It's time for 12 Days of Cookies, FoodNetwork.com's annual cookie swap. Each day visit us here on the Dish for a peek at new holiday cookies, party-planning tips and top techniques for rolling, spooning, slicing, baking and decorating delicious sweet treats to give – or keep – from favorite Food Network chefs. Then visit Cooking Channel's blog for great takes on holiday baking from Cooking Channel chefs and Food People alike – cookies by the dozen to celebrate all season.

You can roll them, you can slice them, you can cut them in at least a zillion ways with cookie cutters or even a knife. And once you have your shapes, 3-in-1 Sugar Cookies, made extra sweet by the addition of orange zest, are the ideal vehicle for the really important stuff: the icing. Frost them in as many Royal Icing colors as you care to make, then use sanding sugar and other decorations to create a cast of thousands for the holidays.

Get Food Network Kitchens' recipe and check out dozens and dozens of batches in 12 Days of Cookies for more sweet ideas. Then tell us what you're baking.

• Hosting a cookie swap? Watch firsthand and see how Food Network stars pull off the best holiday parties.
• See which chefs baked which cookies in past seasons to get inspired for your own baking.
• Cooking Channel is joining in with a baker's dozen of cookies of their own. Today's cookie: Cooking Channel Facebook Fan's Romanian Holiday Cookies

Melanie Rehak, author of Eating for Beginners, has been baking cookies since she was old enough to climb onto the kitchen stool. She and her family are partial to Zimtsterne—cinnamon stars—for the holidays, but love cookies of all kinds all year long.