While cooking, listen to this: Cherry Wine (feat. Amy Winehouse) by Nas

Tis’ that time of year where cookies unabashedly take center stage. Halloween gets candy, July 4th gets cookouts, Passover gets matzah and December holidays get cookies. Of course, for us, December means Hanukkah, which means lots and lots of things fried in oil. And stuffed to the gills with halva and vanilla bean custard. But that’s just us.

Look, we know we’re a little late to the holiday cookie fiesta, but it’s more fashionably late than anything else. Sure, sure the early poster gets the gingerbread houses and the royal icing snowmen and the ginger snaps and maybe even the Menorah-shaped sweets doused in blue frosting or blue sprinkles or blue whatever because Judaism! But by waiting until late-December, we were able to uncover Susan Spungen’s magical holiday cookie series. And immediately want to try every cookie slash invite her over for a baking sesh. Maybe you saw the feature already. And maybe you were immediately intimidated by the high-quality video that accompanies said cookies. Don’t be. If we can successfully make these in Rina’s tiny New York kitchen, shooting them over a folding table while perched on a stool, then anything is possible.

Coincidentally, Alyssa’s new job (!) means she gets to work on the publicity campaign for Susan’s new cookbook, Open Kitchen (preorder those copies, ladies and gents!). And what a perfect way to get in the holiday spirit AND impress at a new job than by making a mosaic of magical, highly-photogenic confections.

Initially, at first glance, these cookies look very involved and more complicated than they’re worth. But once you realize that Trader Joe’s sells freeze-dried raspberries (or in our case, a random organic mart in Astoria), the rest is a piece of…well, you know. The thing that makes these beauties stand out from your typical sugar cookie is the lemon in both the dough and the icing. Both of us are obsessed with all things lemon (in fact, Rina said it might be her favorite flavor, ever. Which is not something to take lightly!). In addition to lemon, the pomegranate, both as a topping and in the pink icing, adds a nice punchy tartness, making you momentarily forget you’re eating 4 million cups of confectioners sugar and about three sticks of butter. But it’s the holidays, so you get a pass (and those cozy sweaters hide all the evidence).

Bottom line, these cookies are amazing. Alyssa may or may not have spent half of our time making and photographing these stuffing her face with the broken ones (or in some cases breaking them herself) and shouting “mmmmm!” every time she took a bite as if it was her first.

So, on this lovely Christmas Eve (and Night 3 of Hanukkah!), we encourage you to make a snap-decision and bake these cookies. Whether you’re looking for something to wow your family and/or friends, looking for a fun winter project or just want to run away to the kitchen for a few hours, we’ve got you covered. Though we recommend starting here if you’re looking for some festive Hanukkah eats, Susan’s cookie feature is a grand way to keep your apartment from smelling like frying oil (but is it really Hanukkah without your hair and clothes smelling like fried stuff for eight days?

Until 2020, friends.

Love, meows and xo’s, Rina and Alyssa

Abstract Art Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies (For real! Just keep reusing the scraps)

Total Cook Time: 30m

Category: Sweet, Hanukkah, Holidays

Source: Susan Spungen for The New York Times

Special Equipment: stand mixer or hand mixer is helpful, but not a must, cookie cutters

Ingredients

FOR THE GLAZE:

1 (1-pound/455-gram) box confectioners’ sugar (3 3/4 cups), plus more if needed

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 to 4 tablespoons warm water, plus more as needed

FOR THE COOKIES AND DECORATING:

1 recipe Basic Sugar Cookies, dough flavored with 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary and zest of 1 lemon, cut into 3-inch squares and cooled

¼ cup finely chopped raw (not roasted) pistachios

2 tablespoons crushed freeze-dried raspberries *

2 tablespoons dried edible rose petals **

¼ cup pomegranate seeds, blotted dry

2 teaspoons pomegranate juice

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

*we used freeze-dried strawberries instead and it worked wonderfully

** we skipped this because rose petals seemed fussy, but we’re sure they’d be a beautiful added touch

Instructions

Prepare the glaze. Add box of confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons warm water to a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to combine well, slowly adding water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. You should have 2 cups of glaze. Test the glaze on a cookie as you go: If it doesn’t spread out on its own to a smooth finish within 10 seconds, it is too thick and needs more water. If it runs off the edge of the cookie, it’s too thin and needs more confectioners’ sugar.

Let glaze sit, tightly covered until ready to use, stirring occasionally. The glaze will keep for at least a week in a small airtight container like a glass jar.

Decorate the cookies. Pour the glaze into a medium bowl. Holding a cookie by the edges, with the top-side down, dip into the glaze, moving the cookie around a bit to make sure the glaze coats the whole surface. Gently shake the cookie from side to side to let the excess drip off.

Ice the cookies. Use a small offset spatula to stop the flow of icing, gently scrape the cookie against edge of bowl, and flip the cookie over. Use the spatula to spread the icing to pop any air bubbles, and make sure it goes all the way to the edges. It should quickly smooth out on its own. If not, thin out the glaze a bit until it does. Use your fingers to wipe away any icing on the outside edges.

Place on a cooling rack set over a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Coat cookies a few at a time. While the icing is still wet, sprinkle the cookies as desired with the pistachios, raspberries, rose petals and pomegranate seeds. Repeat until all the cookies are coated and decorated.

Pink glaze time! Scoop out 1/4 cup of the remaining cookie glaze and transfer to a small bowl. Add the pomegranate juice and 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (which will thicken it). Using a small spoon, drizzle the pink icing all over the cookies. Let dry completely. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days, or up to 1 week without the pomegranate seeds.