You’ll love this curated list of 26 best Christmas cookies and bars for a sweet and spiced holiday! From traditional Christmas cookies to holiday favorites with a twist, these are perfect for gift-giving too.
Is it even the holidays if you’re not baking at least one (or a dozen!) batch(es) of cookies? And in my case, elbow deep in cookie batter and powdered sugar and icing as the holiday draws near?
One of my favorite things to do every Christmas is to bake cookie boxes for friends and neighbors! They usually feature anywhere from 6-10 different types of cookies. It’s my chosen method of payment in advance for all the favors I can ask them in the following year!😄
Forget all the sugar, just the fun of baking cookies as edible gifts gives me enough of a high to take me all the way through the dreary winter months!
So, I put together this curated list of 26 festive Christmas cookies from my website to give you lots of inspiration for the holiday season. I also share lots of tips for cookie success, how best to store them, and even ideas for transporting and gift-giving.
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My best tips for cookie success
- Read the recipe fully before you start! A well written recipe should not be vague, with clearly explained steps that are easy to follow.
- Please use metric measurements, if available. As explained in my measurements conversion page, weight measurements will guarantee consistently good results (over volume measurements).
- Do not substitute recipe ingredients without making sure they’ll work. Instead, look for a different recipe that’s tested with those substitutions or alternative ingredients.
- Alternatively, you can test any recipe modifications or variations ahead of time, before you’re ready to bake the final batch.
- With cookies, the choice of fat is crucial. Use the right type of butter – melted butter vs room temperature butter vs chilled butter, as noted in the recipe.
- If the recipe calls for brown butter, trust the process and make the brown butter! It really elevates the flavor of the cookies.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter when baking cookies, so that I have full control over how much salt I add to the dough.
- Do not bake cookies in a glass tray! Only use metal baking trays / sheet pans for baking cookies. Glass conducts heat differently and will change how the cookies bake.
- Ideally, use a flat tray / sheet pan – not a pan with high sides. The higher sides can also radiate heat and impact how the cookies bake.
- If the cookie recipe calls to be chilled – DO NOT skip this step! You might be tempted to cut down on time. But there’s a reason for the chilling step. Sometimes, it’s to prevent the cookies spreading as they bake, or to allow the dough to rest and evenly hydrate.
- Space the cookies appropriately on the baking sheet. Some cookies will spread quite a bit, like these lace cookies or even the chocolate chip cookies. If the dough portions are kept too close, they will melt into one big blob.
- Know your oven. This is a big one. Most ovens are not able to bake multiple racks at the same time because the oven cannot evenly and efficiently bake cookies on two racks. So, bake one tray at a time for best results, if that’s the case.
- If you still choose to bake two trays at once, you’ll have to rotate and swap the trays half way through to make sure they bake as evenly as possible. But this also risks losing air and steam from inside, which can affect the cookies.
- Bake in the middle rack of the oven. Most ovens should have even heat from the bottom and top elements. So the middle rack provides even heat from both sides. If you bake too close to the top element or bottom element, the cookies may overbake or burn.
- Remember when I told you to closely follow the recipe? Well, ONE exception to that rule would be if your oven runs hot or cold. In which case, the bake times may vary! So, check the consistency of the cookies that are baked first. Then adjust the bake time to get the consistency you like.
- Cookies are usually very soft while still warm, so let them cool a little before using a wide spatula to lift them off the tray and transfer to a wire rack. Then let them cool completely on a wire rack. Otherwise, water condensation on the tray will make the cookies soggy.
Classic Christmas cookies
1. Thumbprint cookies
Classic thumbprint cookies
These are always a holiday favorite! Deliciously buttery cookies with a sweet jam filling, these are endlessly versatile and adaptable.
Thumbprint cookies recipe
2. Linzer cookies
Classic linzer cookies
A nutty, almond-flavored cookies with a fruity jam filling and dusted with powdered sugar on top. Another buttery, delicious classic!
Linzer cookies recipe
3. Soft ginger cookies
Soft ginger molasses cookies
Soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies, with a slightly chewy edge, and packed with spices! We actually prefer these so much more over gingersnap cookies. Plus, there’s one special ingredient in them that puts these cookies over the top!
Soft ginger cookies recipe
4. Shortbread cookies
Easy shortbread cookies
Buttery, crumbly, light, these classic shortbread cookies are one of a kind! And you only need a minimum of 3 ingredients to make them.I also show how to make softer Scottish shortbread cookies in this recipe too.
Shortbread cookies recipe
5. Snowball cookies
Snowball cookies
These go by many names. Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, butter balls, Italian wedding cookies etc. Nutty, buttery, not too sweet, quick and simple to make, and covered in a thick coating of confectioner's sugar… these are so delicious and very popular Christmas cookies!
Snowball cookies recipe
6. Funfetti sugar cookies
Funfetti sugar cookies
Growing up in New Zealand, we called these hundreds and thousands biscuits or fairy cookies, and they are just so fun and popular as holiday cookies.Soft, buttery, milky, and colorful, these are easy sugar cookies topped with a simple cookie frosting and rainbow sprinkles!
Funfetti cookies recipe
7. Oatmeal lace cookies
Oatmeal lace cookies
One-of-a-kind, super easy, quick to bake, delicious, delicate cookies!These taste like a fancy oat cookie wafer, and the addition of oats gives them a lovely nutty flavor, even though they are nut-free. Can be made gluten free too.
Oatmeal lace cookies recipe
8. Italian pistachio cookies
Italian pistachio cookies
Soft and a little fudgy in the center, with crunchy pistachios on the outside, these cookies are ready in under 30 minutes! These are dairy free and gluten free, and make perfect giving with some homemade marshmallows with crunchy pistachios on top.
Italian pistachio cookies recipe
9. Meringue cookies (meringue kisses)
Meringue kisses
Light as air, crisp, perfectly sweet, bite-sized meringue cookies made with just 5 ingredients! Super duper easy, and you can easily add color, texture, and flavor to these versatile cookies too.
Meringue cookies recipe
10. Chocolate chip and cranberry shortbread cookies
Chocolate chip cranberry shortbread cookies
Studded with bits of chocolate and dried cranberries, and spiced with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, these shortbread cookies are super easy and perfect for holiday baking!
Chocolate chip and cranberry shortbread cookies recipe
11. Gingerbread house
Gingerbread dough and house
A tried-and-true, easy gingerbread house recipe with a well-tested gingerbread house template, and lots of tips on how to construct and decorate it. This gingerbread house cookie is delicious to eat, with warming spices, and not overly sweet.
Gingerbread house recipe
Savory and spiced holiday cookies
12. Savory thumbprint cookies
Savory thumbprint cookies
These are a reader-favorite on the blog! Cheesy cookies that are crisp at the edges, soft in the middle, with an incredible sweet and spicy bourbon tomato jam in the middle! These Christmas cookies are perfect as holiday appetizers too.
Savory thumbprint cookies
13. Thyme and cheddar savory cookies
Thyme and cheddar cheese cookies
Cheesy and buttery with a little kick of spice, these slice and bake savory cookies are yet another holiday-favorite! These can be served soft or crisp depending on bake time, and the dough can be made ahead and frozen for later too.
Savory cookies recipe
14. Juniper berry spiced chocolate hazelnut cookies
Spiced chocolate hazelnut cookies
These slice and bake cookies have so much going on, and they are one of my absolute favorite holiday cookies, ever! They have a unique bittersweet, chocolatey, nutty, floral flavor profile, with a crunchy edge and soft, fudgy center!
Spiced chocolate hazelnut cookies recipe
15. Cardamom and orange melting moments cookies
Spiced melting moments cookies
As the name suggests, these buttery, nutty, crumbly cookies have a melt-in-your-mouth soft consistency!These cookies also have a lovely spicy kick with cardamom and orange, with a delicious chocolate truffle filling in the center.
Melting moments cookies recipe
Chocolate lovers’ Christmas cookies
16. Chocolate shortbread cookies
Chocolate shortbread cookies
Chocolate shortbread made with cocoa powder, and a simple chocolate drizzle on top. These are deeply chocolate flavored, and are deliciously buttery, without being overly sweet.
Chocolate shortbread cookies recipe
17. Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate chip cookies
Always a classic, no matter the occasion. These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies are made with nutty, toasty brown butter for an extra dimension of irresistible flavor!
