28 Holiday Cookies to Bake This Year

Looking for the perfect cookie for the holiday season? Look no farther than this list of cookies, containing bar cookies, drop cookies, hand-formed cookies and more! You’re bound to find EXACTLY what you’re looking for in this cookie list!

Decorated and colorful sugar cookies on a brown paper, with Pinterest text

This year’s Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange has come and gone, and I’m reeling over what was shared because y’all, we had a talented and amazing bunch of bakers this year.

Also, we have 28 new cookie recipes that are now residing on my must-try list.

(Someone will come here and bake them all with me, right? And then help me eat them, too?)

Whether you’re looking for drop cookies, no bake cookies, cookies that you cut out or more, chances are, we’ve got a cookie for you on this year’s holiday cookie list! You can bake them for a cookie exchange, Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day), Hanukkah and more, too, because, well, you can’t go wrong with sharing cookies during the holiday season.

I am so excited to share some amazing cookie recipes you absolutely need to bake before the holiday season is over.

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    Looking for more cookie inspiration? Check out Winston’s Favorite Holiday Cookies, as well as 39 Cookies for Santa and 41 Holiday Cookie Recipes You’ve Gotta Bake This December!

    Brownies & Bar Cookies

    1
    www.baumassfoods.com
    Vegan Double Chocolate Pecan Cookie Bars
    How perfect do these cookies bars look? Calling for tons of chocolate and pecans, they sounds pretty heavenly to me. Oh, and they're VEGAN! Perfection!
    Get the Recipe
    2
    www.crumbtopbaking.com
    Chocolate Chai Spice Crumble Bars
    These vegan, gluten free CRUMBLE bars are the perfect treat for Santa and friends, especially if you're into warming spices. Personally, I'm into it, and y'all know I cannot wait to try it because chai + chocolate + bar cookies sounds pretty delish to me.
    Get the Recipe
    3
    www.missmollymoon.com
    Old Fashioned Orange Slice Bars
    While I've never had an Orange Slice Bar, I love the sound of them because, well, I love a good citrusy dessert. These are Molly's mom's recipe, and my goodness, do they look amazing for sharing this holiday season!
    Get the Recipe
    4
    www.thefreshcooky.com
    Salted Chocolate Graham Bites
    Salty sweet dessert lover? These Graham bites are for you! (And me–because I love 'em, too.) They're chewy and all kinds of perfect for sharing… or just making for yourself. No judgment here!
    Get the Recipe

    Cutout and Shaped Cookies

    5
    www.sugarlovespices.com
    Ciambelline Sarde
    These classic Sardinian Sandwich Cookies are shaped like flowers and filled with jam OR chocolate hazelnut spread. These wouldn't last long in our household, that's for sure. The question is: Which filling would you choose first?
    Get the Recipe
    6
    e2bakesbrooklyn.com
    Pretzel Shortbread
    Pretzel cookies with a drizzle of dark chocolate on 'em… and a sprinkle of salt? Oh, YES. I'm totally all in for these shortbread cookies.
    Get the Recipe
    7
    www.thinkfruitful.com
    Orange Spice Cookies
    Sugar and spice and everything nice… with ORANGE! I love a good citrusy cookie (and dessert, in general), so y'all know I adore the combination of flavors in these cookies. What kind of cookie cutter would you use for yours?
    Get the Recipe

    Drop Cookies

    8
    homespunseasonalliving.com
    Old-Fashioned Spicy Hermit Cookies
    Before this year's Sweetest Season, I had never heard of a Hermit Cookie, let alone a SPICY one. Homespun Seasonal Living has enlightened me, and I cannot wait to bake these. These vintage cookies are filled with dried fruits, nuts and coffee… so you know they're going to be a winner!
    Get the Recipe
    9
    rootsy.org
    Chocolate Cranberry Sauce Cookies
    Cookies made with cranberry sauce AND chocolate? Sign me up! I'm loving the combination of flavors in these drop cookies because cranberries and chocolate are two of my favorite things this time of year, though I've never had them together. Fixing that ASAP!
    Get the Recipe
    10
    www.meandmypinkmixer.com
    Jam Thumbprint Cookies
    To me, Thumbprint Cookies are perfect for sharing during the holiday season because you can fill them with so many different ingredients! I love these classic Jammy ones from Me and My Pink Mixer!
    Get the Recipe
    11
    marisamoore.com
    White Chocolate Macadamia Oatmeal Cookies
    Looking for a gluten free cookie for the holidays? Marisa Moore has brought her gorgeous and festive flavored White Chocolate Macadamia Oatmeal Cookies to this year's cookie table… and they sound divine.
    Get the Recipe
    12
    strengthandsunshine.com
    Vegan White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
    These Vegan White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies are also gluten free AND allergy free, so they're perfect for sharing with your friends and family members who have intolerances. But also, they're perfect for YOU, whether or not you're gluten free or have food allergies, because they have such amazing flavors.
    Get the Recipe
    13
    Three Potato Chip Cookies stacked on top of each other, served on a red napkin with milk in background
    Potato Chip Cookies
    These Potato Chip Cookies are a long-time favorite of my family's because they combine salty and sweet into one bite-sized cookie. Filled with actual potato chips AND pecans, they never last long in our house.
    Get the Recipe
    14
    A lemon drop cookie, with a bite taken out of it, sits on a metal serving tray with other cookies
    Lemon Drop Cookies
    Looking for a lighter, fluffy cookie this season? Lemon Drops are the way to go! Named after the classic cocktail, these cookies are light and bright with a sweet-tart glaze that makes 'em super balanced. I bet Santa wouldn't mind a few of these on his cookie plate…
    Get the Recipe

