Eric Kim’s Cranberry-Glazed Chewy Almond Cookies

It is, for me, the color of these cookies that reminds me most that the holidays are here. So loud, so electric. The hot pink, which leans magenta under certain lights, glistens like candy. Or lip gloss. When I made them recently, my cousin jokingly asked if I had melted on Airheads. Close, I said. But much more natural, and effortless: I love that with just three ingredients (cranberries, lemon juice, and confectioners’ sugar) you can end up with something as vividly hued as these. Pink has always been my favorite color, and this one especially brings me joy. During what has been a difficult year for many, I find myself looking for small victories like this anywhere I can.

Loosely adapted from Nigella Lawson’s “Chewy Almond Macaroons” in my favorite book of hers, Feast, these cookies are a mainstay at my family’s Christmas. The original recipe has you place a single blanched almond atop each cookie, which looks beautiful and I highly recommend it — but here I’ve opted for a fresh cranberry glaze instead, not least because I adore that tart fruitiness against the sweet, chewy base (also, you know, the pink). And when I say chewy, I do mean chewy: These are pleasurably textural — especially once they’ve cooled properly. I’m convinced that’s one main reason why everyone in my life loves them so much.

Accidentally gluten-free (100% almond flour) and unutterably easy to make (just stir, roll, and bake), these cookies are scented with cardamom and lemon zest, both citrusy flavors that are echoed in the jewel-bright cranberry glaze, thanks to a squeeze of lemon juice. The toy-like color reminds me of some set piece in Whipped Cream, Alexei Ratmansky’s visually stunning ballet, or an accent in the Sugar Plum Fairy’s tutu in The Nutcracker, one of my favorite Christmas staples. During the holidays, I like to put on Tchaikovsky’s score while baking, or cooking, or washing dishes. It’s sort of my version of that looping YouTube video of the fireplace. It transports me to another world, and to another time.

In high school, I dated a ballerina. She was a lovely dancer. Every Christmas I went to see her in the local production of The Nutcracker, in which she danced Clara one year and the Snow Queen the next. Little did I know that watching the ballet like this would awaken in me a great hunger for intricate choreography, brightly colored theatrics, and men. If you’ve ever seen male dancers in a ballet, then you know what I’m talking about when I say: thighs. Years later in New York, the night of the 2016 election, I went on a date with a dancer in one of the major ballet companies. He had the most beautiful legs and floated around his apartment like a balloon. We made out a little and smoked cigarettes on his balcony. It was cold out. I could see the tips of his just-showered hair frosting like the Snow King’s.

When I came out to my parents, they told me a story about how, when I was really little, around 3 years old, I asked them if I could join ballet. They said no, planning to sign me up for sports instead when I was old enough (which never happened, due to my nearsightedness and a general dearth of hand-eye coordination). To think that I could’ve been a ballet dancer instead of a precious writer! Although knowing how clumsy I am and how much discipline it takes to make it in that industry (and how totally unathletic I am), I probably wouldn’t have gotten very far. As far as professions go, baking holiday cookies and writing about them is a close second, I suppose.

These cookies are absolutely bursting with flavor. The combination of almond and sugar is reminiscent of marzipan (in the best possible way), and the cardamom adds subtle warmth, while lemon and cranberry bring a tart, zingy balance to this sweet treat. I especially appreciate that these cookies hold their own as naturally gluten-free — not a simulacrum of a wheat flour-laden cookie. — Lauren Kodiak, Managing Editor