One Radio Guy’s Five Favorite Holiday Cookies

I'm sure that all of you can relate at least a little bit to a list such as this one.

I mean, even if you were an orphan or your biological parents didn't bake or you lacked a grandmother who had a knack for making sweet treats just like I did, even something as preconceived as a Peppermint Oreo or a Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake can bring back a salivary flood of nostalgia like no other to your tastebuds during the holiday season.

And so, without further adieu, I'd like to share with you my personal list of favorite cookies to enjoy during Christmastime.

FROSTED SUGAR COOKIES

Seriously, who doesn't love this classic? Not only are frosted sugar cookies simple and delicious (and did we mention they're also frosted?), but you can make them in so many fun and clever shapes. So while your tastebuds might not be given a full ride, the imagination of their shape and color scheme has limitless potential! I've made these throughout my life both as a child and an adult at Christmastime and it's always proven to be just as fun.

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SPUMONI COOKIES

Unlike the other four inclusions on my list of holiday cookie favorites, these little Pisanos weren't a part of the assortment my mom made every year during my childhood years. Instead, they came along when I was in my early 30s. I've always liked to bake a little here and there, and one Christmas Season I found a recipe for these treats that are inspired by the classic Italian ice cream dessert on that new-fangled thing called "the Internet".

Spumoni has long been one of my very favorite sweet treats of any kind. I've always loved it because of how grown-up all of the flavors are and how well they work together. So when I saw that a cookie reminiscent of spumoni's holy trinity of tastes was actually a thing, I didn't hesitate to grab the ingredients and make a batch.

Well, needless to say, one batch turned into an every year thing for many years. And I still adore making these beautiful cookies around the holidays. In case you were wondering, they're equal parts pistachio, semi-sweet chocolate, and maraschino cherry. And there's also a variation that replaces the chocolate portion with a marzipan-almond flavor. Super scrumptious!

MALLOW COOKIE-WICHES

Okay, these have a funky name to be sure. But that's what the recipe in my mom's old cook book called what are essentially a classic whoopie pie!

I remember begging my mother to make these for several years until I finally wore her down one December, but the wait was so well worth it.

I vividly recall getting to help make these and it looked like a volcano of marshmallow and chocolate cake batter had erupted in the kitchen. And filling them was a task that led to several sub-messes all their own.

The recipe made enough to feed an invading army already on a collective sugar high, and even with every member of our five-person household eating at least three or four per day, there were still enough to last for several weeks.

God, how I loved these things as a kid. And I can see why, since they're basically just two hemispheres of rich chocolate cake with a generous equator of fluffy marshmallow filling (made from marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract).

MARASCHINO CHERRY BARS

Now this was one of the two big annual holiday cookie staples in my house when I was kid (along with rocky road bars, which are up next!).

Along with marshmallow creme and spumoni, maraschino cherries are another sweet treat that have always ranked right up there at the top of my list. And these bar-style cookies packed a double helping of maraschino flavor, since their filling is not only loaded with chopped cherries, but the frosting also includes all of the sweet juice from the jar too!

Add my mother's perfect cookie crust on the bottom and a bit of chopped coconut on the top for decoration and a little extra kick, and you've got yourself one of the best sweets from my kiddo years that there ever was. :-)

ROCKY ROAD BARS

I've seen several variations of these over the years, but the ones my mother always made around the holidays were from a recipe that I want to say came from a small cookbook that was produced by the folks at Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Indeed these paragons of all things delectable do include a layer of sweetened cream cheese stuff, but they also consist of a chocolate cakey bottom layer that's teeming with chopped walnuts, and the crowning stratum is made from marbled fudge and marshmallow (notice a theme developing here?).

Of all the cookies my mother ever made during any season, the rocky road bar was the undisputed titan. Every member of our family absolutely loved them, and mom was well known for making three or even four batches just to satisfy our inexhaustible cravings for them during the holiday season.

Sadly, I didn't get any of my mother's recipes handed down to me, but it appears that all of the ones she used to make my favorite holiday cookie selections are readily available online, so three more cheers for that thing we call "the Internet", it looks like it's given me a reason to do a lot of baking during the Christmas Season of 2024.