Forget the last-minute shopping, put down the tinsel, and never mind the horde of relatives on the way. It's time to make holiday cookies.

Baker and cookbook author Dorie Greenspan joins Michele Norris in her Washington, D.C., kitchen to talk about the holidays and share a wealth of baking tips for making rugelach. The popular crescent-shaped cookies can be filled with anything from raspberry jam to cinnamon and sugar or chocolate and nuts.

Greenspan writes the "Tools of the Trade" column for Bon Appétit magazine and is the author of several cookbooks, including Paris Sweets: Great Desserts from the City's Best Pastry Shops, and Baking with Julia. Her most recent book, Baking: From My Home to Yours, applies her years of professional experience to baking at home.

Greenspan says that it's not just the taste of her favorite cookies that evoke the holidays for her, it's the process of making them.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.