46 classic holiday and Christmas cookies to bake
Our best cookie recipes, from sugar cookies to shortbread and more.
Holiday and Christmas cookie baking is practically a winter sport. There’s planning, prepping, baking, and packaging (and shipping!). How many cookies do you need for the perfect holiday cookie plate? Which is the best roll-out cookie recipe for decorating? Should you make classic chocolate chip cookies or a brown butter version?
Don’t worry, we’re on your team, and have prepared a long list of classic Christmas cookie recipes and other holiday favorites to bake this year. Peruse the list below and bookmark your favorites — there’s a lot of baking to do.
1) Roll-Out Sugar Cookies
If you’re decorating Christmas cookies or other holiday cookies, you need a reliable base. That’s where this recipe comes in: These cookies are buttery and tender, but most importantly, they don’t spread. Which means all your cookie shapes stay intact after baking and look extra-sharp on the plate.
Get the recipe: Roll-Out Sugar Cookies
Shop the recipe: Double-Sided Round Cutters
2) Gingerbread Cookies
What’s a Christmas cookie platter without gingerbread? This recipe is flavored with ginger, cinnamon, and allspice, plus a hefty pour of dark molasses for its earthy-sweet flavor and added chew. Spend an afternoon decorating with Royal Icing or Simple Cookie Glaze.
Get the recipe: Gingerbread Cookies (or Gluten-Free Roll-Out Gingerbread Cookies)
Shop the recipe: Ginger, cinnamon, and allspice
3) Thumbprint Cookies
These cookies are crisp, buttery, and studded with nuts; using almond flour in the dough lends them a moist texture and subtly nutty flavor. Fill your cookies with an array of fillings for eye-catching color on holiday cookie platters: This raspberry hibiscus jam is a lovely ruby hue.
Get the recipe: Thumbprint Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Almond Flour
4) Sugar Cookies
Don’t sleep on sugar cookies. When done right — as in this beloved recipe — they can entice you with a little crunch, a tender center, and a familiar undertone of vanilla.
Get the recipe: Sugar Cookies (or Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies)
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract and Pure Almond Extract
5) Rugelach
This Hanukkah cookie is made with a satiny-soft, rich dough, thanks to the trio of cream cheese, butter, and sour cream. Wrapped inside is a filling of brown sugar, chopped walnuts, and dried fruit, though you can swap in more options by following the tips at the bottom of the recipe page.
Get the recipe: Rugelach (or Gluten-Free Rugelach)
Shop the recipe: Sparkling Sugar
6) Checkerboard Sablés
It’s hard to standout on a crowded Christmas cookie plate, but with their iconic black-and-white pattern, these Checkerboard Sablés have no problem catching anyone’s eye. Don't be intimidated — these cookies are easier to pull off than they look!
Get the recipe: Checkerboard Sablés
Shop the recipe: Rolling pin
7) Oatmeal Cookies
Featuring the nutty taste and nubbly texture of oats, these mildly spiced cookies are crunchy around the edges and invitingly soft in the center. Plus there’s a surprising ingredient, vinegar, to cut the sweetness and give your baking soda a boost.
Get the recipe: Oatmeal Cookies (or Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies)
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Jammy Bits
8) Holiday Butter Cookies
These buttery, subtly sweet cookies roll out smoothly, and they hold their shape through baking. Using confectioners’ sugar, instead of granulated sugar, makes the dough easy to work with and the baked cookies extra tender. Use them for all your Christmas cookie decorating, or for any other cookie designs you make this winter — they’re infinitely customizable.
Get the recipe: Holiday Butter Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Fiori di Sicilia
9) No-Bake Almond Butter Bars
When your oven needs a much-deserved break, make these easy, no-bake almond butter bars. The almond butter layer includes a touch of honey, vanilla, and salt for amped-up flavor, plus graham cracker crumbs for a pleasant crunch and cookie-like texture.
Get the recipe: No-Bake Almond Butter Bars
Shop the recipe: Semisweet chocolate wafers
10) Chocolate Peppermint Snaps
The perfect combination of chocolatey and minty, these cookies have an irresistibly chewy center and crisp edges. Bakers across the country have loved them for years, like one reviewer in North Carolina who declared them “a holiday staple.”
