25 Easy Christmas Cookies for the Holiday Season

Making cookies for Christmas is a tradition that has always happened in my household. Even as an adult now, I love to make cookies and sweet treats to share with my friends, family, and loved ones. Nothing says Merry Christmas quite like a platter of delicious cookies!

This year I found myself in a cookie rut, I didn’t want to make the same cookies I make every year, and I wanted new and creative ideas.

Lucky for you, I searched the internet, found the unique Christmas cookies, and put them all into this list.

There is something here for whatever piece of Christmas you’re baking for holiday parties, family potlucks, Christmas dinner, or Christmas eve at home with your family.

There is a wide range of flavors and cookie types here, so make sure you read through the whole list, so you don’t miss out on a delicious cookie. No matter how you spend Christmas, there is a cookie here you’ll love!

1. Easy Decorated Christmas Cookies

I couldn’t help but start this list off with cookies that you decorate. One of my favorite Christmas activities has always been decorating cookies.

These sugar cookies are basic with only five ingredients, but they provide the perfect base for decorating. Because of their simplicity, these are great cookies to make with kids.

With a delicious icing you can use to turn your cookie into whatever winter wonderland dream you’d like, these cookies will bring magic to your Christmas season.

2. Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies are one of the most classic holiday cookie recipes, and for a good reason! These cookies have that holiday spiced flavor profile with ginger, cinnamon, clove, and allspice.

The secret to a perfectly soft and chewy gingerbread cookie is the molasses, don’t skip this ingredient! If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, white vinegar is a fine substitute.

You can bake these into normal cookie circles, but I recommend buying gingerbread man cookie cutters and make these a fun activity!

3. Pinwheel Cookies

Christmas pinwheels always look much more complicated to make than they are. These are really just simple sugar cookies that are rolled together, so when you cut them into rounds, there is a beautiful red and green pinwheel.

Even though there are three different colors, you use the same base dough and add food coloring.

These cookies are sure to impress anyone, so make them for your next Christmas potluck.

4. Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut butter blossom cookies bring together two of the best-paired flavors: peanut butter and chocolate, yum!

The best part about these cookies is how easy they are, making them perfect for making for that last-minute holiday get-together.

If you want to make these vegetarian, swap vegetable shortening for the butter. While this recipe calls for plain chocolate Hershey’s kisses, you can use any of your favorite kiss flavors. These cookies are sweet, salty, and nutty. What more could you want?

5. White Chocolate Dipped Chewy Cookies

These cookies are gingerbread-based like the cookies above, but they are dipped in delicious white chocolate to add a new layer.

Then you use red and green sprinkles of your choice to add festive colors to the white chocolate, making these cookies look like Christmas and taste like them.

This recipe has you roll the cookies into balls resulting in a round cookie, but you can cut them into shapes like a normal gingerbread cookie if you like.

6. Crème Brulee Sugar Cookies

Crème Brulee is a dessert you normally get at a fancy restaurant for dessert, it’s sweet, creamy, with a crunchy, irresistible topping.

This recipe takes all the best parts of a crème Brulee into the best holiday cookies. If. You want to ramp up the vanilla flavor and elevate these to a real crème Brulee level, use vanilla beans instead of vanilla extract.

The cream cheese frosting sandwiched between the soft, crunchy sugar topped cookies adds the perfect twang. You must make these!

7. 5 Ingredient Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies

Any recipe that starts with the phrase “five-ingredient” is a recipe I’m going to love. Ever heard of a thumbprint cookie? They are exactly what the title suggests.

You use your thumb to imprint an indentation you fill with delicious jam. These thumbprint cookies utilize cream cheese with a cheesy, tangy flavor and soft and gooey texture.

The raspberry jam provides the perfect tartness that pairs with the sweet cookie wonderfully.

If you don’t like raspberries, you can substitute them with your favorite jam of choices like strawberry, blueberry, or apricot.

8. Reeses Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Another peanut butter and chocolate pairing here. These look like normal chocolate chip cookies but pack a salty, peanut punch. Don’t really like chocolate but love peanut butter? Use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips.

These cookies come out soft and buttery. Nobody can deny grabbing one. These cookies are simple, but sometimes simple gives us the most comforting holiday feelings.

Bake these tasty cookies up to keep around your house the week of Christmas, don’t forget to dip them in milk!

9. Christmas Sugar Cookie

There are a few sugar cookies on this list, and each one is slightly different.

I recommend trying different recipes until you find the perfect one for your tastes and preferred icing topping.

This recipe uses only egg yolks for a richer cookie, saving the egg whites for fluffy icing. The icing uses some lemon zest for a pop of unexpected flavor that cuts the sweetness. Unlike other sugar cookie recipes, this one doesn’t require any chill time, perfect for making with kids!

10. Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

If you’re looking for a fun and fresh Christmas cookie, this one will take the cake! This is one of the most creative Christmas cookie ideas I’ve found, and I love making these a nice break from all the chocolatey treats.

The cranberry and orange are nestled within buttery, almondy shortbread cookies. If you want to add a special crunch, try tossing some pistachios into the batter. These are sure to steal the show at your Holiday gathering!

11. Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies: these are a classic in everyone’s homes. What makes a great chocolate chip cookie? Soft, chewy, a crisp bottom, and chocolate in every bite.

It has the added punch of flavor with the sea salt on top. After you make these once, you’ll replace your chocolate chip cookie recipe with this one.

Leave these out with a big glass of milk for Santa, and he’ll put you on the “nice” list for years to come!

12. Christmas White Chocolate Dipped Sugar Wafers

This is one of the best holiday cookie ideas I’ve found! I love a crispy sugar wafer, and dipping them in white chocolate and Christmas-colored sprinkles make them even richer and more fun!