Chocolate chip cookies recipe
18. Fudgy chocolate brownies
Double fudge cocoa brownies
An extensively tested recipe that uses cocoa powder (instead of melted chocolate) to make very chocolatey double fudge cocoa brownies that are every chocolate lover's wildest holiday wish!
Chocolate brownies recipe
19. Double chocolate chip cookies
Ultimate double chocolate chip cookies
These double (or even triple) chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy, and loaded with chocolate in each bite! Super easy to customize to your liking, and they make excellent edible gifts for the holidays!
Double chocolate chip cookies recipe
20. S’mores cookies
S’mores chocolate chip cookies
These are chock-full of everything you love in a cookie! Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, loaded with marshmallows, graham crackers, and melted chocolate.
S’mores cookies recipe
Christmas cookie bars
21. Brookie bars
Brookies
Fudgy chocolate brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and blondies all rolled into one ultimate brookie bar! Made even more flavorful with nutty, toasty brown butter. So easy and you can make these ahead of time too for the holidays.
Brookies recipe
22. Pecan pie bars
Fudgy pecan pie bars
Decadent and fudgy butterscotch filling between a crunchy, chewy topping and a flaky, buttery shortbread crust!These pecan pie bars are an easy alternative to classic pecan pie, and they make excellent Christmas dessert bars!
Pecan pie bars recipe
23. Apple pie bars
Apple pie crumble bars
A delicious, spiced shortbread crust, a melt-in-your-mouth caramel apple pie filling, and a nutty pecan crumble topping come together to make these classic holiday dessert bars!
Apple pie bars recipe
24. Millionaire’s shortbread bars
Spiced millionaire’s shortbread cookie bars
Soft, buttery, crumbly shortbread cookie base spiced with ginger and warming spices, and then covered in smooth, creamy vanilla caramel and semisweet chocolate layers!These are like spiced ginger Twix bars and are such a decadent treat during the festive season.
Millionaire’s shortbread cookie bars recipe
25. Snickerdoodle blondies
Snickerdoodle blondies
If you like snickerdoodle cookies, you'll love this blondie version. Very fudgy in the middle with chewy edges, and deep cinnamon and butterscotch flavors!
Snickerdoodle blondies recipe
26. Brown butter blondies
Brown butter blondies with chocolate and pecans
Thick, fudgy, decadent, packed with so much flavor, and made with brown butter to make them absolutely irresistible! The dark chocolate chunks and chopped pecans add an extra bit of flavor and texture.
Brown butter blondies recipe
How to store cookies (and make-ahead tips)
- Cookies should ALWAYS be stored in an airtight container if you want to keep them fresh for longer.
- Let them cool to room temperature before storing them. Warm cookies will get soggy in an airtight container.
- Some cookies have a shorter lifespan than others. For example, lace cookies should be eaten within 24 hours, compared to most other cookies that will taste great for at least a few days! So, plan your bake accordingly.
- Cookies such as chocolate chip cookies, ginger cookies, shortbread cookies can be portioned or cut ahead of time and frozen for later.
- Cookies like shortbread, linzer, melting moments can also be baked and then frozen for later. Make sure to minimize air contact by wrapping them well. To refresh the cookies, reheat them gently in a low heat oven while loosely covered.
- The cookies for any filled cookies can be made ahead, and then filled about 1 day before eating, serving, or gifting to retain freshness.
Tips for transporting and gift-giving
- Separate the savory cookies from sweet cookies. Ideally, place the savory cookies in a sealable cellophane bag or similar. This is because the savory cookies may contain very savory ingredients such as garlic, cheese, or onions. The sweet cookies can absorb these smells, which won’t be desirable.
- Unfortunately, it’s not really feasible or affordable to use airtight gift boxes. So, most cookie boxes will be regular paper boxes. But, each type of cookie can be packed in cellophane bags (in addition to the savory ones) to keep them fresher for longer.
- Use large muffin liners to separate the cookies in the box. This is a cost effective way to separate the cookies, while making it look very neat.
- Include a little note on how to store the cookies and for how long (e.g. in an airtight container, how many days at room temperature / fridge etc.), so that the recipient can make sure the cookies stay fresh for longer.
- If packing large batches of different types of cookies (for a cookie swap etc.), make sure you have airtight containers. Any cookies that have sticky fillings can be separated by parchment paper between layers – for example like the thumbprint cookies.
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