Get the recipe: Chocolate Peppermint Snaps
Shop the recipe: Peppermint Oil
11) Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
You know chocolate chip cookies, you love chocolate chip cookies, you’re probably already planning to bake chocolate chip cookies. True, they’re more of an everyday classic, but what are the holidays if not a chance to indulge in some tried-and-true favorites? And this recipe, endorsed with over 370 perfect five-star reviews, is a major favorite. (But if you prefer chewy chocolate chip cookies instead, we have a recipe for you: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.)
The secret’s out: An air fryer is the best way to bake chocolate chip cookies.
12) Shortbread
Dense, buttery, and just the right amount of crumbly, these deceptively simple shortbread cookies might steal the show at your holiday party. Our recipe calls for salted butter (that’s right, salted), since our Test Kitchen has found that table salt doesn’t disperse evenly in this thick dough.
Get the recipe: Shortbread
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
13) Citrus Sparkle Slice-and-Bake Cookies
These glitzy cookies get their citrusy flavor three ways: orange oil, Fiori di Sicilia, and candied citrus peel, which creates extra pockets of flavor. Crisp and crunchy, with a glitter of sparkling sugar at their edges, these bright cookies will be the star of every festive cookie platter.
Get the recipe: Citrus Sparkle Slice and Bake Cookies
Shop the recipe: Fiori di Sicilia, Citrus Oil Set, and Sparkling Sugar
14) Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
These eye-catching cookies are fudgy and deeply chocolatey beneath their snow-dusted exterior. To nail the perfect crinkled appearance, follow the recipe exactly; we recommend weighing with a scale to ensure accuracy.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Shop the recipe: Volume and Weight Scale
15) Crisp Molasses Cookies
A classic recipe, these Christmas cookies are crunchy at the edges and a little softer in the middle. Their traditional, robust molasses flavor is highlighted by hints of ginger, cinnamon, and clove.
Get the recipe: Crisp Molasses Cookies
Shop the recipe: Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
16) Soft and Chewy Cranberry Orange Cookies
Cranberry and orange is a beloved holiday flavor combination, and here, it manifests in delightfully soft, chewy cookies. A coating of sparkling sugar gives them some holiday glam.
Get the recipe: Soft and Chewy Cranberry Orange Cookies
Shop the recipe: Sparkling Sugar
17) Snickerdoodle Cookies
One of the most nostalgic cookies around, snickerdoodles ooze comfort and warmth, making them perfect for winter celebrations. They’re quick to make — the dough comes together in one bowl — and set apart by a cinnamon-sugar coating.
Get the recipe: Snickerdoodle Cookies (or Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles made with baking mix)
Shop the recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Plus
18) Fudgy-Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Most pumpkin cookies (like the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies on this list!) are cakey; these pumpkin cookies, however, are chewy. Their fudgy texture comes from a genius step: The pumpkin purée is cooked down on the stovetop in brown butter to stave off some moisture. It’s a worthwhile step to a unique pumpkin cookie texture.
Get the recipe: Fudgy-Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Pumpkin Pie Spice
19) Lemon Snowball Cookies
A delightful citrus riff on classic Snowball Cookies, these buttery, tender treats feature bright lemon flavor in both the cookie and its snowy coating. The tangy citrus punch will be a welcome bright spot on every holiday and Christmas cookie plate.
Get the recipe: Lemon Snowball Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Lemon Juice Powder
20) Cream Cheese-Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies
These vibrant red velvet cookies have it all: a gorgeous crinkled appearance; a rich, fudgy flavor; and — perhaps best of all — a decadent cream cheese filling.
Get the recipe: Cream Cheese-Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Triple Cocoa Blend
21) Chocolate Cookies
For all the chocolate lovers in your life, we have these deep, dark cookies, which provide a double dose of chocolate if you choose to stir in the optional chocolate chips. But honestly, why wouldn’t you?
Get the recipe: Chocolate Cookies
Shop the recipe: Dutch-Process Cocoa or King Arthur Triple Cocoa Blend
22) Peanut Butter Blossoms
These sweetly shaped cookies are favorites of both kids and adults. With a rich peanut butter cookie cradling a soft chocolate kiss, they offer a candy-inspired bite on the dessert plate.
Get the recipe: Peanut Butter Blossoms
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Cookie Sheet
23) Two-Tone Festive Sugar Cookies
For picture-perfect holiday cookies, try the smart swapping technique in this recipe. After rolling and stamping out a chocolate and vanilla dough, you just switch the cut-out dough from the center of each cookie for a striking two-tone effect. (For more simple-yet-spectacular bakes, see our collection of 12 easy holiday recipes for every baking occasion.)
