23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (2024)

Whether you're a fan of chocolate, sugar cookies, shortbread, or meringues, you'll want to make a few of these holiday cookie recipes to round out seasonal menus and have on-hand for gatherings and gifting. You'll be hard-pressed to decide which ones to bake first, from S’mores Linzer Cookies to Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies. Here are the best Christmas cookie recipes for holiday parties and gatherings.

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Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben

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German for "cheeky boys," these Bavarian cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie platter. Brown butter and cardamom make this simple cookie into a fragrant treat. Take the time to freshly grind the cardamom — its robust, citrusy flavor is worth it.

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Tortellini Dolci al Forno (Emilian Fruit-Stuffed Christmas Cookies)

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (2)

Not to be confused with the pasta of the same name, these classic Emilian Christmas cookies are made from a tender, flaky dough filled with a sweet-tart trio of fruit: cherry preserves, rich saba (cooked-down grape must), and candied citron.

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Cranberry Moscow Mule Gingersnaps

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (3)

With freshly grated ginger, ginger syrup, and ground dried ginger, cookbook author Vallery Lomas’ drop cookies pack a punch. Speckled with lime zest and vodka-plumped dried cranberries, the namesake Moscow mule co*cktail is well represented in these soft and cakey cookies.

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Milk Punch Cornmeal Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (4)

These sweet, buttery drop cookies are topped with a blanket of bourbon-spiked white chocolate ganache, paying homage to the timeless milk punch co*cktail. A combination of almond flour and cornmeal provides a light, sandy texture and a sweet, buttery flavor. Showered with freshly grated nutmeg for a touch of warmth, the ganache topping hardens into a smooth shell, locking in moisture for the ultimate gift-giving treat.

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Vanilla–Brown Butter Sablé Cookies

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Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz loves simple vanilla cookies like these. Vanilla, a notoriously difficult ingredient to grow and source, really shines in this recipe, making the quality especially important. To efficiently seed a vanilla bean, use a paring knife to split the bean in half lengthwise, then use the full edge of the knife to scrape the seeds from the cut sides.

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Italian Rainbow Cookies

Whether you call them rainbow cookies, Neapolitan cookies, or tricolore cookies, these are a crowd pleaser on any dessert table.

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Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies

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The peppermint bark in these cookies is simple to make and adds a beautiful pop of color and flavor in each cookie, though store-bought bark will work well here, too.

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Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

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Classic sugar cookies get the gluten-free treatment. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract provide a nice hint of spice, and letting the dough rest overnight to better hydrate the flour is the secret to the cookies' tender texture.

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Fudgy Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies

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Cookbook author Jesse Szewczyk’s grasshopper co*cktail–inspired cookie borrows the crème de menthe and white crème de cacao flavors and colors and reimagines them into an unexpected treat reminiscent of a Linzer cookie.

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S’mores Linzer Cookies

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Linzer cookies are descendants of the linzer torte, named for the Austrian city of Linz. Swapping graham flour and hazelnut meal for a portion of the all-purpose flour and almond meal gives these linzer-inspired cookies the flavor of s’mores.

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Gluten-Free Cacao Nib Meringues

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Made with chocolate, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder, these intensely flavored meringues have a delicate, crispy exterior with a soft, chewy, marshmallow-like interior.

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Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies

23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (12)

Chocolate crinkle cookies are often more cloying than satisfying. By substituting the flour with Glutino pretzels, this version of the holiday staple is not only gluten-free but also perfectly salty-sweet with the best-ever chewy center.

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Cake Cookies

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Sean Flynn says his grandmother's cake cookies have been a staple at celebrations in his home. They're a piece of cake to make.

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Cardamom Shortbread Cookies with Dulce de Leche Peda Filling

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Adorned with edible flower petals and gold leaf, these spiced sandwich cookies, from cookbook author Hetal Vasavada, are an occasion unto themselves.

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Brown Butter and Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies

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2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff adds an extra layer of earthiness to these crumbly dark chocolate cookies with dark rye flour. This recipe prepares two logs of dough to make ahead for slice and bake cookies.

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Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies

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These marvelous Christmas cookies combine chocolate with spicy gingerbread. "I was tired of basic gingerbread," says Matt Lewis of Brooklyn’s Baked about why he created these cookies. The answer is clear: "My connection to chocolate is really deep," he says. An added benefit of these cookies is that the supple dough is very easy to work with.

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Spiced Gingerbread Cookies

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Baker Julianne Jones’ wonderfully zingy gingerbread cookies have a tender and cakey texture, yet they’re sturdy enough to decorate.

