Christmas cookie

Christmas cookiesorChristmas biscuitsare traditionallysugar cookiesorbiscuits(though other flavours may be used based on family traditions and individual preferences) cut into various shapes related toChristmas.
Modern Christmas cookies can trace their history to recipes fromMedieval Europebiscuits, when many modern ingredients such ascinnamon,ginger,black pepper,almondsanddried fruitwere introduced into the west. By the 16th century Christmas biscuits had become popular across Europe, withLebkuchenbeing favoured in Germany andpepparkakorin Sweden, while in Norwaykrumkakewere popular.
The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the United States were brought by the Dutch in the early 17th century. Due to a wide range of cheap imported products from Germany between 1871 and 1906 following a change to importation laws,cookie cuttersbecame available in American markets. These imported cookie cutters often depicted highly stylised images with subjects designed to hang onChristmas trees. Due to the availability of these utensils, recipes began to appear in cookbooks designed to use them.In the early 20th century, U.S. merchants were also importing decorated Lebkuchen cookies from Germany to be used as presents.
In Canada and the United States, since the 1930s, children have left cookies andmilkon a table forSanta ClausonChristmas Eve, though many people simply consume the cookies themselves. The cookies are often cut into the shape ofcandy canes,reindeer,hollyleaves, Christmas trees,stars, orangels.
Gingerbreadhas existed in some form since sugars and spices were brought back to Europe, from soldiers in theCrusades. However, it was not untilQueen VictoriaandPrince Albertincluded it with a variety of other German Christmas traditions that the gingerbread cookies became primarily associated with Christmas.Gingerbread cookies are also traditional inAlsace.
Bredeleare Christmas cookies in theAlsatian cuisineof France.
A traditional cookie which dates from theMiddle Agesin Norway,Fattigmanncookies are deep fried in unsalted fat.
Kerstkransjes are traditional Christmas cookies fromthe Netherlands. They are round with a hole in the middle. The most usual type uses almond chips as decoration.
Krumkakerare traditional cookies from Norway. They were originally baked over open fires using decorative irons; however modern cooks use electric or stovetop irons to bake these wafer-thin biscuits.Krumkakerowe their name, which means "bent cake" or "twisted cake", to the fact that they are wrapped in a cone shape.
Pepparkakorare crisp, thingingersnapbiscuits from Sweden, traditionally cut out in flower and heart shapes.
Pfeffernüsseoriginate inScandinaviaand date from medieval times when spices were used exclusively in holiday baking.
Reposteríais a Mexican type ofshortbread-like cookie that is lightly baked and dipped into a cinnamon sugar blend until the cinnamon sugar surrounds the cookie.These are often served with coffee or hot spiced Mexican chocolate.
Sandbakelseare sugar cookies from nineteenth century Norway. The dough is pressed into tins, and then baked in an oven.
Springerlehave been traditional Christmas cookies in south Germany (BavariaandBaden-Württemberg) and Austria for centuries. They areanise-flavored cookies made from an egg-flour-sugardough. They are usually made in simple shapes, such as rectangles or circles.
After shaping, they usually have a picture or design pressed into the soft dough with specially carvedrolling pinsor presses. After they are baked, the designs are sometimes colored if the intention is to use the cookies as decorations.
Also calledAmishsugar cookies or Nazareth sugar cookies, the modernsugar cookiewas created by theMoravians, who settled in theNazareth areafrom Germany during the mid-18th century.Pennsylvaniaadopted the Nazareth sugar cookie as the official state cookie in 2001.