Nothing puts me in the Christmas mood more than holiday baking. The spicy smell of gingerbread, the sweet aroma of warm cinnamon rolls and other delicious holiday cookies freshly baked from the oven leaves me drooling and fully in the holiday spirit.
Every family has their own traditional Christmas cookies they love and make each year. My mom always makes cherry biscotti and rugulach (what even is rugulach? - see below for a great recipe) at Christmas which is something the whole family looks forward to!
Years ago I started a holiday cookie tradition with my kids we call Christmas cookie decorating day where we make and decorate gingerbread and sugar cookies cut into Christmas themed shapes. The kids divvy up the cookies and give them to friends and family as a pre-Christmas gift to help get everyone in the holiday spirit. They love this tradition and they love the cookies too!
I thought it would be fun to share some of the best Christmas cookie recipes with you! Hopefully you feel inspired to make a few new kinds of Christmas cookies this year!
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15 of The Best Christmas Cookie Recipes for the Holidays
1. Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies just HAD to be the first cookie I listed here because are the "poster boy" of Christmas cookies! Gingerbread is such a versatile cookie, baked into soft chewy round cookies, or cut into gingerbread men shapes or even made into a gingerbread house iced together and decorated to display as holiday decor.
If you like a little spice in your cookies gingerbread is sure to please your taste buds as the spicy ginger mixes with the sweet molasses and sugar. Aline from Madeleine Kitchen does an excellent job teaching how to make perfect gingerbread cookies. She even includes some tips on how to use icing so your cookies look top-notch. Don't worry if you can't get them to look professionally perfect because I guarantee they won't last long anyway!
2. Thumbprint Cookies
If you haven't had a thumbprint cookie yet let me encourage you to try them - soon! Buttery shortbread cookie filled with a sweet fruity jam finished with an almond glaze make these cookies a special treat especially during the holidays. My husband's grandma makes these every year and they are always the first cookies gone from her cookie tray. Their fruit filled centers look so festive and inviting it is hard to eat just one. Jaclyn from Cooking Classy shares an amazing recipe for her raspberry thumbprint cookies on her blog that I highly recommend.
3. Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls
This no-bake cookie is a holiday favorite made with rich, creamy peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. This is a great cookie to make with kids because they can help roll the peanut butter centers into the ball shapes. To make them extra festive sprinkle Christmas colored sprinkles onto them after you dip them in chocolate. These cookies make a great gift to bring to a friend or for a holiday cookie exchange! Follow this great recipe by Dinner at the Zoo.
4. Classic Sugar Cookie
To make sugar cookies holiday ready you must have Christmas cookie cutters! I've accumulated quite a collection of Christmas cookies cutters but my son's favorite are the ninja gingerbread men! My girls prefer the Christmas tree cookie cutter because they love decorating each one differently. This is my go-to sugar cookie recipe from JoyFoodSunshine.com because it whips up fast and always tastes great. If you don't like store bought frosting this recipe also includes a homemade version that is so yummy too! To color your frosting I highly recommend using food coloring gel instead of the liquid food coloring. The colors are more vibrant and gel isn't quite as messy as the liquid.
5. Rugulach
Rugulach is a Yiddish word that means "little twists" and this sweet twisted cookie is hard to resist! The hardest part about this cookie recipe is choosing what flavor to use - fig, walnut, raspberry, apricot or chocolate. This cookie has several names so don't be surprised if you see them called butter horns too spelled rugula. Rugulach freezes well too so if you have some extra, which I doubt will happen, you can always pop them into an airtight container and freeze them until you get your next rugulach craving. Sally's Baking Addiction has the best recipe with TONS of pictures to follow along as you make your own cookies.
6. Santa's Snowball Cookies
These cookies go by several different names like Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes but what they all have in common is that they are all rolled in a coating of powdered sugar making them look like little snowballs. Pure vanilla extract is what boosts the flavor to these little snowballs encouraging you to keep "throwing" them into your mouth. Tracey from The Kitchen is My Playground offers an amazingly delicious recipe for snowball cookies on her blog - please check it out!
7. Peppermint Meringues
A holiday cookie that is easy to make, budget friendly and tastes amazing - peppermint meringues fits the bill here. They make a great treat to gift to friends and family around the holidays too. Plus they are just do darn cute, aren't they? Jamie from Love Bakes Good Cakes whips up a batch in no time and shares her tips and tricks along the way. Check out her recipe for these yummy cookie treats.
8. Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Two of my favorite flavors in one cookie, chocolate and peppermint! White chocolate drizzled over these cookies with bits of peppermint give these cookies a cute holiday flare. Find the recipe for these goodies by Monique at Ambitious Kitchen.
9. Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
By switching out a chocolate Kiss candy with a peppermint Kiss candy this cookies goes from everyday cookie to Christmas cookie in a flash. This is a great cookie to make with your kids too - they can be the official peppermint Kiss cookie decorator. Follow the full recipe from Hot Beauty Health.
10. Church Window Cookies
In our family Great Grandma Evans is famous for her no-bake church window cookies that she makes once a year during Christmas. When she serves them to her grandkids and great grandkids she always reminds them why we are celebrating Christmas - Jesus's birthday!
Made with just five simple ingredients: chocolate, colorful mini-marshmallows, shredded coconut and walnuts this cookie recipe will soon become an annual favorite. Full recipe and video to show you how to make them can be found at The First Year Blog.
11. Spritz Cookies
This classic cookie gets its name from the German word "spritzen" meaning to squirt, which is exactly how these cookies are make - by squirting them out using a cookie press! (If you don't have one yet - get one - they are sooo much fun!)
When I was a child I remember my mom using her cookie press to make spritz cookies. I was fascinated with the cookie press and all of the shapes you could make by just changing out the shape discs. The dough can be colored too so that your cookies can be all different colors like red and green for Christmas. This buttery spritz cookie recipe from Life Love and Sugar is a great one to use if you are new to making spritz cookies.
12. Candy Cane Cookies
Candy canes are a classic Christmas treat as well as a well known Christmas symbol. I've always been told that candy canes represent the shepherd's hook based on the Bible story of the angels visiting the shepherds while they were tending their sheep to tell of the birth of the Savior. These cookies would be a fun and memorable way to pass down this Bible story to your kids as you make them together.
These cookies are flavored with peppermint but you could use vanilla flavoring instead if you prefer. To make these cookies follow the step by step instructions and recipe provided by Number 2 Pencil.
13. Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Though not an actual cookie these cookie bars still need to be included because they are just that good! Cut the bars into squares, stack them up and display them on your fancy Christmas cookie platter to bring to a party or for your dessert table. The red and green M&M's and sprinkles really dress up these cookie bars for the holiday too. Find the complete recipe from Together As Family that includes all the easy steps and ingredients to make Santa's Peanut Butter Cookie Bars.
14. Pizzelles
Pizzelles are a super thin, crunchy, wafter-like cookie with an Italian heritage. To make traditional pizzelles you need to use a special iron pizzelle press (or griddle) rather than baking them in the oven. The griddle looks a little like a waffle iron but has decorative plates that fry the batter into thin shaped wafers. Once the cookies are made they can be lightly dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with dark or white chocolate. These happen to be my husband's favorite Christmas cookie! His grandma has a pizzelle press and makes an extra batch for him every year. Follow the recipe for pizzelle cookies at Baking A Moment.
15. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
As a sworn chocolate lover these are one of my favorite holiday cookies. Rich, chewy chocolate covered in a dusting of powdered sugar to give it an extra zing of sweet makes my mouth water. These are easy to make especially if you follow the recipe and tips at The Life Jolie. These chocolate crinkle cookies will become a consistent cookie on your holiday cookie plate from now on I guarantee!
Bonus Recipe !!
16. Buttery Shortbread Cookies
Soft, buttery and full of goodness these cookies are simple to make yet loved by all. With only three ingredients - yes you read that right, just three ingredients needed to make these little treats that whip up fast and turn out amazing. These buttery shortbread cookies can be made ahead of time and frozen so there is no need to scramble when holiday company comes for a visit. I recommend the recipe from Chew Out Loud to follow if you want to give these cookies a try!
Your turn, what kinds of holiday cookies will you be making this year for your Christmas cookie trays? Got any favorites not included on this list? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post so we can check them out.
My Favorite Baking Supplies -
Here are some of my favorite baking supplies I wanted to share with you - all of these I personally use and highly recommend!
More Holiday Recipes-
Holiday cooking just got so much more exciting with these super delicious holiday ham recipes! Before you dig into the dessert trays loaded with all of those Christmas cookies be sure to serve a full ham dinner with all of the fixings!
