This comprehensive collection of 24 top-tier Christmas cookie recipes is thoughtfully grouped by texture and shape, making it effortless to select a diverse assortment of flavors and experiences. Dive into a delightful array of crunchy cookies, wonderfully chewy cookies, beautifully shaped and rolled cookies, and other fantastically fun and festive treats designed to enchant every palate. You can easily pick one from each category to create a perfectly varied cookie tray, or embark on a delightful baking adventure by making one new cookie for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas!

Should your craving for holiday baking extend further, explore more of Chef Lindsey’s exquisite collections: discover additional easy Christmas cookie recipes, delve into the charm of traditional Christmas cookies, or indulge your chocolate desires with these 16 chocolate Christmas cookie recipes!

Why These Are the Best Christmas Cookies for Your Holiday Spread

Crafting the perfect holiday cookie assortment requires more than just good recipes; it demands excellence in every bite. Our selection of the best Christmas cookies stands out for several compelling reasons:

• Professional Quality Recipes You Can Trust: Every recipe featured here has been either meticulously created or perfected by a professional pastry chef. This means each cookie guarantees optimal texture, balanced flavor, and reliable results, ensuring your holiday baking is nothing short of sensational. You’re getting tried-and-true techniques and ingredients that make a real difference.
• Unmatched Variety of Flavors and Textures: A truly memorable cookie platter offers a delightful journey for the senses. Our list provides a rich diversity, from melt-in-your-mouth chewy cookies to satisfyingly crisp and crunchy varieties, along with unique shapes and exciting flavor combinations. This thoughtful selection ensures that every recipient is surprised and delighted with an array of treats that cater to all preferences.
• Conveniently Organized for Easy Selection: We understand that holiday baking can be a whirlwind. To simplify your preparation, all our cookie recipes are intelligently subdivided into clear categories. This makes it incredibly easy for you to browse, discover, and confidently select a few cookies from each group, guaranteeing a perfectly varied and impressive cookie tray without any added stress.

Frequently Asked Questions About Holiday Cookies

The 24 Essential Christmas Cookie Recipes: A Pastry Chef’s Selection

While the world of Christmas cookies boasts an astounding array of choices, with Chef Lindsey alone offering more than 100 Christmas cookie recipes, this list represents the absolute best. Each recipe has been hand-picked for its unique blend of exquisite flavors, delightful textures, and engaging preparation methods. Here, you’ll discover a magnificent selection, including wonderfully chewy cookies, satisfyingly crunchy cookies, convenient bar cookies, and a host of fun, festive creations that are sure to become cherished holiday favorites.

This is my cherished family recipe for the best soft gingerbread cookies, meticulously adapted and perfected over many years. It yields exceptionally soft, delightfully chewy, and perfectly spiced cut-out cookies that are simply divine! They are magnificent whether simply adorned with a classic icing, decorated with festive raisins, or crafted into any shape your heart desires using your favorite cookie cutters. This recipe is destined to become one of your most treasured Christmas cookie traditions!

4.96 from 49 ratings

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

These are truly the best soft gingerbread cookies you’ll ever bake. They are wonderfully chewy, incredibly tender, and perfectly spiced with just the right amount of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. The dough is a dream to work with—easy to make, roll out, and bake into beautiful holiday shapes. This particular recipe is a cherished family heirloom from my Mom, which I have refined and elevated over my years working in professional bakeries, ensuring a consistently superb result.

Bake Soft Gingerbread Cookies

These soft cherry cookies offer a delightful chewiness perfectly complemented by a subtle crunch from toasted pecans. Crafted from a flavorful cream cheese cookie dough, each ball is rolled in finely chopped pecans (or any nut you prefer) before baking to golden perfection. A vibrant maraschino cherry pressed gently on top before baking provides a beautiful, festive touch and a burst of sweet-tart flavor. These delightful cookies evoke fond memories of childhood Christmases and are sure to become a new favorite tradition for your family.

4.75 from 4 ratings

Cherry Cookies

These delightful cherry cookies feature a tangy and incredibly soft cream cheese sugar cookie base. They are generously encrusted with crunchy pecans, offering a wonderful textural contrast, and subtly enhanced with a touch of almond extract and a burst of cherry flavor. Distinctive and utterly delicious, this recipe will easily become your new favorite chewy Christmas cookie!

