30+ BEST Christmas Cookies

30+ of the best Christmas cookies for your holiday baking! Lots of easy and delicious homemade ideas to make your next party or cookie exchange a success!

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Most Delicious Holiday Cookies

I love to host a cookie exchange around Christmas time each year. It’s one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays with loved ones AND enjoy all of the delicious Christmas cookies. Talk about a win-win!

One of my favorite things about the holidays is coming up with new cookie recipes to share with family and friends. I have so many wonderful memories of baking over the years, and love when I find yummy recipes to add to my collection.

On this list, you’ll find the top Christmas cookies to make this season. These would be fun to make for one of your Elf on the Shelf Ideas or any holiday party.

Whether you’re looking for traditional recipes, chocolate cookies, ones with decorations or easy recipes that still taste delicious – you’re bound to find all of your favorites here!

Favorite Baking Staples

Below are some of my favorite baking staples that I can’t live without! These make my holiday baking each year so much easier and enjoyable. Being prepared in the kitchen is key during the season and these make everything from Christmas morning breakfast ideas, to cookies, and finally Christmas dinner that much better!

Appliances

• KitchenAid Stand Mixer (5-quart)
• Edge Beater for KitchenAid
• Dough Hook for KitchenAid
• Glass Bowl for KitchenAid
• Hand Mixer

Bakeware

• Perfect Cookie Baking Mat 
• Jelly Roll Pan
• Half Sheet Pan

Utensils

• 2A Frosting Tip
• 1M Frosting Tip
• Frosting Bags
• Large Coupler
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Cookie Scoop (small, medium and large)

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Traditional Recipes

There’s nothing like traditional Christmas cookies. My personal favorites are snickerdoodles because I’m a sucker for the cinnamon sugar coating. And above all, they are so soft and fluffy. Yum!

• Christmas Sugar Cookies. This my favorite recipe to use when decorating sugar cookies for Christmas! 
• Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe. Super soft and chewy, these are a hit at any holiday party.
• Peanut Butter Blossoms. Peanut butter and chocolate come together to create the perfect sweet treat.
• Gingerbread Cookies. With warm ginger spice, these are a traditional to decorate! You can even make reindeer gingerbread cookies!
• Mexican Wedding Cookies. Just 5 ingredients needed to make pillowy bite-sized treats coated in powdered sugar.
• Iced Oatmeal Cookies. Made with chunks of oats, brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon, these cookies are sure to bring the happy to any holiday.
• Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies. A flavor combination made in holiday heaven and so simple to make.
• White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. These two flavors are perfectly paired for a cookie that tastes just as good as it looks.
• Spritz Cookies. Grab your cookie press and your favorite sprinkles to make these festive cookies in under an hour!
• Shortbread Cookies. This recipe can be cut-out, pressed, or stamped to make the most adorable shortbread cookies.
• Candy Cane Cookies. Cute and festive, these Christmas candy cane cookies are a must for any cookie platter.
• Thumbprint Cookies. A classic buttery cookie filled with sweet jam is the perfect addition to any Christmas cookie platter!
• Linzer Cookies. The prettiest cookie with two buttery cookies sandwiched between raspberry preserves! The signature cut-out on the top makes these looks so elegant.
• Meringue Cookie. With a melt-in-your mouth texture these bite-sized cookies can be colored with festive red or green food dye to match the season!

Christmas Cookie Countdown Recipes

• Biscoff Cookies. Loaded with cookie butter flavor, these cookies have a brown sugar cookie base with Biscoff frosting on top and Lotus cookie crumbs for garnish!
• Black and White Cookie Recipe. A delicious shortbread style cookie iced half moon style with black and white icing. A New York City staple!
• Gingerbread Whoopie Pies. Two soft gingerbread cookies sandwiched with cream cheese frosting!
• Drop Sugar Cookies. Just scoop and bake these no roll, no chill cookies!
• Authentic Italian Christmas cookies. These cute cookies are vanilla flavored with an almond glaze and sprinkles!
• Maple Cookies Recipe. Full of seasonal maple flavor with brown sugar and topped with a maple glaze!
• Peppermint Swig Sugar Cookies. If you love Swig cookies with their soft, buttery flavor, you will love this peppermint version!
• Chocolate Almond Joy Cookie Recipe. Just like the candy bar but in cookie form!
• M&M Christmas Cookies. Colorful M&Ms adds a sweet festive note to these addictive cookies.
• Ginger Molasses Cookies. Drizzle or dip in white chocolate for the ultimate holiday cookie.
• Oreo Balls. These decorative cookies do not look like they only require 3 ingredients to make.
• Christmas Oreos. Just 2 ingredients to make adorable and festive treats.
• Christmas Crack. The easiest toffee made with saltine crackers, butter, brown sugar with melted chocolate chips and seasonal M&Ms on top.
• Sheet Pan Cookies. One cookie dough, 4 flavors! This large sheet pan Christmas cookie satisfies everyone!
• Rolo Pretzels. The easiest treat with pretzels snaps, chocolate and an M&M to top.
• Christmas Sugar Cookies. This my favorite recipe to use when decorating sugar cookies for Christmas! 
• Coconut Caramel Cookies. A simple buttery cookie dipped in chocolate, topped with caramel then coconut and drizzled with more chocolate.
• Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. A soft peanut butter cookie topped with a peanut butter cup!
• Chocolate Turtle Cookies. A soft chocolate cookie is topped with caramel and rolled in pecans.
• No Bake Avalanche Cookies. These disappear off cookie trays with their chocolate, peanut butter and crunchy flavor and texture.
• Cornflake Wreaths. These are a yearly traditional Christmas treat that comes together in minutes.
• Edible Cookie Dough. No time to bake, this edible dough is easy and can be customized with festive sprinkles, seasonal candy and more!

Chocolate Cookies

I love all things chocolate, and especially love chocolate Christmas cookies! Combine chocolate with peppermint at the holidays and it’s a heavenly match.

• Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies Recipe. A soft chocolate cookie topped with a gooey marshmallow and more chocolate on top!
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. Chocolate lovers, this one is for you. Decadent and sweet, these cookies are a real treat.
• Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe. These fudgy chocolate cookies are filled with fresh peppermint flavor. 
• Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookie Recipe. A chocolate cookie with a surprise soft peanut butter center is a real treat any time of year.
• Hot Chocolate Cookies. All the flavors you love in a mug of hot chocolate, rolled up into one delicious baked good.
• Chocolate Mint Cookies. Make these with cake mix and save a little time.
• Turtle Cookies. Combine crunchy pecans, chewy caramel, and melted chocolate to create a rich chocolate cookie.
• Andes Mint Cookies. These super easy, one-bowl cookies come together in a flash.
• Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe. Fudgy with both cocoa powder and chocolate chips these cookies disappear off of any cookie platter.

Decorated Cookies

Decorated Christmas cookies are perfect for entertaining, and are always a big crowd pleaser. Whether you dip in chocolate, cover with sprinkles or create a fun design, these decorated treats will be a hit!

• Christmas Oreos. Just 2 ingredients to make adorable and festive treats.
• Melted Snowman Cookies. With a marshmallow belly, peanut butter cup hat and chocolate chips for the eyes, it doesn’t get cuter than these cookies.
• Sugar Cookie Truffles. Made with crushed sugar cookies, cream cheese and vanilla, what’s not to love?
• Snowman Oreo Balls. Made with Oreo cookies, cream cheese and melted chocolate, these are a fun, festive, and delicious DIY activity for the kids.
• Grinch Cookies. These are another fun version of cake mix cookies.
• Cinnamon Roll Cookies. This dessert combines two of my favorite sweet treats — cinnamon rolls and sugar cookies. 

Easy Christmas Cookies

Things get so busy during the holidays, so I’m always looking for easy recipes to quickly whip up. These recipes below are fun, festive and super simple to make.

• Pistachio Cookie Recipe. Made with a pistachio pudding and maraschino cherries, these cookies scream Christmas. 
• Spice Cake Mix Cookies. Just 3 ingredients, this flavorful cookies are ready in less than 20 minutes.
• 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. 15 minutes is all takes to have soft, chewy and full of creamy peanut butter flavor cookies.  
• M&M Cookie Bars Recipe. These bars are chocked full of chocolate chips and M&Ms. Need I say more?
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies. Say hello to a peanut butter cookie topped with strawberry jam and a vanilla glaze.
• Eggnog Cookies: All the flavors of the classic holiday drink staple in a delicious cookie
• Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies. These nostalgic treats are filled with a fluffy marshmallow cream frosting.
• Ricotta Cheese Cookies. Similar to sugar cookies, these cookies are huge, puffy and soft but have a hint of tartness.
• Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies. Made with a cake mix, these cookies take so little time to impress.
• Snickerdoodle Cake Mix Cookies. Your favorite cinnamon-sugar coated cookie in no time at all.
• Brown Sugar Cookies. Chewy with a hint of nuttiness from browned butter, these chewy cookies will be a holiday hit!
• Coconut Cookies Recipe. A soft and chewy cookies with the delicious flavor of coconut!
• Cherry Almond Cookies. A hint of almond infuses these cherry cookies with the best flavor! Flecks of maraschino cherries make them festive and colorful while cream cheese keeps them soft.
• Almond Cookies. With a delicate almond taste these buttery cookies will dissapear off the cookie tray.
• Cream Cheese Cookies. Cream cheese adds a soft texture to these cookies that melt-in-your-mouth!
• Butter pecan cookies. Soft and chewy cookies with warm cinnamon and buttery pecans!

Full List of Cookie Ideas for Christmas

Click on the links below to find the recipes for all of the delicious Christmas cookies mentioned above.