The Dozen Christmas Cookies Recipes Everyone Always Asks For
🎄🧑🏻🎄 With Christmas fast approaching it's time to bake Christmas cookies! A mix of classic holiday cookies with some fun twists and easy enough for bakers at any level!
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I’ve spent years testing every Christmas cookie recipe I could get my hands on, and these dozen are the ones that have earned permanent spots in my annual lineup.
They’re the recipes my family asks for by name, the ones that vanish first at parties, and are always hits in cookie exchanges.
You’ll find a bit of everything - nostalgic cut-outs that taste like childhood, soft spiced gingerbread cookies that make your house smell incredible, and a few chocolate-peppermint showstoppers that look bakery-level fancy.
Whether you’re baking with little helpers who mostly just eat the sprinkles, building a cookie box for neighbors, or need something reliable for the office party, or cookie exchange, these holiday cookie recipes won’t let you down.
I have a couple of ebooks including The Best 50 Cookies Recipes and 30 Easy No-Mixer Desserts that are perfect for any baker! I hope you check them out and thank you in advance!
1. Christmas Cut Out Sugar Cookies
This is my go-to recipe when I want classic cut-out cookies that actually hold their shape and stay soft instead of turning into crunchy hockey pucks. The dough rolls out beautifully, bakes up with clean edges, and tastes buttery and perfect under a layer of simple royal icing and way too many sprinkles. These are the ones I made growing up with my mom and grandma.
2. Classic Gingerbread Cookies
Soft, chewy gingerbread cookies with deep molasses flavor and just the right amount of spice — none of that rock-hard, break-your-tooth nonsense here. I love how the dough can be made ahead and chilled until I’m ready to roll it out, which is a lifesaver during the holiday chaos. Decorate them with royal icing and cinnamon candies for buttons, and your kitchen will smell like the inside of a gingerbread house.
3. Pecan Snowball Cookies
Buttery, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth perfection rolled in enough powdered sugar to look like actual snowdrifts. I’ve been making these since I was little, and they’re still one of the first cookies to disappear from any holiday tray. They travel beautifully, stay fresh for days, and require basically no decorating skills whatsoever — just roll them in sugar twice and you’re done.
4. Raspberry Linzer Cookies
These raspberry sandwich cookies are the fancy showstoppers of my Christmas cookie lineup, with buttery pecan-studded dough and jewel-toned jam peeking through the cutout centers. They look like they came from an expensive bakery, but they’re surprisingly doable at home if you’ve got a couple cookie cutters and some patience. Dust them with powdered sugar and watch people’s faces light up when they bite into that perfect jammy center.
5. Classic Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Tender, buttery, and the 3 different types of jam turn into chewy little jewels that make these nostalgic family favorite cookies! They’re great for holiday entertaining, cookie exchanges, showers, or just because! No one can resist the allure of these classic thumbprint cookies!
6. Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies
My festive twist on classic peanut butter blossoms, these chocolate cookies are loaded with crushed candy canes and topped with a Candy Cane Kiss that gets perfectly melty and swirly. They come together fast with no chilling required, which makes them perfect for last-minute cookie exchanges. The combination of rich chocolate and cool peppermint is basically Christmas in cookie form.
7. Double Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
When I want to go full-on impressive, these are the cookies I make — soft double chocolate cookies sandwiched around tangy cream cheese filling, rolled in crushed candy canes, and drizzled with white chocolate. They look like they belong in a bakery window, but they’re totally achievable at home. Fair warning: people will ask you for the recipe immediately.
8. Eggnog Teacakes (Glazed Eggnog Cookies)
Soft, buttery little cookies with warm spices and a sweet eggnog glaze that makes them taste like the holidays in every bite. They have that delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture I love in snowball cookies, but the glaze and festive sprinkles make them feel extra special. If you know an eggnog superfan, these cookies will make their entire December.
9. Soft M&M’s Pudding Cookies
The secret to these impossibly soft, buttery, and irresistible M&M’s Christmas cookies you can enjoy all year long! One of my favorites, they’re easy to make and perfect for every occasion. Swap out the color of M&M for Valentine’s Day, Easter, or all year round.
10. Sand Dollar Cookies
These elegant almond-flavored cut-out cookies topped with sliced almonds are a totally unexpected addition to Christmas cookie trays, and I love how they stand out from all the usual suspects. They’re light, buttery, not overly sweet, and bring a little coastal charm to the middle of winter. Perfect for pairing with coffee or serving after a big holiday dinner when you want something delicate and refined. Bring on the beachy vibes, especially during these chilly months!
11. Soft & Chewy Molasses Gingerdooles
These gingerdoodle cookies taste like a cross between chewy gingerbread cookies and crinkly snickerdoodles. An unbeatable holiday cookie recipe! Soft, chewy, and stay fresh for days. An excellent choice for cookie exchanges!
12. No-Roll Christmas Sprinkle Cookies
Tender, buttery holiday sugar cookies that use a no-roll dough with the sprinkles baked right in, so you don’t even have to decorate them! When you’re in a time crunch or lacking a bit of motivation, this recipe is the one to reach for!
