The palest green with hits of bright red peeking out here and there, these cookies have Christmas written all over them.

For extra holiday bling, I added shiny, sticky, lipstick-hued glace cherries to these “Pistachio and Orange Cookies.”

The recipe is from “The German Christmas Cookbook” (Weldon Owen), of which I received a review copy. It was written by Jurgen Krauss, a 2021 “Great British Bake-Off” contestant.

A native of the Black Forest in Germany, he moved to the United Kingdom in 2003. His passion for baking was kick-started when he couldn’t find any traditional German bread to his liking in his new home country, so he tried his hand at baking his own.

In this collection of recipes, you’ll find both sweet and savory treats for the holiday season, including — yes — his recipe for “Crusty Black Forest Loaf.” Other temptations include “Mulled Wine Cake,” “Chocolate Waffles with Kirsch Cream,” “Semolina Dumpling Soup,” and “Smoked Fish Canapes.”

Admittedly, these “Pistachio and Orange Cookies” are a bit fiddly to make. First, the recipe states that it makes 60 cookies. There’s no way that’s possible. I made about 30 cookies max. And these are teeny-tiny, about two bites or the perfect size for a child’s pretend tea party.

Second, the dough is quite sticky — and remains that way even after freezing the logs for the directed amount of time. As a result, it’s a challenge to slice the dough neatly. As such, when the slices bake, they may not necessarily turn out perfectly circular. Contrary to the directions, too, they don’t spread significantly as they bake, because again, these are minuscule dough slices to begin with. I adjusted the recipe below accordingly to reflect all of that.

All that aside, these cookies are delicious. They have a wonderful hint of orange, and are very nutty tasting from ground pistachios being mixed into the all-purpose flour. Powdered sugar adds just the right of sweetness plus tenderness to the dough. The recipe calls for adding in mixed citrus peel. Feel free to use that or to do what I did in substituting sliced glace cherries instead.

After the cookies baked and cooled, whisk together more powdered sugar with a splash of orange juice to create a glaze. Drizzle spoonfuls over the cookies to finish.

They may not look perfect, but they boast that homespun, handmade appeal that we all crave at this time of year.

Pistachio and Orange Cookies

(Makes about 30 cookies)

7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

Zest of 1 orange

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

2 1/2 ounces (75 grams) ground pistachios

2 1/2 ounces mixed citrus peel or halved glace cherries

1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste

For the icing:

1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar

About 2 teaspoons orange juice

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar together. Mix in the egg and orange zest, then add the salt, flour, pistachios, citrus peel or glace cherries, and vanilla paste and mix again. The dough will be quite soft. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Divide the chilled dough into 4 equal pieces. On a well-floured surface, use your hands to roll each piece into a log about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Cover each with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

When the dough has solidified enough to hold its shape, preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Take the dough out of the freezer, one piece at a time, and unwrap. Cut into 3/8-inch slices and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 1/4 inches apart as these cookies spread quite a bit in the oven. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until the edges of the cookies darken.

Set aside to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes — they will be quite delicate — before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, prepare the icing. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Add the orange juice bit by bit, stirring constantly, until the mixture runs off a fork in thin strands, but will stay on your cookies. Drizzle the cookies with the icing in a random pattern. Let set.

If stored in an airtight container, these cookies will improve in flavor over the first 2 days and will keep for at least 2 weeks.

Adapted from “The German Christmas Cookbook” by Jurgen Krauss

Another Pistachio Cookie Recipe to Enjoy: Sicilian Pistachio Bars

Another Glace Cherry Recipe to Indulge In: Cherry Spumoni