Get the recipe: Two-Tone Festive Sugar Cookies
Shop the recipe: Black Cocoa
24) Linzer Cookies
Nothing could be more festive on the holiday table than a tray of these buttery, confectioners’ sugar-dusted, jam-packed cookies. The hint of lemon in the dough nicely complements any number of fillings, from raspberry jam to lemon curd.
Get the recipe: Linzer Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Almond Flour
25) Rainbow Cookies
The layers of rainbow cookies — more like soft, spongy almond cake than an actual cookie — are traditionally red, white, and green for the Italian flag, but that also makes them well-suited as a Christmas cookie. A coating of chocolate glaze gilds the lily. (And for a chocolate version, try these Ombre Chocolate Cake Bars.)
Get the recipe: Rainbow Cookies
Shop the recipe: Semisweet chocolate wafers
26) Chai-Glazed Almond Cookies
A sweet, spicy glaze adorns these tender, buttery cookies, providing visual flair and complex flavor. Using almond flour in the dough ensures the cookies turn out soft and moist.
Get the recipe: Chai-Glazed Almond Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Almond Flour
27) Chocolate Magic Cookie Bars
Magic cookie bars get a chocolate makeover! Also known as seven-layer bars, dream bars, or Hello Dolly bars, this updated version of the classic gets a touch of cocoa powder and chocolate chips, all sandwiched between a graham cracker crust and a crunchy coconut topping.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Magic Cookie Bars
Shop the recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend and bittersweet chocolate chips
28) Simple Linzer Cookie Slices
Traditional Linzers take a lot of time and precision to assemble, so we solved that: We’ve kept the classic tender almond dough and stunning fruit jam and ditched the painstaking assembly for a simple, sliceable cookie log. This recipe makes it easy to prepare a huge batch of colorful cookies with little effort and no special equipment.
Get the recipe: Simple Linzer Cookie Slices
Shop the recipe: Almond Flour
29) Gingersnaps
Distinguished by their cracked, sugary tops, these crunchy cookies taste prominently of ginger and molasses — exactly what you want in a winter cookie. If you prefer softer cookies, substitute butter for the vegetable shortening.
Get the recipe: Gingersnaps
Shop the recipe: Ginger
30) Almond Cloud Cookies
These cookies are a perennial favorite at our bakery for their chewy texture, prominent almond flavor, and snowy appearance. Gooey and dense, they’re like baked marzipan in cookie form.
Get the recipe: Almond Cloud Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Almond Flour
31) Light Spice Holiday Cookies
These golden brown, spiced cookies are a hybrid of sugar cookies and gingerbread. They make an excellent foundation for any Christmas cookie shapes you’re baking, from reindeer to ornaments to Christmas trees.
Get the recipe: Light Spice Holiday Cookies
Shop the recipe: Gingerbread Spice
32) Pizzelle
Crisp and buttery, pizzelle are classic Italian cookies pressed in a thin, pretty pattern using a pizzelle iron. We flavor ours with vanilla, but for a more traditional version, you can add a splash of anise extract instead.
Get the recipe: Pizzelle
Shop the recipe: Pizzelle Iron
33) Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookies are called classic for a reason — they’re exactly what you want and expect from a peanut butter cookie. Slightly soft and mildly chewy, they’re basically designed for dunking in a glass of milk or eggnog.
Get the recipe: Classic Peanut Butter Cookies (or Gluten-Free Classic Peanut Butter Cookies)
Shop the recipe: Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
34) Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies
Holiday cookies don't always have to be sugar and spice — they can also be deep, dark, and delicious. Our black cocoa is the secret to these cookies’ midnight-black hue.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies
Shop the recipe: Black Cocoa
Nail your cookie decorating: Here’s how to test cookie glaze for consistency
35) Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
These easy gingerbread crinkle cookies bring the comforting flavors of the holiday season to your table with minimal effort. Mixed by hand, the dough comes together in mere minutes, yielding cookies that strike a delicious balance of cakey and chewy.
Get the recipe: Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Shop the recipe: Gingerbread Spice
36) Chocolate Molasses Thumbprints
It’s hard to pick the best part of these rich chocolate cookies: Is it the pool of bittersweet chocolate ganache in the center or the crunchy, glittery sugar-coated exterior? Make them and decide for yourself.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Molasses Thumbprints
Shop the recipe: Bittersweet chocolate wafers
37) Pignoli (Italian Cookies with Pine Nuts)
These chewy little Italian Christmas cookies are nutty and rich. Coated in pine nuts, they pack an almondy punch thanks to the inclusion of both almond flour and almond extract.
