Every year, I find myself searching for that new cookie recipe, the one that will really wow my family, friends and co-workers. This year, Gourmet.com has made my search both easier and far more painful, all at the same time. Early last week, they posted a feature entitled "Gourmet's Favorite Cookies: 1941-2008" that chronicles their best cookie recipe from each year since the magazine's inception.

The piece features cookies like the more traditional Old-Fashioned Christmas Butter Cookies (1947) and Gingerbread Men (1959) to more obscure holiday goodies like "Shoe Sole" Cookies (1970) and Pistachio Tuiles (1988). It's also interesting because is shows how cookie trends have shifted and evolved over time. The World War II-era cookies are far more austere than the cookies of the booming 1980's. I'm planning on trying out the Fig Cookies (1964) and the Honey Refrigerator Cookies (1942) in the next week or two.

Which recipes call out to you? Do any of these recipes happen to be favorites in your family?

It's the same for me each year. I start making cookies that require rolling out, but by the time I've rolled and cut out my first sheet's worth, I'm already tired of the process and ready to quit. Happily, PJ Hamel from Bakers' Banter, the baking blog from King Arthur Flour understands my short attention span and has posted two techniques that speed the process of turning roll-out cookie dough into discs of edible deliciousness.

The first recommendation is that instead of rolling out your dough, you can scoop it into balls and let it bake into soft rounds. When those cookies are still warm, simply cut out the center with a tiny cutter for festive cookies that required far less fuss than is typically required. The second technique does require some rolling out, but offers a whole host of tips that will enable you to make gorgeous cookies with much less effort than you expended last year.

Let the baking begin! And thanks, PJ, for all the great tips!

Tis the season to start baking cookies! Last night it was below freezing for the first time in Center City Philadelphia and because of it, I was moved to bake up a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and snuggle down with a steaming mug of tea. The Linzer cookie you see above is a whole lot more elegant than my batch of cookies, but it gives me great inspiration for the coming baking season.

Thanks Stephanie, for adding this yummy treat to the Slashfood Flickr pool.

If you order a dozen or so holiday cookies from a bakery, you don't expect them to be piled up on a plate and covered in saran wrap, although this seems to be a perfectly acceptable presentation for gifts of homemade cookies. It's true that it is the thought that counts and that good cookies will over come any packaging, but it doesn't take that much more effort to take that packaging to a new level, which will keep the cookies fresher and make a homemade gift a showstopper.

This week, along with their collection of eight great holiday cookie recipes that are all going to be a bit more impressive than your average batch of chocolate chips, including Coconut Orange Macaroons, Scottish Shortbread, Ginger Drops and Candy Cane Cookies, the Denver Post has some great tips for packaging. For kids, try packing up "blank" gingerbread cookies in a small toolbox with frosting, sprinkles and other things they can use to customize the cookies. For cookies that will long outlast the holiday season, giving an unbaked roll of cookie dough (choose an attractive one, like the Chocolate-Coconut Pinwheels the article includes) and baking instructions wrapped up in an elegant tube that will put any store-bought dough to shame. And for the baker, consider wrapping the treats up in or on a pan, so they'll have something to use when they want to bake a batch themselves.

I failed geometry in high school. Miserably. I don't even like typing the word because it brings back bad memories. Luckily, as a writer, I don't come across many times where I have to think about geometry.

This is one of those times though: Christmas cookies! Geometry is one of the inspirations for the cookie recipes in the new issue of Gourmet magazine, along with color and texture. Though I think that "nature" would be the better theme, since they say they're dealing with "what we see in nature, whether frost in a field or gemstones gleaming in the sun."

Check out the recipes for Chocolate Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies, Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies, Tea and Honey Crisps, and several others. Some of these might look great used as ornaments for your tree (especially the Gilded Sesame Cookies).

 As Sarah pointed out, not everyone has a heart-shaped cookie cutter to help them make Valentine's Day Cookies. While the use of a cookie cutter can turn just about any cookie into something appropriate for the holiday, it certainly isn't your only option. These Easy Sugared Hearts are formed by hand, rolling and pinching the soft dough into a heart shape. The dough is easy to work with, so your kids can even help you shape them. The cookies are dipped into both red and plain granulated sugar before baking, which adds extra sweetness and beautiful color. The cookies are light and crisp without being crunchy. Not too sweet, despite the sugar coating, there is also a hint of butter and vanilla in them. They go perfectly with a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

The article from Saveur seduced me with its tale of thousands of cookies baked around the clock in the small town of Solebury, Pennsylvania. Trinity Church, an Episcopal parish, raises about $1,700 each year through its 20,000-cookie bakefest. But better than the money was the idea... grandmothers and little boys and single parishioners all working together to mix, roll, bake and box the buttery cookies made from recipes handed down for generations.

How could I resist? So two years ago I tried this recipe when I bought a Costco bag of walnuts and needed to use them up. Ever since I've been buying walnuts, nutmeg and cinnamon specifically for this recipe. These cookies satisfy my longing for spicy, crispy, nutty treats - and they're protein packed and low-net carb, to boot. I eat them for breakfast throughout December.