Cookie Recipes From Around The World

It probably comes as no surprise to you, but we love cookies. Chocolate chip, sugar, snickerdoodle, no-bake, oatmeal raisin, the list goes on and on. We haven’t met a cookie we haven’t loved. We got to wondering what kinds of confections and cookies people enjoy from around the world, and we found some pretty delicious recipes! Here are a few of our favorites. Go ahead and try some of these! You may just find a new favorite cookie!

Jan Hagel – Dutch Christmas Cookies

For me, it’s hard to imagine a more satisfying cookie. A buttery and crisp – yet delicate – shortbread, the only downside to them is that you can’t manage to eat one without creating quite a few crumbs. They’re simple to make and are baked up in a sheet pan, so are perfect for slicing and sharing, and their sturdy nature makes them easy to package up as gifts. They tend to come topped with sliced almonds or chopped walnuts and dusted with sanding sugar, though our friends often left them unadorned. (I’m partial to the sliced almond option, myself.) Get our recipe here!

Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen (sometimes known as pfefferkuchen) is the German answer to gingerbread, and it’s a traditional holiday treat that dates all the way back to the 13th century. Sweet and chock full of warming spices, these cookies are a bright note in the dark winter months, but deliciously addictive all year round. Softer than gingerbread, they also have the essence of orange and lemon running throughout and the snap of a sweet hard glaze on top. Get our recipe here!

Grandma’s Polish Cookies

German Christmas Cookies

Powdered sugar is the magic ingredient here. It is so much lighter than granulated sugar and has a subtle sweetness, which makes these cookies so light in texture. And without butter, we’re not getting anywhere! So sugar and butter are two super important ingredients for creating the perfect cookie. For added depth of flavor, we’re not using one but two flavored extracts – vanilla and almond extract and they work in harmony here to add a light and sweet taste to the cookie. To get just the right texture, the dough does need to spend some time in the refrigerator, so this is a make-ahead dough, but rest assured, this batch will make a TON of cookies. So you don’t have to bake them all in one go.

Get our recipe here!

Vanillekipferl – Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Simple and sweet, with the flavor of vanilla sugar and a melt-in-your-mouth consistency, these lovely little crescent cookies are easy to make and more than easy to enjoy. They’re a shortbread type of cookie, with plenty of butter but no egg or leavening agent, so they have a rich, crumbly bite. The flavors are subtle and come mainly from the almond flour and snow-like vanilla sugar, but their balance creates a cookie that’s nearly irresistible. Vanillekipferl originally come from Austria but are well known throughout Europe, showing up in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia. While they’re especially popular around Christmas, in many countries you can find them year-round… and if you can’t, you can easily make them yourself! Get the recipe here!

Easy Italian Almond Cookies

It often seems to be the case that it’s the simple things in life that are the very best, and these lovely almond cookies are no exception. They’re made up of only four ingredients (two of which are almonds… just in different forms), and they’re impossibly easy. Like, so easy you could probably make these blindfolded. They’re chewy and light, and their pleasant sweetness is cut just enough by the rich almond flavor. They’re one of our very favorite quick cookies, and we think you’ll feel the same way. Get our recipe here!

Mexican Cinnamon Cookies

Polvorones de canela are a favorite in the American Southwest and Mexico. These cookies are most often made during the holidays, a time when we get to enjoy the sweet and savory tastes of the season. But these cookies are just as good in the summer as in winter. So whether it’s actually Christmas time or if we’re just celebrating “Christmas in July” – a batch of these sweet and spicy cookies is always a good idea. Cinnamon and sugar are probably one of our favorite flavor combinations; we love the warm spice paired with those sweet sugar granules. Get our recipe here!

Egyptian Sweet Cookies

Egyptian sweet cookies are made even more amazing with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. And from time-to-time we like to add a little filling, such as chopped pistachios, walnuts or dates. You’ll definitely want to put these into tins or wrap them in cellophane to share because this recipe makes a ton of cookies! The history behind these cookies is all about celebration, so take a few to share with family and friends at your next special occasion! Get our recipe here!

Purim Cookies

Everyone loves a good cookie and an easy cookie recipe is enjoyed by both bakers and eaters alike. Simply mix together a few pantry staples, add a touch of flare with filling, and instantly achieve oohs and ahhs with almost no effort. This is such a fun little package of deliciousness that looks almost too pretty to eat, but we don’t let that stop us from indulging in these sweet treats! These cookies have a centuries-long history and are often made to honor the festival of Purim, a feast that commemorates how Jewish people living in ancient Persia thwarted oppression from the ruling empire. We think these are great way to celebrate! Get our recipe here!

Spanish Tea Cookies

We love a good cookie in our house, especially when it’s homemade. We’ve got a great go-to cookie recipe that we’re sure you’ll enjoy. These 5-ingredient cookies are made with pantry staples and truly whip up in no time – which, as you know, is one of our favorite things: satisfying our sweet tooth without having to wait…can cookie-making get any easier?!? Pour yourself a warm cup of tea with a side of these buttery-sweet cookies.