36 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes Everyone Will Love

Waited until the last minute to bake your holiday cookies? Don't worry! These holiday treats are easy to make and will bring you lots of joy and Christmas cheer.

Holiday cookies, no fuss

Do you serve them with a cup? homemade hot chocolate, place in a pile on a cookie plate (which may well be ideal edible gift!) or bake a batch to send by mail for someone special, it's always useful to have a few cookie recipesYou can rely on this holiday season. We think these are just the recipes you need. Once you master the basics of cookie making and pick up a few helpful tips, the rest will be easy—especially with this collection of holiday cookie recipes perfect for bakers of all levels. Want to know where to start? Try these sweet and spicy cookies that taste like a cup of Christmas drink!

Recipe: Eggnog cookies

Christmas dessert with M&M's

This quick and easy dessert is perfect for a Christmas treat. A crumbly crust of crushed chocolate cookies in condensed milk is topped with a mountain of popular holiday treats: M&M's, mini marshmallows, mint chocolate, peppermint candy canes, roasted peanuts, and sprinkles. You'll need treats in Christmas colors—white, red, and green. The result is bright and delicious, especially for those who love the combination of chocolate and mint.

Recipe: Christmas dessert with M&M's

Sweet Cornflake Snacks "Christmas Wreaths"

Ree Drummond uses ordinary cornflakes to create Christmas wreaths, which she serves as a festive dessert. The cornflakes are stirred into melted marshmallows tinted with green food coloring, then formed into wreaths and decorated with red holly-shaped candies.

Recipe: Sweet Cornflake Snacks "Christmas Wreaths"

Snowstorm cookies with marshmallow filling

These festive sugar cookies look like sparkling winter snow! Partially tinted light blue, with blue sprinkles and a crisp white filling, they're the perfect treat for winter holidays or Frozen-themed kids' parties. These cookies are filled with vegan marshmallows. Unlike classic marshmallows, they're gelatin-free and especially soft and chewy after baking, contrasting beautifully with the crispy cookies. Everyone will love the taste, texture, and creative look of these cookies.

Recipe: Snowstorm cookies with marshmallow filling

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

The combination of mint white chocolate and dark chocolate chip cookies is the perfect dessert for the winter holidays. You'll get a big batch of cookies that you can break into pieces, arrange in boxes, and give away to friends. These cookies are easy for the whole family to make, and even little ones will love sprinkling them with crushed candy.

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crushed sugar cookies

The charm of these holiday cookies lies in their imperfect form. This recipe adds two eggs to classic sugar cookie dough, creating a soft and tender center and golden, crispy edges. The cookies are decorated with colorful sprinkles and drizzled with a simple icing.

Recipe: Crushed sugar cookies

Peppermint cookies in a muffin tin

If you're looking to bake intricate holiday cookies that will impress your guests, this recipe is for you! These cookies are complex in appearance and flavor, but much easier to make than they seem. Using a muffin pan ensures each cookie will be perfectly round. And inside these red and white sugar cookies, everyone will be treated to a chocolate-mint filling. This recipe is perfect for the whole family.

Recipe: Peppermint cookies in a muffin tin

Gingerbread biscotti

These biscotti have the same warm, spicy flavor and crisp texture that everyone loves about gingerbread men, but they're quicker and easier to make than classic Christmas cookies. Each cookie is half-dipped in white chocolate icing and dusted with coarse white sugar, which will sparkle beautifully under the holiday lights. The perfect cookie for Christmas and New Year's Eve!

Recipe: Gingerbread biscotti

Red Velvet Bars with Soft Cheese Filling

The classic red velvet cake with cream cheese filling has been transformed into more convenient bars, making it a perfect treat for the winter holidays. They delight not only with their delicious taste and texture, but also with their vibrant appearance in Christmas colors. The crimson cake layer is topped with a delicate baked cream cheese filling, all covered with a thick layer of royal icing and sprinkled with colorful sprinkles, which look especially stunning against the crisp white background. To serve, cut the dessert into bite-sized bars.

