Every Country has its Cookie

If any childhood memory of Christmas, beside that of finding a mountain of presents under the tree, sticks in my head it’s baking cookies with my mom. Every year, we would roll out sugar cookie dough and cut out shapes with festive cookie cutters before popping them in the oven. When we were done, sprinkles and icing awaited to decorate the cookies that we were carefully crafting. After all, they were for our most important guest. Paired with a glass of milk, the cookies sat out Christmas Eve in anticipation of Santa’s arrival.

Now as an adult, I like to partake in the various cookie traditions from around the world as the festive season happens upon us.

One of my favourite Italian cookies that are usually available at speciality stores this time of year are amaretti cookies. They come in two varieties, hard and soft. But believe me, the soft ones are the way to go. They melt in your mouth as they give way to a bitter almond essence. Serve these treats with a cup of strong espresso after dinner. The ones I buy come wrapped in colourful paper and would make a great addition to any stocking.

Austria has given the world Linzer cookies. Another sandwich cookie made with two sugar cookies and seedless jam, it’s a popular (and colourful) choice for the season. They look pretty on any cookie platter and even kids enjoy this simple choice.

One of the most difficult festive treats to make properly are the French macarons. A meringue based sandwich cookie usually filled with a ganache, these little confections come in a rainbow of colours and flavours. They’re a popular gift at Christmas time (in case you hadn’t bought me anything yet).

In South America, Alfajores, a shortbread like sandwich cookie filled with the south American pastry staple, dulce de leche, a caramelized condensed milk. The sweet butterscotch-type filling is a great foil against the rich crumbly cookie.

Even Scotland, the country whose most notable contribution to the culinary world is haggis, the blood sausage made of sheep’s stomach, has one of the most-loved cookies for this time of year­—shortbread. Buttery and crumbly, when made properly, shortbread has just a touch of sweetness, but is pure decadence as it melts on your tongue. The world’s most famous shortbread maker Walkers is found in Northern Scotland. What better way to ring in the New Year than some shortbread and some Scottish malt whisky?

And lets not forget our own very Canadian, and very popular treat—Nanaimo bars. A nod to British Columbia and the upcoming 2010 Olympics, these chocolate treats and buttery filling have become a household staple during the holidays, even if you don’t make your own.
The great thing about culinary customs is that they are completely portable and we can share them wherever we are, even if our hearts are somewhere else this time of year.