Our Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes, from Biscotti to Gingerbread

By Frances Kim
Updated September 26, 2020
'Tis the season to bake cookies! Use our delicious recipes for biscotti, gingerbread, shortbread, spritz, and more to make the best edible gifts for family and friends.
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It's the most magical time of the year—Christmas bells are ringing, our hearts are merry, and we can't wait to bake our favorite Christmas cookie recipes. These are the very best and brightest of the bunch—we have all the classics like Peanut Butter Blossoms, Russian Tea Cakes, Thumbprint Cookies, and Lemony Brown-Butter Crinkle Cookies as well as a few more unexpected options. From cookie swaps to holiday parties, there's no better time to make a festive batch of Christmas cookies.

If you're hosting a cookie decorating party for family, friends, or small children, there's no better recipe to prepare than our Ideal Sugar Cookies. Set out piping bags filled with icing and small bowls with a variety of sprinkles in various shapes and colors, and let everyone design their own festive bite. Looking for a way to upgrade the appearance of classic shortbread cookies? Have fun with food coloring and a large pastry tip and pipe a batch or two of our Shortbread Swirls. Choose red and green for Christmas, or divide the batter up and create every color of the rainbow. They're sure to go fast (who could eat just one?). How about a cookie that doesn't call for making cookie dough? The Sweet Snowflake Crisps seen here are made from wonton wrappers and dusted with powdered sugar.

Of course, you could also create treats made of meringue. If you're whipping up a batch, why not make a forest full of trees? Meringue Trees are stacked on top of each other to create the look of whimsical Christmas trees. Our version shows off shades of pink, brown, and white but feel free to use various shades of green for a more realistic effect. To display, nestle them between shredded coconut or cotton to create the allusion of freshly fallen snow.

These Christmas cookies not only taste spectacular, but they look picture perfect, too—and they are sure to help you have a very sweet holiday season.

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Gingerbread Bells

Romulo Yanes
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These bells don't need to ring to capture your guests' attention! They're made of gingerbread and finished with the most eye-catching icing (creating the pattern only calls for one tool: a toothpick).

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Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Bryan Gardner
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Give classic peanut butter cookies some love—adorn each one with a chocolate kiss before baking!

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Peppermint-Spritz Cookies

Louise Hagger
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Peppermint extract imparts a candy cane-like flavor here, while a red-and-white glaze lend these spritz cookies the appearance of the popular holiday confection.

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Coconut-Pistachio Biscotti

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A guaranteed crowd-pleaser around the holidays, our take on the twice-baked Italian cookies calls for cornmeal, coconut, lemon, pistachios, and dried cherries.

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Glazed Spiced Snowflake Cookies

Aaron Dyer
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Skip the mold when making these speculaas cookies and use a doily and a rolling pin instead. It's a clever, easy way to imprint the dough. Then cut into snowflakes and finish with a frosty glaze.

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Coffee-Meringue Acorns

ANITA CALERO
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Coffee extract amps up the flavor of these meringue kisses. The bases are coated with melted dark chocolate and toasted pistachios for the acorn effect.

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Fruitcake Cookies

Louise Hagger
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Enrobed in dark chocolate and studded with glace cherries, dried papaya, and candied citron, these decadent bite-size cookies will turn anyone into a fruitcake convert.

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Gingerbread Cookies

Alpha Smoot
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The holiday season wouldn't be complete without these quintessential treats. Cut out gingerbread "boys" and "girls" in different sizes, then decorate with white royal icing and currant "buttons."

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Double-Chocolate Peppermint Sandwiches

Aaron Dyer
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Like peppermint patties in cookie form! A rich mint chocolate filling is spread between chocolate cookies and sprinkled with chopped peppermint candies.

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Pistachio Spritz Pinwheels

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Time to break out your cookie press! Simply push our easy pistachio dough through it and bake the resulting pinwheels. Finish with a dollop of dark chocolate in the center.

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Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies

Joseph De Leo
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Fresh ginger is the secret-weapon ingredient in these cookies that have earned a permanent spot in our test kitchen's hall of fame. The heat is tempered by dark chocolate and molasses.

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Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

Romulo Yanes
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Sandwich rich melted dark chocolate or your favorite fruit jam between these cinnamon-hazelnut cookies—the cutouts showcase the filling beautifully.

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Meringue Trees

Will Anderson
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Tinted pale pink and chocolatey brown, these ethereal stacked meringues are crisp on the outside and soft and marshmallow-like on the inside.

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Raspberry Palmiers

Sang An
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Instead of fussing with puff pastry, make a simple sour-cream dough for these diminutive elephant ears, then fill with raspberry jam and roll in cinnamon sugar.

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Russian Tea Cakes

Bryan Gardner
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No, these aren't snowballs! But the resemblance of is uncanny, thanks to all the powdered sugar coating these almond cookies.

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Stained-Glass Sugar Cookies

Romulo Yanes
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We can't think of a better use for Jolly Ranchers than these festive ornament-shaped cookies. The candies are crushed and used to fill the cutouts before baking.

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

linda xaio
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Add everyone's favorite fall ingredient to these beloved cookies: pumpkin. It goes marvelously with the cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in the batter.

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Thumbprint Cookies

Joseph De Leo
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A Christmastime classic! Fill the wells of these almond-flavored cookies with any jam you please—we used apricot, red currant, and raspberry.

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Shortbread Swirls

Aaron Dyer
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Let your guests taste the rainbow by whipping up a batch of buttery vanilla shortbread cookies in five vivid hues.

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Lemony Brown-Butter Crinkle Cookies

Stephen Kent Johnson
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Nutty brown butter adds wonderful depth of flavor to these treats, while lemon juice and zest balance out the richness. Roll the dough into balls and toss with powdered sugar before baking to get that telltale crinkle.

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Coconut-Lime Bars

Romulo Yanes
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Put a tropical twist on bar cookies with three ingredients: shredded coconut, grated lime zest, and chopped macadamia nuts.

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Pfeffernusse

Mike Krautter
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German for "pepper nut," these spice cookies get their name from the pinch of black pepper in the batter. We've upped the ante with two finishing touches: a kirsch-spiked glaze and a sprinkling of pink peppercorns.

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Sugar-Dusted Macaroon Trees

Seth Smoot
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Festive and easy to make, these macaroon evergreens only require six ingredients: shredded coconut, sugar (regular and powdered), egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Bonus: they're gluten-free!

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White Chocolate-Gingerbread Blondies

Victor Schraeger
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Turn up the volume on blondies by adding warming spices (cinnamon, ginger, and cloves) and a generous dose of white chocolate to the mix.

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Ideal Sugar Cookies

Alpha Smoot
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Martha has made hundreds of different cookies over the years. Her favorites for the holidays are these classic sugar ones. (The secret ingredient: a splash of brandy.) Cut into any shape you like and decorate with royal icing.

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By Frances Kim