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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!
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. 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!
Traditional recipes
There’s nothing like traditional Christmas cookies. Whether it’s snickerdoodles, butter cookies, sugar cookies and more, you can’t go wrong with any of these. 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!
Snickerdoodle Cookies
This super soft snickerdoodle cookie recipe will instantly win you over! It truly is the best. It's a classic recipe that makes soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies with lots of flavor every time.
Ring in the holiday season with these easy Christmas sugar cookies! Perfectly soft and fluffy with amazing flavor. The best recipe to use when decorating sugar cookies for Christmas!Â
Soft and chewy gingerbread man cookies full of ginger spice flavor. This classic Christmas treat is the perfect cookie to decorate with your family this season!Â
Thick and chewy M&M Christmas cookies with crispy edges, a soft center and bursting with chocolate flavor. These are the ultimate cookie recipe to make this holiday season!Â
These Mexican wedding cookies are so simple and take only 5 ingredients to make! The perfect bite-sized cookie recipe that will literally melt in your mouth.Â
These cranberry orange shortbread cookies are so rich and buttery, with the most delicious combination of flavors. They're the perfect cookie to share with friends and family this holiday season!
White chocolate cranberry cookies are soft, chewy, and chunky loaded with white chocolate and dried cranberries. A delicious festive cookie perfect for the holidays!
These spritz cookies are a melt in your mouth holiday classic! All you need is a hand full of ingredients, a cookie press, and your favorite sprinkles to make these festive cookies in under an hour!
Are you a chocolate lover like me? I love all things chocolate, and especially love chocolate Christmas cookies! In other words, the more chocolate…the better. :) There are lots of delicious recipes below…a few of which include peppermint. If you’ve never had the chocolate and peppermint combination, you are missing out! The pair is a match made in heaven.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These chocolate crinkle cookies are fudgy on the inside with a crisp outside edge! So rich and decadent and adored by any and all chocolate lovers.Â
These OREO balls are made with just 3 simple ingredients and are such an easy dessert recipe to make. Drizzle with chocolate or top with your favorite colored sprinkles for the perfect decorative treat!
Hot Chocolate Cookies have all the flavors you love in a mug of hot chocolate, rolled up into one delicious baked good. Add these cocoa cookies to your baking list this season—just don't forget the melty, gooey, roasted marshmallow topping. It's my favorite part!
My favorite part about the whole process is decorating them! There are tons of cute designs and toppings to include…it’s so fun to be creative! Decorated Christmas cookies are perfect for entertaining, and are always a big crowd pleaser. Your guests will rave about how fun and impressive they are. Whether you dip in chocolate, cover with sprinkles or create a fun design, these decorated treats will be a hit!
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Molasses cookies that are soft and chewy on the inside and crisp around the edges. Full of delicious ginger flavor and taste just like Christmas! Drizzle or dip in white chocolate for the ultimate holiday cookie!
Ginger melted snowman cookies with a marshmallow belly, peanut butter cup hat and chocolate chips for the eyes. Such a creative and kid-friendly dessert for the holidays!
Adorable snowman Oreo balls are a fun, festive, and delicious DIY activity for the kids! Made with Oreo cookies, cream cheese and melted chocolate, these super easy snowmen are always a hit!
This recipe for cinnamon roll sugar cookies is simple to make and will have you looking like a total baking rock star. You won't believe how delicious these cookies are!Â
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. No one would guess how easy these are based on how amazing they taste!
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
Easy peanut butter cookies made with only 3 ingredients in just 15 minutes. These cookies are soft, chewy and full of creamy peanut butter flavor. Â
Easy spice cake mix cookies made with 3 main ingredients in just 20 minutes. These delicious cookies have crisp edges, a soft inside and are filled with the perfect spice flavor.Â
Christmas M&M Cookie Bars - Gooey, soft and fluffy cookie bars loaded with M&M's and chocolate chips. Only 30 minutes to make and less than 10 ingredients. Perfect treat for a cookie exchange or holiday party!
Peanut butter and jelly thumbprint cookies – the most delicious peanut butter cookie topped with strawberry jam and a vanilla glaze. These will soon become your new favorite cookie!
All the flavor of the classic holiday drink staple in a delicious cookie! These eggnog cookies are the perfect treat to bring to holiday parties this year.
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies - Chewy oatmeal cookies filled with a fluffy marshmallow cream frosting. A nostalgic childhood treat that you can easily make at home!
These frosted ricotta cheese cookies are easy to make, delicious and will definitely impress your guests! They are similar to a sugar cookie, (huge, puffy and soft) but have a hint of tartness.
Soft and cakey red velvet gooey butter cookies covered in powdered sugar. This will become one of your favorite holiday cookie recipes to make each season!Â
Snickerdoodle cookies with cake mix are the same thick, soft, and chewy cookies they've always been but with half the ingredients and made in a fraction of the time!Â
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!
Jamielyn Nye is the creative director and founder of I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. When she’s not creating in the kitchen, Jamielyn loves to chase her four little monkeys and snuggle up on the couch with her man.
Let the Christmas baking begin! So exciting!
This is such a great list. I cannot wait to bake from it!
This is the best collection!!
Christmas cookies bring me joy! Seriously, I love making huge amounts of them and sharing.
WOW what a fabulous list! I can’t wait to get started!