Giada's light and citrusy cookies are made with fresh ricotta.

It’s time for 12 Days of Cookies, FoodNetwork.com’s annual cookie swap. Each day visit us here on the Dish for a peek at new holiday cookies, party-planning tips and top techniques for rolling, spooning, slicing, baking and decorating delicious sweet treats to give – or keep – from favorite Food Network chefs. Then visit Cooking Channel’s blog for great takes on holiday baking from Cooking Channel chefs and Food People alike – cookies by the dozen to celebrate all season.

Think of these as a friendly holiday squeeze from Giada De Laurentiis. A batch of her light and citrusy Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze offers enough cookies for an easygoing finish to an indulgent meal as well as a delightful chilly-afternoon snack with a steaming cup of tea.

Nodding to her love and expertise in all things Italian, Giada stirs up a mixture of ricotta cheese that includes both lemon juice and zest to give the cookies a seasonally bright, delicate flavor. They’re finished with a glossy sugar glaze, also spritzed with lemon. Pucker up!

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Anne Burrell's biscotti are perfect for dipping in coffee or cocoa.

It’s time for 12 Days of Cookies, FoodNetwork.com’s annual cookie swap. Each day visit us here on the Dish for a peek at new holiday cookies, party-planning tips and top techniques for rolling, spooning, slicing, baking and decorating delicious sweet treats to give – or keep – from favorite Food Network chefs. Then visit Cooking Channel’s blog for great takes on holiday baking from Cooking Channel chefs and Food People alike – cookies by the dozen to celebrate all season.

The secret that restaurant chefs don’t always share is that simple can be sublime. Anne’s gift to you: biscotti that are, well, simply sublime. These bold Dried Cherry and Almond Biscotti pack a crazy amount of flavor into what might otherwise be a quiet, ordinary cookie. Tart, chewy dried cherries are set off by lemon zest for extra zing and blanched almonds for nutty sweetness. Chef Burrell suggests dipping them in chocolate for those extra special occasions, but even without it they signal the party has begun.

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