🍪 Remembrance Cookies: A Samhain Tradition for Honoring the Ancestors

On Hallow’s Eve, when the veil between worlds grows thin, even the simplest kitchen magic can become an offering. These Remembrance Cookies are more than a sweet treat—they are a bridge between generations, a way to honor those who came before us while keeping their stories alive.

Traditionally baked in the final days of October, these cookies are often shaped like people to represent beloved ancestors. The herb rosemary—long known as the herb of remembrance—is folded into the dough to carry prayers and memory across realms.

Some of the cookies are eaten during storytelling—sharing tales of family, old traditions, laughter, and lessons passed down through time. Others are placed by a bonfire or on a home altar as an offering to the spirits. Through this ritual, we remind ourselves that our ancestors’ strengths live on in us… and that even their flaws can teach us something about our own journeys.

Whether your ceremony is solemn or lighthearted, what matters most is intention: remembrance, gratitude, and love.

🌿Remembrance Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

• 1 cup butter or margarine (softened)

• 1 egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped rosemary

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and rosemary until creamy.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

4. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a soft dough forms.

5. Cover and refrigerate for three hours to allow the flavors to blend.

6. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out one portion to about 3/16 inch thickness.

7. Cut with gingerbread-style cookie cutters shaped like people or spirits.

8. Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.

9. Bake for 5–7 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges.

10. Allow to cool before serving—or setting aside a few for your ancestral altar or bonfire.

🔥Ritual Use

When sharing these cookies, speak the names of your ancestors, light a candle for them, and remember what they’ve given you. Leave one or two cookies outdoors beneath the moonlight, by your doorstep or fire, as a symbolic offering to the spirits who still walk beside you.