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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? Here are Christmas cookie recipes for you to choose from, so pick your favorite flavors and get your apron ready.
We will be testing, tasting, and sharing some fine festive fare. We hope you’ll join us in our favorite part of the year.
Christmas Cookie Bars
These easy Christmas cookie bars use holiday M&Ms and just a few pantry ingredients to make last-minute Christmas cookies for an exchange or for a holiday potluck. Their chewy centers are what make these so darn good.
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Cocoa Snowball Cookies
Here’s a homemade chocolate cookie recipe that gives all the festive vibes of a crackly snowball while filled with a rich, tender cocoa crumb. The crackle is so festive and nice during the holiday, and it makes for a wonderful cookie exchange contribution.
Peppermint Crunch Oreos
These are standard issue OREOs (use the double-stuff, if you wish) coated in a high quality white chocolate with a sprinkle of crushed candy cane. You get all that chocolatey creamy goodness with a seasonal bite of peppermint (but not TOO much).
Cake Mix Snickerdoodles
These Cake Mix Snickerdoodles are one of those cookies you can put in front of your treat lovers in just a few minutes. You will end up with soft, yummy, cinnamon-sugary cookies with a lightly crisp edge, and not have to worry if you added baking soda or baking powder or cream of tartar or “what did I pull out of the pantry this time”…
White Chocolate Covered OREOs
If you have ZERO time or energy to get all of the ingredients to bake cookies from scratch, it’s hard to go wrong with an OREO dressed up for Christmas! We used white chocolate chips and a variety of red and green sprinkles and made a half dip to reduce the mess. If little hands want to help, this is the perfect recipe for that too.
Melt-in-your-Mouth Snowball Cookies
Dusted with powdered sugar like new-fallen snow, each soft cookie is a testament to how cream cheese and butter make every holiday better. A welcome housewarming gift, cookie exchange contribution or party platter dessert. It will be hard to not eat them all right away.
Festive No-Bake Christmas Trees with Biscoff
You can use any rectangular cookie (or even pretzel rods) to make these easy trees with green-colored white chocolate! They firm up and come right off the parchment. No time for a piping bag? Make it easy on yourself and just drizzle from the tines of a fork.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
With just four ingredients: Chocolate cake mix, powdered sugar, whipped topping, and one egg, you’ll be surprised how these bake up so easy and come out so good. Always a hit for a last-minute addition to the dessert table, you’ll find these cookies an easy win with company.
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.
Chewy Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
There’s something about these soft and chewy cookies in a combo of sweet white chocolate and tangy dried cranberries that just works. These cookies are soft in the center, slightly crisp on the edges, and easy to make when you’re craving something a little extra without a ton of effort. Always welcome in an exchange box, you’ll love how they rock right into the holiday mood.
Hot Chocolate Cookies
These Hot Chocolate Cookies are the ultimate holiday treat! Soft, chewy, and loaded with rich hot cocoa mix and crunchy dehydrated 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 these (they’re like the ones in Lucky Charms cereal).
3D Gingerbread Christmas Trees
These cookies use a nice, stiff dough so they don’t crumble when you handle them. Ice them however you’d like – go for the full royal icing treatment, or draw a minimal outline. These will look as pretty on your centerpiece as much as on the dessert table.
Boston Cream Pie Cookie Cups
Looking for a bite-sized dessert that wows? These Boston Cream Pie Cookie Cups are soft, creamy, and topped with chocolate ganache. Inspired by the classic dessert we all love, this mini version is easier to make—and way more fun to eat! The secret? A box of cake mix and instant vanilla pudding. These are great for holiday dessert tables or a perfect party dessert idea.
No-Bake Avalanche Cookies
White chocolate is sure winning this list, but you’ll find these to be a delectable combination with peanut butter, crisp rice cereal, marshmallows and dotted with tiny milk chocolate chips. These are made in the spirit of Rice Krispies Treats but with lots more flavor.
Andi’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Okay, so I am ridiculously proud of these because I’ve been riffing on the recipe on the back of the Ghirardelli chocolate chip bag for years. I have tweaked and cajoled these until they have become MY favorite cookie. During a gluten free phase, I discovered that cup-for-cup flour like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur work super well, but you can use AP flour too. (These are very soft, not chewy or crisp, so keep that in mind to make sure it’s the right cookie for you.) I use three different kinds of Ghirardelli chips, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Sheet Pan Peanut Butter Bars
There’s something undeniably comforting about a classic peanut butter cookie. What if you could skip the scooping and make a whole batch in one go? Enter the Sheet Pan Peanut Butter Cookie Bars! These bars are soft, chewy, and packed with a rich peanut butter flavor that’s perfectly complemented by the melty chocolate chips. And to top it off, each bar is adorned with a Hershey’s Kiss.
The bottom line
Here are a few more cookie recipes if you want even more sweet inspiration. 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.