Get the recipe: Pignoli (Italian Cookies with Pine Nuts)
Shop the recipe: Pure Almond Extract and King Arthur Almond Flour
38) Spiced Star Cookies (Speculaas)
Speculaas are traditionally thin, crisp, dark-brown windmill-shaped cookies that originated in the Netherlands. But you don’t need a special mold to enjoy them — roll out the dough and use your favorite cutters to make these snapping crisp, delightfully spicy cookies.
Get the recipe: Spiced Star Cookies (Speculaas)
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Almond Flour
39) Snowball Cookies
Mexican Wedding Cookies, Vanilla Snowballs, Russian Teacakes ... these tender, crumbly cookies, full of ground almonds and covered with a blizzard of confectioners' sugar, go by many additional names. But one thing is constant: their melt-in-your-mouth texture and distinctive, attractive appearance.
Get the recipe: Snowball Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Almond Flour and Pure Almond Extract
40) Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
For this variation on classic thumbprint cookies, we’ve chosen the decadent flavor combination of chocolate and caramel, dressing it up with chopped nuts for a rich, buttery, gooey treat.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Shop the recipe: King Arthur Triple Cocoa Blend
41) Peppermint Bark Cookies
Peppermint bark meets cookies in these delightful slice-and-bake treats. These cookies have all the elements of the candy you know and love: minty flavor, crunchy texture, and plenty of chocolate — both white and dark. If you don’t have peppermint chips, you can simply crush up a few peppermint candies to use instead.
Get the recipe: Peppermint Bark Cookies
Shop this recipe: Slice-and-Bake Cookie Dough Keeper Set and Peppermint Oil
Our new Slice-and-Bake Cookie Dough Keeper Set makes it easier to shape, store, and slice your cookies all season long.
42) Polvorones
Polvorones are delightfully crumbly cookies (their name comes from the Spanish word for "powdery") that are traditionally enjoyed year-round in Mexico and during Christmastime in Spain. This tricolor version features the flavors of orange, chocolate, and hibiscus in the form of soft and irresistibly buttery cookies.
Get the recipe: Polvorones
Shop this recipe: Orange Blossom Water and Black Cocoa
43) Cranberry-Studded Melted Butter Shortbread
These crumbly cookies are fragrant with rosemary and pack a tart-sweet punch with dried cranberries, but what really makes them stand apart is the butter. Using melted butter in the dough provides all the tenderness of traditional shortbread, but there’s no waiting for your butter to reach room temperature or need to cream it with sugar.
Get the recipe: Cranberry-Studded Melted Butter Shortbread
Shop this recipe: Sparkling Sugar and Slice-and-Bake Cookie Dough Keeper Set
44) Olive Oil-Orange Sugar Cookies
Amped up by warm spices and kissed with orange zest, these sugar cookies are delicate yet packed with flavor. Cardamom and turmeric are members of the same botanical family, and they pair beautifully with nutmeg and cloves. The subtle olive oil flavor makes these a sophisticated cookie, while the turmeric provides a pop of natural color.
Get the recipe: Olive Oil-Orange Sugar Cookies
Shop this recipe: Nutmeg and cardamom
45) Nutmeg Cookies with Rum Icing
Like edible eggnog, these two-bite nutmeg cookies are perfect for your holiday or Christmas cookie swap. The rum icing and dusting of nutmeg sets these cookies in the "grown-ups" category, but rum flavoring may be used if the little ones will be sharing too.
Get the recipe: Nutmeg Cookies with Rum Icing
Shop this recipe: Nutmeg
46) Spiced Hot Cocoa Cookies with Marshmallow Middles
These super fudgy, deeply chocolatey hot cocoa cookies are flavored with warm cinnamon and cayenne, spices often found in Mexican chocolate. Halved marshmallows, added for the final few minutes of baking, create a sweet, gooey topping reminiscent of a melting marshmallow atop a mug of steaming hot cocoa.
Get the recipe: Spiced Hot Cocoa Cookies with Marshmallow Middles
Shop this recipe: Triple Cocoa Blend
Want to make your best holiday and Christmas cookies? Check out our guide on How to Bake Cookies for all the tips, tricks, and techniques you need to bake your best cookies yet.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
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