Recipe: Red Velvet Bars with Soft Cheese Filling

Linz Lace Wreath Cookies

To give these Christmas wreath-shaped cookies a realistic look, you'll need a crocheted lace doily. Place it on the dough and roll it out to leave a lace imprint. When you bake the cookies and frost them with green icing, this 3D imprint will look like fluffy fir branches. A paper lace doily isn't suitable, as it doesn't leave a deep enough imprint, but a crocheted one can be washed and reused. Raspberry jam goes well with these almond Linz cookies, but you can use any flavor you like.

Recipe: Linz Lace Wreath Cookies

Snowball Cookies

Snowball cookies are unique cookies coated in a snow-white powdered sugar coating, perfect for a sweet New Year's table, thanks to their miniature snowball-like appearance. The cookies get their eggnog flavor from the addition of bourbon, rum essence, and nutmeg, creating the warming taste of eggnog, a popular Western winter drink with a creamy, spicy flavor. Almonds, ground with powdered sugar, and butter create a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Form the dough into snowballs, bake in the oven, and while hot, generously roll them in powdered sugar and nutmeg. Serve with eggnog or any other alcoholic or warming beverage.

Recipe: Snowball Cookies

Mint Oreo Cookies

These bright cookies are perfect for the winter holidays. They're filled with Oreo cookie pieces, M&M's instead of the usual chocolate, and red-and-white striped mint candy pieces. Be sure to chill the dough before baking to ensure the cookies turn out beautiful and plump.

Recipe: Mint Oreo Cookies

We recommend

10 Classic Champagne Cocktails

97 Best Appetizers for New Year's and Christmas

New Year's desserts, 31 recipes

31 Amazing New Year's Eve Dinner Recipes

64 Cocktail and Drink Recipes for the New Year's Holidays

64 New Year's Eve Cocktail and Drink Recipes

88 Best Sweet Baked Goodies and Dessert Recipes for the New Year Holidays

88 best recipes for sweet pastries and desserts on

50 Quick and Easy Recipes for New Year's Holidays

50 quick and easy recipes for New Year's dishes

Coconut and Macadamia Nut Cookies

Sandra Lee's semi-homemade cookie recipe uses a pre-made cookie mix, sweetened with coconut flakes and chopped macadamia nuts. Simply spread the dough on a baking sheet, bake, and top this sweet treat with melted white chocolate. Ready in just 30 minutes, these cookies are a wonderful option for quick Sunday baking that the whole family will love.

Recipe: Coconut and Macadamia Nut Cookies

Festive Marbled Sugar Cookies

Add a splash of Christmas color to simple sugar cookies: red and green marbled streaks on white icing and a smooth, glossy finish will remind you of candy canes. A perfect holiday treat that's fun to make with kids.

Recipe: Festive Marbled Sugar Cookies

Classic gingerbread cookies

These delicious cookies from Ina Garten, with their moist center, are made with more than just ginger. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and chopped candied ginger are the perfect combination to tantalize your taste buds. A dusting of sugar creates a crisp, glossy crust during baking.

Recipe: Classic gingerbread cookies

Classic sugar cookies with icing

Flat sugar cookies are incredibly easy to make and incredibly delicious! You can bake them in large batches and serve them daily with tea or coffee. Cover them with royal icing, and they'll be a wonderful decoration for any holiday. They're traditionally baked and decorated for Christmas. For a fun family activity, you can even involve your little ones in the process.

Recipe: Classic sugar cookies with icing

Pignoli, Italian cookies with pine nuts

Traditional Italian Christmas cookies, called Pignoli, require just a handful of ingredients and 35 minutes of your time. Anne Burrell made the dough from almond paste, powdered sugar, and cinnamon, while lemon zest imparts a distinctly fresh aroma. After rolling the dough into balls about 3 cm in diameter, sprinkle them with crushed pine nuts and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe: Pignoli, Italian cookies with pine nuts

Chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate cookies develop cracks during baking, giving each one its own unique pattern, which looks very contrasting and appetizing. Knead the chocolate dough, adding a couple of tablespoons of instant coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. The dough will be very sticky at first, but the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the easier it will be to work with. Roll the dough into balls, coat them with a thick layer of powdered sugar, and bake in the oven. The cookies will spread out naturally, and the sugar crust will crack.

