It's that time of year when families across the country bust out the baking sheets to do some baking. Making Christmas cookies has been a holiday tradition for decades. You likely have fond memories of baking Christmas cookies with your own parents.
Now, it's time to pass that tradition along to your own children. Baking cookies together will allow you to make memories that will last a lifetime. Plus, your children will have the opportunity to learn important skills for their adult lives.
These Christmas cookie recipes are all fantastic. There are plenty of options here, so you should have no difficulty finding one that you and your family will love. Let your kids take a look at each recipe and give their thoughts, too. Christmas baking is supposed to involve the whole family!
If you don't find the right recipe here, be sure to take a look at our other alphabetized Christmas cookie lists. We have so many different recipes for you to look through. You'll never be left scratching your head wondering what to bake again!
Christmas Cookies
H
Hamantaschen
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Prune Filling — (recipe follows)
OR Apricot or Plum Filling — (recipe follows)
OR Poppy Seed Filling — (recipe follows)
PRUNE FILLING
1 (12 ounce) package pitted prunes
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
APRICOT OR PLUM FILLING
1 1/2 cups apricot or plum jam
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (about)
POPPY SEED FILLING
1 cup poppy seed
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg white
Directions:
1. Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
2. Mix lemon peel, vanilla and eggs. Stir into flour mixture until dough forms a ball. (Use hands to mix all ingredients if necessary; add up to 1/4 cup additional flour if dough is too sticky to handle.)
3. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
4. Prepare desired filling. Heat oven to 350º. Roll half of dough at a time 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 3-inch rounds. Spoon 1 level teaspoon filling onto each round. Bring up 3 sides, using metal spatula to lift, to form triangle around filling. Pinch edges together firmly.
5. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
PRUNE FILLING:
Heat prunes and enough water to cover to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes; drain well. Mash prunes.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
APRICOT OR PLUM FILLING:
Mix jam, almonds, lemon peel and lemon juice.
Stir in just enough bread crumbs until thickened.
POPPY SEED FILLING:
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth.
Haystacks
Ingredients:
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups butterscotch chips
1 12-ounce can of cocktail peanuts
5 ounces chow mein noodles
Directions:
1. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in the top of a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water.
2. Stir in nuts and noodles. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Cool. Store covered in the refrigerator.
Hazelnut Holiday Balls
Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 beaten egg yolk from large egg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
9 red candied cherries, halved
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
2. Beat together shortening and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk, orange and lemon peels, and lemon juice. Stir in flour and salt. Chill dough for approximately 1 hour.
3. Form dough into 1″ balls, then dip in egg white and roll in chopped hazelnuts. Press half candied cherry into the top of each cookie.
4. Bake for about 8 minutes or until cookies are set but not brown. Allow to cool for 1 minute on baking sheets, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Hazelnut Sablés
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or margarine — softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup hazelnuts — toasted (see Notes), and ground
1 egg — beaten
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup white coarse sugar crystals (decorating sugar)
Directions:
1. Beat butter and powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on
medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon. Stir in vanilla
and egg yolk. Stir in flour and ground hazelnuts until well blended.
2. Cover tightly and refrigerate 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 350º. Roll one fourth of dough at a time 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll.) Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and sugar crystals.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Hidden Treasures
Ingredients:
2/3 cup Butter Flavor or Golden Crisco
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
48 maraschino cherries, well drained on paper towels
White dipping chocolate:
1 cup white melting chocolate, cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons Butter flavor or Golden Crisco
Dark dipping chocolate:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons Butter flavor or Golden Crisco
Finely-chopped pecans
Slivered white chocolate
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream Crisco, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in large bowl until well blended.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Beat into creamed mixture at low speed. Divide into 48 equal pieces.
3. Press dough into very thin layer around well-drained cherries. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.
For dipping chocolate:
Place chocolate of choice and Crisco in glass measuring cup.
Microwave at 50%. Stir after 1 minute. Repeat until smooth. Or, melt over double boiler.
