Today is the 1st Sunday of Advent, & my yearly tradition of baking cookies for the 24 days of Christmas is officially underway. It feels extra special this year because we’re spending the holidays in Germany for the first time in ages! My 24 little packages will be packed & ready for tomorrow, December the 1st, & this recipe is the perfect choice: delicious, long-lasting, and ideal for gifting all season long.

For the Roll Cookies:

• 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (135 g) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups (312 g) flour

Cream the softened butter & sugar together until the mixture turns pale & fluffy, like the start of every good cookie. Beat in the egg, then add the vanilla & almond extracts, letting the kitchen fill with that soft holiday smell.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, & salt, then slowly add the dry mixture to the butter mixture until a smooth, soft dough forms. Give it a gentle knead with your hands, just enough to bring it together, then divide it into portions & add some red & green if you’d like a colorful batch.

Roll each one into a neat little log, wrap the dough and let it chill: a perfect moment to sip something warm. When the dough is firm, slice into even rounds & place them on a baking sheet. Bake until the edges turn the faintest golden color & the whole kitchen smells like magic. Cool completely. Decorate with my delicious royal icing also here on thegutenappetit.com.

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The week before Advent always feels like a quiet shift in the air. The days get colder, lights start appearing in windows, & suddenly you can feel Germany preparing for Christmas in that gentle, deliberate way it does so well. Kitchens begin to smell like cinnamon & butter, the first batches of cookies are baked, & every household slowly slips into the rhythm of the season.

By the time the Weihnachtsmarkt opens, the whole city transforms. Wooden stalls, Glühwein, roasted almonds, tiny twinkling lights everywhere…it’s impossible not to feel that warm little spark in your chest. It’s the kind of place where you wander slowly, hands wrapped around something hot, planning which cookies you’ll bake next or which gifts you still need to find. For me, it’s always the moment I realize: Advent is here.

And then comes the 1st Sunday of Advent, the real beginning of the season. For many families, especially those who grew up with the tradition, it’s a meaningful day: lighting the first candle on the Advent wreath, gathering at the table, saying a small prayer, or simply taking a moment together. It’s a quiet pause before all the Christmas rush. A reminder to slow down, breathe, & pay attention to what truly matters.

That feeling is what inspires my Advents calendar cookies every year. Baking them is my own way of marking the start of the season with love: filling the kitchen with warmth, stacking the little treats into 24 tiny packages, & imagining the joy of opening one every morning. It’s simple, but deeply comforting, and it turns the whole month into a sweet countdown wrapped in tradition, love, & a little holiday magic. Happy First Sunday of Advent!