If you’ve been looking for some new treats to get your holidays off to a sweet start, all you need to do is spin the globe. We’ve found a selection of easy, and delicious, international treats that your whole family will enjoy both making and tasting for the upcoming holiday celebrations.

Swiss Basler Brunsli

(Courtesy of Saveur)

These gluten-free chocolate-almond-spice cookies from Switzerland taste like chewy brownies. Note: Be sure to use the parchment paper when rolling out your dough to avoid sticking.

• 8 oz. whole blanched almonds
• 1 ½  cups sugar, plus more for rolling
• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 ½  tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½  tsp. ground cloves
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1. Finely grind almonds and sugar in a food processor. Add chocolate; pulse until finely ground. Add cinnamon, cloves, and egg whites; pulse until dough comes together.
2. Sprinkle a large piece of parchment paper with sugar; transfer dough to paper. Lay another piece of paper over dough; roll dough to 1/8" thickness.
3. Cut out cookies with star-shaped or other cutters; transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 1" apart. Reroll scraps and repeat. Let dough dry for 3 hours.
4. Heat oven to 300°.
5. Bake until cookies are slightly puffed, 12–15 minutes.

French Palmiers (Elephant Ears)

(Adapted from Saveur)

Easy baking alert! You can make these light and crispy French pastry treats with just 2 ingredients!

• 1 package puff pastry dough
• ½ cup of granulated sugar

1. Cut dough square in half and roll out ¼ inch thick, sprinkling with sugar as you work. Roll or fold the short ends 2 or 3 times inwards to reach the middle. Fold the dough in half along the center and press gently to seal. Repeat with remaining half of puff pastry. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Slice the rolled dough about 1/3 inch thick and sprinkle with more sugar. Place dough on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes, turning the cookies once halfway through.

Norwegian Crowns

Melt in your mouth butter cookies from Norway.

• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 ¼ cups sifted all purpose flour

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Cream butter with an electric beater and then gradually add sugar. When mixed, add the egg and the almond extract.
3. Slowly add the sifted flour.
4. Fill cookie press and use a half moon shape to create crowns.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden.