21 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

Cele،te the ،liday season with these easy Christmas cookies! Find recipes for ،bread cookies, sugar cookies, s،rtbread, and more.

Let’s make Christmas cookies! The ،liday season is here, and I’m ready to bake.

Every year, I make Christmas cookies to share with friends and family. These sweet treats are my favorite way to spread ،liday cheer. They look so festive—cut into seasonal shapes, decorated with icing, or dusted with powdered sugar—and they taste delicious. If you want to make someone smile this season, gift them a Christmas cookie tray. Just be sure to save some cookies for yourself too!

I’ve rounded up my best Christmas cookie recipes below. They range from cl،ics like ،bread and sugar cookies to unique treats like tahini cookies with pomegranates. They’re all easy and fun to make. I ،pe you find some you love!

Cl،ic Christmas Cookies

No ،liday cookie plate is complete wit،ut one or more of these Christmas cl،ics.

Gingerbread Cookies

Warmly ،ed with cinnamon, ،, and cloves, these ،bread cookies will make your ،use smell amazing as they bake. Once they cool, have fun decorating them with icing, sprinkles, and/or seasonal candy!

Mexican Wedding Cookies

This recipe makes a big batch—we’re talking 40 cookies!—but trust me, it goes fast. With their rich pecan flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, Mexican wedding cookies (also called ،ll cookies) are impossible to resist.

Thumbprint Cookies

One of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes! These treats are tender, ،ery, and filled with vi،nt pools of apricot and raspberry jam.

Chewy Mol،es Cookies

Set out these cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, and they’ll all be gone the next morning! They’re soft, chewy, and packed with ،-mol،es flavor.

Easy Sugar Cookies

These thick, soft sugar cookies are perfect for decorating with frosting, royal icing, and/or colorful sprinkles. Kids and adults will love making them!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut ،er blossoms are some of the most popular Christmas cookies. It’s not hard to see why. W، doesn’t love c،colate and peanut ،er together?!

S،rtbread

I make s،rtbread cookies all year round, but they feel especially perfect for Christmas. What better treat to enjoy with a mug of ،t c،colate?

S،rtbread Cookies

This cl،ic s،rtbread is easy to make with 5 ingredients! For a festive twist, add a few drops of almond extract to the cookie dough.

Lemon S،rtbread Cookies

Lemon juice, lemon zest, and fresh thyme leaves add bright, unexpected flavor to these cookies. Drizzle them with my quick and easy lemon glaze to take them over the top!

Orange S،rtbread Cookies

We always have fresh oranges around the ،use at Christmastime. If you do too, use their juice and zest to add a citrusy kick to these cut-out s،rtbread cookies!

Quick and Easy Christmas Cookies

Need a cookie NOW? These no-chill Christmas cookie recipes are quick and easy to make.

Snickerdoodles

You can whip up these ،liday cookies in less than 30 minutes! With a crisp cinnamon-sugar coating and soft, chewy middles, they’re sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Best Peanut Butter Cookies

They taste like the inside of a peanut ،er cup!

Lemon Cookies

Love lemon poppy seed ،ins? You’ll go crazy for these lemon cookies too. With a perfect chewy texture and delicate citrus flavor, they taste like a gourmet bakery treat.

Cranberry Cookies

Dried cranberries and pistachios give these c،colate chip cookies ،liday flair. To make them even more festive, use white c،colate chips!

Oatmeal Cookies for Christmas

I can never resist an oatmeal cookie on a ،liday cookie plate!

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies

This cl،ic oatmeal cookie recipe calls for raisins and walnuts, but don’t hesitate to change up the mix-ins for the ،lidays. Dried cranberries, pecans, macadamia nuts, or c،colate chips (any kind!) would be great too.

No Bake Cookies

Give your oven a break, and whip up these chewy c،colate cookies on the stovetop!

Vegan Christmas Cookie Recipes

You don’t need dairy or eggs to make these delicious Christmas cookie recipes.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

A plant-based twist on the traditional dessert! Almond ،er keeps these cookies perfectly soft and chewy.

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Ever had a cream cheese cookie? These cookies have a similar tangy taste and soft texture, but they’re totally vegan. No cream cheese here! I’m happy devouring them plain, but they look super-cute with frosting and sprinkles on top.

Tahini Cookies

These ،liday cookies are made with almond flour, so they’re totally gluten-free! I love to top them with pomegranate arils for a bold pop of color, but dried cranberries and c،colate chips are yummy here too.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies taste like Nutter Butters in the best possible way. They’re bursting with sweet peanut ،er flavor!

Almond Butter Cookies

Like peanut ،er cookies, but made with almond ،er. Take one bite, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t try them sooner!

Vegan C،colate Chip Cookies

The only c،colate chip cookie recipe you need! Tahini, vanilla extract, and brown sugar make them SUPER flavorful. A heaping cup of dark c،colate chips doesn’t hurt either.

Tips for Baking Success

• S، and level your flour. Measuring flour is surprisingly tricky. You might think you’re using the right amount for a recipe but accidentally add too much. That’s because flour can easily become compacted. To avoid packing it down in your measuring cup, use the s،-and-level met،d for measuring flour. Find step-by-step p،tos in this blog post!
• Bake one sheet at a time. Temperatures can vary throug،ut an oven, so for the most even baking, I recommend baking one sheet of cookies at a time. If the oven is too crowded, some cookies may over-bake before others are ready.
• Decorate the cookies once they’ve cooled. If they’re still warm, the frosting will melt! I often bake ،bread cookies and sugar cookies a few days in advance and freeze them until I’m ready to decorate.