    Hand-Formed Cookies

    15
    www.idigpinterest.com
    Christmas Cake Mix Cookies Three Ways
    Cake mix cookies are SO SMART and make life so much easier if you're on a time crunch! I Dig Pinterest has given us THREE WAYS to make and decorate them… and I, for one, think it's brilliant.
    Get the Recipe
    16
    lifeloveandgoodfood.com
    Ginger Molasses Cookies
    Oh, these Ginger Molasses Cookies are a classic from Life, Love and Good Food, and they sing of the seasonal flavors I think of whenever we discuss the holidays. What a combination, right?
    Get the Recipe
    17
    smackofflavor.com
    Snowman Peanut Butter Cookies
    These Snowman Peanut Butter Cookies are just too cute! And I have no doubt they're going to be a blast to make with kids because how can you NOT have fun making a face like that on your cookies?!
    Get the Recipe
    18
    houseofnasheats.com
    Glazed Jam Thumbprint Cookies
    Now these thumbprints are simply GORGEOUS and filled with your favorite jam, and oh my goodness, I could eat the whole batch. The question is: Which jams are you going to use? And will you go the extra mile to make the vanilla glaze, too?
    Get the Recipe
    19
    theschmidtywife.com
    White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Cookies
    White chocolate and peppermint just so so beautifully together this time of year, and The Schmidty Wife brings the flavors in her dipped cookies that are also studded with peppermints! I know these taste exactly like the holiday season!
    Get the Recipe
    20
    savoryspin.com
    Easy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
    Oatmeal and cranberries in a cookie sounds absolutely delicious to me because I love these flavors separately AND together. Savory Spin knows her flavors, and I have no doubt these easy cookies are utterly scrumptious and perfect for sharing!
    Get the Recipe
    21
    www.pookspantry.com
    Almond Biscotti with Golden Raisins
    Have you ever made biscotti? If you haven't, you need to because this Almond Biscotti with Golden Raisins (that are soaked in AMARETTO!) are utterly perfect. I've had some of Pook's Pantry's biscotti before, and let me just say: 10/10 recommend.
    Get the Recipe
    22
    hellolittlehome.com
    Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
    Thumbprints filled with PEPPERMINT goodness? Could these cookies get any cuter OR be any more Christmasy? No, they can not… so we should probably bake them ASAP, assuming you adore peppermint as much as I do.
    Get the Recipe
    23
    www.bunsenburnerbakery.com
    Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
    Thumbprint cookies filled with LEMON sounds like the perfect tart-sweet cookie of my dreams. As someone who's gotten into citrus-flavored sweets in her 30s, I love seeing and experiencing more lemons and other citruses in cookies. In fact, I could probably eat the entire batch of these…
    Get the Recipe

    No Bake Cookies

    24
    www.crumbtopbaking.com
    Crispy Peanut Butter Balls
    These vegan, naturally gluten free peanut butter balls are perfect for making a large batch and then sharing them with the people you love most! Crumb Top Baking brings the flavors with these dark chocolate-covered peanut butter balls, and they're perfect for the season.
    Get the Recipe

    Other Cookies

    25
    joybileefarm.com
    Anise Flavored Gluten Free Pizzelles
    Pizzelle Cookies are one of my family's favorites, but we've never made them. I love that these pizzelles, which are traditionally flavored with anise seed, are also gluten free!
    Get the Recipe
    26
    joybileefarm.com
    Gluten Free Chocolate Pizzelle Cookies
    These pizzelle cookies are on the sweeter end of the spectrum with chocolate! Also made gluten free, these are great for sharing with friends and neighbors!
    Get the Recipe
    27
    feastandwest.com
    Chocolate Chip Cookies Shots
    Chocolate chip cookie dough is shaped into a shot glass, coated in chocolate and then filled with your favorite liquid, whether it's a drink or a shot of milk. Either way, these are a PERFECT cookie to share this holiday season and to leave out on Christmas Eve…
    Get the Recipe
    A woman with dark curly hair wearing a black tank top in front of a white wall

    About the Author:

    Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her

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