Don’t waste your precious time flipping through cookbooks or endlessly scrolling Pinterest ~ here are the 60+ best Christmas cookie recipes of all time, right at your fingertips!
When it comes to Christmas cookies, our motto is: bake the best and forget the rest. This is the ultimate holiday cookie collection.
Finding the right Christmas cookie recipes can be even more trouble than making them, am I right? I get that, and that’s why I’ve corralled all my best holiday worthy cookies right here, in one convenient spot. After 15 years of recipe development I know a thing or two about what makes a great Christmas cookie, and here’s the proof. These tried and true recipes are all you need to get through the season, year after year ~ so let’s get baking!
Favorite Chewy Ginger Cookies
This classic Christmas cookie is the first one I make for my family, year after year. The aroma of molasses and spices baking always puts us in the holiday spirit.
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Probably my most popular cookie for Christmas, these buttery shortbread cookies are studded with fresh cranberries!
Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies
Christmas cookies don’t get any more gorgeous, or delicious, than this! The glaze sets off the stamped designs beautifully.
Soft Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Skip the grocery store cookies and make your own fat sugar cookies slathered with frosting and sprinkles.
Easy Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
If you’re a Christmas cookie purist you’ll want to roll out a batch of my perfect gingerbread dough and make cut out cookies with your favorite shaped cookie cutters.
Cardamom Spritz Cookies
The beauty of spritz is that you can stamp out dozens upon dozens of cookies in no time at all!
Honey Spice Hazelnut Cookies
You won’t miss the sprinkles with these lovely adult-skewing cookies.
Chocolate Walnut Shortbread Cookies
It’s brownie meets shortbread cookie and they’re melt in your mouth delicious!
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Add dried cranberries for a super festive Christmas cookie!
Holiday Sugar Cookies and DIY Colored Sugar
If you hoard sprinkles like I do this is your chance to make a dent in your collection.
Cardamom Sugar Cookies
A simple stamped Christmas cookie with the subtle flavor and aroma of cardamom.
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Sometimes the simplest cookies are the most popular, and these tend to disappear first from the holiday cookie platter.
Best Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprints are often made with some type of jam, but a thick chocolate ganache makes them extra special.
Pfeffernusse (German Spice Cookies)
These old world cookies pack a warm spicy punch.
Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
These fan favorites are my better than Tate’s knockoff.
Chocolate Dipped Churro Shortbread Cookies
Churro themed cookies with a pretty chocolate half dip and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar.
Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
These festive Christmas cookies brighten up any cookie collection!
Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies
The perfect chewy oatmeal cookies dressed up with a sweet maple glaze.
Brown Sugar Shortbread
I love this simple twist on buttery shortbread, they’re a new favorite of mine.
Italian Christmas Cookies
A traditional Mediterranean holiday cookie decked out in a riot of colorful sprinkles.
Easy Cocoa Meringues
A crisp sophisticated cookie that also happens to be gluten free.
Lemon Snowball Cookies
Everybody’s favorite bite sized Christmas cookie brightened up with a twist of tangy lemon.
Perfect Pecan Sandies
The melt in your mouth slice and bake cookies are a nut lover’s dream.
Traditional Swedish Pepparkakor Recipe
Scandinavian pepparkakor cookies are packed with holiday spirit, with or without the icing.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
You can’t do Christmas cookies without peanut butter blossoms ~ this is the original recipe.
Ginger Cookies
Snappy ginger cookies with snowflake details make a gorgeous presentation on a holiday plate.
Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Twice baked biscotti for dunking in coffee, tea, or an after dinner cocktail!
Copy Cat Harry and David Fruit Galettes
I love these soft buttery sandwich cookies ~ it gives me an excuse to go crazy in the jam aisle.
Easy No Bake White Chocolate Thin Mints
The perfect last minute no-bake holiday gift that everyone will love.
How to Make Meringue Mushrooms
All you need is a piping bag fitted with a plain tip to make these adorable meringue mushroom cookies.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
This cookie went viral a decade ago and hasn’t slowed down since, it’s a must bake!
Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Peppermint shortbread is a magical combination and super easy to make. Slice and bake or roll and cut out, it’s your call.
Fruitcake Shortbread Cookies
We turned the Christmas cake that everybody loves to hate into a delicious cookie ~ you’re welcome!
Starry Night Gingerbread Cookies
I like to choose a different shape every year for my annual gingerbread cookie bake.
Homemade Thin Mints Recipe
These are spot on and so delicious.
Melting Moments
A bite sized vintage cookie that looms large in my Christmas memories.
Jam Thumbprint Cookies
The cookie that’s as fun to make as it is to eat!
Glazed Gingerbread Spritz Cookies
Adorable, easy to make, and they keep well ~ these spritz cookies are a holiday win win win!
Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies
The rich flavors in this nutty shortbread linger on the palate, we start making them from the first whiff of Fall right through the holiday season.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
The humble oatmeal cookie all dressed up for the holidays.
New Fallen Snow Shortbread Cookies
Sparkling sugar has great sparkle, it really does look like a dusting of snow!
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
White chocolate tames the explosive flavor of fresh cranberries in this unusual slice and bake shortbread cookie.
Cardamom Walnut Crescent Cookies
A traditional Swedish Christmas cookie is the perfect powdered sugar coated cookie to round out your assortment.
Swedish Sugar Cookies
I show you how to color your own sugar in this post!
Toasted Almond Russian Tea Cakes
One year I gave these to friends, cellophane wrapped in pretty mugs.
Acorn Meringue Cookies!
For those of you who like to go the extra mile!
Chocolate Gingerbread Stamped Cookies
Chocolate and gingerbread is a surprisingly delicious combo.
Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
A rustic cookie bar just begging for a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.
Red Velvet Cookies
These eye-popping Christmas cookies start with a cake mix!
Embossed Gingerbread Cookies
An embossed rolling pin decorates a whole batch of gingerbread dough in one fell swoop.
Fudgy Brownie Cookies
I love these most chocolatey cookies, they’re a personal favorite.
Paste di Mandorla ~ Sicilian Almond Paste Cookies
This is the ultimate almond lover’s cookie, my mouth is watering just thinking about them.
Soft Molasses Cookies
Soft molasses cookies are big, plush bakery style Christmas cookies.
Flourless Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
These flourless cookies are also dairy free.
Nutella Sandwich Cookies
Utterly irresistible.
Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
This cookie offers a little bit of everything
Douglas Fir Shortbread Cookies
This unique shortbread will be the talk of your cookie exchange.
Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
All the flavors of peppermint bark in one hearty satisfying cookie.
Turkish Coffee Shortbread Cookies
Strong coffee and cardamom make this a memorable cookie.
Chewy Chocolate Chip Ginger Cookies
A great chocolate chip cookie meets chewy ginger cookie in this epic Christmas cookie mashup.
Double Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Extra dark cocoa powder is the secret to making these intensely chocolate cookies.
Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Internet search for chocolate chip cookies peaks in December…
Marble Iced Sugar Cookies
No special skills required for these easy dipped cookies.
Sue, this compendium of cookie recipes is outstanding. Why is this not a book?
Wow, what a stunning list of yummy cookies. I don’t know where to start! But will definitely try a few of them for sure this holiday season.
Thanks so much for all the cookie recipes. Look yummy.
But wait! You didn’t include my mom’s 100 year old recipes!
Send them along, I’d love to try!!
Thank you so very much for these. This does look like the best collection of cookies that I have seen. My children and I are so excited to try some of these! Thank you for happy baking memory making!
So many fabulous cookies. I have bookmarked a few to try this year. Thank you for HARING YOUR COOKIES AND YOUR STUNNING PHOTOS.
Sue Moran, you are an outstanding food photographer. Each photo entices one to try the recipe. Thank you for sharing your generous compendium of cookies. I have some spectacular family recipes of my own but would be happy to “adopt” you into my family! Ellen Easton
🙂 awwww thanks Ellen!