Looking for Unique Christmas Cookies recipes for a holiday baking session with family? These are the 30 cookie recipes I’ve made dozens of times over the years.
Time-tested recipes for old-fashioned butter cookies, chewy snickerdoodles, or all-time favorites Gingerbread Man cookies alongside decorated cookie ideas with Grinch heart, festive frosting, and creative treats like meringue cookies or a whole cookie board for gifting!
My holiday cookie ideas will be great for Christmas cookie exchanges, as well, as many recipes take only 30 minutes to whip up a bigger-than-usual batch.
Gina’s Rundown:
Why I love it: I love this collection because it brings together all the cookies that make Christmas feel like Christmas. From classic favorites to fun, festive twists, these recipes are perfect for baking days, cookie swaps, and filling tins to share with family and friends.
Butter Cookies Recipe
Simple, perfectly festive cut-out cookies for Christmas goodie boxes, cookie exchanges, and weekend snacking. You can make shapes you like: a star, a classic round cookie, or anything else.
Get the recipe: Butter Cookies Recipe
Christmas Cookie Board
The ultimate cookie spread for a party in a gift box with festive cookies, all made from scratch! I add truffles, pastry, and candy, and it looks stunning!
Get the recipe: Christmas Cookie Board
Grinch Crinkle Cookies
Cakey, chewy, and so soft, these crinkle cookies are sure to make your guests happy. Plus, they are super easy to decorate as Grinch-themed treats with vibrant green color and little cute hearts.
Get the recipe: Grinch Crinkle Cookies
Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies
Beautifully decorated Christmas cookies with zero gluten! Perfect for cookie exchanges to make sure everyone can enjoy these festive treats.
Get the recipe: Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies
Peppermint Cookies
Elegant Christmas cookies with white chocolate chips and peppermint candy. This recipe shows you how to make them from scratch, every time delivering soft and chewy cookies.
Get the recipe: Peppermint Cookies
Sugar Cookie Bars
Soft and chewy, just like a cookie, these cookie bars are much easier to make. And with simple frosting and colorful sprinkles, they look perfectly ready for the holidays.
Get the recipe: Sugar Cookie Bars
Small Batch Sugar Cookies
This is my go-to recipe for family events and intimate holidays to make sugar cookies with a perfect texture. Then I can frost and decorate them as I wish. This is the frosting for Christmas, by the way.
Get the recipe: Small Batch Sugar Cookies
Gingersnap Cookies
Classic gingersnaps are always a good idea with a glass of milk, holidays or not. Perfectly spiced, these Christmas cookies are made completely from scratch, and still, a whole batch comes out of the oven in less than 20 minutes.
Get the recipe: Gingersnap Cookies
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Mexican wedding cookies aka Russian tea cakes, are not your regular cookies! Not in shape or in texture! These cute sugar-coated balls are packed with pecans, vanilla, and butter.
Get the recipe: Mexican Wedding Cookies
Chocolate Cool Whip Cookies
One of the most popular cookie recipes on my site, these chocolate cookies made with Cool Whip are always a huge hit during the Christmas holidays. You only need 4 ingredients to make these!
Get the recipe: Chocolate Cool Whip Cookies
Buckeyes
Classic Buckeys with peanut butter and chocolate will never get old. Super simple to make, these treats do not even require any oven time!
Get the recipe: Buckeyes
Pistachio Cookies
I absolutely love these buttery pistachio cookies for Christmas – they are simply the best. I make them shaped like stars, from scratch, with lemon zest and vanilla, and top with white chocolate and pistachios.
Get the recipe: Pistachio Cookies
Easy Meringue Cookies
This recipe is very special for me – simple and airy, these festive Meringue cookies were my mom’s favorite. Infused with peppermint extract, these little treats are super quick to make.
Get the recipe: Easy Meringue Cookies
Church Window Cookies
These cookies are made with no oven involved! Mix of flavors and texture of coconut, marshmallow, nuts, and chocolate is why I love Church Window cookies for Christmas desserts.
Get the recipe: Church Window Cookies
Frosted Christmas Cookies
You can make these Christmas cookies with basic baking ingredients and just a bit of coloring. Chewy, soft, irresistible, and perfectly festive with white, red, or green frosting, and, of course, a load of holiday sprinkles.
