These delicate espresso shortbread cookies - a simple recipe with not too many ingredients - strike the perfect balance of coffee and brown butter. The brown butter has just enough caramel-y oomph to stand up to the espresso. Fiona Zhang says she bakes them so that they're fairly soft - 12 minutes in her oven - but for a snappier, crunchier cookie, they could stay in the oven for a couple minutes longer.
As you bake for Santa, the reindeer, and the long line of festive gatherings ahead, you might notice that one out of many cookie recipes keeps calling your name. It shows up on every platter, every goodie bag, and somehow always ends up on your plate first. In astrology, your Sun sign describes the personality you recognize most. Your Moon reveals the tastes, textures, and nostalgic treats that soothe you. While your rising sign shapes the vibe others sense from you before you ever say a word - even at a holiday dessert table.
Crispy, crunchy, crackly, gooey, sprinkled, spritzed, dropped, cookie-cutter'd, dusted, frosted. Alfajores? Chocolate chip? Gingerbread? We want all of them for this year's Holiday Cookie Bake-Off, an L.A. Times tradition revived for 2025. The Food section is accepting recipe submissions starting today and until Monday, Oct. 13. Volunteer student bakers from the culinary arts program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College will prepare finalists' cookies for a panel of judges in early November.
