It was a tough job but someone had to do it - the best homemade Christmas cookie recipes I've ever had the pleasure of making, eating and gifting. Plus, adding in a few of my favorite places to order cookies from for when you need to send that quick fix of love to someone not within driving distance during the holidays. As you know last year was the year of the Cookie on WGC so we are ready to party this season!
17 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes at a Glance
- Cookie Categories: Classics, chocolate cookies, peppermint treats, decorated cookies, drop cookies, holiday bars + blondies 🍪🎄
- Perfect For: Cookie swaps, gifting, baking with kids, holiday parties, and stocking the freezer 👨👩👧👦🎁
- Time Range: Quick drop cookies to more detailed decorated cookies ⏱️
- Recipe Vibe: Festive, cozy, fun-to-make, and totally crowd-pleasing
- Why You’ll Love It: Tons of variety, easy-to-follow recipes, make-ahead friendly, and all the nostalgic holiday flavors you crave ✨
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Christmas Cookie Recipes
Christmas Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Preserves
My grandmother's famous Christmas Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Preserves are the PERFECT Christmas Cookie / Secret Santa treat or hostess gift this time of year! It's two butter cookies sandwiched with copious amounts of Raspberry Preserves and a generous dusting of powdered sugar on top.
Gooey Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
The recipe couldn’t be easier, you can make these Gooey Chocolate Crinkle Cookies right this second and then snack on them for the next few days. These are one of my favorite cookie recipes! The inside is gooey and soft, the outside is just slightly crispy and coated with a layer of powered sugar that will leave you dusted with happiness.
Double Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
We're upping the ante on Christmas cookie recipes with this Double Chocolate Thumbprint Cookie filled with with Ganache AND Fruit Preserves.
Peppermint Oreo Cookie Truffles
Most truffle recipes require tempering chocolate and it takes a while… these are made with oreos, cream cheese and chocolate and come together VERY quickly. Peppermint Oreo Cookie Truffles are the perfect treat to make for any holiday parties or last minute office pot lucks! Plus they are the easiest things to make on earth.
Sugar Cookie Recipe
Christmas Sugar Cookies
If you're looking for classic sugar cookie or Christmas cookie recipes, look no further. This simple sugar cookie dough is laced with sprinkles because we always need more sprinkles in life and then decorated with royal icing and MORE sprinkles. Duh.
M&M Sugar Cookies
These soft and chewy M&M Sugar Cookies are reminiscent of those incredible mall sugar cookies from back in they day and you'll be obsessed!
Peppermint Park S'mookies
These Peppermint Bark S'mookies are the best parts of a s'more and peppermint bark rolled into 1.
Molasses Cookies & Snickerdoodle Cookies
Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies
As for molasses cookie recipes, these perfectly soft and chewy Molasses Cookies with Butterscotch Chips and Chocolate Chips are an absolute must-make Christmas cookie!
Soft Molasses Cookies
These Molasses Cookies come from my mom - who I think got the recipe from my her mom and she probably got it from her mom. Who knows. Either way - these Molasses Cookies are perfection. The dough comes together quickly, chills in the fridge to harden it up, and then rolled into balls and coated in sugar before baking. The result is a perfectly soft and chewy molasses Christmas cookie that you'll totally love!
Snickerdoodle Cookies
One of my childhood favorite cookies were Snickerdoodle Cookies. These are super soft (as they should be) and perfectly crusted with a cinnamon sugar coating.
Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are a family recipe. They're soft and chewy on the inside, just slightly crispy on the outside, and dusted with Maldon sea salt on top! Can’t go wrong with that perfect combo.
No Bake Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
These No Bake Cookies are incredible. All that chocolate with minimal effort.
Dad’s Kitchen Sink Cookies
One of my favorite parts of going home is that my dad always makes me his famous Kitchen Sink Cookies. They are undoubtedly one of the best cookie recipes out there. What started as basic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies have turned into something way more delicious. Nowadays they are stuffed with chocolate chips, M&M’s, dried cranberries and dried apricots. Totally genius.
Peanut Butter Cookies
If you love chewy Christmas cookie recipes these Peanut Butter Cookies fit the bill. Anything that’s slightly undercooked in the middle is the name of the game. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside – it’s my idea of perfection.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
This is hands down one of my favorite cookie recipes. These chocolate chip cookies are perfectly baked, gooey on the inside, and slightly crispy on the outside, the best part is that this particular recipe falls under the "easy chocolate chip cookie recipes" category, like so easy that even Thomas can make them 🙂 . Look no further this is the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
Truffled Chocolate Chip Cookies
I'm upping the ante on traditional chocolate chip cookies and sandwiching a full chocolate truffle in the middle of the cookie that melts down and helps create the best Truffled Chocolate Chip Cookie imaginable.
Double Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies
It’s a take on my favorite double dark chocolate chip muffin – but I’ve turned them into cookies because it’s the right thing to do! These Double Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies really can’t be beat!
Best Places To Order Cookies For Delivery
- The Very Best Cookie - If you're looking for an incredible gift to send to a friend, look no further. The Very Best Cookie ships nationwide, and be sure to add a browned butter toasted marshmallow rice krispie treat to your cookie order - you won't regret it.
- Sweetboy Bakery - Holy moly if you're in LA you must order these.
- Gusto - These are the best chocolate chip cookies in Long Beach! They don't ship nationwide, but they have local delivery if you're in the area.
- If you want to send homemade treats - the Christmas Chex Mix or Dark Chocolate Muddy Buddies are my go-to for shipping. Just make sure to roll them in plenty of bubble wrap.
Christmas Cookies: Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces, at room temperature
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup holiday sprinkles plus extra for decorating
Royal Icing:
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup meringue powder
- Food coloring optional
- Decorating sugar for topping, optional
- Sprinkles for topping, optional
Instructions
For the cookies
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
- Beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and sprinkles and mix on medium-low speed until completely incorporated. Divide the dough in half, place each piece between 2 pieces of parchment and then roll to ⅓ inch thick. Once rolled out, place the parchment sandwiches dough on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes.
- Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut out shapes with the cookie cutters and arrange about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
- Gently gather any scraps into a ball and press into a disc; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate the disc until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour. Cut out as many cookies as possible and bake.
For the royal icing
- Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and ⅓ cup water with an electric mixer in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Decorate the cookies with the icing; top with decorating sugar and sprinkles as needed.
The christmas sugar cookies are so great. I have included that cookie in my cookie boxes ever since I discovered them on this site! The dough is delicious and cuts perfectly. If decorated, the sprinkles are an added treat. I recommend them to everyone.