30 Best Christmas Cookies (2024)

Cookie season is the best season of all. Baking Christmas cookies is my favourite holiday tradition to share with family and friends. From classic sugar cookies with royal icing, to gingerbread men, to peanut butter blossoms and buttery shortbread, you will find a cookie perfect for a big cookie platter, a cookie exchange with friends, or as part of a holiday cookie box. Today, I am sharing my 30 most popular and favourite Christmas cookie recipes.

Classic Christmas Cookies

Christmas Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

Christmas sugar cookies with royal icing are golden brown and crisp on the outside, but soft and tender inside. The best and festive gourmet holiday cookie.

Linzer Cookies

Sweet buttery linzer cookies are a classic Christmas cookie with flaky shortbread and fruit jam. The perfect festive holiday treat that melts in your mouth.

Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

Soft chewy ginger cookies packed with ginger, molasses, and cinnamon spice is the most warm and cozy cookie ever. These holiday cookies stay soft for days.

Gingerbread Cookies

Classic gingerbread cookies are soft and chewy in the centre but crisp on the edges, and warmly spiced. Decorate with royal icing to complete the look on these festive holiday cookies.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Soft tender chewy chocolate crinkle cookies are a classic Christmas cookie that tastes like a rich fudgy brownie with a crackly crust and coated in sugar.

Italian Christmas Cookies (Ricotta Cookies)

Super moist, soft, and sweet Italian Christmas Cookies (Ricotta Cookies) are easy festive holiday treats that are ready in just 30 minutes!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Soft and chewy peanut butter blossoms topped with a chocolate kiss are a classic Christmas cookie that is easy to make during the holidays or any time of year.

Pecan Snowball Cookies

Sweet and nutty pecan snowball cookies (Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies) are little melt-in-your-mouth balls of buttery shortbread with nuts.

Spritz Cookies

Buttery Spritz Cookies are impossibly light with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, making them a beloved holiday tradition for a reason.

Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Glaze

Soft, buttery, melt-in-your mouth jam-filled thumbprint cookies with almond glaze are the cutest, festive treat to make.

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are a classic holiday cookie that are soft, puffy, and chewy with crisp edges and a cinnamon-sugar coating. Easy to make and easy to eat.

Red Velvet Cookies

Red Velvet Cookies with white chocolate are moist and chewy, deliciously chocolatey with a cake-like texture, and are striking red. Ready in 20 minutes!

Gingersnaps

Thin crispy gingersnaps are a classic holiday cookie loaded with festive spices and molasses flavor. It's a no chill recipe that is quick and easy to make.

Pecan Sandies

Pecan Sandies are easy, slice and bake shortbread cookies loaded with pecans and literally melt in your mouth. They’re sweet, buttery, nutty, and delicious.

Lemon Drop Cookies

Italian Lemon Drop Cookies (Anginetti) are light, cake-like, classic Italian cookies with citrus flavor throughout. Quick and easy to make in 30 minutes.

Peppermint Macarons

Peppermint Macarons with festive red shells, creamy peppermint buttercream, and a white chocolate candy cane topping are the ultimate Christmas cookies.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Easy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are tall and thick, classic Christmas cookies made with peanut butter cookie dough and a mini Reese's cup pressed in.

Eggnog Cookies

Eggnog cookies are a delicious soft and chewy holiday cookie with a crackly top. They are made with eggnog, spiced warmly, and drizzled with eggnog glaze.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookies are a fun twist on traditional sugar cookies. The warm brown color is the perfect background for creative piping and decorating.

Pecan Pralines

Pecan Pralines are sweet, rich, nutty, and crunchy candies that are so quick and easy to make. Make these melt-in-your-mouth Southern treats in 20 minutes.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies

Sweet and crunchy Peppermint Kiss Cookies are the perfect Christmas cookies made with a sugar cookie dough, real candy canes, and a peppermint kiss on top.

Molasses Cookies

Molasses Cookies are a popular holiday treat with a crispy exterior and a soft, chewy center which makes them irresistible regardless of the season.

Christmas Crack

This Christmas Crack Candy is the simplest and most delicious holiday treat you'll ever make! It's sweet, salty, crunchy, and chocolatey.

Gingerbread House

This gingerbread house recipe with template is easy to make, fun to decorate, and delicious — soft and chewy, yet crunchy and sturdy with crisp edges.

Shortbread Cookies

Christmas Shortbread Cookie Bites

Funfetti Christmas shortbread cookie bites are little bites of buttery melt-in-your-mouth shortbread packed with festive sprinkles for a fun holiday treat.