Recipe: Chocolate chip cookies

Soft chewy cookies

Unlike crispy traditional sugar cookies, these cookies are chewier, but still not entirely crunchy. A soft center is complemented by a crust of colorful sprinkles or sugar that provides a pleasant crunch. You can decorate the cookies as directed in the recipe, or roll the dough balls completely in sprinkles before baking.

Recipe: Soft chewy cookies

Coconut macarons

Crispy on the outside and soft inside—these are the hallmarks of perfect coconut macarons, and Ina Garten's recipe guarantees brilliant results every time. All you need to do is combine just five ingredients and bake in the oven until the heat touches their lacy tops with a golden tassel. Then, arrange them on a beautiful platter and serve.

Recipe: Coconut macarons

Christmas Confetti Cookies

Just one look at these cookies conjures up vivid images of decorated Christmas tree baubles. They're colorful, crispy, and simply delicious, making a perfect holiday decoration. For softer cookies, reduce the baking time or temperature, depending on your oven's specifications.

Recipe: Christmas Confetti Cookies

Chocolate-coconut candies

If you're new to baking or simply don't have time to bake, Alton Brown's Chocolate Coconut Chocolates will save your holiday. You'll need just six ingredients and just a few minutes to make these deliciously sweet chocolates made with crunchy macadamia nuts, coconut flakes, and thick condensed milk. The rest of the preparation time is effortless; you just need to wait for the chocolates to set, either quickly in the refrigerator or more slowly at room temperature. Then, dip the balls in the melted semisweet chocolate mixture and let them dry before enjoying.

Recipe: Chocolate-coconut candies

Homemade Snickerdoodle Cookies

Cinnamon sugar is the key ingredient in Snickerdoodles, a popular American sugar cookie made with butter, sugar, flour, and egg whites. Unlike traditional sugar cookies, however, these can have a cracked appearance. Knead the dough thickly and roll it into balls, then roll them in a sugar-cinnamon mixture before baking. In the oven, the balls spread into flatter cookies, while the cinnamon sugar caramelizes, creating a crisp, cracked crust and releasing an indescribable aroma. This is the essence of this simple yet delicious cookie. Snickerdoodles are usually baked in large quantities, especially during the winter and holidays, when they quickly disappear with a warming drink.

Recipe: Homemade Snickerdoodle Cookies

Christmas Wreath Corn Cookies

If you're looking to decorate your table with a Christmas-themed treat, bake these wonderful cornflake cookies in the shape of Christmas wreaths. Mix a dough with a mixture of wheat and corn flour, adding a few drops of anise extract. Roll into balls and shape them into thick rings. Add structure to the wreaths by making slits all around the rings. The finishing touch is cornflake leaves. Dip them in beaten egg whites first to give them a pleasant crunch. Bake these cookies and serve with tea – they'll be so beautiful, delicious, and magically fragrant.

Recipe: Christmas Wreath Corn Cookies

German chocolate cake flavored cookies

If you love chocolate and coconut, don't waste time making German Chocolate Cake; instead, bake these cookies using Sunny Anderson's easy recipe. The basic cookie recipe is enhanced with cocoa, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans—and you have the delicious taste of German Chocolate Cake! It's incredibly simple, and the cookies are ready in just 30 minutes.

Recipe: German chocolate cake flavored cookies

Cookies with pieces of toffee and walnuts

The combination of melt-in-your-mouth toffee bits and crunchy walnuts makes these cookies truly special. To intensify the nutty flavor, you can toast the walnuts in the oven beforehand. Adding brown sugar to the dough creates a soft interior and crispy exterior—perfect for dipping in milk or coffee.

