Gourmet's best holiday cookies

[amyvn]

Gourmet.com just put up a feature on their best holiday cookies from 1941 to now. There are some great-looking things in here for sure. I've got my eye on the brown butter cookies from 1961 :p. Even if you're not looking for new recipes, it's kind of fun to look through the decades and see the trends.

The link is http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/cookies/. Sorry, but with the changes to the website I can't seem to figure out how to make it clicky.

Amy

[ljt2r]

Thanks for posting! I wish they would put out a magazine with this.

ETA Hey I am confused is it in the magazine? Heck I get the magazine :o and I did not see this. Is it out yet?

[Alleycat]

What a fun link! Thanks for sharing.

Laura, it says it's an "exclusive online package," so it sounds like it's not a printed magazine feature :)

[ljt2r]

I just emailed myself a lot of cookie recipes. :)

Did you guys notice how few were chocolate?

[amyvn]

Yes, I noticed the dearth of chocolate recipes as well. I think it's interesting how they comment that "America's love affair with chocolate really caught fire in the 1980's" and say that there were a lot more chocolate recipes in the magazine that decade. I've always associated Christmas cookies with chocolate, but that may have been my mother's personal obsession, which I inherited ;). I like the look of a lot of the 1940's recipes for their simplicity.

I've found more cookie recipes in that feature than I usually make in a year! I may have to start a Culinary in the Desert-style treat day for my husband's office just to try them all :D

Amy

[swedish cook]

I have copied and pasted for a while now. Thank you so much for the link.

As for the lack of chocolate in holiday cookies, I think red and green cookies, spicy flavorings or more elaborate (= time consuming) recipes/designs would be typical. JMHO

Make no mistake - I am a chocoholic. I take a box of Godiva any time if family is running out of ideas for birthday or Christmas.

[ljt2r]

I think the lack of chocolate is bc people always make traditional family, frequently European, cookies at Christmas. But I still found it interesting--and a little disappointing. :)

[jimjimmerjim]

The Pistachio Cranberry Icebox cookies from 2006 are a real hit at our house. I roll some of the logs in red sugar and some in green sugar. They are as pretty as they are good.

http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2006/12/pistachio-cranberry-icebox-cookies

I have to try the Trios from 2007.

[jadenegro]

Thanks for posting this - I think ;) - that was fun to read through.