Classic Shortbread Cookies

These sweet, crisp, buttery, classic Shortbread Cookies are so light that they practically dissolve in your mouth. They’re easy to make with 5 ingredients.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

These Chocolate Shortbread Cookies have it all: a crisp exterior, a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and a buttery double chocolate finish. Easy to make too.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry orange shortbread cookies are bursting with flavour from dried cranberries and fresh orange zest. These easy cookies are rolled, sliced and baked.

Slice and Bake Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Easy slice and bake pecan shortbread cookies are sweet, nutty and buttery shortbread cookies packed with finely chopped pecans that melt in your mouth.

Cut Out Shortbread Cookies

Cut out shortbread cookies are soft, buttery, and melt in your mouth. Made with a simple 5-ingredient cookie dough and decorated with optional royal icing.

Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Whipped Shortbread Cookies are sweet and buttery cookies that melt in your mouth. These light tea time treats have crisp edges and a crumbly center.

Neapolitan Cookies

With their iconic pink, brown, and white stripes, these homemade Neapolitan Cookies are both beautiful and delicious.

Pinwheel Cookies

Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are a Christmastime classic — sweet, buttery, and melt in your mouth delicious. Plus, an easy to make slice-and-bake cookie.

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Cut our these cookies into any shape that you like and dip in chocolate.

Pistachio Cookies

Pistachio Cookies are the perfect little bites, made with real ground pistachios suspended in a buttery, crumbly cookie dough, which melts in your mouth.

Festive Cookies

Peppermint Snowball Cookies

Peppermint snowball cookies are a buttery, nutty, shortbread holiday cookie that is topped with white chocolate and crushed candy canes. So festive!

Stained Glass Window Cookies

Stained glass window cookies with a soft crisp sugar cookie base and smooth jolly rancher hard candy center are the prettiest holiday cookies and easy too.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies are a soft, tender, and chewy Christmas cookie that is easy to make with no chilling required. The perfect holiday cookie!

Festive red and green M&M Christmas cookies are super soft and chewy with the crispiest edges. Quick and easy to make in under 20 minutes with no chill time.

Italian Rainbow Cookies

Italian rainbow cookies are delicious, colorful, fluffy, and gorgeous, made with three cake layers sandwiched in between jam and covered in chocolate.

Gingerbread Biscotti

Gingerbread biscotti have the best crunchy and crumbly texture, are loaded with festive holiday spices, are easy to make, and stores well for weeks.

Candy Cane Cookies

Candy cane cookies are fun, festive holiday cookies with a red and white twist, buttery, crumbly, and sugary with peppermint for a classic Christmas flavor.

White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Sweet and chewy with little pops of candy canes, these White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies taste like Christmas in cookie form!

M&M cookie bars are soft and chewy, have crisp edges with a gooey center, and are loaded with M&M's and chocolate chips. The easiest way to bake cookies!

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are rich and chewy chocolate cookies with a smooth and velvety chocolate ganache filling topped with crunchy pistachios.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

These fluffy Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are made with two soft and moist cake-like cookies, filled with a decadent cream cheese frosting in the middle.

Chocolate Spritz Cookies

Chocolate Spritz Cookies are a rich and indulgent twist on classic buttery spritz cookies. Dip them in extra chocolate or top with colorful sprinkles.

Almond Horns

These Almond Horns are chewy, horseshoe-shaped crescent cookies covered in crunchy almonds and dipped in chocolate.

Soft Chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Soft and chewy white chocolate cranberry walnut cookies are beyond simple to prepare and make the perfect holiday treat.

White Chocolate Peppermint Gingerbread Cookies

Festive white chocolate peppermint gingerbread cookies are soft and chewy, dipped in white chocolate, with a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candy canes.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Festive cranberry pistachio biscotti are crunchy, delicious, and perfect for dunking. This Italian cookie is easy to make with warm holiday flavours.

Pistachio Macarons

Pistachio Macarons are delicate, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth cookies filled with pistachio white chocolate ganache filling and chopped pistachios on top.

Gingerbread Linzer Cookies with Chocolate Filling

Soft and warmly spiced gingerbread linzer cookies with white chocolate ganache and dusted with confectioners' sugar is a delicious Christmas holiday cookie.

Gingerbread Truffles

No bake gingerbread truffles with white chocolate are easy to make with just 3 simple ingredients including leftover gingersnaps. Perfect for the holidays.

Florentines

These crunchy Almond Florentines are made with sliced almonds, a sticky sweet coating that acts like hardened caramel, and a layer of dark chocolate.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Hot Chocolate Cookies are soft and chewy, loaded with classic hot cocoa ingredients, and is so easy to make in just 20 minutes (no chilling required!).

More Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Homemade chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy, have perfectly crisp edges, and are loaded with chocolate chips. This classic cookie is quick and easy.

Butter Cookies

Butter cookies are a classic cookie with a crisp, slightly crunchy texture that melts in your mouth on the first bite — and every bite after!

