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• "Cookielicious"
  A collection of cookie recipes in a beautifully illustrated book.
• "O Christmas Treats"
  A collection of cookie recipes in a beautifully illustrated book.

Christmas cookies and easy cookie recipes are a priority during the holiday season.

That’s why favorite cookie recipes from St. Petersburg Times readers have become such a holiday tradition. From about 500 cookies recipes, we’ve selected 25 to share with bakers looking for new holiday recipes to share with family and friends in our ninth annual Christmas cookie roundup. Many are easy cookie recipes that can be made to give as economical holiday gifts.

Sort through the selection of Christmas cookies and pick your favorite to bake this year. We recommend the Chocolate Pistachio Fingers, Cherry-Pecan Icebox Cookies and the Frosty Nutty Krisp-O’s, though each cookie recipes will have its fans. If you’re going to a cookie exchange party, Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies or the Mocha Thumbprints, because both travel well.

There are a lot of Christmas cookie recipes to pick from, but we can vouch for this collection of holiday recipes. Each one is worthy of leaving for Santa, but choosing the best cookie recipe will be up to you. Start your mixer!

Gretel Batista, 16, is a student at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg. She will dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Academy of Ballets Arts’ production of The Nutcracker at the Palladium at St. Petersburg College, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 through 11, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 11. Tickets are $10 to $20. Call (727) 822-3590 or go to mypalladium.org to buy tickets online.