Sugar Cookies

Crispy sugar cookies, perfect for decorating for any number of occasions, have their place. But when you want to fill your cookie jar or tuck something in your lunch, a sturdier, chewier cookie is in order. With crispy edges, chewy centers and just a hint of nutmeg, these classic sugar cookies are perfect with a cup of tea or a glass of ice-cold milk.

For an extra crisp and sugary crust, try rolling the addictive spiced cookie logs in Demerara sugar before baking.

"Roll-and-cut" sugar cookies are made by flattening dough with a rolling pin, then cutting out shapes. The dough recipe here is ideal: durable enough to withstand rolling and rerolling, yet soft enough to cut neatly. The cookies themselves are extremely versatile. They can be simply sprinkled with sugar and baked; or, after they're baked, they can be decorated with royal icing or sandwiched with jam and sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

"My father used a lot of ginger in his baking," says Kevin Sbraga. "It adds that burst of flavor that makes you think, Wow." This sweet, candied-ginger dough can be rolled out and cut into any shape or formed into logs and refrigerated for simple slice-and-bake cookies.

F&W's Grace Parisi opts for baking soda instead of baking powder to create delectable holiday sugar cookies that are especially crispy.

"I really like the idea of using white frosting on this cookie, which has a little bit of brown sugar in it for great color, because the contrast between the two is so distinct," says Matt Lewis of Brooklyn's Baked bakery.

Freshly grated lemon zest brightens up these buttery cookies.

Suzanne Goin, who used to work at Berkeley, California's Chez Panisse, adapted these sugar-edged cookies from the Chez Panisse Dessert cookbook.

Chef Tim Byres of Smoke in Dallas mixes fresh rosemary into cornmeal cookies, giving them a fabulous savory note. The recipe can be made two ways: as drop cookies or the slice-and-bake kind for a crisper texture.