20 Christmas Cookie Recipes for a Festive Holiday Season

Nothing says Christmas quite like the smell of freshly baked cookies. These 20 Christmas cookie recipes bring together a mix of classic holiday favorites and unique twists to fill your home with warmth and joy. Perfect for gifting, decorating, or enjoying with loved ones, each cookie recipe comes with servings, prep and cooking times, ingredients, and detailed steps to help you bake with ease. Let’s create some holiday magic in the kitchen!

Classic Sugar Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Gradually add flour and baking powder, mixing until a dough forms.
4. Roll out dough and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly golden, then cool before decorating.

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and brown sugar, then add molasses.
3. Add flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; mix until dough forms.
4. Roll out dough, cut into gingerbread shapes, and place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, cool, then decorate with icing and candies.

Peppermint Bark Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
• 1/2 cup melted white chocolate

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until smooth, then add flour.
3. Shape dough into balls, flatten slightly, and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Drizzle melted white chocolate over cookies and sprinkle with peppermint.
5. Let cool for the chocolate to set before serving.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar (for coating)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add flour.
3. Roll dough into balls, coat with cinnamon sugar, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden.
5. Let cool and enjoy the sweet, cinnamon-coated treat.

Thumbprint Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup jam or preserves (your choice)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then mix in flour to form a dough.
3. Roll dough into balls, make an indentation with your thumb, and fill with jam.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden.
5. Cool and serve with a colorful jam center.

Linzer Cookies

Servings: 20
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup raspberry jam
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add flour and almond flour.
3. Roll dough, cut with round cutters, and cut out centers in half of the cookies.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden.
5. Cool, spread jam on solid cookies, top with cut-out cookies, and dust with powdered sugar.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for coating)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Mix butter, sugar, and cocoa powder, then add flour.
3. Shape dough into balls, roll in powdered sugar, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cracks form on the surface.
5. Cool and enjoy the fudgy, powdered treat.

Shortbread Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add flour to form a dough.
3. Roll dough and cut into shapes or press into a baking dish.
4. Bake for 15 minutes until edges are golden.
5. Cool and serve for a buttery, crisp treat.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 24 chocolate kisses

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugar, then add flour.
3. Roll dough into balls, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
4. Press a chocolate kiss into each cookie immediately after baking.
5. Cool and enjoy the peanut butter and chocolate combo.

Italian Anise Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp anise extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp milk (for glaze)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add flour and anise extract.
3. Roll dough into balls, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
4. Mix powdered sugar with milk to create a glaze, then dip each cookie.
5. Let glaze set, then serve these subtly anise-flavored treats.

Spritz Cookies

Servings: 36
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Sprinkles or colored sugar for decoration

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then add egg and vanilla.
3. Gradually mix in flour until smooth, then load dough into a cookie press.
4. Press dough onto a baking sheet in festive shapes and decorate with sprinkles.
5. Bake for 6-8 minutes until edges are slightly golden.

Snowball Cookies (Russian Tea Cakes)

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for rolling
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and powdered sugar, then mix in flour and walnuts.
3. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until bottoms are lightly golden.
5. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar, then again once cooled for a snowy finish.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• Red food coloring
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add cocoa powder, flour, and red food coloring until dough is bright red.
3. Shape dough into balls, roll in powdered sugar, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are crinkled.
5. Let cool before serving the festive red cookies.

Eggnog Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup eggnog
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add flour, eggnog, and nutmeg until dough is smooth.
3. Roll dough into balls, place on a baking sheet, and flatten slightly.
4. Bake for 10 minutes until edges are golden.
5. Cool and sprinkle with extra nutmeg before serving.

Chocolate-Dipped Biscotti

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes, plus 10 minutes for second bake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup melted chocolate (for dipping)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs one at a time.
3. Add flour, mixing until dough forms. Shape dough into a log.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, then slice into 1-inch pieces and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Dip each piece in melted chocolate and let set.

Cranberry Orange Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then add flour, orange zest, and dried cranberries.
3. Shape dough into balls, flatten slightly, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are golden.
5. Cool and enjoy the sweet, citrusy flavor.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugar, then mix in flour, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts.
3. Roll dough into balls and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.
5. Cool and enjoy the rich, nutty flavor.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter and sugars, then mix in oats, flour, raisins, and cinnamon.
3. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are golden.
5. Cool and serve these chewy, spiced cookies.

Molasses Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter, sugar, and molasses, then add flour, cinnamon, and ginger.
3. Roll dough into balls, coat with sugar, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes until edges are firm.
5. Cool for a soft, spiced holiday cookie.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cups flour
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Cream butter, sugar, and ricotta cheese, then add flour and lemon zest.
3. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden, then cool.
5. Mix powdered sugar with a little water to create a glaze, drizzle over cookies, and let set.

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Conclusion

These 20 Christmas cookie recipes bring a delightful variety of flavors, textures, and festive charm to your holiday baking. From the timeless appeal of sugar cookies and gingerbread men to the unique twists of lemon ricotta and cranberry orange cookies, each recipe adds a touch of holiday magic to your table. Perfect for gift exchanges, family gatherings, or simply treating yourself, these cookies are sure to bring warmth and joy to anyone who enjoys them. So, grab your favorite cookie cutters, gather your ingredients, and enjoy the joy of baking and sharing these delicious holiday treats. Happy holidays, and may your season be as sweet as these wonderful cookies!