6 Christmas Cookies Inspired By Classic Canadian Desserts

This year, in a feat of holiday magic, we transformed six iconic Canadian sweets into cookie form! The flavours of Nanaimo Bar, Prairie Flapper Pie and yup, even East Coast Moon Mist ice cream, show up in nutty sablés, tender dacquoise and crunchy shortbread. Your cookie platter will be a riot of texture and colour—and a bite-sized tour of the country's most celebrated desserts. (Head over here for all our holiday cookie recipes!)

Moon Mist Sugar Cookies

Moon Mist is an iconic Atlantic Canada ice cream flavour that swirls together vibrant yellow banana, blue bubble gum and purple grape. Neither kids nor adults will be able to resist the cookie version of this childhood summer classic. If you use a scoop to portion them, they almost look like ice cream. Get this moon mist sugar cookie recipe.

Maple Cream Cookies

You’re sure to find this Canadian classic at any airport gift shop. They’re particularly popular in Quebec, the maple syrup province. Once you make your own using maple sugar and a little nutty whole-wheat flour, you'll never go back to store-bought. If you don’t have a maple leaf cookie cutter, use any shape of a similar size. Get this maple cream cookie recipe.

Thunder Bay Persian Sablés

The original recipe for the persian, a beloved Thunder Bay, Ont., delicacy, is a closely guarded secret. This cookie spin-off keeps the spirit of the original cinnamon-scented fried dough topped with berry-tinted icing. Get this persian sablés recipe.

Flapper Pie Cookies

Let’s just say it was a challenge to transform this classic Prairie pie—which features a graham crust filled with custard and topped with meringue—into cookie form. The key is a dry meringue-based dacquoise cookie made with graham crumbs instead of the traditional nuts. A few hours after being sandwiched with custard filling they soften up for the perfect bite-sized treat. Get this flapper pie cookie recipe.

Saskatoon Pie Cookies

Based on Dorie Greenspan’s classic Jammers, these cookies take flavour inspiration from a Prairie classic: Saskatoon pie. Saskatoons (also known as service berries) have an almond flavour that is amplified by an almond-scented sablé Breton base and an almond crumble. Get this Saskatoon pie cookie recipe.

Nanaimo Bar Thumbprint Cookies

Undoubtedly the most classic Canadian bar cookie, Nanaimo bars hail, of course, from Nanaimo, B.C. Here, they are reimagined as sophisticated thumbprints. A rich cocoa base full of coconut, walnuts and graham crumbs is filled with the classic custard filling and finished with a drizzle of dark chocolate. Get this Nanaimo bar thumbprint recipe.