25 Best Christmas Cookies

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Are you ready to bake and spread some holiday cheer? Christmas cookie season is here! Whether you need inspiration for your cookie platters, homemade gifts for teachers and neighbors, or a festive potluck dessert, these Christmas cookies have you covered all season long. From gingerbread guys and gals to chocolate biscotti, there is something for every cookie lover on this list. Be sure to read my best baking tips before you get started to ensure success. Break out your cookie cutters and let the baking begin!

25 Best Christmas Cookies

1. Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Sweet but not cloying, these buttery, nutty, sugar-crusted shortbread cookies come from pastry chef Lisa Kolb Ruland of the blog Unpeeled. They are perfect to serve with coffee or tea any time of day, and they make a lovely homemade gift. GET THE RECIPE

2. Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies

These chewy and soft molasses cookies with a sparkly sugar crust are loved by kids and grown-ups alike. The recipe calls for a hint of ground black pepper; you won’t know it’s there, but it adds a subtle heat that lingers on the palate. GET THE RECIPE

3. Holiday Cut-Out Butter Cookies

Buttery and crisp, these almond-scented sugar cut-out cookies are a dream to make. The dough comes together in minutes, is easy to work with, and holds its shape perfectly when baked. GET THE RECIPE

4. THE BEST Chocolate CHIP Cookies

These classic chocolate chip cookies are reliably thick, chewy on the inside, and crisp around the edges—and they have the perfect balance of salty, sweet and chocolaty flavor. GET THE RECIPE

5. Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies are quite possibly the cutest holiday cookies but, they often taste like cardboard! Not so with these darling gingerbread guys and gals: flavored with ginger, molasses and warm spices, and with a perfect crispy-chewy texture, they taste just as good as they look. GET THE RECIPE

6. Snickerdoodles

Sweet and buttery sugar cookies coated with cinnamon-sugar—who can resist an old-fashioned snickerdoodle? This is a great recipe to make with young kids; little ones love forming the squishy dough into balls and rolling them in cinnamon-sugar before baking. GET THE RECIPE

7. Viennese Crescents

Fondly known as Kipferl in Austria, Viennese crescents are nutty and delicate cookies shaped like whimsical half-moons. A dusting of powdered sugar makes it look like they’ve been covered with freshly fallen snow. GET THE RECIPE

8. LINZER COOKIES

Linzer cookies are nutty, buttery sandwich cookies filled with jam inspired by the famous Viennese Linzer torte. The small cut-out on the top cookie creates a beautiful stained-glass-window effect. Get the recipe

9. The Best Sugar Cookies

These crave-worthy cookies are rich and buttery with a crisp, sugary exterior and soft, chewy interior. The secret ingredients? Cream cheese, which makes the cookies tender, and a hint of almond extract, which gives the cookies a delicate almond flavor. For a festive twist, roll them in holiday-themed sprinkles instead of sugar before baking. GET THE RECIPE

10. Scottish Shortbread

Crisp, ultra-buttery, and not too sweet, shortbread cookies are easy to make with just a few ingredients. Traditionally baked in large rounds and cut into wedges, shortbread is served in Scotland on winter solstice and holidays. It’s delicious with tea or coffee any time of day, and since it’s plain (in a good way), kids love it too. GET THE RECIPE

11. Crispy Ginger Cookies

Featuring a spot-on mix of ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves, these ginger cookies deliver a buttery, sweet crunch with just the right touch of chewiness in the center. GET THE RECIPE

12. Double Chocolate Biscotti

My son calls these chocolate biscotti “crunchy brownies.” They might seem like fancy grown-up cookies, but children love them too. Serve them with a glass of hot chocolate or warm milk for dunking and you will have very happy kiddos. GET THE RECIPE

13. Peanut Butter Blossoms

Easy to make and sinfully good, peanut butter blossoms are chewy peanut butter cookies topped with Hershey’s kisses—and they are some of the cutest cookies around. GET THE RECIPE

14. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate crinkle cookies are what happens when you cross a brownie with a chocolate chip cookie. To get the crinkled exterior, you roll the chocolate dough balls in powdered sugar. As the cookies bake, they spread, causing the sugar to crack and reveal the chocolate cookie underneath. GET THE RECIPE

15. Christmas Wreath “Cookies”

These treats make a fun kitchen project for kids and adults alike, and the finished wreaths are as cute as they are delicious. Made with cornflakes, marshmallows, green food coloring, and mini candies, they are a holiday twist on classic Rice Krispie treats. GET THE RECIPE

16. Almond Biscotti

Inspired by the cookies served at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, these biscotti are made by shaping an almond-studded cookie dough into loaves, baking it, slicing it, and then baking it again. They are lightly sweet, buttery, crunchy but not tooth-shattering, and good any time of day. GET THE RECIPE

17. Marbled Peppermint Bark

With delightful swirls of white and dark chocolate adorned with crushed peppermint candy canes, this bark offers a simple yet festive addition to your holiday treat lineup. While it may not be a traditional cookie, it certainly deserves a place on your holiday dessert table! GET THE RECIPE

18. Chocolate Chip Meringues

These gorgeously light meringue cookies have a crisp outer shell and marshmallowy interior filled with chocolate chips. Bonus: they’re naturally gluten-free. GET THE RECIPE

19. Coconut Macaroons

Chewy inside and golden-crisp outside, these coconut macaroons are wonderful plain but even more irresistible dipped in melted dark chocolate. They keep well for days on end, making them the perfect cookie to bake ahead or gift to friends and neighbors over the holidays. GET THE RECIPE

20. Toffee Almond Sandies

A longtime family favorite, these toffee almond sandies are buttery, sweet shortbread cookies studded with caramelized toffee bits and slivered almonds. The recipe makes a ton and the cookies keep for a long time – the perfect holiday cookie! GET THE RECIPE

21. Chocolate Kisses (Baci di Cioccolato)

These sophisticated chocolate cookies come from Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by the late Gina DePalma. A variation of  baci di dama (Italian lady’s kisses), which consist of two tiny hazelnut cookies and a rich chocolate filling, they are perfect Christmas cookie for the chocolate lovers in your life. GET THE RECIPE

22. Canadian Butter Tarts

Though they may not be cookies in the traditional sense, these buttery mini pies are a splendid addition to any cookie tray. With a crisp, flaky crust cradling a gooey filling made from butter, sugar, syrup, and egg, they often include additions like nuts or raisins. GET THE RECIPE

23. Oatmeal CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

If you’re a fan of classic chocolate chip cookies, you’ll want to try this oatmeal version. With their hearty oat texture and a hint of nutty flavor, they might just become your new favorite chocolate chip cookies! GET THE RECIPE

24. SnowBall Cookies

Covered with powdered sugar like a blanket of snow, these cookies (aka Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, or butter balls) are a must for the holiday season. GET THE RECIPE

25. Spritz Cookies

Press, bake, enjoy! Easily whip up dozens of adorable spritz cookies using a cookie press. Kids will love helping to make, press, and decorate the cookies. GET THE RECIPE