Bake Chewy Cherry Cookies

These magnificent chewy molasses cookies are truly exceptional – large, incredibly soft, and brimming with rich molasses flavor. Before baking, the dough is generously rolled in extra sugar, which creates a delightful, slightly crunchy exterior and a beautifully glittering finish. This is my cherished grandmother’s secret recipe, perfected over generations, and it truly yields the best molasses cookies imaginable. They are a timeless holiday treat that will fill your home with an aroma of nostalgic warmth.

5 from 3 ratings

Chewy Molasses Cookies

My Grandma’s Chewy Molasses Cookies are a true taste of tradition, offering large, soft sugar cookies richly flavored with molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. Each cookie boasts a delightful crunchy outside from being rolled in sugar, perfectly contrasting with its soft, wonderfully chewy inside! These cookies are a must-bake for anyone who appreciates classic, spiced holiday treats.

Bake Chewy Molasses Cookies

These exquisite date pinwheels are a wonderfully sweet, chewy, and truly old-fashioned cookie. The rich brown sugar dough perfectly complements the luscious date filling, creating a harmonious and utterly satisfying bite. Depending on how thinly you slice them, this recipe can easily yield over a hundred cookies, making it ideal for large gatherings or generous holiday gifts! What’s more, the dough can be prepared well in advance, allowing you to bake impressive, fresh cookies with minimal effort on the day you need them.

5 from 1 ratings

Old Fashioned Date Pinwheels

These Old Fashioned Date Pinwheels are wonderfully soft, chewy cinnamon brown sugar cookies featuring a rich pecan date filling! They may be considered old-fashioned, but their flavor and delightful texture are absolutely sensational, making them a perfect addition to any holiday cookie tray.

Bake Date Pinwheel Cookies

Prepare for a truly decadent experience with these cheesecake-stuffed red velvet crinkle cookies. These aren’t just any crinkle cookies; they are rich, homemade red velvet cookies generously stuffed with an easy, creamy cheesecake filling. Each bite delivers the luxurious taste of the best red velvet cake, perfectly captured within a soft, chewy cookie form, making them an unforgettable addition to your holiday dessert repertoire.

Cheesecake Stuffed Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Cheesecake-stuffed red velvet crinkle cookies deliver an exquisite treat, featuring a creamy, cheesecake-like filling enveloped within soft, wonderfully chewy, and intensely chocolaty red velvet cookies! This combination creates a truly unforgettable holiday dessert.

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These sophisticated browned butter cardamom snickerdoodles elevate the classic snickerdoodle to new heights. They capture all the beloved flavors of the best snickerdoodle recipe but with an extra layer of warmth and complexity from a lightly spiced cookie dough. The magical combination of nutty browned butter, aromatic cardamom, and the traditional cinnamon sugar coating creates a truly exceptional and unforgettable snickerdoodle experience, making them a must-bake for discerning palates.

4.67 from 3 ratings

Browned Butter Cardamom Snickerdoodles

Chewy Browned Butter Cardamom Snickerdoodles are delicately seasoned with fragrant ground cardamom both within the cookie dough and in their classic snickerdoodle sugar coating. The rich browned butter imparts a subtle nutty taste, creating the perfect chewy, thick texture that makes these cookies utterly addictive and a sophisticated twist on a beloved favorite!

Bake Brown Butter Cardamom Snickerdoodles

Perfectly Crunchy Christmas Cookies for a Satisfying Bite

No holiday cookie assortment is complete without the satisfying snap of a perfectly crunchy cookie. I always recommend including at least two distinct crunchy options on any platter: one classic, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie, like our authentic Scottish shortbread, and one with a delightfully sandy, delicate texture, such as our popular snowball cookies! These contrasting textures add depth and excitement to your festive spread.

