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Christmas cookie recipes are my favorite part of holiday baking, from soft sugar cookies and peppermint treats to no bake bites you can make without turning on the oven. They are sweet, festive, and easy to share, whether you are filling a cookie tray, packing a gift box, or baking for a cookie exchange.
December in my house means a counter full of cookies, and I bake way more than my family can eat. That is how most of these recipes came to be. I have tested every one so you can pick a cookie, grab the ingredients, and know it will work.
I pulled together all 50 of my favorite Christmas cookies here, grouped by type so you can jump straight to sugar cookies, chocolate and peanut butter cookies, peppermint cookies, thumbprints, or no bake treats. If you want a good place to start, try my Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies. When you are ready for more, my full collection of Christmas recipes has plenty. Scroll for the full list, plus my tips for planning a cookie tray, keeping cookies from spreading, and storing them so they stay fresh.
Family Favorite
The Cookie My Family Asks For Every Christmas
If I skip the peanut butter blossoms, I hear about it. My family loves a classic chocolate kiss pressed into a soft peanut butter cookie, and my Christmas Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies are the first ones they ask for once December starts. They are easy to roll and bake, and the plate is always empty before the rest of the cookie tray is. That is the whole reason they get a spot on my table every single year.
How to Plan a Christmas Cookie Tray
A good cookie tray has a mix of textures and colors, and that matters more than how many cookies you bake. I like to pick one soft cookie, one crisp cookie, something chocolate, something with peppermint, and one no bake treat so everyone finds a favorite.
Plan the baking too. Make the dough for the cut outs and thumbprints a day or two ahead, and save the no bake treats for the day you are packing the tray, since they set in the fridge while the oven is busy.
The Secret to Cookies That Do Not Spread
The biggest reason Christmas cookies spread into flat puddles is warm dough. Butter that is too soft, or dough that went into a hot oven straight from the counter, melts before the cookie has time to set.
Two things fix it. Chill cut out and shaped doughs for at least 30 minutes before baking, and always bake on a cool pan, never one fresh from the last batch.
Classic Christmas Cookies
These are the cookies that taste like Christmas to me. They are the ones I bake first, and they hold up well on a tray with everything else.
1
Cut Out Sugar Cookies
My go-to cut out cookie that keeps its shape and bakes up soft. I make a big batch every December for decorating with the kids.
Old fashioned holiday cookies like the ones I remember from childhood. They sit nicely next to the cut outs when you want a few traditional options on one tray.
White chocolate truffles with a creamy gingerbread center, coated in white almond bark and topped with sprinkles. They taste like a frosted gingerbread cookie and need no baking.
Peanut butter fudge balls dipped in chocolate. They are a holiday tray staple at my house, and they follow the rum balls nicely since both are rich and made without an oven.
Most Christmas cookies keep well, which is why I bake so many ahead.
Store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Keep soft and crisp cookies in separate containers so the crisp ones stay crisp.
Refrigerate: No bake treats like truffles, buckeyes, and rum balls belong in the fridge until you serve them.
Freeze: Many baked cookies and cookie doughs freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw baked cookies on the counter and leave frosting and sprinkles until after they thaw.
Make ahead: I make cut out and thumbprint doughs a day or two ahead, then bake and decorate closer to the day. It makes a full cookie tray much less stressful.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make Christmas cookies?
Pick a recipe, chill the dough if it says to, and bake until the edges are set. If you are new to baking, start with an easy one like the sugar cookies or a no bake treat, then work up to cut outs and thumbprints.
What is the most popular Christmas cookie?
Sugar cookies are the classic, especially cut outs you can decorate. Gingerbread men, peppermint cookies, and thumbprints are close behind on most holiday trays.
Can you freeze Christmas cookies?
Yes, most of them. Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container, or freeze the dough and bake it fresh. Wait to add icing and sprinkles until the cookies have thawed.
How far ahead can you make Christmas cookies?
Dough usually keeps in the fridge for a day or two, and baked cookies freeze well for a few months. That means you can bake early in December and still serve fresh tasting cookies on Christmas.
How long do Christmas cookies last?
Most stay fresh in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days at room temperature. No bake cookies are best kept in the fridge and eaten within about a week.
More Holiday Treats
Want to keep the holiday baking going after the cookies? Try a few of my other favorites:
Recently found your fb page. So many amazing recipes. Thank you! Happy Holidays!
awwwww thank you, Cathy!! So glad you found us! Welcome and hope you find some things you love!
Are these available in a book?
Hi Gale, No, I do not have a cookbook, but each recipe has a printable recipe card!
Now that I’ve collected so many of your recipes, where do I start?? I think I’ll make the Snowball Cookies because my Mom used to make them. So good….
Love your cookies. Can’t wait to start baking. ???
WOW, your cookies look AMAZING!! There are so many beautiful looking ones, I can’t wait to get baking!!