I bake more Christmas cookies every December than any reasonable household needs, and I have stopped apologizing for it. The trick is a plan: a few doughs that freeze well, a couple that need decorating, and a handful that come together in under 30 minutes when someone announces a cookie exchange with 2 days’ notice. These are the ones that earn their spot every year. The tins never stay full for long.
1) Decorated Christmas Sugar Cookies
Decorated sugar cookies are the project I save for a weekend afternoon with a pot of coffee and nowhere to be. Trees, stars, and snowflakes get cut from a chilled, no-spread dough and iced in red, green, and white. Chill the cut shapes for 15 minutes before baking. That is the step that keeps the points on the stars sharp instead of puffy.
2) Classic Butter Shortbread
Shortbread is just butter, sugar, flour, and salt, so use the best butter you can find. Mix it until it just comes together, then press it into a pan or roll it into a log and slice. Bake low at 325°F (165°C) so it stays pale and tender. It keeps for 2 weeks in a tin.
3) Spritz Cookies
Spritz cookies are buttery cookies pressed into wreaths and trees with a cookie press. The dough must be soft and at room temperature to press properly. Press them onto an ungreased, unlined cookie sheet, since parchment keeps the dough from releasing. Colored sugar on top makes them festive.
4) Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate crinkles are fudgy, almost brownie-like cookies rolled in powdered sugar before baking. The dough needs at least 2 hours in the fridge, or it is too soft to roll. Coat each ball in granulated sugar first, then powdered sugar. That double coat is what gives you the dramatic white cracks.
5) Linzer Cookies
Linzer cookies are almond sandwich cookies with a window cut into the top cookie to show off the raspberry jam inside. Ground almonds give the dough a tender, nutty crumb. Dust the tops with powdered sugar before sandwiching them. Fill them on the day you serve them so they stay crisp.
6) Jam Thumbprints
Thumbprints are the easiest cookie that still looks festive on a tray. Roll a buttery dough into balls, press a dent into the center, and fill it with raspberry or apricot jam. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes. A drizzle of white glaze on top is optional.
7) Snowball Cookies
Snowballs are buttery pecan rounds rolled twice in powdered sugar, and they are the cookie my family asks for first. Toast the pecans before chopping them for a much deeper flavor. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while still warm, then again once they cool. The first coat melts slightly and the second one sticks to it.
8) Molasses Cookies
Molasses cookies are soft, chewy, and warmly spiced, a little like gingerbread you do not have to roll out. Roll the dough balls in coarse sugar before baking so they crackle on top. Pull them out after about 10 minutes, while they still look puffy. They flatten and turn chewy as they cool.
9) Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are the cinnamon sugar cookie that everyone loves and nobody can quite define. Cream of tartar gives them their slight tang and soft, pillowy texture. Do not skip it. Roll each ball generously in cinnamon sugar before baking.
10) Peanut Butter Blossoms
Peanut butter blossoms are peanut butter cookies pressed with a chocolate kiss, and I have never met anyone who does not like them. Roll the dough in sugar and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8 to 10 minutes. Press the kiss in the second they come out of the oven, while the cookie is still soft. Then leave them alone so the chocolate does not smear.
11) Rugelach
Rugelach are rolled cream cheese pastries filled with jam, cinnamon sugar, and chopped nuts. The cream cheese dough is very forgiving and easy to roll. Cut the dough into wedges like a pizza and roll each one up from the wide end. Chill them for 20 minutes before baking so they keep their shape.
12) Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
Biscotti are twice-baked cookies that hold up well in a tin and make great gifts. Red cranberries and green pistachios make them look made for Christmas. Bake the log once, slice it on a diagonal, then bake the slices again until crisp. Dip one end in white chocolate if you want to dress them up.
13) Red and Green M&M Cookies
These are soft, chewy cookies with holiday M&Ms pressed into the tops, and they take about 20 minutes start to finish. I press a few extra candies on top right after baking, which is the trick for getting that bakery look. Pull them from the oven while the centers still look slightly underdone. They firm up on the pan.
