Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (2024)

Sugar cookies, chocolate cookies, butter cookies and more will add a little sparkle, a little dazzle and lots of memories to your holiday season.

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Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies with Watercolor Icing

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (1)

These crisp, airy cookies taste like old-fashioned bakery cookies—but they're decorated in a totally modern way that's fun and so kid-friendly. The "canvas" is royal icing, and the "paint" is just food coloring!

How to Decorate Dazzling Cookies

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Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Stars

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (2)

These buttery cookies are a staff favorite at Zingerman's Bakehouse in Ann Arbor and look beautiful on a holiday cookie plate. The recipe comes from the cookbook Zingerman's Bakehouse Celebrate Every Day (Chronicle, $30).

Zingerman's Cooking Classes Teach What You Knead to Know (Really!)

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Pepparkakor

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (3)

Kim Van Patten says these Swedish spice cookies are popular at Christmas. Heart shapes are traditional to encourage kindness and sweetness. It certainly is nice that her Iowa State Fair blue-ribbon winners are mixed up in one saucepan!

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Macarons

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (4)

This festive recipe comes from Nathan Sivitz of Macaron Bar in Cincinnati. Try with his White Chocolate and Vanilla Whipped Ganache—or fill cookies with fruit curd, dulce de leche or dark chocolate ganache. Check out Sivitz's step-by-step guide and problem-solving tips.

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Vanilla Bean Sables

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (5)

Simple. Elegant. Buttery. These vanilla bean cookies are the perfect slice-and-bake treat, and you can make them four ways.

5 Sweet Holiday Gifts

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

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These easy, nostalgic-tasting cookies are a favorite of Stephanie Simmons, the Wisconsin blogger behind Blue Bowl Recipes and author of the cookbook, The One-Bowl Baker. Use your favorite preserves—Stephanie likes raspberry.

The Midwest's Best Cookie Recipes

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Sandbakkels

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (7)

Sandbakkels means "sand tarts" because the cookies (which, flipped over, can double as tiny shells to hold cream and fruit) have such a fine, crisp texture. Find them in Shauna Sever's book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland.

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Sugar Cookies Like You Remember

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (8)

Nutmeg lends unmistakable holiday flavor to these puffy, old-fashioned cut-out cookies. They do spread a bit, so don't use this recipe for delicate shapes. It's best-suited for circles, bells and the like.

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Peanut Butter Temptations

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (9)

Calling all peanut butter fans! These cookies offer double-the-PB compared to the classic peanut blossom cookie with a chocolate kiss on top. And they couldn't be easier.

So-Good Peanut Butter Dessert Recipes

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Mindy Segal's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (10)

These to-die-for cookies use special chocolate and two kinds of salt, and they call for an overnight chill—and you can absolutely taste the difference. Because of the expense and time involved, we don't recommend them for any old weekend, but they are incredible for a gift or other special occasion. The recipe comes from Chicago chef Mindy Segal's cookbook Cookie Love.

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Valencia Delights

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (11)

Orange and chocolate: a holiday cookie match that will tempt every Santa to take seconds. This recipe comes from Jill Drury in Milwaukee, who created these cookies with her grandmother.

Favorite Family Holiday Recipes

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Oaxacan Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (12)

The recipe for these ultra-rich, cinnamon-laced cookies comes from the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.

Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

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Caramel Heavenlies

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (13)

Graham crackers form the base for this bar cookie with layers of marshmallows, brown sugar, almonds and coconut. The recipe comes from Georgine Simmonds of Genesee, Michigan.

Best Holiday Desserts

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Lebkuchen

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (14)

The secret to perfect lebkuchen is in the resting phase after glazing. An apple wedge in the storage container provides moisture that softens the cookies. This German classic is from Shauna Sever's book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland.

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Crispy Gingerbread

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (15)

This festively spiced recipe (with a hint of orange zest) makes thin, crunchy cookies that work well for gingerbread houses, edible place cards and ornaments.

Gingerbread Recipes for the Holidays

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Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheels

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (16)

These cookies are easier than they look. Make one batch of dough, divide it in half, and blend cocoa into one portion and crushed candy canes and peppermint extract into the other.

Holiday Peppermint Recipes

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Fanciful Raspberry Ribbons

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (17)

These festive "bake-and-slice" cookies look stunning on a tray of holiday desserts.

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Lemon Sugar Cookies

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (18)

The light lemon flavor gives these sparkling sugar cookies a little special twist. Judy Kiburz Harrison's recipe won best-in-class at the Iowa State Fair.

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Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (19)

These cookies from the Inn at Cedar Falls in Logan, Ohio, make a colorful treat anytime of year.

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Tosca Diamonds

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (20)

These cookies are extremely rich, so cut them into small bars. We love the indulgent flourish of the caramel sauce, but the cookies are delicious without it.

