Test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau shares the stories behind cookies from Gourmet’s Favorite Cookies of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. We have a cookie to suit every craving....

In our online feature Gourmet’s Favorite Cookies 1941-2008, we bring you the best cookie from each year of Gourmet’s history. Here, test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau introduces a selection of her favorites from the early years, plus one comparatively recent pick....

It doesn’t get fancier or more Christmassy than these glittery-edged cookies sporting studs of red and green.

This very homey recipe for rugelach was handed down through 4 generations of food editor Melissa Roberts’s family.

Honey and cream suspend almonds, hazelnuts, and pine nuts in a gorgeous, glossy candied topping on a buttery crust.

These are more window-like than your usual window cookies; using hard candies for the centers yields a thin, jewel-toned pane that shatters like glass when you bite into it. ...

“They…pack a punch…you won’t taste the gin, but you’ll feel its effects.” Indeed, these are for grown-ups only.

These dramatic beauties are complex, with an intense anise top note that gives way to a bittersweet chocolate-walnut flavor.

We love this take on ginger cookies; cinnamon and cloves underline their deep spiciness, while a toasted almond on top adds a different kind of crunch.