Lulu's Copycats

Date stuffed Middle Eastern shortbread under powdered sugar, plus the three separate fillings the recipe lists without telling you to pick only one.

The Norwegian almond ring tower stacked with royal icing, plus the single wheat ingredient that stops it being gluten free and what to use instead.

Soft vanilla knot cookies under a milk glaze and Christmas nonpareils, plus the scoop size that gives 37 cookies instead of the two dozen it promises.

Pistachio and cranberry biscotti half dipped in white chocolate, plus the cooling window before you slice and how many slices one log really gives.

German cinnamon stars made with no flour and no butter at all, plus the meringue you have to set aside first and the drying time the card leaves out.

Red velvet tree cookies sandwiched with green cream cheese frosting, plus the cut then chill order that keeps the edges sharp and what 24 really means.

Buttery almond star cookies sandwiched with raspberry jam, plus the cup of jam that would fill almost 200 sandwiches and what that stated yield means.

Nutty cardamom thumbprints filled with jam, plus the reason that browned butter goes back in the freezer and the softening step you can skip entirely.

Soft peanut butter blossoms with a jelly center, plus the scoop size that would leave you fifty kisses short and the liqueur that never bakes off at all.

Buttery almond snowballs rolled twice in powdered sugar, plus why the first toss has to happen while they are warm and the trick to grinding the nuts.