Get the recipe: Frosted Christmas Cookies
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Delicious Christmas cookies recipe with bright red vanilla cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with some crushed candy cane – it is all we need this holiday season.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Pistachio Pudding Cookies
These 20-minute Pistachio Cookies are so soft and chewy thanks to the Jello pudding mix. Loaded with vanilla, white chocolate chips, and real pistachios, these Christmas cookies are hard to say no to.
Get the recipe: Pistachio Pudding Cookies
Melting Snowman Frosted Cookies
Such a cute and simple idea to make holiday cookies with your kids, as well. This recipe starts with some ice cream! Plus, the best festive flavors like sugar cookies, licorice, and marshmallows.
Get the recipe: Melting Snowman Frosted Cookies
Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Up your game in holiday blossom cookies with this colorful cookie idea with candy-cane-inspired Hershey Kisses.
Get the recipe: Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
Snickerdoodle Crumbl Cookies
I love this version of snickerdoodle cookies so much, I’ve made a homemade recipe that allows you to recreate the famous flavor and texture at home! Thick, chewy cookies with rich cream cheese frosting – addictive and I don’t regret it one bit!
Get the recipe: Snickerdoodle Crumbl Cookies – Copycat Recipe
Frosted Shortbread Cookies
Simple frosted cookie idea for holidays, that anyone can make. You use any of the shortbread cookie recipes you like, and simply add frosting and Christmas sprinkles of choice. Can’t get easier than that!
Get the recipe: Frosted Shortbread Cookies
M&M Christmas Cookie Bars
4-ingredient Christmas cookie bars with red and green M&M candy and cake mix. Lazy recipe for anyone to recreate for holiday snacks, gifts, or post-dinner dessert.
Get the recipe: M&M Christmas Cookie Bars
Marble Cookies
Simple homemade sugar cookies with a stunning marbled Royal icing decorating idea. Definitely a unique way of presenting your holiday cookie tray.
Get the recipe: Marble Cookies
Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
A holiday match made in heaven is cranberries and pistachios, for sure. I make these big, chunky cookies loaded with nuts and berries and a bit of icing drizzle. They go so well as gifts in my family!
Get the recipe: Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
Christmas Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
If I can only make one cookie recipe for Christmas, this will be it! Cheesecake Snickerdoodles with red and green M&Ms are simple, soft, chewy, and so holiday-ready! A hit at cookie exchanges and big families.
Get the recipe: Christmas Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
Danish Butter Cookies
These simple and elegant butter cookies, inspired by Danish recipes, have been my favorite Christmas cookies for years! They are sweet, tender, and delicious.
Get the recipe: Danish Butter Cookies
Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
No occasion can go by without special choco chip cookies; it is simply the way it is. For the Christmas holidays, I upgraded my chocolate chip cookie recipe with M&Ms and flaky salt. Simple tweak, but it never gets old.
Get the recipe: Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gingerbread Man Cookies
No Christmas can go by without me making Gingerbread Man cookies at least once! I know kids love helping with decorating them, so make them just to have quality time with them. Cookies come out spiced, crispy on the edges, and melting in your mouth!
Get the recipe:Gingerbread Man Cookies
Vanilla Cool Whip Cookies
With just 4 cheap ingredients and no chill time, anyone can make these soft and delicious Cool Whip cookies with a light vanilla flavor. They just melt in your mouth!
Get the recipe: Vanilla Cool Whip Cookies
Fudgy Brownie Cookies
If you love brownies as much as I do, this recipe brings the two simplest desserts: brownies and cookies together. These holiday cookies are loaded with chocolate and not just chewy, but so fudgy and decadent!
Get the recipe: Fudgy Brownie Cookies
Jello Cookies
These are the easiest Christmas cookies you can make for holiday cookie exchanges! Jello cookies are colorful cookies made with gelatin, vanilla, and basic baking ingredients.
Get the recipe: Jello Cookies
I love this roundup because these cookies are made to be shared. They’re great for gifting, parties, and cookie swaps—and every single one has that festive, homemade feel I look for during the holidays.
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