14) Pinwheel Cookies
Pinwheel cookies look complicated, but they are just 2 colors of sugar cookie dough stacked and rolled into a log. Chill the log until very firm, which makes slicing clean. Roll the outside in sprinkles before slicing for a festive edge. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes.
15) Peppermint Bark Cookies
These are chocolate cookies topped with a layer of white chocolate and crushed candy canes. Let the cookies cool completely before adding the white chocolate. Sprinkle on the candy canes while the chocolate is still soft. They set in about 30 minutes at room temperature.
16) Candy Cane Twists
Candy cane cookies are red and white strands of dough twisted together and curved into a hook. A little peppermint extract in the dough gives them their flavor. Keep the dough cold while you work, since it gets sticky fast. Kids love helping with the twisting.
17) Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies smell like December the moment they hit the oven. Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves give the dough its deep, spicy flavor. Roll it between sheets of parchment to about 1/4 inch, which keeps it from sticking without adding extra flour. I decorate mine simply with white royal icing.
18) Pizzelles
Pizzelles are thin, crisp Italian waffle cookies made in a special iron. Anise is the traditional flavor, though vanilla works too. Each one takes about 30 seconds in the iron. They stay crisp for weeks in an airtight tin.
19) White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
White chocolate and dried cranberries make a cookie that looks like Christmas. A brown butter dough adds a nutty depth that balances the sweetness. Chill the dough for 1 hour for thicker cookies. I add a few extra cranberries on top before baking.
20) Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bites
These little shortbread bites studded with mini chocolate chips are dangerously easy to eat by the handful. Roll the dough into a log, chill it, and slice it into small squares. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for about 15 minutes. They are perfect for filling the gaps in a cookie tin.
21) Eggnog Cookies
Eggnog cookies are soft sugar cookies made with eggnog and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Top them with an eggnog glaze once they cool. Freshly grated nutmeg makes a noticeable difference here. It is the cookie I make once a year and think about the rest of it.
22) Kolaczki
Kolaczki are Polish cookies made from a cream cheese dough folded around a jam filling. The dough bakes up flaky and tender. Pinch the corners together firmly, or they pop open in the oven. Dust with powdered sugar once they cool.
23) Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies
Brown sugar cookies are soft, chewy, and taste a little like caramel. Brown the butter first for an even deeper flavor, then let it cool for 10 minutes before mixing it with the sugar. Skip the cooling and the dough turns greasy. A sprinkle of flaky salt on top makes them taste grown-up.
24) Coconut Macaroons
Coconut macaroons are chewy, golden, and need only a handful of ingredients. Mix sweetened coconut with egg whites, sugar, and vanilla, then scoop onto a lined sheet. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for about 20 minutes, until golden on the edges. Dip the bottoms in dark chocolate.
25) Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
These chocolate cookies get a little warmth from cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne, just like Mexican hot chocolate. The heat is subtle and builds slowly. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking. They are the cookie people ask about most at a cookie exchange.
26) Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
These are for the peanut butter lovers who find blossoms too subtle. A chewy brown sugar dough is loaded with peanut butter chips and a handful of chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 30 minutes so the cookies stay thick. They freeze beautifully, baked or unbaked.
27) Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
Thin chocolate cookies sandwiched with peppermint buttercream are the homemade answer to the store-bought kind. Bake the cookies until just set so they stay soft. Tint the filling pale pink if you want them to look festive. Roll the edges in crushed candy canes.
28) Gingersnaps
Gingersnaps are crisper and spicier than gingerbread, and they are perfect for dunking in coffee. Bake them a little longer for a snap, or pull them early if you prefer them chewy. Fresh grated ginger and a pinch of black pepper give them a real kick. They also make a great base for a pie crust.
29) Italian Rainbow Cookies
Rainbow cookies are 3 thin layers of almond cake sandwiched with jam and topped with chocolate. They take some time, but they are the most impressive cookie on any tray. Weigh the batter so each layer is the same thickness. Chill them overnight under a weight before slicing.
