770/russian-tea-cakes

https://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-snowflake-cookies-chocolate-crinkles-crackles-15229

My chocolate peppermint biscotti is a favorite among my family and friends. I can give you the recipe if you want it.

Remove frozen Girl Scout cookies from freezer; enjoy. :)

How fun! I like to make cookie boxes for co-workers and these are all tried and true. I think the crowd favorite is the cream cheese brandy cherry balls.

These are some of my favorites:

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/crispy-salted-oatmeal-white-chocolate-cookies/

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/jam-thumbprint-cookies

https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/02/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-cookies/

https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-and-pecan-cookies/

https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/12/puff-and-shimmer/

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/chocolate-toffee-cookies/

Eggnog Snickerdoodles
posted by Alexa

2 3/4c flour
1 1/2c sugar
1 c butter
2 eggs
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional, but it is better with a little)
1/2 tsp brandy extract
1/2 tsp rum extract
Sugar mix:
1/4c sugar
1 tsp nutmeg

Mix cookie ingredients. Shape into walnut sized balls. Roll in combined sugar mixture.

Bake 8-10 minutes @ 375°. Yields: 4 doz.

Cream Cheese Brandy Cherry Balls (Ann_T)

Source: 1983 Oct/Nov. Entertainment and Recipe Booklet

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, quartered

2 tablespoons Brandy

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

2 cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups flaked coconut

Marinate cherries at least 4 hours or overnite in brandy Melt Chocolate chips and butterscotch chips and add cream cheese. Stir in cherries, marshmallows and walnuts and refrigerate until cold enough to roll into balls. Roll in coconut. Refrigerate. The longer the better. The flavours intensify.

One of my favorite combos: white chocolate, cranberry, macadamia nut cookies

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/white-chocolate-cranberry-and-macadamia-nut-cookies-236823

I make these Molasses Cookies (from the Silver Palate girls) every Christmas. These are chewy vs crisp...kind of a pliable gingersnap. Baking longer will produce crisp. I took this photo a few years ago after dotting the edges of the cookies with royal icing. Simple but a little more festive. As you can see, they bake up flat.

Silver Palate Molasses Cookies
(Makes 24 cookies)

12 T. butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter, add sugar and molasses, and mix thoroughly. Lightly beat egg and add to butter mixture; blend well.

Sift flour with spices, salt and baking soda, and add to first mixture; mix. Batter will be wet. (See *Note below)

Lay a sheet of nonstick foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of cookie batter on foil, leaving 3 inches between the cookies. They will spread during baking.

Bake until cookies start to darken, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven while still soft. Let cool on foil.

*Note: I chill the dough at this point for easier handling. Just form the cold dough into balls for baking.

Sambuca cookies are always a hit at cookie exchanges.

12oz semi sweet chocolate

4 tbsp margarine or butter

3 large eggs

1 cup of sambucca

1 cup of sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup confectioners sugar

in a 2 quart sauce pan, melt chocolate with butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, cool chocolate mixture

in medium bowl, with wire whisk, mix eggs, sambucca and 1/2 cup sugar, blend in chocolate mixture

with spoon, stir in flour and baking side into chocolate mixture until combined. Dough will be very soft. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, combine confectioners sugar with remaining 1/2 cup sugar. With lightly flour hands, roll dough by rounded tablespoons into balls. Roll balls into sugar mixture to coat. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 50 12 minutes until cookies are set and look puffed and cracked.

Those Cherry Butter cookies look lovely. I like bringing something that no one else is likely to bring. Those fit the bill.

watchmelol, these don't disappoint. I use both round and square fluted cutters but any simple shape would be fine. I bought my snowflake stencils at Michaels (I think) years ago. Now, I purchase those kinds of things online.

Don't omit the glittery sugar or luster.....it sets off those snowflakes in a special way.

I only use the recommended King Arthur flour for most of my fine baking, so I can't speak about the difference the flour makes in this recipe. For example, any AP flour is perfect for drop cookies, quick breads, and most fruity, nutty cakes, as well as those earthy desserts like crisps. The King Arthur makes a difference in fine textured cakes, yeast breads, and rolled cut out cookies. My opinion only!!

Make these at least a week ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the cupboard. Like most butter cookies, these get better after a few days.

I have certain cookies that I think of as "Christmas cookies" since those are what I grew up with. Hermits, date or molasses pinwheels (pinwheels can be made in so many flavors!), ginger, jewel (thumbprint), lace, almond crescents, pecan balls, mini pecan tarts, even a version of rugelach that is folded (more like Hamentaschen) - those were always a big hit at swaps.

Yep my mother loved to bake Christmas cookies and some years would make each and every one of those - but pecan balls and hermits were never left out.

These are the best if you like just simple shortbread cookies. If you keep cake flour on hand, the flour/cornstarch mixture can be replaced with 2 cups of cake flour. I like to use a little star-shaped cookie cutter for these at Christmas.

Scottish Shortbread

2 cups flour
2 T. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup plus 2 T. powdered sugar
2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla

First, remove 2 T. from the 2 cups of flour and replace with the 2 T. cornstarch. Add salt and whisk to blend.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended.

Form into ball and wrap in plastic. Chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 325. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to about 3/8- to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with about 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake about 20 to 25 minutes. Watch carefully, you want them to just barely get color (depending on your oven, you may need a little less or more time).

Remove from oven, sprinkle with fine or granulated sugar (optional), and remove to a rack to cool.

I think I like those cherry cookies, something different

I don't often make cookies but one thing that has made it easier for me is to use a small scoop, the kind with the release. The smaller size of a #100 or #70 scoop makes a just the right size cookie.

Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/Solula-Stainless-Tablespoon-Dispenser-Warranty/dp/B06Y5V5JFH

Raye, I totally agree about the scoops! Makes the job easier and faster.

I do a lot of cookie trays for Christmas and I always make the dough a few weeks ahead and freeze in already-scooped balls. Then I just put the balls on the sheet and bake from frozen the night before I deliver, and they are nice and fresh. So much easier.

I've also frozen already-baked cookies but don't care for those as much. I'm looking forward to start my doughs after Thanksgiving.

Rhizo, do you think the cherry dough would freeze well?

"...and I always make the dough a few weeks ahead and freeze in already-scooped balls."

Chi, I do that. too. Big time-saver, for sure. :-)

See what Rhizo says, but checking the recipe tells me the dough will freeze great. The only cookie dough I don't freeze would be more delicate and/or have more liquid, such as florentines, madeleines or tuiles. Butter cookie dough (and really most others) is never a problem.

Chi, freeze the dough in flattened discs ready to roll out when thawed.