Recipe: Cookies with pieces of toffee and walnuts

Amazing chocolate chip cookies

A timeless chocolate chip cookie that can be enjoyed year-round (and what kind?), this recipe from Bobby Flay is crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, with melt-in-your-mouth milk and semisweet chocolate chips. Bake at your own risk; you might find yourself sneaking in the cookies one night.

Recipe: Amazing chocolate chip cookies

Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Trisha Yearwood's light and delicate baked goods are worthy of the highest praise, combining two ingredients that are simply made for each other – white chocolate and vibrant cranberries. A distinctive feature are the macadamia nuts, which provide a delightful crunch in every bite. And best of all, almost anyone can create such beautiful cookies. No need to roll out dough or carefully decorate the cookies; simply "mix, place on a baking sheet, bake" – and voila, stunning results, even if you're a first-time baker.

Recipe: Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Peanut butter cookies

To bake these gorgeous cookies, coated in sugar grains, you don't need any fancy kitchen tools. Just a flick of the fork, and they're ready to pop in the oven.

Recipe: Peanut butter cookies

Cookies with macadamia nuts, pistachios and almonds

These bright and delicious cookies are perfect for sharing with family and friends at the holiday table. After the finished cookies have cooled, you can place them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to allow the chocolates to harden. This dessert is well worth the effort. To make the process a little easier, buy pre-peeled almonds and remove the wrappers from the candies beforehand. It's also a good idea to refrigerate the next batch of dough while baking. This will prevent it from spreading too much on the baking sheet.

Recipe: Cookies with macadamia nuts, pistachios and almonds

No-Bake Christmas Cookies with White Chocolate and Pistachios

What could be better than a festive dessert that's ready in just 15 minutes and with just five simple ingredients?! These haystacks are perfect for your Christmas dessert table, but they also make a lovely gift for when guests leave. Simply wrap them in plastic bags or decorative boxes.

Recipe: No-Bake Christmas Cookies with White Chocolate and Pistachios

Super delicious oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips

Anne Burrell's classic oatmeal cookies take on a whole new meaning with chocolate chips. If you like dark chocolate (semi-sweet works well too), add it along with walnuts for a richer, crunchier oatmeal cookie. While the ideal baking time is 12 minutes, you can increase or decrease it slightly to achieve a softer or crispier version. Add a little extra flair by sprinkling each cookie with sea salt.

Recipe: Super delicious oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips

Chocolate cookies with caramel and almonds

Mexican-style hot chocolate cookies. Mexicans love to infuse their chocolate drink with a variety of spices, including cinnamon and pepper, both allspice and cayenne. Mix cocoa and spices into cookie dough and bake into mini chocolate circles. Add extra flavor by drizzling them with condensed milk or caramel and sprinkling with slivered almonds. The cookies are crispy, aromatic, and rich with a warm flavor. The perfect treat for the winter holidays.

Recipe: Chocolate cookies with caramel and almonds

Dark Chocolate Blondie Cakes

Soft and springy, with hazelnut chunks, coconut flakes, and dark chocolate chips, Guy Fieri's blondie cakes are a unique take on traditional Sunday baking. Use snowflake or staff-shaped cookie cutters to give these cakes a festive look.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Blondie Cakes

Macarons with toasted coconut

Alton Brown's macaroons are quick and easy to make—requiring just five ingredients and 20 minutes of prep time. The cookies are sweetened with coconut flakes, which are toasted before being added to a mixture of egg whites, sugar, and vanilla. These cookies bake until golden brown, yet still slightly moist inside.

Recipe: Macarons with toasted coconut

Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies

"These cookies actually taste like Andes Mints, not just mint cookies with chocolate chips," promises Duff Goldman. That's thanks to the addition of peppermint extract and mint chocolate chips (or chopped Andes Mints) to the dough.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies