Looking for the best cookie recipes to serve for the holiday season and beyond? We’ve got 45 delicious holiday cookies to try. Whether you’re looking for drop cookies, cut out cookies, chocolate cookies and more, we’ve got all kinds of variations and flavors.
I’m thrilled to report that this year, we have 45new (and updated!) holiday cookie recipes from bloggers all over the world.
Not only are there classic cookies, like chocolate crinkle cookies, gingerbread men, snowball cookies, and more, but there are more unique ones, too! Some of our participants have shared gluten free cookies while others have shared vegan recipes.
There are plenty of flavors shared in this year’s exchange, from chocolate to white chocolate, red velvet to hot chocolate, lemon to raspberry and more.
We’ve got easy cookies, as well as some that are a little more complex and time consuming. They all deserve a place in this year’s cookie platter.
If you’re looking for a new favorite cookie recipe, some tried and true holiday favorites or want to bake something different, there’s a little bit of everything here for a home cook to try.
And we’ve broken them down into categories, like Brownies and Bar Cookies, Hand-Formed Cookies, No Bake Cookie Recipes, Drop Cookies, Cut Out Cookies and more. We’ve even got a few confections and non-cookie sweet treats to share with the people you love this holiday season, too.
First, let’s talk about what this year’s Sweetest Season was all about and one of the reasons I love to bake this time of year.
Let’s talk about The Sweetest Season and Cookies for Kids Cancer!
In 2011, I decided to share my favorite Christmas cookies… then invited other bloggers to join me. The celebration grew, we changed the name to make it more inclusive, my friend Susannah stepped up to help and the rest is history.
And now, every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes.
This year, we’re raising money in support of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers. More than 35 treatments available to kids battling cancer today were stemmed from these grants.
We’d love for you to help us raise money for this cause! You can donate through our fundraising page.
Currently, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO. This means OXO will match every dollar up to $100,000 raised through the end of 2024. So whatever money we raise will automatically double!
Where can I share cookies?
That depends on you and what you’re into. But during the Christmas season, I feel like it’s never a bad idea to share holiday cheer in cookie form.
Here are some occasions you can make and bake ’em to share:
At a holiday party or Christmas party for your work, your friends or family members
If you’re looking for things to help you with your cookie baking, I recommend checking out my favorite tools for cookies.
You’ll definitely need a baking sheet to bake cookies, as well as a mixing bowl, a hand mixer and more for any holiday baking experiments this year!
What are the best Christmas cookies?
That’s up to you, my friend!
We’ve got more than 40 cookie recipes below for you to peruse, bake and then decide which is superior.
So whether you love classic sugar cookies, gingerbread or ginger cookies, chocolate (or white chocolate), peppermint, peanut butter blossoms, cream cheese, citrus or any flavor in between, we’ve got a little something for everyone.
Whether you’re baking the cookies for Santa, your family, friends, neighbors, teachers or anyone else, there are SO many excellent options, thanks to the participants in this year’s Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange!
Happy baking and happy holidays! Here are our best holiday cookie ideas for this year…
If it's baked in a bar form, you're sure to find find holiday cookie inspiration in this section!
1
www.soulfullymade.com
Gingerbread Cookie Bars Recipe
Gingerbread Cookie Bars are the perfect way to enjoy the taste of Christmas without all the hassle! These bars have all the classic flavor of holiday-favorite gingerbread without rolling the dough, cookie cutters, and all the hard work that come with making gingerbread cookies.
If you like Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars, you'll love these pretty orange cranberry white chocolate blondies bars.. Perfect for holiday cookie giving, they're sweet, tangy, and easy to make!
This one-bowl peanut butter blondie recipe makes drool-worthy, soft, and chewy bars stuffed with peanut butter cups no less – perfect for peanut butter bar lovers!
Best Peppermint Cheesecake Bars Recipe with Oreo Crust
Make the Best Peppermint Cheesecake Bars with an irresistible Oreo Crust with basic ingredients and an easy prep and baking process! Rich and creamy cheesecake, cocoa and minty notes, and crunchy candy cane bits are why this family-favorite recipe is requested year after year!
Bring a touch of Italy into your kitchen this Holiday Season with this delightful and delicious recipe for Italian Rainbow Cookies. These cookies are perfect for parties and cookie platters!
If you're looking for confections and sweet treats to add to your cookie platter or gift box, we've got some ideas for you here…
6
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Pretzels are the perfect sweet-salty treats for sharing! These chocolate dipped pretzels are decorated for Christmas, but you could dress them up for any occasion. All you need are three ingredients and about 45 minutes to make this festive no bake dessert.
Make this easy Snickers Fudge this holiday season, your cookie exchange will never be the same again. Velvety nougat, gooey caramel, and crunchy peanuts sandwiched between layers of milk chocolate.
Any cookie that requires a cookie cutter or a special tool to form it is in the section below. Think: festive sugar cookies, snowflake cookies, spritz cookies and everything in between!
8
e2bakesbrooklyn.com
Almond Flour Sparkling Shortbread
Almond Flour Sparkling Shortbread are gluten-free, vegan, and super festive. They’re an easy and inclusive addition to any holiday cookie spread.
Best Italian Pizzelle Cookies Recipe (Vanilla Waffle Cookie)
These traditional Pizzelle Cookies are thin, crisp, Italian butter waffle cookies flavored with vanilla or anise and lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
Shortbread Cookies with Jam, also known as Sables in Algeria, are a delicious cookie sandwich usually topped with powdered sugar and filled with some type of jam. These shortbread cookies are delicious in all contexts and are a perfect way to impress at your next Christmas party.
Classic Shortbread Cookies are buttery, crisp and so delicious. This simple 5-ingredient recipe requires very little time and effort to make the most perfect shortbread cookie you’ve ever tasted.
These Chocolate Sugar Cookies are a delicious spin on a classic cookie. A regular sugar cookie is great, but these chocolate ones are something special! You’ll love making and eating these delicious chocolate sugar cookie cutouts.
These vegan sugar cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Shape them with your favorite cookie cutters, top with an easy icing, and be the star of your Hanukkah party!
These drop cookie recipes are a little easier to make than the cutout cookies (and generally take less time!) Instead of forming them with a cookie cutter and chilling for a portion of time, you drop these cookies onto the baking sheet, and let 'em bake!
15
www.cakenknife.com
Easy Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Soft and chewy Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are the ideal holiday cookie! Packed with flavor, you’ll love making these cookies over and over again. Plus you can freeze the dough to bake later!
These Peppermint Bark Cookies are gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free! Made with a soft and chewy chocolate brownie cookie, dipped in sweet dairy-free white chocolate, and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy canes! These fudgy chocolate peppermint Christmas cookies are quick and easy to make, with all the holiday flavors of your favorite no-bake Christmas candy!
Looking for buttery, caramelized cookies that come together in a snap? These Biscoff Butter Cookies topped with flaky sea salt take cinnamon cookie flavor up a notch and only require 30 minutes of prep time!
Cannoli Cookies are packed with the same flavors in an Italian classic cannoli in a cookie form. Soft, fluffy, and have a cake-like texture. Perfect for dessert, snacking, or dunking in coffee.
Soft, chewy, and loaded with maple flavor, these Iced Maple Sugar Cookies are a definite must. If you’re a fan of sugar cookies you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much more decadent they can be with the simple addition of maple syrup.
Spice Cake Mix Cookies only need a few ingredients for some of the fluffiest and chewiest cookies you’ll ever make! They're full of warming spices to keep you nice and cozy!
Get ready to enjoy these Vegan Kitchen Sink Cookies! These versatile treats are a wonderful mix of both sweet and savory flavors in each mouthwatering bite and so much fun to bake!
Red, green, and white peppermint candies along with sprinkles make these Peppermint Cake Mix Christmas Cookies not only delicious but festive. Serve them with milk, coffee, or hot chocolate.
These sweet and chewy Brown Sugar Cookies are deliciously indulgent. Made with simple ingredients creating the perfect balance of sweetness and chewiness in every bite.
Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
Dense, chewy Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies, drizzled with a rich maple cream cheese glaze, are the perfect cookies for those who don’t love chocolate. This cookie recipe is easy to make, requires no chill and is fun to share with the people you love!
Any cookie that needs your hands to form them are listed below! Generally speaking, you'll roll these cookies with your hands or shape them to form them before you bake them.
