22 Traditional Christmas Cookie Recipes to Make and Share All Season Long (2024)

In this collection of Christmas cookie recipes, we're sticking with beloved favorites, like spicy gingerbread, buttery shortbread, classic sugar cookies, and jam-filled linzer stars. If these treats aren't your favorites, consider whipping up a batch of our thumbprint cookies with brightly colored centers, or something a little unexpected, like Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps. And if you haven't gotten your seasonal fix of eggnog just yet, then you'll be pleased to know that we're also sharing a cookie version of the classic drink you're guaranteed to love.

Pick any of these time-honored cookie recipes to make and give over the holiday season. They're perfect for sharing, and a wonderful way to bring cheer to the ones we love. Happy baking!

20 Classic Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipes to Help You Get in the Holiday Spirit

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Classic Sugar Cookies

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Nothing says "Christmas" quite like a classic sugar cookie. This tried-and-true recipe can be rolled into any shape you like and decorated with colorful frosting.

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Noel Nut Balls

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Similar to Mexican Wedding Cakes and Russian Tea Cakes, these diminutive treats look like sweet snowballs and are made with nuts. For our Noel Nut Balls, we use Martha's family recipe which calls for pecans and contains a touch of bourbon or fresh orange juice. Which will you use?

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Gingerbread Cookies

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Cutout gingerbread cookies made with honey-spice dough or traditional boiled gingerbread dough are spectacular when dusted with sanding sugar on top of freshly piped icing. It gives the impression of new-fallen snow. We added some Dark-Chocolate Cutout Cookies here too for their contrasting shade—and because chocolate works so well with ginger.

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Peppermint Spritz Cookies

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For some, it's just not Christmas without spritz cookies. If you're in that camp, we've got you covered with these peppermint glazed cookies made using your trusty cookie press.

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Anise Pizzelle

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These thin, waffle-like cookies hail from the Italian region of Abruzzo. They get their intricate shape from a special pizzelle iron. Originally the plates of these irons had family crests embossed on them, but nowadays you'll find them with geometric, floral, or even snowflake patterns.

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Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps

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Chewy mocha cookies that look like little snow-covered mountains are a Christmas classic.

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Shortbread Three Ways

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A trio of sweet, simple embellishments—chocolate chunks, boozy dried fruit, and coconut with pecans—sends a classic cookie over the top. Stick with the Classic Shortbread recipe or turn it into Chocolate-Chunk Shortbread, Fruitcake Shortbread, or Coconut-Pecan Shortbread.

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Meyer-Lemon Shortbread Wreath Cookies

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They tick all the necessary traditional boxes but the flavors have of these pretty wreath cookies been updated. Meyer lemons add their sweet, citrus perfume and rosemary brings a woodsy note.

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Finnish Star Cookies

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These favorite Finnish cookies, joulutorttu, are made with a rich, pliable dough that uses cream cheese. It's folded to make a simple star shape. Use your favorite jam in the center, bright colors are best.

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Thumbprints and Ball Cookies

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One versatile dough and so many cookies! Start with our easy vanilla cookie dough and make five different kinds of thumbprint cookies as well as three different ball cookies. It's all about adding citrus zest, cinnamon, or cocoa powder to plain vanilla dough, and decorating with a variety of toppings from ganache to peppermints, to make a marvelous array of treats.

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Lucinda's Molasses Drops

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Some of the best family heirlooms are edible, like these cookies, a tweaked version of Lucinda Scala Quinn's great-grandmother's recipe.

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Cinnamon Star Cookies (Zimsterne)

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A favorite in Germany, these angelic star cookies are light and chewy. To ensure their soft, almond dough doesn't harden, be sure not to over bake.

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Pfeffernussen

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The snowy sugar surface of these pfeffernussen contrasts with the peppery flavor that defines this traditional German cookie.

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Martha's Speculaas Cookies

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You'll need specially designed springerle molds to shape the fragrant spiced dough for these traditional Dutch cookies.

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Lebkuchen

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The German town of Nuremberg has been famous for its lebkuchen since the late 1300s; the soft, cakey cookies are traditionally made with several spices, candied citrus peel, hazelnuts, and almonds.

