23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (2024)

Whether you're a fan of chocolate, sugar cookies, shortbread, or meringues, you'll want to make a few of these holiday cookie recipes to round out seasonal menus and have on-hand for gatherings and gifting. You'll be hard-pressed to decide which ones to bake first, from S’mores Linzer Cookies to Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies. Here are the best Christmas cookie recipes for holiday parties and gatherings.

01of 23

Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (1)

German for "cheeky boys," these Bavarian cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie platter. Brown butter and cardamom make this simple cookie into a fragrant treat. Take the time to freshly grind the cardamom — its robust, citrusy flavor is worth it.

Get the Recipe

02of 23

Tortellini Dolci al Forno (Emilian Fruit-Stuffed Christmas Cookies)

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (2)

Not to be confused with the pasta of the same name, these classic Emilian Christmas cookies are made from a tender, flaky dough filled with a sweet-tart trio of fruit: cherry preserves, rich saba (cooked-down grape must), and candied citron.

Get the Recipe

03of 23

Cranberry Moscow Mule Gingersnaps

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (3)

With freshly grated ginger, ginger syrup, and ground dried ginger, cookbook author Vallery Lomas’ drop cookies pack a punch. Speckled with lime zest and vodka-plumped dried cranberries, the namesake Moscow mule co*cktail is well represented in these soft and cakey cookies.

Get the Recipe

04of 23

Milk Punch Cornmeal Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (4)

These sweet, buttery drop cookies are topped with a blanket of bourbon-spiked white chocolate ganache, paying homage to the timeless milk punch co*cktail. A combination of almond flour and cornmeal provides a light, sandy texture and a sweet, buttery flavor. Showered with freshly grated nutmeg for a touch of warmth, the ganache topping hardens into a smooth shell, locking in moisture for the ultimate gift-giving treat.

Get the Recipe

05of 23

Vanilla–Brown Butter Sablé Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (5)

Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz loves simple vanilla cookies like these. Vanilla, a notoriously difficult ingredient to grow and source, really shines in this recipe, making the quality especially important. To efficiently seed a vanilla bean, use a paring knife to split the bean in half lengthwise, then use the full edge of the knife to scrape the seeds from the cut sides.

Get the Recipe

06of 23

Italian Rainbow Cookies

Whether you call them rainbow cookies, Neapolitan cookies, or tricolore cookies, these are a crowd pleaser on any dessert table.

Get the Recipe

07of 23

Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (7)

The peppermint bark in these cookies is simple to make and adds a beautiful pop of color and flavor in each cookie, though store-bought bark will work well here, too.

Get the Recipe

08of 23

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (8)

Classic sugar cookies get the gluten-free treatment. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract provide a nice hint of spice, and letting the dough rest overnight to better hydrate the flour is the secret to the cookies' tender texture.

Get the Recipe

09of 23

Fudgy Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (9)

Cookbook author Jesse Szewczyk’s grasshopper co*cktail–inspired cookie borrows the crème de menthe and white crème de cacao flavors and colors and reimagines them into an unexpected treat reminiscent of a Linzer cookie.

Get the Recipe

10of 23

S’mores Linzer Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (10)

Linzer cookies are descendants of the linzer torte, named for the Austrian city of Linz. Swapping graham flour and hazelnut meal for a portion of the all-purpose flour and almond meal gives these linzer-inspired cookies the flavor of s’mores.

Get the Recipe

11of 23

Gluten-Free Cacao Nib Meringues

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (11)

Made with chocolate, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder, these intensely flavored meringues have a delicate, crispy exterior with a soft, chewy, marshmallow-like interior.

Get the Recipe

Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (12)

Chocolate crinkle cookies are often more cloying than satisfying. By substituting the flour with Glutino pretzels, this version of the holiday staple is not only gluten-free but also perfectly salty-sweet with the best-ever chewy center.

Get the Recipe

13of 23

Cake Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (13)

Sean Flynn says his grandmother's cake cookies have been a staple at celebrations in his home. They're a piece of cake to make.

Get the Recipe

14of 23

Cardamom Shortbread Cookies with Dulce de Leche Peda Filling

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (14)

Adorned with edible flower petals and gold leaf, these spiced sandwich cookies, from cookbook author Hetal Vasavada, are an occasion unto themselves.

Get the Recipe

15of 23

Brown Butter and Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (15)

2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff adds an extra layer of earthiness to these crumbly dark chocolate cookies with dark rye flour. This recipe prepares two logs of dough to make ahead for slice and bake cookies.

Get the Recipe

16of 23

Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (16)

These marvelous Christmas cookies combine chocolate with spicy gingerbread. "I was tired of basic gingerbread," says Matt Lewis of Brooklyn’s Baked about why he created these cookies. The answer is clear: "My connection to chocolate is really deep," he says. An added benefit of these cookies is that the supple dough is very easy to work with.

Get the Recipe

17of 23

Spiced Gingerbread Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (17)

Baker Julianne Jones’ wonderfully zingy gingerbread cookies have a tender and cakey texture, yet they’re sturdy enough to decorate.