11 Scandinavian Cookie Recipes

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Holiday Seven-Layer Bars

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (21)

Chocolate, nuts, coconut and more fill our easy-to-make bar cookies. Mixed dried fruit bits and candy-coated milk chocolate pieces are among the layers that make this bar cookie distinctive.

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Polvorones

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (22)

Polvorones are Mexico's crispy, airy answer to shortbread (you may know them as Mexican wedding cookies). Food writer Shauna Sever coats them in cinnamon sugar for a churro-like effect.

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Lingonberry Hearts

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (23)

A "window" on the top of these cookies shows off the jam inside, but if you're feeling lazy, just sandwich the preserves between two solid cookies. They'll taste just as good.

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Apricot and Orange Blossom Kolacky

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (24)

This tender pastry cookie, a cousin to Jewish rugelach, has Polish origins. In her book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland, Shauna Sever's apricot filling nods to Hungary.

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Fat Molasses Cookies

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (25)

Packed with flavor from molasses, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar, these cookies look especially nice when cut with a scalloped or round cutter and sprinkled with coarse sugar or crystallized ginger.

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Triple Peanut Butter Streusel Bars

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (26)

Dry-roasted peanuts, peanut butter-flavored pieces and peanut butter bring triple flavor to this make-ahead bar cookie.

Our Best Bar Cookies

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Anisette Buttons

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (27)

"Anisettes feel so Italian because it's about abundance," says Chicago food writer Shauna Sever, of these deliciously soft, cakey cookies with a licorice flavor. "Small bites, but a huge yield."

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Date Pinwheel Cookies

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (28)

Minneapolis blogger Alyssa Ruesch says it's not Christmas without these slice-and-bake cookies. It's her grandma's recipe.

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White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (29)

Dip these cherry-studded cookies in melted white chocolate, then roll in nonpareils and edible glitter for extra color.

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Cranberry Date Puffs

Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (30)

These addictive, puff pastry-wrapped cookies have a sweet, nutty filling and are delicious when they're still slightly warm. If you have a food processor, they're a cinch to make.

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Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure (2024)

FAQs

What is the favorite Christmas cookie survey? ›

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 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.

How to do the cookie challenge? ›

Have you heard of The Cookie Challenge? The rules are simple, but winning is difficult. To start, tilt your head back and place your favorite cookie on your forhead. In less than 60 seconds, can you navigate the cookie down your face and into your mouth - without using your hands.

How do you give Christmas cookies as a gift? ›

Wrap cookies in cellophane and attach a cookie cutter

Wrap the cup with cellophane and secure with a ribbon. Attach a cookie cutter to the ribbon, and tie the ribbon in a bow. Personalize the gift by using a cookie cutter in the shape of the recipient's favorite animal or initials.

What is the number one selling cookie? ›

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.

What is the most popular Christmas cookie every year? ›

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!

What is the oldest cookie ever made? ›

Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico”.

What cookie does Santa eat? ›

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!

Is the umbrella cookie hard? ›

Spencer Hawkins, a.k.a. Player 299, doesn't regret choosing the umbrella in the Dalgona challenge on Squid Game: The Challenge. Yes, he saw how difficult that shape was to cut out of the honeycomb cookie on Netflix's Squid Game.

What is the cookie game rule? ›

Place a cookie in the center of your forehead, not touching the eyebrows. Use only your face to move the cookie from your forehead to your mouth. The cookie must remain in contact with your face, so you can't try to toss it from your forehead and catch it in your mouth.

How does the Christmas cookie challenge work? ›

About the show

In Christmas Cookie Challenge, five confident and daring bakers compete to prove their holiday cookie-making skills. Tough-love judges are on hand to crown the holiday cookie master, who will go home with a $10,000 prize!

How many cookies should be in a cookie box? ›

Choose recipes that have a yield of at least 24 cookies, especially if you have many boxes to fill. For example, if you bake six different cookie recipes that all yield 24 cookies, you can pack six gift boxes with four of each cookie. Each box will make a bountiful gift of two dozen assorted cookies.

How many cookies should you give as a gift? ›

How many cookies should you gift?
Party sizeNumber of guestsNumber of cookies
Little party5 to 1015-30 cookies
Medium party10 to 1530 – 45
Big party20 – 5075 – 150

Are homemade cookies a good Christmas gift? ›

Christmas baking is almost upon us and it's so hard to choose which cookie recipes to make each year. Homemade cookies make the best gifts, in my opinion, and baking together with family is a wonderful tradition.

What is the most popular cookie survey? ›

After 31,000 votes, the winner of the poll was the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookie, beloved by a whopping 57% of people. Oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, snickerdoodles, and sugar cookies were the next most popular flavors among those surveyed.

What is the most loved cookie? ›

Chocolate chip cookies

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

What is the most popular cookie for Santa? ›

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!

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