Welcome to my complete cookie guide. There’s enough sugar to last us an entire year! After years of baking cookies—and writing a cookie cookbook—I have a pretty good understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Let me help you avoid a failed batch of cookies with my highest rated recipes and no-fail success tips. I recommend starting with my beloved Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies—also a reader favorite. 🙂
My Cookie Success Guides
Cookie help? Here are my top 5 Cookie Baking Success Tips to improve your next batch Royal icing trouble? Here’s my full royal icing tutorial. Which tools are best? Here are my 10 best Cookie Baking Tools and Cookie Decorating Supplies Mailing cookies? Here is the Best Way to Ship Cookies Planning ahead? Here is How to Freeze Cookie Dough Cookie spreading? Here are my tips for How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading Sugar cookie decorating help? Here’s How to Decorate Sugar Cookies
Room Temperature Butter
Most cookie recipes call for room temperature butter. There’s legitimate science behind this, so don’t overlook it. Room temperature butter is cooler than you think, so review my Room Temperature Butter page. And here’s my trick to soften butter quickly. Let’s talk recipes. Here are 75+ Christmas cookies including classic Christmas cookies, decorated Christmas cookies, allergy-friendly cookies, chocolate, white chocolate, shortbread cookies, and a category for QUICK cookies! I’m confident you’ll find a cookie to love this holiday season. 🙂
Classic Christmas Cookies
- Spritz Cookies and Butter Cookies2) Chocolate Crinkle Cookies3) Peanut Butter Blossoms and Peanut Butter Cookies4) Soft Molasses Cookies and Crisp Molasses Cookies5) Pinwheel Cookies6) Iced Oatmeal Cookies7) Raspberry Pistachio Linzer Cookies8) Snowball Cookies or Peppermint Snowball Cookies9) Gingerbread Cookies or try Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies10) Christmas Sugar Cookies11) Snickerdoodles (no dough chilling)12) Jam Thumbprints from Sally’s Cookie Addiction13) Cinnamon Spice Palmiers
Super Festive Christmas Cookies
- Homemade Gingerbread House15) Drop Style Christmas Cookies and Christmas Cookie Sparkles16) Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies17) Brown Butter Sugar Cookies18) Easy Cookie Icing for decorating or try classic Royal Icing19) Red Velvet Kiss Cookies20) Snowmen Sugar Cookies21) Chocolate Swirled Meringue Cookies22) Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies23) Candy Cane Kiss Cookies24) Stained Glass Window Cookies
No Chill/Quick Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Cookies in a Jar26) Red Velvet Whoopie Pies27) Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches (like Nutter Butters!)28) Mini M&M Cookies and M&M Cookie Bars29) Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies30) Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies (use festive sprinkles!)31) Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Monster Cookies32) Flourless Almond Butter Cookies33) Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies34) Vanilla Bean Biscotti and Dark Chocolate Orange Biscotti35) Magic Cookie Bars
Allergy-Friendly Christmas Cookies
- Lace Cookies (GF and no dough chilling)37) No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Snowballs (nut free + GF, but make sure oats are certified GF)38) Coconut Macaroons (nut free + GF)39) Almond Butter Coconut Macaroons (GF)40) No-Bake Cookies (make sure oats are certified GF)41) Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (make sure oats are certified GF)42) French Macarons (GF)43) Rice Krispie Treats (GF)44) Chocolate Truffles (GF) *Here are all of my egg free baking recipes.
Chocolate Lovers Christmas Cookies
- Peppermint Mocha Cookies46) Chocolate Turtle Cookies47) Brownie Cookies (quick dough chilling)48) Chocolate Dipped Almond Biscotti (no dough chilling)49) Mint Chocolate Checkerboard Cookies50) Dark Chocolate Cranberry Almond Cookies51) Caramel Stuffed Nutella Cookies52) Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies53) Chocolate Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Ginger Cookies54) Homemade Thin Mint Cookies55) Chocolate Chip Cookies56) Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (could use red & green M&Ms instead of chocolate chips)
White Chocolate Lovers Christmas Cookies
- Peppermint Bark Cookies58) Peppermint White Chocolate Cookies59) Holiday Magic 5 Cookies60) Maple Cinnamon Cut-Out Cookies (dipped in white chocolate!)61) White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies62) White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti (no dough chilling)63) Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies (with white chocolate drizzle!)64) Soft-Baked White Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies65) White Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies66) Ginger Molasses Cookies from I Heart Naptime (dipped in white chocolate!)
Shortbread/Slice & Bake
- Santa’s Whiskers Cookies68) Pecan Shortbread69) Salted Chocolate Pistachio Shortbread (no dough chilling)70) Toasted Hazelnut Slice & Bake Cookies71) Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies72) Neapolitan Cookies73) Salted Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Slice & Bake Cookies74) Cherry Almond Shortbread Cookies75) Pistachio Cookies76) Wedge Shortbread Cookies (no dough chilling)77) Cranberry Orange Cookies 78) Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
Need Several Batches? How to Maximize Your Time
If you’re anything like me, you want to bake at least 5 different kinds of Christmas cookies at once. In fact, I have a dedicated Holiday Cookie Baking Day every single year. After a few stressful experiences trying to cram a bunch of recipes into 1 day, I found the perfect combination of cookies that maximizes my time. I’m happy to share my schedule and recipe suggestions with you:
Free Printable – Ingredients & Shopping Chart
To make shopping easier, my team and I knew readers would find an ingredient chart helpful when shopping for ingredients. This chart fits 6 recipes—you can list the recipes at the top, then write in the amounts so you can see how many cups, bottles, teaspoons, etc that you need to purchase for each ingredient. You can add extras at the bottom too like candy canes, Hershey Kisses, molasses, etc. (This chart doesn’t include basics like salt, baking soda, and baking powder.) **Free Baking Ingredients Chart PDF: Sally’s Baking Recipes Ingredients Chart Here is a photo preview:
Final Cookie Baking Success Tips
And while we’re chatting about all things holiday baking, be sure to check out my Holiday Gifts for Bakers guide. Lots of fun ideas in there, either for yourself or other baker friends! Q: Which Christmas cookies are you making this year? You might also enjoy making a masterpiece yule log, too!