Get your rolling pin, trusty stand mixer, and parchment paper ready, because these incredibly crunchy Moravian Christmas Cookies are absolutely worth every bit of effort. The spiced molasses cookie dough is rolled paper-thin, then baked until it achieves a perfect, unparalleled crispiness. These delicate, aromatic cookies are a true labor of love that yield an exquisite reward. Enjoy them alongside other warmly spiced cookies like our irresistible cardamom snowballs for an even more festive and flavorful holiday treat.

4.97 from 61 ratings

Moravian Christmas Cookies

Moravian Christmas Cookies are a marvel of holiday baking: paper-thin, exquisitely crispy, and packed with a complex blend of spiced molasses flavors. Sweet and delightfully gingery, they offer a taste reminiscent of gingerbread but are far more addicting in their delicate crunch! These cookies are a classic for a reason and perfect for showcasing impressive baking skills.

Make Moravian Christmas Cookies

This Traditional Scottish Shortbread is truly perfection in every crumbly bite. I’ll guide you with all the essential tips for creating perfectly shaped shortbread cookies that boast an irresistibly tender, buttery texture. These elegant cookies are not only simple to make but also incredibly practical; they can be prepared a week in advance, allowing their rich flavors to deepen, and they also ship exceptionally well, making them ideal for thoughtful holiday gifts.

5 from 3 ratings

Scottish Shortbread Recipe

This authentic Scottish Shortbread recipe is pure perfection, creating exceptionally tender and buttery shortbread cookies with just 4 simple ingredients! A professional pastry chef guides you gently through each step, ensuring a no-stress experience that results in sensational shortbread cookies in no time. They’re a classic for a reason and a staple for any holiday cookie collection.

Make Scottish Shortbread

These wonderfully crunchy old-fashioned peanut butter cookies are a dream come true for busy holiday bakers, as they can be ready in just 20 minutes! The dough requires no chilling, ensuring a quick and easy process, and they consistently bake up perfectly every single time. You’ll adore the nostalgic, rich peanut butter flavor of these classic treats. If you’re a fan of these, you’ll be equally captivated by my delightful peanut butter blossoms, each famously topped with a sweet chocolate kiss!

5 from 2 ratings

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

My Great-Grandmother’s award-winning Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies are a sweet, traditional delight that are perfectly crispy yet never dry. Not only is each bite bursting with rich peanut butter flavor, but these amazing cookies can also be ready from start to finish in less than 20 minutes, making them an ideal, quick treat for any occasion!

Make Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

Crunchy, exquisitely crispy, and perfectly sweet, these delicate lace cookies are a cherished old-fashioned Christmas cookie staple. They are a delicate oatmeal cookie that melts on your tongue, offering a delightful caramel-like flavor with every bite, making for a truly ethereal and irresistible treat.

5 from 2 ratings

Lace Cookies

Indulge in the ethereal beauty of a delicate lace cookie, boasting subtle hints of caramel and an utterly irresistible crunch! These easy-to-make lace cookies are wonderfully crispy and light as air, dissolving on your tongue for the perfect, fleeting bite of sweet delight.

Bake Lace Cookies

These wonderfully tender and crumbly chocolate chip shortbread cookies offer the comforting flavor of classic chocolate chip cookies with the irresistible, delicate texture of traditional shortbread! They are a fantastic addition to any cookie spread or can be enjoyed as a delightful standalone treat. For an extra special shortbread assortment, consider pairing these with chocolate shortbread cookies and our vibrant cranberry orange shortbread cookies, creating a diverse and elegant selection.

5 from 1 ratings

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are the best of both worlds: soft, moist, and wonderfully buttery, with a dough that comes together in just 15 minutes! Simply refrigerate, slice, and bake for a perfect twist on classic shortbread. These cookies marry the tender crumble of shortbread with the beloved joy of chocolate chips, making them an instant holiday favorite.

Make Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

These delightful peppermint checkerboard cookies are as delicious as they are visually striking, featuring a fun and festive checkerboard pattern perfect for the holidays. An easy-to-follow tutorial guides you through the simple steps to create your own impressive cookies. After assembling the colorful dough, it’s a straightforward slice and bake process, yielding a truly charming and minty treat that will impress all your holiday guests.