These are easy and a great idea for a Christmas activity to do with kids.

They don’t require any baking, simply the fun of dipping and decorating. These treats take a plain pantry staple and turn them into a festive bite everyone will love!

13. Lemon Cookies

These Italian lemon cookies have a citrusy flavor that will break up some of the other sweet treats you’re eating throughout the Christmas season.

If you avoid grains, you can substitute corn starch for arrowroot starch. Make sure to get fresh lemons, not bottled lemon juice, for these cookies because you want both the zest and the juice.

The zest in the cookies for a more aromatic flavor, and the juice is in icing for a tangy addition to the sweet topping.

14. Christmas Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are perfect for rolling thin and cutting out, and then show off your royal icing skills (or practice them).

They are soft but flaky at the same time while also not being too sweet so that they can handle sugar from icing.

The recipe also includes a buttercream icing you can use to decorate, as well as a mint glaze that adds a candy-cane-like flavor. Decorate these beautifully so you can show off your artistic know-how.

15. The Best Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are soft, tender, and rolled in a combination of cinnamon and sugar. They are delicious, dipped in a cup of milk after dinner or eaten with a warm cup of hot cocoa.

Make sure to cream together your sugar and butter properly, or you may end up with a crumbly cookie.

These cookies are easy to make and come together in fifteen minutes and bake in only ten. You can make these any night of the week, and they’ll become one of your holiday favorites.

16. Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are traditional Christmas cookies that everyone loves to make.

You make them in any shape you like and decorate them however you want. You can even add mix-ins without an issue!

These are great dipped in chocolate, decorated in sugary icing, or stuffed with spiced and nuts.

This recipe is a great base for any variation of shortbread cookie you make like. The best part? Only five ingredients! All of which you probably have in your pantry and refrigerator already.

17. Grinch Heart Rice Krispies Treats

The Grinch is my favorite Christmas movie of all time, and I watch it on repeat all season long. Make these rice Krispy treats on Christmas eve, and then enjoy them while watching the Christmas classic!

These are simple rice Krispy treats flavored with marshmallows and colored the Grinch himself.

The heart on the front is the perfect representation of the Grinch’s heart growing. Whether you’re a kid at heart or you have kids, you will enjoy these treats!

18. Chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Crinkle cookies are fun cookies that look like they have a cracked white shell revealing a chocolatey center.

It feels different from normal cookie dough as you’re making the dough, but that’s what achieves the cracked appearance.

You roll them in a white powdered sugar that looks like soft snow and gives these cookies their sweetness.

These cookies will impress anyone you make them for, as they look like an abstract work of art but taste like magic!

19. Hot Chocolate Cookies

These are always the most popular Christmas cookies I make every year. Nobody can turn down a warm, sweet cup of hot chocolate, and these cookies achieve that same experience.

They have warm, melty mini marshmallows and chocolate glaze on top, making it feel like real hot chocolate.

They are rich in chocolate flavor, thanks to the cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pro tip: throw a cookie in the microwave for fifteen seconds to get it gooey and top with a scoop of ice cream.

20. Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are classic, but we don’t often think of them as Christmas cookies to make during the cold winter months.

This recipe takes a classic oatmeal cookie and uses a white frosting that makes them look dusted with snow.

Instead of raisins, they’re flavored with traditional holiday spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, making them taste like the holidays. The oats give these cookies a soft and chewy center with a crisp outer edge.

21. Best Sugar Cookies

Christmas sugar cookies are one of my favorite past times and something I still do every Christmas as an adult.

Rolling these cookies out, baking them, and decorating them for Santa (and myself) is a holiday tradition I look forward to every year. These cookies are sweet but not too sweet so that you can top them with sweet icing.

They are soft but crisp enough to hold as much decorating as you desire. Use this recipe for your yearly cookie decorating extravaganza!

22. Salted Brownie Cookies

I think we can all agree that soft, chewy brownies are the best dessert. These cookies take that same soft, chewy texture and turn them into handheld cookies that are easier to hold, transfer, and eat.

These cookies also use espresso powder that results in a complex flavor. If you don’t have espresso powder, you can omit it, but if you can find it, I recommend including it! Top with flaky sea salt for a delicious salty topping, and you’ll feel like you’re eating a delicious brownie!

23. Chocolate Caramel Blossoms

These fancy Christmas cookies are easier than they look! The caramel Hershey’s kisses and salted caramel sugar make these the most amazing caramel-filled bite.

The recipe calls for Dutch baking cocoa, but you can substitute normal cocoa powder if that’s all you have.

Instead of the normal vanilla cookie base, this blossom uses a chocolate cookie base, giving the overall cookie a richer flavor.

I recommend topping these with flakey sea salt for a delicious salty finishing that complements the caramel perfectly.

24. Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Biscotti aren’t normally what we think of as cookies. They are crispy and not overly sweet. These are filled with tart dry cranberries and salty pistachios.

Biscotti are perfect for making for the adults on Christmas morning as these are magically dipped in a cup of creamy coffee.

The orange zest adds a fresh flavor to these that’s unmatched. If you want to make these even more savory, add some fresh herbs like thyme. These also stay fresh for several days so you can enjoy them with coffee through New Year.

25. Jingle Bell Bites

These jingle bell bites are one of the easiest treats to throw together with very few ingredients.

Does your kid have a Christmas party you forgot about until the night before? These are your solution! They are festive with red and green sprinkles, and they are small bites for either child-sized mouths or adults who want to try multiple cookies.

These are perfect little shortbread cookies you can make for gifts, potlucks, or to have around. No matter the reason, add these to your Christmas cookie recipe list!