83 Christmas Cookies Full of Sparkly Holiday Cheer
As you read through this collection of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes, don’t forget Dorie Greenspan’s wise words: “The reason we bake is to share.” Because once you get a taste (or even a whiff) of our best Christmas cookies, you might find it difficult to be generous with your precious goods. We’re talking about tangy cream cheese shortbread with fresh lime juice, the absolute peanutty-est peanut butter cookies, and red velvet cookies that’ll dazzle everyone who sees them. Plus caramel crunch chocolate chunklet cookies from Dorie herself—the baking maven has called it one of her top holiday cookie recipes. Needless to say, we have enough Christmas cookie ideas to keep the oven warm all winter long.
If efficiency is your priority during this busy time of year, our list of easy cookie recipes is here for you. Because sometimes the easiest cookies make the best Christmas cookies—especially if you have a party to get to.
Whether you’re planning to ship them off with love, set them on a plate for Santa, or just save them for yourself, the time has come to bake cookies. Scroll down for all of our best holiday cookie recipes below.
Photograph by Breanne Furlong, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht1/83Cute-as-a-Button Gingerbread Cookies
We’d never advocate for baking only one type of Christmas cookies, but if you’re choosing a first recipe to kick off your holiday season baking extravaganza, this is the one. These come out somewhere between crispy ginger snap and chewy molasses cookies, with lots of warming cinnamon and whatever simple or elaborate decorations you dream up.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Carla Gonzalez-Hart2/83Sugar Cookies
Photograph by Victoria Jane, Food Styling by Mallory Lance, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon5/83Chewy Molasses Cookies
Set these chewy, gingery cookies out on a big platter just after Christmas dinner, or pack them into boxes to ship to friends.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni6/83Almond-Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
These pretty pink thumbprints–which also happen to be gluten-free—add a welcome dose of color to your holiday cookie box.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness7/83BA’s Best Oatmeal Cookies
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton9/83Baklava Cookies
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni10/83Lime Squiggles
A mixture of cream cheese and butter in the dough yields supple cookies that, thanks to a touch of cornstarch, practically melt in your mouth.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Buckens11/83BA’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
In this recipe, every ingredient brings something to the party: Brown butter adds depth, egg yolks provide richness, and chocolate chunks melt into molten pools of chocolate. And yes, the rumors are true–our best chocolate chip cookie recipe doesn’t even require a stand mixer.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton12/83Buttery Jam Diagonals
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton13/83Matcha Swirl Spritz Cookies
These Grinch-colored cookies sport the grassy flavor of ceremonial-grade matcha, which plays wonderfully with the butter and vanilla and makes them reminiscent of a matcha latte.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski14/83Double Pecan Thumbprints
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food styling by Pearl Jones.15/83Iced Spiced Hermits
These hermit cookies sort of resemble biscotti in shape but have the dense, chewy texture of old-fashioned gingerbread. A two-ingredient glaze balances the spice of the cookies with a touch of sweetness.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton16/83Chewy Carrot Halwa Cookies
These nutty cookies are inspired by gajar ka halwa, a South Asian carrot pudding. Toasting the almonds in brown butter enriches their flavor like you wouldn’t believe.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sean Dooley17/83Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies With Toffee
This is one of those holiday cookie recipes that teaches a few key baking lessons along the way. First: Bringing your ingredients to room temperature before mixing and letting the dough rest after is worth the time it takes. Second: Brown butter simply makes everything better.
Alex Lau19/83Peanut Butter Cookies
For peanut butter cookies with a crunchy-chewy texture and a deep peanut buttery flavor that’s not too sweet, you need smooth natural peanut butter and a moment to toast the peanuts and brown the butter.
Kelsey McClellan20/83Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies
These festive green holiday cookies call for creamy pistachio paste. Find it online or follow our easy instructions to make it at home (with the help of a food processor).
Kelsey McClellan21/83Spiced Ginger Cookies
Popping with cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper, this cross between molasses cookies and gingerbread cookies has the potential to become your new favorite Christmas cookie. Now all you need is a cup of eggnog.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton22/83Tiramisu Snowball Cookies
Mash the idea of tiramisu (espresso, chocolate, mascarpone) with powdery snowball cookie to create a sure-to-please cookie that’s both easy to make and heavy on holiday drama.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Cyd McDowell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks23/83Caramel Crunch–Chocolate Chunklet Cookies
Baked in a muffin tin, these chocolate chunklet cookies—which come from cookie maven Dorie Greenspan—gain perfectly crispy, caramelized edges and soft centers.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski25/83Zebra-Striped Shortbread Cookies
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Michelle Gatton26/83Alfajores With Coconut Dulce de Leche
We’ve baked many, many Christmas desserts over the years, but when coconut dulce de leche oozes between two crispy honey-almond cookies, it’s hard to remember any other sweet.
Photograph by Emma Fishman. Food styling by Pearl Jones.28/83Galletitas de Cebada Tostada y Mermelada
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova29/83Chocolate-Filled Toasted Coconut Macaroons
Not to be mistaken with French macarons, these coconut-based confections can be found on plenty of holiday platters. Deeply toasted and stuffed with chocolate, these are a far cry from the dry, pale coconut macaroons of parties past.
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susan Spungen31/83Roasty Toasty Pecan-Caramel Shortbread Cookies
Channeling the spirit of butter pecans, this recipe combines rich shortbread with toasted nuts and silky dulce de leche. A particularly short ingredient list makes it achievable on any odd weekday.
Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio32/83Trouble Cookies
Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones37/83Obscenely Chocolatey Chocolate Cookies
If you’re looking for chocolate, you’ve arrived. We’re talking big bittersweet chocolate chunks that melt into picturesque pools, plus ultra-rich Dutch-process cocoa in this cookie dough.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown38/83Anzac Biscuits
Golden syrup is the signature ingredient that distinguishes these oat-and-coconut-packed biscuits as Australia’s most storied dessert. In fact, they’re so beloved Down Under that their name, shape, and recipe are protected by law.
Photograph by Christopher Testani, Food styling by Victoria Granof, prop styling by Alex Brannian39/83Lavender-Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott40/83Chocolate Blackout Cookies
Inspired by the iconic Brooklyn Blackout Cake, these blackout cookies gain depth from espresso powder and a swoop of fudgy frosting.
Photographs by Jenny Huang, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio41/83Einkorn Shortbreads
Showcasing an ancient grain known for its high protein content and nutty, almost chocolaty flavor, these simple shortbreads are best complemented with a cup of hot chocolate.
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Beatrice Chastka42/83Tie-Dye Butter Cookies
A simple butter cookie dough and natural food coloring yield mini masterpieces with this fun holiday cookie project. Use red dye for candy cane coloring, or go for a groovy mix of hues.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones43/83Cocoa-Coffee Almond Cookies
Almond paste makes these Italian cookies extra chewy, while coffee underscores the chocolate and nut flavors.
Photo by Alex Lau44/83Oat and Pecan Brittle Cookies
Not an oatmeal-raisin lover? Ditch the raisins and make these over the holidays instead. Pecan brittle brings pops of crunch to these crispy-edged, soft-centered cookies.
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li46/83Marranitos Enfiestados
Your festive cookie platter needs these Mexican cookies: They’re whimsical, sprinkle-bordered, and full of baking spice, with a hint of smoke from dark molasses. And they’re a great excuse to order a pig-shaped cookie cutter.
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li47/83Tahini Linzer Torte Bars
We’ve swapped out the ground nuts in a classic linzer for tahini, which makes for a rich, buttery crust that’s ready to be filled with your favorite jam. Serve with Christmas breakfast for a more-is-more upgrade to toast and jelly.
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Sue Li48/83Coffee-Hazelnut Biscotti
Get a double dose of caffeine by dunking these coffee-loaded biscotti in your cocoa or coffee. These are best enjoyed by the fire while admiring the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree.
Alex Lau49/83Butter Spritz Cookies
These classic spritz cookies freeze well, so you can make them now and share them later. You likely won’t need to double the batch—with a cookie press on hand, this recipe makes about 60 small cookies.
Photo by E. E. Berger50/83Peanut Butter–Paprika Cookies
Nutty whole wheat flour complements the natural savory notes of peanut butter in this holiday cookie, but the substantial dose of smoked paprika—three teaspoons!—dials up the drama.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie52/83Miso White Chocolate–Macadamia Cookies
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Michelle Gatton53/83Black-and-White-and-Green Cookies
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski54/83Chocolate-Tahini Linzer Cookies
Rather than the traditional layer of jam, these chocolate lovers’ linzer cookies are sandwiched with dark, milk, or white chocolate–or an assortment of all three. We love Christmas cookie recipes that come with a great-looking assortment built in.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susan Spungen, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski55/83Snickerdoodle Party Cookies
Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, food styling by Michelle Gatton57/83Butter Pecan Skillet Cookies
These buttery pecan cookies bake in a skillet, then get sliced like a pizza pie. They’re just as fun to make as they are to eat.
Kelsey McClellan58/83Honey-Vanilla Sablé Cookie Dough
These minimal yet utterly flawless honey-vanilla sablés would be a welcome sweet bite at a Christmas cocktail party. Ground cardamom and whole vanilla beans bring a boost of warm spice to the dough, which can be used as a base for lots of variations, like these linzer cookies.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Jessie YuChen62/83Salted Caramel Apple Cookies
Change up this year’s Christmas cookie recipes and make these soft and tender cookies to serve with mugs of hot apple cider.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Summer Moore65/83Chewy Date and Dark Chocolate Cookies
Dates deliver natural sweetness to these dark chocolate chunk cookies, which boast crispy edges and chewy centers.
Peden & Munk67/83Ombré Rainbow Cookies
For Italian rainbow cookies with a particularly jazzy look, tint each batch with varying amounts of matcha or freeze-dried raspberries.
Kelsey McClellan68/83Cranberry Wafer Cookies
Make one vanilla-scented cookie dough, then use it to make pistachio thumbprints, jewel-toned linzers, and these cranberry-dotted wafers.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Stephanie Yeh70/83Raspberry-Tahini Thumbprint Cookies
78/83Tuckers
Alex Lau79/83Toasted-Flour Sablés
Some of the best cookie recipes make simple ingredients work a little harder for you. Toasting the all-purpose flour in this recipe gives it a slightly nutty, complex flavor, while sieved hard-boiled egg yolks prevent too much gluten from developing in the dough, delivering maximum tenderness.
80/83Cardamom Crescents
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott81/83Matcha–White Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Matcha gives these sugar cookies their all-natural green hue. For a festive plate, you could set them next to these sparkly red numbers.
Photo by Laura Murray82/83Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Umami-rich miso pairs with light brown sugar to give these cookies deep caramel base notes.
