Start the holiday cookie season off right with these rich molasses cookies. The deep flavor of the molasses is complemented by the sweet apricot jam. Be sure to refrigerate the dough as directed before baking; this makes it easier to handle when scooping.

Day 2 — milk chocolate meringues For The Associated Press Need a lighter treat before the onslaught of holiday sweets?

Try these naturally lower-fat chocolate meringues. With an electric mixer, these can be made with little effort. To keep them crisp, be sure to store them in an airtight container.

Day 3 — pecan biscotti The brown sugar and toasted pecans in these biscotti give them a flavor reminiscent of pecan pie. Like all biscotti, they must be baked twice to develop that crunchy texture that makes them so perfect for dunking in coffee and hot cocoa.

Day 4 — caramel peanut melt bars We’ve all seen salt-crusted caramel candies. Now you can have them as a cookie. While peanuts are delicious, any salty nut would work, including chopped almonds, cashews or pistachios, or try a blend.

Day 5 — coffee toffee sandies Coffee and toffee together at last. For a more intense blast of coffee, use instant espresso powder instead of instant coffee. Day 6 — spiced cranberry stars These cookies, which are inspired by rugelach, wrap a flaky pastry dough around a warmly spiced filling of dried cranberries.

If the cutting and folding technique seems too bothersome, just spread the filling over rounds of dough, then cut each round into triangles. Each triangle then can be rolled up and baked, as in traditional rugelach recipes. Day 7 — Mexican spiced macaroons Don’t be afraid of the cayenne in these macaroons. These cookies are moist, rich and chewy, with just a hint of warmth. Day 8 — snickerdoodle spritz

Here’s an excuse to buy that cookie press you’ve been staring at in the baking store. Or if the caulking gun of the food world doesn’t do it for you, the dough for these cookies also can be scooped into a plastic bag, then piped out into decorative rounds. Day 9 — chocolate malt crinkles

The combination of malt powder and melted chocolate gives these cookies the flavor of chocolate-covered malt balls. Look for malt powder alongside the instant coffee and hot cocoa mixes. Day 10 — key lime meltaways For a faster version, skip the indenting step and just dust the cookies with powdered sugar instead of frosting them. Day 11 — brandy snaps

These rich molasses lace cookies are formed into cups and filled with a cream spiked with brandy and chocolate. The cookies also can be molded into tubes by wrapping them around cannoli molds. Day 12 — painted sugar cookies These sugar cookies let you express your artistic side. After the cookies are cooled, they are painted with a glaze made from corn syrup, powdered sugar and food coloring.