A Handful of Holiday Sweets

We’ve got gingersnaps, lemon curd that goes well with just about anything, 7 variations on biscotti, poached pears, an upside-down cake, rice putting, a bourbon apple cake, and more for your holiday. Let’s start with cookies. Refrigerator cookies—also called rolled cookies, because they can be rolled out and cut with a lightly floured cookie cutter (or that old standby, a glass)—must be made in advance. This can be an advantage because you can make the dough days ahead and bake them whenever you get the urge. It’s a disadvantage when you don’t have the dough but you want cookies, like right now. One of our favorite refrigerator cookies that borders on savory is a gingersnap.

Gingersnaps

Not too sweet—in fact, bordering on savory—these gingersnaps are crisp-chewy, the kind that stick in your teeth.