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Rum Balls

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Break a batch of brownies into bits, mix with dark rum, and roll into balls, then coat them with sparkling sugar to make this delicious holiday treat.

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Biscotti

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The festive duo of Cranberry-Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti and Cherry-Almond Biscotti make an excellent gift—along with a pound of your favorite coffee for dunking.

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Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

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A combination of fresh and ground ginger, molasses, and chunks of semisweet chocolate makes these egg-free cookies just irresistible. They're sophisticated enough for adults yet still chocolaty enough for children.

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Brandied-Fruit Tartlets

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Our take on the traditional English mince pies, these dried-fruit tartlets have decorative toppers made by using different cookie cutters or aspic cutters. Another option is to cut decorative vents with a sharp knife.

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Chrusciki Leaves

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The recipe for these traditional Polish fried cookies, also known as angel wings, comes from Martha's mother, Mrs. Kostyra.

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Brandy Nutmeg Crescents

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Sure, cinnamon is a popular spice, but we prefer nutmeg when it comes to Christmas cookies. Here's a moon-shaped take on the snow-dusted, buttery cookies that everyone loves.

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Linzer Stars

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Based on the famous linzer torte, these classic cookies combine the classic nutty and fruity elements but in a smaller package.

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22 Traditional Christmas Cookie Recipes to Make and Share All Season Long (2024)

FAQs

Which Christmas cookies last the longest? ›

Shortbread cookies and spritz cookies are real holiday troopers, lasting a bit longer than the rest. These buttery and crumbly cookies are a great option for a holiday cookie. Shortbread is known for its rich flavor, while spritz cookies are often made with a cookie press.

Which cookie has been deemed most popular during Christmas? ›

Sugar Cookie is the preferred choice by 36% of people during Christmas in the United States. Almost 25% of children leave cookies out for Santa during Christmas.

How far in advance of Christmas can you make 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 is the number one holiday cookie? ›

Peanut Butter Blossoms are America's favorite Christmas cookie, based both on total number of pageviews from the U.S. population as a whole, and number of states that ranked it as their top cookie (which is six, by the way).

What is the most eaten cookie in the world? ›

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.

What homemade cookies last a long time? ›

Dry cookies, like shortbread cookies, gingersnaps, and Danish butter cookies, will stay fresher for longer because they have very little moisture.

How many days before Christmas should you make cookies? ›

Pfeffernusse: These should be made at least a few days or up to 2 weeks before serving, depending on the recipe, and they keep for several weeks. Shortbread and shortbread cookies: These keep for at least 1 month. Springerles: These should be made 2 weeks before serving and they keep for several months.

What was the first Christmas cookie? ›

History. Modern Christmas cookies can trace their history to recipes from Medieval Europe biscuits, when many modern ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds and dried fruit were introduced into the west.

What's 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.

What is America's favorite Christmas cookies? ›

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 Santa Claus's favorite cookie? ›

Chocolate Chip 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!

How many cookies do you need per person for Christmas? ›

A good rule to follow is for every guest to bake a half dozen cookies per each attendee. So, if 10 people attend, each guest would bring five dozen cookies to share. We've put together a chart to help you figure out just how many cookies to ask your guests to make.

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.)

How do you keep Christmas cookies fresh for 2 weeks? ›

Use Airtight Containers

Once your cookies have cooled, store them in layers in airtight containers. Separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper to prevent the cookies from sticking together. Do so, and you should be able to store Christmas cookies at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, notes Auxer.

What is Santa's second favorite cookie? ›

2. Holiday Candy Cookie Bites – Number two on the list of Santa's favorite cookies is Holiday Candy Cookie Bites, which is a holiday version of the year-round favorite, Chocolate Chip Cookies. Instead of traditional chocolate chips, these cookies are studded with red and green candies and white baking chips.

What is the 2nd most popular cookie? ›

Nabisco Oreo was the second ranked cookie brand of the United States with about 674.2 million U.S. dollars worth of sales in 2017.

What is the tradition of cookies at Christmas? ›

The practice of putting out cookies for Santa began in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when parents were trying to instill a sense of thankfulness in their children. Leaving goodies, perhaps in a sweet cookie jar, continues to be a way of sharing the holiday bounty.

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