Peppermint Checkerboard Cookies

Peppermint checkerboard cookies showcase a refreshing minty sugar cookie dough, expertly pressed, sliced, and baked into visually delightful red-and-white checkerboard patterns! These festive and flavorful cookies are a joy to behold and a treat to eat.

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Delightfully Shaped Christmas Cookies for Visual Charm

These wonderfully festive and fun Christmas cookies are designed to introduce a playful mix of textures and flavors to any gift box, cookie tin, or holiday platter! They are not only incredibly delicious but also beautifully crafted, adding an artistic touch to your holiday spread. Many of these recipes are consistently among our most popular and highly-rated selections, a testament to their enduring appeal and exquisite taste.

This kolacky cookie recipe is absolutely phenomenal and will truly impress you! It’s a treasured, traditional Hungarian Christmas cookie recipe that has garnered hundreds of glowing comments and reviews, making it one of our most popular posts year-round, alongside our famous Hungarian nut roll cookies. I wholeheartedly suggest baking both for an authentic and utterly delicious Eastern European holiday experience. ‘Tis the season to indulge!

4.91 from 106 ratings

Apricot Kolacky Cookie (Kiffles)

Apricot Kolacky Cookies, also known as kiffles, feature a delicate, flaky cream cheese pastry dough lovingly wrapped around an easy-to-make apricot filling! These delightful two-bite cookies are perfectly buttery, crisp, and utterly addicting. Their traditional charm and irresistible flavor make them an indispensable part of any holiday baking repertoire.

Make Kolacky Cookies

This is my perfected recipe for classic Linzer cookies. Having made tens of thousands of these cookies over my years as a professional pastry chef, I can confidently say that people simply cannot get enough of them! The dough is a rich brown sugar almond blend, subtly flavored with a hint of cinnamon and aromatic vanilla extract, creating a cookie that is both tender and incredibly fragrant. These Linzers are an elegant and essential addition to any festive cookie platter.

4.97 from 54 ratings

Linzer Cookies

Linzer Cookies are a masterpiece of holiday baking: a soft, tender almond cookie delicately sandwiched with vibrant raspberry jam and elegantly topped with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. The cookie dough is infused with the warm flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and almonds, creating an unforgettable taste and texture. These are truly the best Linzer cookies you’ll ever have, perfect for special occasions.

Bake Traditional Linzer Cookies

This phenomenal recipe for pecan tassies comes straight from my great-grandmother’s kitchen, and they are truly the best you’ll ever taste. Your family will adore these bite-sized pecan pies so much that you’ll likely want to whip up an additional batch of my equally delicious chocolate pecan tassies to satisfy everyone’s cravings. They’re a delightful and impressive treat for any holiday gathering!

4.72 from 21 ratings

Pecan Tassies

These Pecan Tassies are like exquisite miniature pecan pies, encased in a sensational cream cheese crust that simply melts in your mouth. They are perfectly sweet and utterly addicting, offering all the rich, nutty flavors of a classic pecan pie in a delightful, bite-sized package.

Make Pecan Tassies

Never underestimate the delightful power of these bite-sized mini apple pies! They are even simpler to make than traditional apple hand pies, baked conveniently in mini muffin tins with an incredibly easy, press-in cream cheese crust. To simplify preparation even further, you can fill them with a batch of my delicious easy apple compote, or simply chop up a store-bought jar of apple pie filling. These miniature delights are perfect for holiday cookie platters or any festive occasion.

5 from 50 ratings

Mini Apple Pies

These easy Mini Apple Pies feature a simple press-in cream cheese crust, a warmly spiced apple pie filling, and a delightful brown sugar pecan crumble topping! Baked in muffin tins, these bite-sized apple pies are perfect for holiday cookie plates, effortlessly elegant party desserts, or even a charming afternoon snack.

Bake Mini Apple Pies

These vibrant cranberry orange shortbread cookies are undeniably one of my personal favorites! I’ve baked tens of thousands of them for my bakery, and they consistently rank among our customers’ most cherished cookies. The dough is an effortlessly simple brown sugar base, infused with bright orange zest, creating a truly aromatic experience. While I prefer to bake them to a soft, tender consistency, they are equally delightful when baked until wonderfully crunchy, offering a versatile treat for any preference.