While in our house we don’t celebrate Christmas…we do celebrate cookie season!! We’ve laid out some of our favorite recipes, perfect for this time of year. Happy Baking!
Madeleines With Kafe Hawaij & Orange Zest
Madeleines are a traditional delicate, spongey butter cake/cookie made in a distinct shell shape pan with origins in France.
The non traditional addition of both the Kafe Hawaij and orange zest in our recipe for Madeleines works wonders and when these come out of the oven its tempting to devour them all in one sitting. They are soft, light, floral, and feel especially nice for the holiday season.
Moroccan Spiced Ginger Snaps
PHOTO BY GENERAL MILLS
This Moroccan twist on a Classic Ginger Snap from Betty Crocker is exaaaactly what you need this holiday season! With the addition of Ras El Hanout (which contains Coriander seeds, Ginger, Clove, Black Cardamom and Turmeric) you’ll be left wondering why this spice hasn’t always been in the ingredient list for ginger snaps. We think you may return to this one for many holiday seasons to come.
Kafe Hawaij Baci di Dama
These hazelnut-y melt in your mouth delicious Baci Cookies are exactly what you want to be eating this time of year. The perfect flakey short bread cookies spiced with Kafe Hawaij are sandwiched around hazelnut chocolate goodness, yum— these will be the only kinds of baci you’ll want under the mistletoe…baci means kiss in Italian ;)
Photo by Joseph De Leo
Sumac+Vanilla Shortbread
Spice up your normal short bread cookie with this Sumac and Vanilla Shortbread Recipe from Epicurious by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich. The sumac will add a tangy surprise you won’t be able to get enough of.
Chocolate-Salami
These quick, no-bake cookies (or Chocolate-Salami) are so fun and easy to make with kids for the holidays. The Kafe Hawaij or Ras El Hanout addition here complement the chocolate and give it a fancy upgrade. Serve with a digestif for the perfect after dinner treat.
Cinnamon Harissa Caramel Corn
Photo by Jon Melendez
Okay okay so we know this one is straight up not a cookie recipe but we couldn’t resist adding this Cinnamon Harissa Caramel Corn from Joy the baker!!! (We’d recommend Fiery or Rosey here!) Such a fun “adult” holiday treat (unless your child can handle spice like ours can…) Make a bowl of this and curl up with a cocktail and a holiday movie… now that sounds just right.
Hawaij Snickerdoodles
These Hawaij Snickerdoodles by Anna Ramiz for Food52 sound like comfort in a cookie. Perfect for the holidays, these buttery (Kafe) Hawaij cookies will make your home smell like a scented candle.
Photo by Anna Ramiz
Alfajores
A lovely thing to do for the holiday season is bake a batch of cookies as a gift—and these Argentinian inspired Alfajores are a delightful option! The Kafe Hawaij spiced dulce de leche filling is sandwiched between two perfectly lightweight cookies (also spiced with Kafe Hawaij), and rolled in toasted coconut. Alfajores are delectable—anyone would be pleased to receive a batch of these as a gift *raises hand subtly*… ;)
Za’atar Wedding Cookies
These Za’atar Wedding Cookies from the Los Angeles Times by Ben Mims look like a batch of cookies worth making. The notes of sesame in the Za’atar shine through so nicely in these powdered sugar goodies. Don’t let the name fool you, these cookies are great for any special occasion—including the holidays!
Photo by Leslie Grow
Choco-Chip-Cookie-Cake
Let us introduce the Choco-Chip-Cookie-Cake. You can dress it up for a fancy occasion by scooping ice cream on it and drizzling it with chocolate. You can also leave it all natural and enjoy the chocolatey, nutty, Kafe Hawaij spiced goodness—ideal for any holiday craving you might have.
Preserved Lemon Bars
Preserved. Lemon. Bars. Imagine the umami taste of preserved lemon paste in a lemon bar to balance out the usual intense sweetness that comes from this dessert. This recipe from Food52 by Rebecca Firkser is salty-sweet, well balanced, and feels super special-occasion worthy. Need we say more!?!
PHOTO BY TY MECHAM
Baharat Chewy Molasses Cookies
Photo by World Spice Merchants
When we found this recipe for Baharat Chewy Molasses Cookies by Sherrie from World Spice Merchants we were intrigued! Although baharat is most typically used in savory dishes, it contains cinnamon and allspice (and in ours, rose petals) which are the perfect holiday baking spices. The black peppercorn in the spice adds an unusual addition to baked goods that is don’t-knock-it-till-you-try-it good. If you are a fan of black pepper brownies these cookies are for you!
Thumbnail Image credit to @sugarsweetcookieco