Christmas Cookies: 17 Of Our Favorite Recipes

There is something soothing and charming about creating Christmas cookies, even if you don’t have children in the house. 

Doing a Christmas cookie exchange or just want to share with neighbors and friends? 

We have 17 Christmas cookie recipes for you to choose from, so pick your favorite flavors and get your apron ready.

Even if making a few Christmas cookies for yourself, there are so many wonderful traditional or contemporary, festive, and just flat-out incredible recipes to choose from. 

We are putting the finishing touches on some of our own Christmas cookie recipes, but here’s one to get you started: Light, delicate Meringues, made without cream of tartar!

Oh, and these Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans (lots of tips here!) have great nutty flavor. Remember that cookies bake for another minute or so on the hot sheet out of the oven.

Almost forgot! We also have tried-and-true Lemon Cookies that use a cake mix. These are so easy and the results are a soft cookie. You can also find tips for how to freeze cookies there, too.

We will be testing, tasting, and sharing some fine festive fare. 

We hope you’ll join us in our favorite part of the year. 

Keep an eye on CookingChew as we wind our way through the fall and holiday seasons. 

We thank you, food bloggers, recipe creators, chefs, cooks, bakers and moms, for all of your inspiration in some of the fun and delicious holiday cookie recipes below!

1. White Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

Cookies with crushed candy cane pieces in them! Oh, my. Yes, please. Then you add in white chocolate. I am in heaven just thinking about it. This is a made from scratch recipe that isn’t overwhelming. If you want beautiful and soft White Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies for Christmas, this is a fantastic recipe to make.

2. Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

I am a bit fanatical about dark chocolate so combining it with the minty flavor of a candy cane is pure bliss. These Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies are a show stopper. They are fun looking and will just look fabulous on your Christmas dinner table. The half dark chocolate and half white chocolate combo with the crushed candy cane pieces will make a spectacular impression.

3. Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

These easy Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies would be a perfect gift for new neighbors, or you’re just not sure what kind of cookie is a favorite. If you want to make fast Christmas treats to share as gifts, add this recipe to your must-do list. These super soft butter cookies made with a white cake mix, cream cheese, and sprinkles will make everyone smile. Not a sprinkles fan? Leave them off. Easy.

4. Grinch Cookies

I love M&M pieces in cookies and these aren’t any ordinary cookies. They are green, soft and yummy. The recipe creator provides an important tip on how to get your cookies consistently green. The tip is to thoroughly mix the green liquid food coloring with the wet ingredients before you add in the dry ingredients. She explains it in detail in the recipe article linked below. By the way, I recommend only using red M&Ms in this Grinch Cookies recipe. That will provide the best Grinch effect.

5. Christmas Tree Shortbread Cookies

These cookies look like little works of art. At first these cookies completely intimidated me but then I saw how they are done. Then I realized that this would be a fun cookie to make with the kiddos. These one-bowl Christmas Tree Shortbread Cookies are so buttery and delicious. Then when you add on the Christmas tree shape with the swirly icing you get a fun, festive winner.

6. Meringue Cookies

This five-ingredient meringue cookie is easy to make and doesn’t call for Cream of Tartar. I’m pretty sure the one container of Cream of Tartar that I bought 15 years ago is still in my pantry, mostly untouched. Yes, these Meringue Cookies are beautiful when they are piped out into a perfect star “kiss” but not all of us have the patience for that. You can also scoop these out and just bake them. They will still be shiny, delicate little marvels and just as tasty.

7. Almond Joy cookies

What is it about almonds and coconut that just sing? For me, when you combine those two into a cookie, I always think of the holidays. These cookies are soft and chewy and will make everyone smile. I like these cookies right out of the oven when they are still warm. Consider prepping these Almond Joy Cookies and have them baking right as guests show up.

8. Hot Chocolate Cookies

These Hot Chocolate Cookies are the ultimate holiday treat! Soft, chewy, and loaded with rich hot cocoa mix and crunchy freeze-dried marshmallows, they’ll transport you straight to cozy Christmas mornings. Pro tip: Traditional marshmallows will melt into a gooey mess (which honestly isn’t the worst thing ever). But for that perfect cookie texture, go with the freeze-dried ones.

9. Gingerbread Kiss Cookies

Gingerbread cookies are such a traditional holiday cookie but this recipe adds a new spin on the recipe. This recipe combines the gingerbread awesomeness with a Hershey Kiss. This cookie is jam packed with flavor. It has Ghirardelli chocolate, molasses, sweet cream butter and so many other rich ingredients. Take your time enjoying these Gingerbread Kiss Cookies. They are a real treat.

10. Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Christmas cookies are so fun and colorful. These pinwheel cookies are exactly that. With these cookies you get red and green swirls. They are also rimmed with sprinkles. These are peppermint flavored and will look fantastic at any Christmas party. Quick tip with this Christmas Pinwheels recipe: You could make the dough in advance and freeze it. So if you are planning ahead for the holiday this could save you some time.

11. Christmas Sugar Cookies

I wonder if sugar cookies were the original Christmas cookie? I am one of those weirdos that finds plain sugar cookies boring. But when you add in some colorful sanding sugar, my attitude changes. I guess I’m easy. This old-fashioned Christmas Sugar Cookie recipe is easy to make with toddlers. This could be a fun one to bake as a family.

12. Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are so popular at Christmas. I think it is because they look like Christmas ornaments.

Shortbread cookies filled with raspberry in the middle are tasty, fruity, and fun. If there’s someone in your life who doesn’t care for chocolate, these might do the trick. 

This Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie recipe is also glazed with almond icing. How yummy is that?

13. Peppermint Patty-Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

I love peppermint patties. They are so fun to eat. I’ve grabbed a bag of miniatures more times than I count, and they are addictive all by themselves.

So of course, stuffing them in a cookie is a brilliant idea.

This is a cake mix cookie recipe, which means it is easy to make.

So don’t feel overwhelmed by this Peppermint Patty-Stuffed Chocolate Cookies recipe. You can easily turn this into a Christmas cookie that you will make every year from now on.

14. Italian Christmas cookie

I love cookies with sprinkles. These cookies have a cake-like texture. They are flavored with just a hint of anise.

So this Italian Christmas Cookie recipe will offer something of a surprise flavor profile that will have people guessing as to what that taste is.

That always makes for a fun cookie. It is up to you whether you share that special ingredient or keep it as your own secret ingredient.

15. Reindeer Cookies

These cookies are just so fun. Who can resist a cookie that looks like a reindeer?

And these are not hard to make. 

As a matter of fact, this recipe is so simple to assemble that you should have the kids help you out. The holidays are really meant for doing fun things with less stress so we can all enjoy it. These Reindeer Cookies just might be the way.

Also, a recipe that finds a way to combine Nilla wafers and M&M’s into a darn cute treat is a big hit in my mind.

16. Melted Snowman Cookie

This Christmas cookie is creative and fun. These sugar cookies truly look like a melted snowman.

It is a sugar cookie with white icing and a marshmallow for a head. Then you add on icing for nose, eyes and buttons.

All of that fun and then they also taste good. Everyone will be singing Joy to the World with smiles on their faces.

Get the recipe here.

17. Christmas Wreath Cookies

Now, this no-bake cookie recipe is a great use of corn flakes and food coloring.

This is an old-fashioned Christmas cookie recipe. They are nostalgic and they taste good. 

They are put together a bit like Rice Krispies Treats, but you shape them with your hands. 

Don’t want all that green food coloring? Make the cornflake base without color and just pipe some colored icing on top after the Christmas Wreath Cookies are set.