15 Festive Christmas Cookie Recipes

December 12, 2024

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It is going to be a big month for holiday baking, and thought it might be helpful to wrangle some favorite Christmas cookie recipes into one spot. Favorite cookies, holiday vibes, one list. Included here is a wide range of cookies. Classic shortbread is my favorite, but decorating simple sugar cookies (pictured above) with icing never gets old. These gingerbread cookies are an annual event around here, and I get emails every year from people who love the triple ginger cookies. And Swedish rye cookies really deliver the winter vibes. You can stamp them into any shape you like, and if you can’t track down rye flour, go ahead and swap in whole wheat pastry flour. Have fun and happy holidays to all!

Christmas Cookie Classics

Simple Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies – My go-to sugar cookie recipe. The dough is a dream to work with, and these cookies love to be decorated with icing.

Gingerbread Cookies – A delicious, traditional tasting gingerbread cookie recipe that includes white whole wheat flour, assertive spices, and less refined sweeteners. They’re the best kind of spicy and very cute on popsicle sticks.

Shortbread Cookies – My forever favorite. Buttery, golden, classic shortbread cookies. So simple, and the best cookies on any cookie plate.

Hermit Cookies – My friend Sante shared his hermit recipe with me. A simple drop-style, spice cookie loaded with tiny currants, chopped walnuts, and finished with a good smear of icing.

Swedish Rye Cookies – Powder-kissed and pretty, these Swedish Rye cookies are perfect for holiday cookie enthusiasts who are after a not-too-sweet, shortbread-style butter cookie made from a Rye flour blend. (pictured above)

Triple Ginger Cookies – This ginger cookie recipe is made special with three kinds of ginger and a hint of lemon zest. Cracked and sugar-crusted on the outside, dense and moist within. (pictured above)

Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookies – The perfect bite-sized chocolate chip cookie. Tiny, thin, golden, crisp, a bit nutty with plenty of shaved chocolate.

Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies – I made these for Lottie & Doof’s 12 DAYS OF COOKIES years ago. They are tiny, bite-sized holiday cookies made with two kinds of ginger and lots of shaved chocolate. The turbinado sugar crust gives them a bit of crunch which is a nice contrast to the ooey-goey chocolate.

Limoncello Macaroons – A nice alternative to all of the peppermint and chocolate flavors this time of year. These are golden-crusted, powder-coated, almond-citrus gems spiked with limoncello liqueur.

Best Chocolate Cookies – I came across a cookie when I visited Portland, it was a crackle-edged puddle of chocolate with a texture that made me think of the collision between a soft meringue and a fudgy brownie. They are amazing. Downsize them a bit for a holiday cookie plate. The best chocolate cookies I know.

Sicilian Pistachio Cookies (Biscotti al Pistacchio)- Charming little bite-sized, powder-coated pistachio cookies inspired by a visit to Mona Talbott’s kitchen and the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy in Rome.

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies – Super decadent. A rich chocolate dough punctuated by generous amount of chopped peppermint bark and mini chocolate chips.

Rose Shortbread Cookies – The prettiest shortbread you can imagine. Buttery whole wheat shortbreads fragrant with rosewater, flecked with toasted nuts, and dried rose petals. On the shortbread front, there are also these Pine Nut Rosemary Shortbreads, a twist on the shortbread recipe I included in Super Natural Cooking. Perfectly golden pine nuts and just enough rosemary and lemon zest infuse a buttery sweet dough with fragrance and flavor. I also posted a Hearst Castle shortbread recipe years back – the recipe was the one made in the Hearst Castle kitchen. So much shortbread~! 😉

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Chip Cookies – A great peppermint bark cookie recipe using one of my favorite cookie doughs along with a generous amount of chopped peppermint bark.

Hope this list provides plenty of inspiration. Enjoy!