Palmiers

Palmiers are light, crunchy, swirled treats you can easily make in under 30 minutes using just 2 ingredients. They're buttery, crispy, flaky, and sweet.

Chai Cookies

Soft and chewy Chai Cookies are loaded with warm chai spices and topped with drizzle of a sweet chai glaze. Quick and easy to make with no chill time!

Almond Crescent Cookies

Almond Crescent Cookies are delicious and crumbly half-moon shaped cookies with a fragrant, sweet almond flavor and a delicate dusting of powdered sugar.

Brownie Cookies

Brownie Cookies are the perfect combination of rich, chocolatey brownies and chewy, gooey cookies. Quick and easy to make with no chilling required.

Butter Pecan Cookies

Butter Pecan Cookies are soft and chewy, have perfect golden crisp edges and loaded with crunchy toasted pecans. Quick and easy to make in under 20 minutes.

Date Cookies

Date Cookies are sweet, soft, and chewy with a rich caramel-like flavor from dates and a touch of crunch from walnuts. They are rich and buttery good!

Fruitcake Cookies

Fruitcake Cookies take all the best parts of fruitcake and turn it into cookie form. They’re soft, chewy, and thick holiday cookies with crisp edges.

Lofthouse Cookies

Lofthouse Cookies are super soft, moist, and thick, classic grocery store cookies made of a cakey sugar cookie, sweet buttercream frosting, and sprinkles.

Peanut Butter Balls

Soft, sweet, and creamy, these Peanut Butter Balls are perfect as bite-sized treats for the holidays or any day you need a little pick-me-up.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy, easy to make, and so satisfying. Enjoy these cookies in under 20 minutes with no chilling required!

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles (Cookie Balls) are a quick and easy no bake dessert that is rich, sweet, fudgy, and delicious — and made with just 3 simple ingredients.

Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam and a drizzle of maple cinnamon glaze are the best holiday cookies and easy to make.

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut macaroons are crispy on the outside with a soft and chewy center. Dip or drizzle with chocolate for an even more delicious flavor combo.

Nutella Cookies

These homemade Nutella Cookies are tender, delicious, and chewy, loaded with chocolate chips, chopped hazelnut pieces, and homemade Nutella chips.

Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot Cake Cookies are soft, chewy, cake-like cookies with a delicious homemade cream cheese glaze. They taste just like carrot cake but in cookie form.

Easy Almond Biscotti

Small batch almond biscotti are crunchy, crumbly and packed with almonds, perfect for dunking into tea or coffee, and they are super easy to make.

French Macarons with Vanilla Buttercream Filling

Easy French macarons with vanilla buttercream filling are sweet, light, airy, and delicate cookies that melt in your mouth. Beginners can make them too!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Soft and chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are a quick and easy one bowl recipe made using simple pantry staple ingredients in under 20 minutes with no chilling!

Cake Mix Cookies

Cake mix cookies are the easiest cookies to bake with just three simple ingredients in 20 minutes! Mix and match different cake mix flavors and add-ins.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are golden brown with crispy edges and soft and thick on the inside. They are buttery and sweet, easy to make in one bowl, and freeze well.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick, fluffy, chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies is when pumpkin bread meets chocolate chip cookies. These no chill cookies are ready in under 20 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Dark chocolate raspberry truffles is so much easier to make than you might think! It is literally as simple as combining high quality chocolate, cocoa and raspberry jam.

The Best Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grab a tall glass of milk and start dipping the best homemade, soft-centered, chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies you will ever try!

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies

These perfectly soft, chewy and a little crumby chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies literally melts in your mouth. Make them in under 20 minutes.

Coffee Cookies

Coffee Cookies are soft and chewy, loaded with real coffee and chocolate chunks. This quick easy one bowl recipe takes under 20 minutes to make.

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

The best classic soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are puffy and thick, stay soft for days, and melt in your mouth. Make them in under 20 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies

Brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip banana bread cookie bites are thick, fluffy, pillowy, cake-like little bites of banana bread heaven.

Rice Cookies with Poppy Seeds

Persian Rice Cookies with Poppy Seeds (Nan-e Berenji) are irresistible, melt-in-your-mouth cookies made of rice flour, fragrant rose water and poppy seeds.

Make Ahead and Storing Instructions

1. How to store. You can make or prepare all of these Christmas cookies ahead of time, and most keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 3 days, up to one week.
2. How to freeze. Store these cookies in an airtight container in layers divided by parchment paper, or in a freezer bag (depending on the cookies), and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Making a batch of cookies at a time and storing in the freezer is the best way to make a holiday cookie box with a variety of cookies.

Did You Make Any of These Christmas Cookies?

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of cookie recipes. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

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