The Sweet Side of Christmas

Alabama

Tea cake cookies are both crunchy and soft. They’re easy to prepare with the basic ingredients being butter, eggs, flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. The cream of tartar doesn’t let the sugar crystallize and this makes these cookies soft. Additional ingredients that can be added include lemon zest, vanilla, or a pinch of nutmeg added to the dough.

Arkansas

This state offers old-fashioned vanilla tea cakes. As you can tell the South loves their tea cakes. These are also made with the basic ingredients for tea cakes, but vanilla extract is added. Other ingredients can be changed like using butter or shortening and sugar or molasses. Some versions of these cookies add citrus and spices. The cookie dough is dropped on the baking sheet. They can be done plain or with poppy seeds and drizzled with a lemon glaze.

California

Vegan Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies taste just like the regular ones. No butter and eggs are used instead, these cookies are prepared with vegan butter, some cornstarch, and semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips. All the ingredients are mixed together, including flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and vanilla extract. The vegan butter is added in a melted state making for chewier cookies. The cookies are scooped onto a baking sheet, chilled briefly, and baked.

Colorado

From this state come Bizcochitos or Anise cookies. To make these cookies unsalted butter or lard is combined with sugar, aniseed, egg, brandy or tequila (optional), whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and sea salt. There are many versions of these cookies made and they are also prepared and served in New Mexico. These delicate bizchochitos are dipped in cinnamon sugar.

Connecticut

Chocolate-dipped almond crescent cookies are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Their softness is created with almond paste. Once the cookies are formed in a crescent shape and baked, the ends are dipped in melted chocolate. These cookies are prepared with flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, almond paste, sliced almonds, and dark chocolate chips. The chocolate chips are melted in the microwave for dipping the cookies.

Delaware

Brown-edged butter cookies are special with their crunchy and buttery edges. These are prepared with a creamy batter of butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour. They only require ten minutes to bake.

Florida and Georgia

Both states love Calypso cookies. What makes these cookies special are shredded coconut and coconut extract. Adding to the crunchiness of the cookies are pecans and oats. These cookies are prepared with flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, softened unsalted butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, coconut extract or vanilla extract, old-fashioned rolled oats, chopped, lightly toasted, pecans, and shredded coconut. The cookies come out soft on the inside with a nice crunchy outside.

Hawaii

Chinese almond cookies are nutty cookies prepared with a crumbly dough that is rolled into logs. These cookies are made with flour, baking powder, kosher salt, baking soda, shortening, butter, sugar, almond extract, eggs, and blanched whole almonds.

Idaho

Chinese sesame cookies are traditionally prepared with lard, but this recipe has butter and shortening. The toasted sesame seeds add a nutty flavor and both black and white seeds can be used to make a contrast. To make the cookies, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and almond extract are combined. Both black and white sesame seeds are used to decorate the cookies.

Illinois

Greek grape molasses cookies get their unique flavor from grape molasses. These cookies are made with baking soda, brandy, flour, baking powder, olive oil, grape molasses, sugar, orange juice, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves. The dough is placed on the baking sheet, either rolled or oval-shaped, and the cookies will be thick.

Indiana

Mexican wedding cookies are delicious powdered sugar-coated balls. They have a nutty flavor and crumbly texture. These are shortbread cookies made with unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and toasted chopped pecans. These are buttery cookies that are also called Pecan Balls, Russian Tea Cakes, Snowdrops, Italian Butterballs, Southern Pecan Butterballs, Pecan Sandies, Swedish Tea Cakes, and Viennese Sugar Balls. 

Iowa

Dutch caramel cookies are known for their gooey, caramel-cinnamon filling. They are crispy and are prepared with traditional Dutch ingredients. These are prepared with softened butter, witte basterdsuiker sugar, salt, egg, sifted zeeuwse bloem flour, and baking powder. These ingredients will be made into dough and rolled out and cut into round cookies. The filling is prepared with keukenstroop syrup, bruine basterdsuiker sugar, roomboter or high-quality butter, and ground cinnamon. The filling will be liquidized. Once the cookies are ready, the filling is spread on a cookie and then topped with another cookie.

Kansas

Giant chocolate chip cookies are fudgy and made with yeast to make them giant and give them a puffy texture. They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. These cookies are made with unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, flour, rapid-rise or active dry yeast, kosher salt, chocolate chips, dark or semisweet, and chopped walnuts.

Kentucky

Christmas Lizzy fruitcake cookies have a long list of ingredients, but they are worth making and very festive. Some of the dried fruit used include raisins or cranberries. They can also be made with candied cherries or pineapple or candied peels and mixed candied fruit. The cookies are prepared with light brown sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, milk, candied cherries, chopped dates, chopped pecans, candied pineapple, and bourbon whiskey. The dough is dropped by spoonful onto the baking sheet.

Maine

Old-fashioned molasses cookies are deliciously soft and spicy cookies with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. They are prepared with sour cream, baking soda, granulated sugar, brown sugar, shortening, unsalted butter, eggs, molasses, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The ingredients are made into dough, rolled out, and cut into rounds or various shapes.