Get the Recipe

18of 23

Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian "Snow White" Cookies)

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (18)

Traditionally in Indonesia, Putri Salju ("Snow White" or "Snow Princess") cookies are made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews inside and are popular during the holidays, including Christmas, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year.Shandra Woworuntu adds pandan flavoring and omits the nuts.

Get the Recipe

19of 23

Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (19)

Chef Michael Mina recommends decorating these gingerbread cookies with kids.

Get the Recipe

20of 23

Kourampiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies)

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (20)

Blanched and toasted almond pieces bring a lovely crunch to Despina Economou's crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Greek Christmas cookies.

Get the Recipe

21of 23

Linzer Cookies with Spiced Jam

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (21)

Kevin Sbraga adds anise and coriander to the raspberry jam that he spreads between these hazelnut cookies, which are spiced with cinnamon and cloves.

Get the Recipe

22of 23

Negroni Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (22)

Angela Garbacz pairs unsweetened cocoa powder and pungent Campari to give these soft and chewy Negroni-inspired cookies their signature bitterness. Orange zest–infused sugar imparts a gentle, sweet fragrance and crunchy texture.

Get the Recipe

23of 23

Cardamom Thumbprints

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (23)

Adding cardamom to Kay Chun's crispy cookies gives them a subtle spiced flavor. You can fill the thumb print with jam or chocolate.

Get the Recipe

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (2024)

FAQs

How far in advance should I bake Christmas cookies? ›

You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December. (Consult this handy how-to guide to the matter.) Generally, most recipes will be best if baked and then frozen.

What cookies does Santa want this year? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

What is the least favorite Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

What is the #1 best selling cookie in America? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What are the top 5 favorite cookies? ›

Some of the most popular cookie flavors include:
  • Chocolate chip.
  • Peanut butter.
  • Peanut butter blossoms.
  • Double chocolate chip.
  • Snickerdoodle.
  • Sugar.
  • Shortbread.
  • Pumpkin.

What Christmas cookies stay fresh the longest? ›

Shortbread cookies and spritz cookies are real holiday troopers, lasting a bit longer than the rest. These buttery and crumbly cookies are a great option for a holiday cookie. Shortbread is known for its rich flavor, while spritz cookies are often made with a cookie press.

Which Christmas cookies freeze the best? ›

Each of these lasts in the freezer up to three months.
  • 01 of 25. Pumpkin Cookies with White Chocolate Chips. ...
  • 02 of 25. Shortbread Sticks. ...
  • 03 of 25. Peanut Butter Blossoms. ...
  • 04 of 25. Hazelnut Kisses. ...
  • 05 of 25. Chocolaty Melting Snowmen. ...
  • 06 of 25. Mississippi Mud Cookies. ...
  • 07 of 25. Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars. ...
  • 08 of 25.
Feb 29, 2024

How do you keep Christmas cookies moist? ›

Since moisture helps cookies stay soft and fresh, adding a slice of white bread into the container with cookies can help. The moisture from the bread slice transfers to the cookies, preventing them from getting dry. White bread is best for this hack so that no flavor is added to the cookies.

What is Santa's wife's name? ›

The Santa Claus that we know lives in the North Pole. According to some North American sources, his original name was Kris Kringle before he changed his name to Santa Claus. Kris Kringle was a toymaker who married Jessica. Other names found for Mrs Claus are Mary Christmas, Gertrude, and Carol.

What is the favorite Christmas cookie poll? ›

Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three. Snickerdoodles (6%) come in fourth place, followed by butter (4%), peanut butter (4%), and chocolate (4%) tying for fifth.

What can I give Santa instead of cookies? ›

In the United States, many children leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa. Some families deviate from the norm by leaving Santa and his reindeer carrots, pizza, or even celery.

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

Based on this data from General Mills, Peanut Butter Blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in the country; it's the most-visited cookie recipe in seven states, which means it's the most common favorite cookie in the U.S. That's a pretty high honor!

How to make Christmas shaped cookies without a cookie cutter? ›

Use a template.

If you're worried about freehanding, you can print out shapes and use them as a guide. Roll out your dough, place the paper guide onto the dough and cut around it with a knife.

What is the Christmas movie with the cookie? ›

Evil aliens try to take over the world and a giant abominable snow man wants Santa for his next meal! This sci-fi Christmas comedy is narrated by an over the top, funny and rude elf named Cookie! The last Christmas story ever to be told!

What is the most popular Christmas candy? ›

According to America's Favorite Christmas Candy by State Report, a comprehensive study by research firm HubScore that delved into a survey of the top 20 favorite Christmas candies, Kit Kat ranked top in 13 states followed by a tie between Skittles and candy canes, both ranked top in six states.

Is there a national Christmas cookie Day? ›

NATIONAL COOKIE DAY - December 4 - National Day Calendar.

What is the most popular Christmas cookie in Pennsylvania? ›

According to Google Trends, the most-searched cookie recipe in Pennsylvania over the holidays is the famous peanut butter blossom! The peanut butter blossom was created in 1957 by Freda Smith.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6426

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Birthday: 1996-05-10

Address: Apt. 425 4346 Santiago Islands, Shariside, AK 38830-1874

Phone: +96313309894162

Job: Legacy Sales Designer

Hobby: Baseball, Wood carving, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Lacemaking, Parkour, Drawing

Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.