INA GARTEN'S CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT COOKIES

Get the recipe!: Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

If you need a hit this season, look no further than the Barefoot Contessa's combination of shortbread, roasted hazelnuts and chocolate. Really, could you ever go wrong with Nutella in a cookie sandwich? We think not.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!1 of 13 - Credit: Quentin Bacon

SMITTEN KITCHEN'S BROWNIE ROLL-OUT COOKIES

Get the recipe!: Brownie Roll-Out Cookies

Though Smitten Kitchen blogger (and author of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook) Deb Perelman grew up eating these cookies only at Hanukkah, she decided as a grown-up that she could eat them any month of the year. But, for that special time, these brownies masquerading as cookies make a perfect holiday gift.

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MELISSA D'ARABIAN'S ROSEMARY-CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD

Get the Recipe!: Rosemary Shortbread

Is the thought of a savory-sweet treat blowing your mind? Wait until you taste this shortbread, which comes together in under 30 minutes. "I like cookies that aren't half-day project," D'Arabian says, "especially around the busy holiday season." We'll second that!

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!3 of 13 - Credit: Raymond Hom

ERIC RIPERT'S COCONUT COOKIES

Get the Recipe!: Coconut Cookies

Celebrity chef Eric Ripert was inspired by one of his favorite places in the world, Puerto Rico, when he came up with this recipe. "I love the sweetness of this cookie," he says. "It has a good texture and really carries the subtle flavor and scent of the coconut."

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!4 of 13 - Credit: Raymond Hom

DOWNTOWN COOKIE CO.'S FRUIT CAKE COOKIES

Get the recipe!: Fruit Cake Cookies

When the weather outside is frightful and it's December on the calendar, it can only mean one thing: It's National Fruit Cake Month! New York City's Downtown Cookie Company has taken on the challenge of improving that derided holiday dessert, blessing us with this fabulous fruit cake cookie. Don't feel like making your own? Order a box of the shop's holiday flavors instead.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!5 of 13 - Credit: Courtesy Downtown Cookie Co.

TRISHA YEARWOOD'S ICED SUGAR COOKIES

Get the recipe!: Iced Sugar Cookies

Make them into snowmen, snowflakes or even snow mobiles! "These iced sugar cookies are the perfect Christmas cookie because you can decorate them any way you want for the holidays," Yearwood says. "I use lots of different colored frosting and red and green sprinkles."

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LIDIA BASTIANICH'S RAINBOW COOKIES

Get the recipe!: Rainbow Cookies

It's no wonder these Italian favorites are popular around this time of year – after all, it wouldn't be Christmas without a little green and red. If you like impressive visual presentation, cake-like texture and lots of almond flavor, this cookie will be a sure thing.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!7 of 13 - Credit: Diana Delucia

HEDY GOLDSMITH'S JUNK IN DA TRUNK COOKIES

Get the recipe!: Junk in Da Trunk Cookies

Pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith calls this her career-defining cookie. Butterscotch, malted milk balls and salted pretzels are just some of the delicious parts of this jam-packed dough, which results in an "always gooey, salty and amazing" treat.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!8 of 13 - Credit: Ben Fink

MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES

Get the recipe!: Mexican Wedding Cookies

Denise Gee, author of Sweet on Texas: Loveable Confections from the Lone Star State, calls these pastries "powdered baked clouds that melt marvelously on the tongue." Their name belies their tradition: these Tex-Mex favorites are usually served around Christmas.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!9 of 13 - Credit: Robert M. Peacock

CRANBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI

Get the recipe!: Cranberry & White Chocolate Biscotti

Here's a four-fork winner of a recipe created by a home cook and rated by readers of Epicurious, which put out The Epicurious Cookbook this year. The dried fruit gives these biscotti a chewy-crisp texture that add just the right touch of sweetness of any holiday occasion.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!10 of 13 - Credit: Ellen Silverman

SHORTBREAD WITH CHOCOLATE & CANDIED WALNUTS

Get the recipe!: Shortbread with Chocolate & Candied Walnuts

Shortcut alert! Instead of making your own candied nuts, save some time and buy them pre-made – we won't tell. Present small bites of these indulgent shortbread treats on a pretty platter with a bowl of berries, and you've got a party in no time.

12 Days of Holiday Cookies!11 of 13 - Credit: Yvonne Duivenvoorden

SMITTEN KITCHEN'S WHOLE LEMON BARS

Get the recipe!: Lemon Bars

Holiday cookies got you feeling indulgent, and not in a good way? Cut through some of that buttery richness with Deb Perelman's bright lemony squares, which, like their name suggests, use every part of the fruit.

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