Massachusetts

Greek butter cookies with sesame seeds these cookies are shaped into a round twist, which is one of the traditional shapes. They can also be made in braids or a simple S. The cookies are made with unsalted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, ouzo, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Once the dough is ready it is taken off in pieces, each piece rolled out, then two pieces are formed into a braid. These cookies are baked until golden brown.

Michigan

Polish vanilla cookies are prepared with an egg-free recipe. Their nutty flavor comes from ground almonds. Once the dough is ready, they are shaped into crescents. The cookies are made with unsalted butter, sugar, vanilla bean or vanilla extract, ground almonds, flour, baking powder, milk, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla sugar. Once baked the cookies are left on the baking sheet and sprinkled with the sugar mixture.

Minnesota

Norwegian crumb cake cookies are made with a krumkake iron. The cookies are prepared with unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, ground cardamom, salt, and some water. The dough is place in the krumkake iron and cooked. When done, the cooked dough is placed around a wooden spoon and shaped into a cone. The cones are filled with various ingredients like cream.

Missouri

Crispy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are just as delicious as regular chocolate chip cookies but even better with creamy, nutty peanut butter. They are made with softened butter, creamy or chunky peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and semisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate. Once the dough is ready, the cookies are dropped on the baking sheet.

Montana 

Fried rosette cookies are molded with a special iron, fried until golden, and dusted with powdered sugar. The most common rosette irons have star or flower shapes. The cookie dough is mixed together with eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla sugar, salt, and milk. The dough is refrigerated for two hours before being fried in the iron.

Nebraska

Classic peanut cookies are delicious and nutty. They can be made with your own roasted peanuts or bought roasted peanuts. These cookies are made with egg, brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and chopped roasted peanuts. They are dropped by teaspoonful on baking sheets and baked.

New Hampshire

Vegan double-chocolate chunk cookies are delicious cookies with chocolate chips or vegan chocolate chunks. Chopped walnuts, pecans, or peanuts. They are prepared with flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, vegetable oil, sugar, egg replacer, soy milk, vanilla extract, and vegan chocolate chunks. Once combined the dough is dropped by spoonful on the baking sheet and flattened.

North Dakota

Date-filled oatmeal cookies are sandwich cookies that are simple to make with the dough chilled, rolled, baked, and two cookies sandwiched together with filling. The cookies are prepared with milk, flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, shortening, softened butter, and quick-cooking rolled oats. After the cookie dough is ready, it is refrigerated for four hours. The filling is prepared with chopped dates, sugar, lemon juice, and water. The chilled dough is rolled out in rounds and baked. Once cooled the filling is smeared on one cookie and topped with another until all the cookies are sandwiched.

Ohio

Pineapple turnover cookies provide a tropical flavor. These cookies have a soft dough that is put together as a turnover, but the texture is like a cookie. The cookie dough is made with granulated sugar, shortening, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, salt, baking soda, and milk for glazing. Once the cookie dough is ready, it is refrigerated for one hour. The filling is made with crushed pineapple, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, margarine, and ground nutmeg. While the filling is cooling the cookie dough is rolled and cut into rounds. Then the filling is placed in the middle of each cookie round, then the dough is folded over the filling and the edges are pinched together. Placed on a cookie sheet, they are brushed with milk and sprinkled with sugar. Then baked until lightly browned.

Oregon

Vegan Pfeffernusse cookies are made a bit spicy with black pepper, and with molasses. These cookies are baked with no eggs or dairy. They are made with vegan margarine, flour, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, baking soda, ground black pepper, brown sugar, molasses, egg replacer, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar. Once the cookie dough is prepared it is rolled into balls and placed on the baking sheet. Once ready the cookies are cooled and rolled in confectioners’ sugar until completely coated.

Pennsylvania

Crispy sand tart cookies with cinnamon are rolled thin, giving them a crunchy texture when baked. The cookies are made with softened unsalted butter, sugar, beaten egg, flour, and baking powder/ You’ll need lightly beaten egg white and split, blanched almonds. Mix together sugar and ground cinnamon. Once you have rolled out the cookie dough cut into rounds, top each round with an almond piece, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and baked until lightly browned.

Rhode Island

Simple pecan butterball cookies are nutty cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar. The cookies are made with softened unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and sifted flour. You’ll need confectioners’ sugar and chopped pecans. The ingredients are all combined along with the chopped pecans excluding the confectioners’ sugar. The cookie dough is rolled into balls and placed on a baking sheet. Once done and cooled, they are rolled in the confectioners’ sugar.

Utah

Carrot cookies with orange icing are cookies where the icing with fresh orange juice makes them extra special. The cookies are prepared with shortening, granulated sugar, egg, cooked and mashed carrots, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt, and optionally chopped pecans or walnuts. The cookies are dropped on a baking sheet and baked until golden. The filling is prepared with orange juice, orange zest, butter, and confectioners’ sugar. When the cookies are ready and cooled, they are spread with the icing.