Finding the right Christmas cookie recipe can feel exhausting. There are so many different choices out there. If you have a big family, this process can be especially hard. You have to find recipes that the majority of the family will love, otherwise you'll be trying to offload cookies on to friends and extended family for a while.
We've put together many lists of the best Christmas cookie recipes out there, in the hope that it will make your process of finding the right recipe easier. Make sure to get the opinions of the rest of your family before settling firmly on a recipe!
If everyone in the house is in on a recipe, everyone will be a lot more excited to roll up their sleeves and start baking! Christmas can be a wonderful time for making lifelong memories, so don't shy away from the chance to make some amazing cookies with your family.
If you don't find the right recipe here, check out our other alphabetized lists on Christmas cookie recipes. There are dozens of options available on these lists, so there's no reason for you to walk away empty-handed!
Christmas Cookies
T
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
2 cups finely chopped nuts
10 tablespoons jam or jelly (any flavor)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Beat brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg yolk in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour and salt.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly with fork. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts.
3. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb into center of each cookie to make indentation.
4. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Quickly remake indentations with end of wooden spoon if necessary.
5. Remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack. Fill thumbprints with about 1/2 measuring teaspoon jam.
Three-Leaf Clovers
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Mix butter, 1/3 cup sugar, the honey and egg in large bowl with spoon. Stir in flour and 1/2 teaspoon cloves.
2. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. For each cookie, arrange 3 balls of dough together to form a triangle about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cloves. Press bottom of glass into dough to grease, then dip into sugar-clove mixture; press on triangles until 1/4 inch thick.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Tiramisu Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (about 40 wafers)
2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee (dry)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine — melted
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese — softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1/4 cup rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease square pan, 9 × 9 × 2 inches. Mix cookie crumbs, 1 teaspoon coffee and the butter thoroughly with fork. Press evenly in bottom of pan. Refrigerate while preparing cream cheese mixture.
2. Beat cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Beat in sugar, eggs, whipping cream, rum and vanilla. Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or just until center is set.
3. Melt chocolate chips, shortening and remaining 1 teaspoon coffee in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour over hot cheesecake, and spread evenly.
4. Cool 30 minutes at room temperature. Cover loosely and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
Toasted Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine — softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Spread oats and walnuts in ungreased jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 1 inch. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown; cool.
2. Beat brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in oat mixture and remaining ingredients.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Toffee Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine — softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces milk chocolate — broken into pieces
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Beat brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg yolk in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
2. Stir in flour and salt. Press in ungreased rectangular pan, 13 × 9 × 2 inches. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until very light brown (crust will be soft).
3. Immediately place milk chocolate pieces on baked crust. Let stand about 5 minutes or until softened; spread evenly. Sprinkle with nuts. Cool 30 minutes. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows while warm.
Toffee Meringue Sticks
Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine — softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 (6 ounce) package almond brickle chips (1 cup)
Directions:
1. Beat brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg yolk in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in whipping cream. Stir in flour and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
2. Heat oven to 375º. Roll one fourth of dough at a time into strip, 12 × 3 inches, on lightly floured surface. Place 2 strips about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Beat egg whites in medium bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, continue beating until stiff and glossy. Fold in brickle chips. Spread one-fourth of the meringue over each strip of dough.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are light brown.
5. Cool 10 minutes. Cut each strip crosswise into 1-inch sticks. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Triple Chocolate-Cherry Bars
Ingredients:
1 package chocolate fudge cake mix
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
2 eggs — beaten
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 tub Soft Whipped chocolate
Ready-to-spread frosting
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Spray jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 1 inch, with cooking spray.
2. Mix cake mix (dry), pie filling, eggs and chocolate chips in large bowl with spoon. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost with frosting.
Triple Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons instant coffee
3 large eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk chocolate, chopped into large bits
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped into large bits
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Melt the 10 ounces of bittersweet chocolate with the butter in a double boiler over low heat. Remove from heat, and place the top part of the double boiler over a pan filled with warm water to prevent the chocolate from hardening.
3. In a small bowl, mix the vanilla and coffee until the coffee is completely dissolved. Add to melted chocolate and stir.
4. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, brown sugar and white sugar. Place this bowl on a pot containing hot water (not boiling). Continue mixing by hand until the mixture is warm.
5. Remove the bowl from the hot water. Using the electric mixer, beat the egg mixture for approximately 5 minutes or until it is pale yellow, thick, and cool.
6. Fold into melted chocolate. Fold in the flour. Add chopped chocolate and nuts, stir. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Drop on a baking sheet by heaping tablespoonfuls, leaving 1 1/2 inches between cookies. Lightly flatten cookies with a floured fork.
8. Place in the upper part of the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are golden.
9. Remove from oven and let cool 3 minutes, then place cookies on a cooling rack.
Tuxedo Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients:
1 package white chocolate swirl cake mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese — softened
1 tub Rich & Creamy white chocolate ready-to-spread frosting
3 eggs
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325º. Beat cake mix (dry) and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Press in bottom of ungreased rectangular pan, 13 × 9 × 2 inches.
2. Beat cream cheese and frosting in same bowl on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs until blended; reserve 2 cups. Pour remaining mixture over crust. Beat Dutched Cocoa Mix into reserved mixture.
3. Drop by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 6 to 8 mounds onto mixture in pan. Cut through mixture with knife in S-shape curves in one continuous motion without cutting into crust. Turn pan 1/4 turn, and repeat cutting for swirled design.
4. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Refrigerate uncovered at least 2 hours. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
Christmas Cookie Recipes Index