Drop one cookie at a time into chocolate. Use fork to turn over. Cover completely with chocolate. Lift cookie out of chocolate with fork. Allow excess to drip off.
If the chocolate becomes too firm, reheat. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of white chocolate cookies before the chocolate sets. Sprinkle white chocolate on dark chocolate cookies before chocolate sets. Chill in refrigerator to set chocolate.
Holiday Fruit Drops
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup soured milk, buttermilk, or water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups broken pecans
2 cups candied cherries, halved
2 cups chopped dates
Directions:
1. Mix shortening, sugar and eggs well. Stir in soured milk. Blend dry ingredients, stir in to wet mixture. Stir in the pecans, cherries and dates. Chill at least 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 400 F. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough about 2″ apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Place a pecan half on each cookie if desired.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly.
Holly Cookies
Ingredients:
30 large marshmallows
1/2 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 cups cornflakes
3 1/2 cups “red hots” candies
1 teaspoon green food coloring
Directions:
1. Mix marshmallows, margarine, vanilla extract and food coloring in a large pot. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly until the marshmallows are melted.
2. Remove from heat and add cornflakes.
3. Drop teaspoon size cookies on wax paper and add the “red hots” (4 look nice on the cookies). Do not double the recipe.
Honey-Oat Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
Granulated sugar
1 cup (about) thick fruit preserves (any flavor)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Beat brown sugar, butter, shortening, honey, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, oats and baking soda.
2. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Press bottom of glass into dough to grease, then dip into granulated sugar; press on shaped dough to flatten slightly.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center.
5. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
5. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons jam between bottoms of pairs of cookies.
Hungarian Poppy Seed Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup poppy seed filling (from 12 1/2-ounce can)
Powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon.
2. Beat in lemon peel and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda and cloves.
3. Roll dough between pieces of waxed paper into 1/4-inch-thick rectangle, 12 × 10 inches.
4. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm.
5. Heat oven to 350º. Grease cookie sheet. Remove waxed paper from one side of dough. Spread poppy seed filling over dough to within 1/4 inch of edges.
6. Roll up tightly, beginning at 12-inch side, peeling off waxed paper as dough is rolled. Pinch edge of dough to seal.
7. Cut roll into 1/2-inch slices. Place about 1 inch apart on cookie sheet.
8. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Hungarian Nut Rolls
Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup warm milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 egg
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
Walnut Paste
4 cups walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or cocoa
2 tablespoons cognac
1/3 cup hot milk
1 whole egg, beaten
Directions:
1. Pour 1/3 cup of the warm milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the surface of the milk. Stir to dissolve and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl using a wooden spoon or in the work bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat vigorously for 1 minute.
3. Beat in the yeast mixture, the remaining 2/3 cup milk, the lemon zest, salt, and 1 cup of the flour. Beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl is formed.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking. The dough will be very soft but not sticky.
5. Place the dough in a greased deep container. Turn once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at cool room temperature for 4 to 6 hours, deflating once or twice, or as long as overnight in the refrigerator. Gently deflate the dough.
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into a thick rectangle, place on loosely floured parchment paper, cover loosely with a clean tea towel, and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. To make the filling, combine the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until finely ground. Combine the cognac and milk and, with the motor running, pour the mixture through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, processing until a thick, spreadable paste is formed.
8. Using a floured rolling pin on a very lightly floured work surface to minimize sticking, roll or pat out each dough portion into a 13-by-7-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Spread the surface of each rectangle evenly with one-fourth of the nut paste.
9. Working with one rectangle at a time and starting from a long side, fold over a 2-inch section. Continue to fold the dough in this manner to create a flattish oval (rather than round) long log of dough. Pinch the seams and place the dough, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet, fitting all 4 rolls horizontally on the pan about 2 inches apart.
10 Brush with the egg glaze and prick all over with a fork. Let rest, uncovered, at room temperature about 20 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush once more with the beaten egg. Place the baking sheet on a rack in the center of the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.
12. Let rest on the baking sheet 10 minutes. Using a large spatula, transfer the loaves to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Christmas Cookie Recipes Index