27
sugaryums.com
Gochujang Caramel Cookies
Spicy and sweet Gochujang Caramel Cookies inspired by Eric Kim's NYT recipe. These Korean-inspired cookies are chewy, sweet and spicy, with a lovely caramel crust.
Snowball cookies are a classic holiday cookie that never goes out of style. The tender texture of this buttery, nutty cookie is simply irresistible. They make the perfect addition to any cookie platter or to pair with a cup of coffee.
Each bite of these delicious White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies is loaded with flavor, and they're so easy to make. Treat yourself to these classic cookies this holiday season or anytime of year!
Thumbprint cookies with icing are a classic cookie often found on Christmas cookie plates. Fill the centers with icing, or use your favorite jam then drizzle icing across the tops.
Elevate your baking game with these Orange Cranberry Biscotti! Perfectly balanced between tart cranberries and zesty orange, these homemade treats are a holiday essential.
Delicate and sweet Matcha Sugar Cookies with a fresh, earthy flavor. These soft and chewy sugar cookies perfectly blend the sweetness of sugar with the earthiness of matcha.
These Very Merry Christmas M&M Cookies are sure to bring holiday cheer during this special time of year! Give them to neighbors, friends and family for a homemade gift they’re sure to enjoy!
These Peanut Butter Chip Cookies are thick, chunky, and filled with peanut butter chips and a plethora of spices. These cookies are gluten-free and refined sugar-free and a favorite with family and friends who are watching their sugar intake.
This 3-Ingredient Lemon Crinkle Cookies Recipe is the easiest cookie recipe you’ll make! But don’t let the simplicity fool you. They are packed with sweet, fresh lemon flavor, and the texture is divine!
Hot cocoa lovers can indulge in irresistible Hot Chocolate Cookies that capture the essence of coziness in each chewy, cocoa-infused bite. These delectable treats, coated in hot cocoa mix and studded with gooey marshmallow bits, offer a cozy and satisfying experience either on their own or paired with a comforting cup of hot chocolate.
(Cheryl’s Version) of the famous Taylor Swift chai sugar cookies, complete with warm spices, real chai tea, and a perfectly sweet glaze. This easy cookie recipe is perfect for new Septembers, gray Novembers, or Decembers when everything is icy and blue.
Frosted cookies are decorated as snow globes complete with sprinkle snow and candy characters. These festive Christmas cookies are a fun treat to make this holiday season!
Inspired by the chewy, tender, delicious confetti cookies at Insomnia Cookies, these Christmas sprinkle cookies are soft, buttery, perfectly sweet, and loaded with white chocolate chips and plenty of festive flair.
Indulge in the decadence of these Hot Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. Classic chocolate thumbprint cookies have a fudgy center and are topped with marshmallows for a cookie bursting with the flavor of hot chocolate.
These are cookies that don't need an oven to be made or enjoyed!
42
anoregoncottage.com
No Bake Chocolate Almond Oat Cups
Packed with maple syrup, protein-rich almonds, the wholesome goodness of rolled oats, and topped with chocolate, these chocolate almond oat cups are not only irresistibly delicious, but they're also gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, too.
Looking for a festive no bake dessert to serve this season? Chocolate Covered Ritz Crackers, also known as Peanut Butter Ritz Cracker Cookies, are the way to go! All you need are five simple ingredients and about 45 minutes to make this delicious treat that’s perfect to share.
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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2 Comments
So wonderful you’ve been hosting the Cookie Exchange again this year. I didn’t have the bandwith to participate this year, but I am definitely bookmarking this page for future reference. So many great cookie recipes for a good cause. Thanks Erin!
Aww, San. Thank you for your comment and your kind words. I’m so sorry you weren’t able to participate, but I totally understand and will keep you in the loop for next year’s event. I hope you’re able to bake a few of these before the season is over.
So wonderful you’ve been hosting the Cookie Exchange again this year. I didn’t have the bandwith to participate this year, but I am definitely bookmarking this page for future reference. So many great cookie recipes for a good cause. Thanks Erin!
Aww, San. Thank you for your comment and your kind words. I’m so sorry you weren’t able to participate, but I totally understand and will keep you in the loop for next year’s event. I hope you’re able to bake a few of these before the season is over.