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Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian "Snow White" Cookies)

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Traditionally in Indonesia, Putri Salju ("Snow White" or "Snow Princess") cookies are made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews inside and are popular during the holidays, including Christmas, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year.Shandra Woworuntu adds pandan flavoring and omits the nuts.

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Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

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Chef Michael Mina recommends decorating these gingerbread cookies with kids.

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Kourampiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies)

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Blanched and toasted almond pieces bring a lovely crunch to Despina Economou's crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Greek Christmas cookies.

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Linzer Cookies with Spiced Jam

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Kevin Sbraga adds anise and coriander to the raspberry jam that he spreads between these hazelnut cookies, which are spiced with cinnamon and cloves.

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Negroni Cookies

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Angela Garbacz pairs unsweetened cocoa powder and pungent Campari to give these soft and chewy Negroni-inspired cookies their signature bitterness. Orange zest–infused sugar imparts a gentle, sweet fragrance and crunchy texture.

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Cardamom Thumbprints

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Adding cardamom to Kay Chun's crispy cookies gives them a subtle spiced flavor. You can fill the thumb print with jam or chocolate.

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23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season (2024)

FAQs

How far in advance should I bake Christmas cookies? ›

You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December. (Consult this handy how-to guide to the matter.) Generally, most recipes will be best if baked and then frozen.

What cookies does Santa want this year? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

What Christmas cookies stay fresh the longest? ›

Cookies like shortbread and spritz are great candidates if you want cookies that'll last a while. In the freezer: You can keep shortbread and spritz in the freezer for up to six months.

What is the #1 best selling cookie in America? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co. But did you know Oreos are a copycat product?

What is the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

Which Christmas cookies freeze the best? ›

Each of these lasts in the freezer up to three months.
  • 01 of 25. Pumpkin Cookies with White Chocolate Chips. ...
  • 02 of 25. Shortbread Sticks. ...
  • 03 of 25. Peanut Butter Blossoms. ...
  • 04 of 25. Hazelnut Kisses. ...
  • 05 of 25. Chocolaty Melting Snowmen. ...
  • 06 of 25. Mississippi Mud Cookies. ...
  • 07 of 25. Red Velvet Cheesecake Bars. ...
  • 08 of 25.
Feb 29, 2024

How do you keep Christmas cookies moist? ›

Stick with room temp

“If you store cookies in the fridge, they will dry out,” Amanda says. The dry, cold air sucks the moisture right out of them. Instead, keep your cookies at room temperature, or freeze them for later.

Is it better to freeze or refrigerate Christmas cookies? ›

While cookies can last in the fridge for two weeks, eating them sooner is better. (We recommend storing a few in the refrigerator for eating in a few days and freezing the rest if eating more than four days after baking.)

What is Santa's wife's name? ›

The Santa Claus that we know lives in the North Pole. According to some North American sources, his original name was Kris Kringle before he changed his name to Santa Claus. Kris Kringle was a toymaker who married Jessica. Other names found for Mrs Claus are Mary Christmas, Gertrude, and Carol.

What is the favorite Christmas cookie poll? ›

Speaking of holiday baking, nearly half of the country has a favorite Christmas cookie. Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three.

What is Mrs. Claus' favorite food? ›

One of her personal favorites is a confetti sprinkle cookie that tastes like birthday cake batter. Santa always requests Snickerdoodle, because he is a sucker for something cinnamon.

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

Based on this data from General Mills, Peanut Butter Blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in the country; it's the most-visited cookie recipe in seven states, which means it's the most common favorite cookie in the U.S. That's a pretty high honor!

Can you leave Christmas cookies out overnight? ›

Curious how long cookies last at room temperature? Most homemade cookies will maintain their taste and texture for up to 3 days. If you leave them out for too long, the cookies begin to harden or dry out. To prevent cookies from becoming stale, cover them with plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container.

Why are my Christmas cookies hard? ›

Cookies become hard when the moisture in them evaporates. This can be caused by leaving them out in the air for too long, baking them for too long, or storing them improperly. The lack of moisture makes the cookies hard and dry, which makes them difficult to enjoy.

What is the most popular cookie? ›

Chocolate chip cookies

What is the most popular type of cookie? It might just be this one.

What is the most popular Christmas candy? ›

According to America's Favorite Christmas Candy by State Report, a comprehensive study by research firm HubScore that delved into a survey of the top 20 favorite Christmas candies, Kit Kat ranked top in 13 states followed by a tie between Skittles and candy canes, both ranked top in six states.

What is the most popular Christmas cookie in Ohio? ›

Ohio: Peanut butter blossoms. Oklahoma: Ricotta Christmas cookies.

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