Who doesn’t love a cookie? Celebrate the holiday season baking cookies to share with family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, Santa and more! This list of 43 cookies has something for everyone on your list.
The Tenth Annual Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange was a smashing success, and I’m so thrilled to report that this year, we have 43 new recipes from bloggers all over the world. These are some of the best Christmas Cookie recipes around, though please don’t feel like you can only bake them for Christmas.
No matter if you’re a chocolate lover or prefer other flavors, we’ve got a cookie for you here. And we’ve broken them down into categories, like Brownies & Bar Cookies, Slice & Bake Cookies, No-Bake Cookies, Drop Cookies, Cut Out Cookies and more.
First, let’s talk about what this year’s Sweetest Season was all about!
Let’s talk about The Sweetest Season and Cookies for Kids Cancer!
Ten years ago, I decided it would be fun to share my favorite Christmas cookie recipes… then I invited other bloggers to join me, and the celebration grew… then we changed the name to make it more inclusive (because that matters!)… and the rest is history.
This year, we’re raising money in support of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. We’d love if you could join us in supporting a worthy cause this holiday season. Here is our fundraising page.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
And since it’s the season of giving and giving back, I’m thrilled to be supporting an organization that’s actively funding treatments for kids and their families going through the unthinkable.
Again, here is our fundraising page if you’d like to join us in raising some money for this worthwhile organization.
What Do I Need To Bake Cookies This Holiday Season?
Again—it depends on what you’re baking and what you’ve already got in your kitchen.
I went ahead and wrote out The 10 Best Baking Tools for Cookies. This post has some extras in it, too, just in case you need something specific for the recipe you’re making.
What kind of cookie is the best?
That’s up to you, my friend!
We’ve got more than 40 recipes below for you to peruse and decide which is the best.
So whether you love chocolate (or white chocolate), peppermint, peanut butter, cream cheese, maple, lemon or any flavor in between, we’ve got a little something for everyone.
We don’t doubt that you’re going to find a cookie on this list to bake this December. Whether you’re baking the cookies for Santa, your family, friends, neighbors, teachers or anyone else, there are SO many excellent options, thanks to the participants in this year’s Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange!
These nutty, buttery, chewy Noels Bars, are a classic Christmas cookie that are made with almond flour. They're a great non-chocolate addition to your cookie plate.
Biscochitos, or bizcochitos, are a traditional flaky sugar cookie native to New Mexico. Made with lard, these naturally dairy free cookies are perfect for holidays.
Christmas Double Chocolate Star Cookies are buttery and decadent shortbread cocoa cookies with the indulgence of a chocolate glaze and the festiveness of sprinkles.
Christmas Shortbread Cookies are the EASIEST cookie to make for the holidays. The dough comes together in the food processor, and with 5 simple ingredients, it’s perfect for a holiday cookie platter!
Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these gingerbread cookies are made without molasses. They taste just like real gingerbread, are easy to make, perfect for decorating and spiced to perfection.
This Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookie Recipe is so simple, delicious and adorable! They're made in one bowl and take less than an hour to put together!
Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies start with a classic chocolate chip cookie base and then add peppermint chips for flavor and texture. The result is a soft, gooey center with a little bit of exterior crunch.
Turtle Cheesecake Cookies are a cookie version of the irresistible candies. These soft cream cheese cookies are filled with caramel and pecans and finished with a chocolate drizzle.
These small batch Eggless Praline Pecan Cranberry Cookies are delicious and so easy to make. You do not need an electric mixer or to chill the dough, so mix, bake, and enjoy!
Loaded with traditional warm holiday flavors of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and molasses these soft-baked Ginger Molasses Cookies are like gingerbread in a hand-held cookie form!
The earthy flavor of these Lime Matcha Cookies is balanced with vibrant lime zest and topped with a drizzle of white chocolate for a stunning, yet subtle cookie.
Moscow Mule Cookies turn the famous cocktail into a dessert that’s worth sharing. Soft ginger cookies made with real ginger and lime zest are topped with a tart vodka-lime brown sugar icing.
Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt
Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt are the best because the brown butter gives these cookies more depth of flavor with a caramel nutty-like taste.
Peppermint Brownie Mix Cookies are an easy festive and delicious treat! Chocolate Brownie Cookies dipped in Andes Menthe chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint!
Christmas Funfetti Cookies are a fun twist on a classic cookie recipe. These festive confetti cookies have a nice crunchy exterior and are chock full of Christmas-colored sprinkles.
Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies are sweet and tart. Bursting with fresh raspberries, these cookies are a different take on the chocolate chip cookie.
These Chocolate Peppermint Cookies have a chocolate base and are studded with peppermint and white chocolate chips. Each cookie contains the flavors you’d find in peppermint bark!
Buttery, sweet, and zesty, Gluten-Free Italian Lemon Cookies are a traditional holiday treat! Vegan and allergy-free, these lemon knot cookies are known as Tarallucci al Limone or Anginetti in Southern Italy.
A fun twist on the classic cookie, Eggnog Snickerdoodles are sure to be a fun addition to your holiday baking list! Containing with rum extract and nutmeg, these cookies are filled with the flavors of eggnog and sugar cookies!
Nothing is better than a giant soft, fudgy cookie with crushed Oreos in the batter, swirled with a creamy vanilla buttercream and sprinkled with more crushed Oreos!
White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies are a soft, chewy cookie, loaded with white chocolate chips and raspberries. This recipe combines the sweet and buttery flavors with bites of tartness from the raspberries.
If you’re a cookie fanatic, you absolutely have to try these Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re perfectly crispy on the outside with a generous bite of Nutella in the middle of every cookie!
Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms are a healthier twist on a favorite holiday cookie. Even though this cookie is popular during the holiday season, you can enjoy these all year long!
Crispy Gingersnap Cookie Recipe is an easy and delicious holiday cookie to bake this season. These gingersnap cookies are a classic cookie with the perfect blend of warm spices.
These soft and chewy Red Velvet Crinkles are joyful in every bite! These cake mix cookies are made with only 4 ingredients and will satisfy that sweet chocolate craving any time of the year.
Whenever you want to have a show-stopping cookie tray for your next holiday party, serve beautiful white chocolate Oreo truffles. Guests of all ages will adore this special treat sometimes called Oreo snowball cookies.
Christmas Rice Krispie Treats are the best no-bake dessert for the holidays, and they’re fun to add to a cookie tray, too! Made with just eight ingredients, these homemade rice krispie treats get Christmas flair and color from their toppings!
These Salted Brown Butter Bourbon Rice Krispie Treats are made with fragrant brown butter and your favorite bourbon. Crunchy and chewy, this upgraded childhood sweet treat gets a sprinkle of flaky sea salt to boot.
Maple rum balls are an easy, no bake holiday treat for grownups. This easy rum ball recipe is a great nibble for holiday gatherings and for shipping to friends and family.
Kids and adults alike swoon over these charming Christmas Pinwheel Cookies with swirls of chocolate and peppermint rolled in colorful nonpareil sprinkles!
Chocolate pinwheel cookies are as soft and delicious as they are fun to make. Perfect any time of year, these easy slice and bake cookies stand out with their striking visual swirls.
Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies are the perfect cookie to share during the holidays! If you dream about the combination of peppermint and chocolate together during the holidays, these pretty swirled cookies will be your new favorite.
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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One Comment
All of these cookies look so delicious and I love all the different varieties! Can’t wait to try a few recipes! Also, what a wonderful cause!
All of these cookies look so delicious and I love all the different varieties! Can’t wait to try a few recipes! Also, what a wonderful cause!