From the sweet and spicy gingerbread men to the soft and mellow melt in your mouth shortbread cookies, Christmas cookies are fun, festive and delightfully delicious.
So dive into this collection of recipes, put on the Christmas music, plug in the Christmas lights, and get baking! Christmas only comes once a year, savor it like it was the last cookie in the house!
How to Decorate Christmas Cookies
Christmas Cookies can be decorated with frosting, icing, and of course an array of Christmas sprinkles.
Ingredient Temperature: Ensure ingredients (such as butter and eggs) are at room temperature unless otherwise directed in the recipe. Butter: Use real butter as margarine or other substitutes may not produce the same results. Measure Flour Correctly: Be sure to measure your flour by spooning the flour into the measuring cup. Scooping flour out of the bag (or container) with a measuring cup packs the flour into the cup. This can cause you to have too much flour and affect the consistency of your Christmas cookies. Chill Time: Read through the directions since many Christmas cookies require chilling time to get the right consistency of dough (such as Easy Sugar Cookies or Gingerbread Cookies). Bake Time: Always check cookies at the lowest end of the bake time suggested in the recipe.
A good royal icing is perfect for decorating sugar cookies. It dries hard and shiny (and sprinkles can be added) making cookies easy to store and stack. Frosted Cookies are made with a favorite buttercream or flavored frosting such as peppermint buttercream. These are delicious but can be more difficult to store as the frosting is softer and doesn’t set up. Melted Chocolate is perfect for dipping shortbread or other Christmas cookies or treats such as easy buckeyes. Once dipped in chocolate, make them extra festive by dipping them in sprinkles too. Roll cookies such as classic thumbprint cookies in nuts. Cut sugar and gingerbread cookies into Christmas shapes and decorate with all kinds of Christmas decor. Top with Christmas sprinkles, crushed candy canes, and more.
Freezing Christmas Cookies
Most cookies, including Christmas Cookies, can be made months ahead of time and frozen. The great thing is that cookies can be frozen before or after baking meaning that you can do your holiday baking in advance. I would recommend decorating cookies after defrosting as condensation can ruin the cookies. If you are freezing cookie dough, I would recommend freezing it in smaller portions to help defrost quickly. To defrost, refrigerate the dough overnight.
Favorite Christmas Cookies
From our list of favorite cookies to yours, more than one of these cookies is sure to find a way to the dessert table this Christmas!
Classic Christmas Cookies
Christmas cookies are a wonderful way to share your own Christmas traditions with friends and family throughout the holiday season. From cookie platters at your holiday parties to hosting a cookie exchange, Christmas cookies are loved by everyone. That is why some of them have remained classic Christmas traditions.
Drop Christmas Cookies
For the busy baker, sometimes we just need need to free up some time in the kitchen. Simple and sweet, drop cookies are the perfect solution!
No-Bake Christmas Cookies
Ice them, frost them, and give them away as a Christmas gift. No bake Christmas cookies are sweet and cute additions to the holiday dessert platter.
Bar Cookies
These recipes combine the best of everything in the dessert world – bars and cookies! These are easy to serve, fun to make, and even easier to eat!
Other Christmas Treats and Cookies
Then there are the other treats that just don’t seem to fit any category, but still have the festive flair of Christmas.
Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite Christmas Cookie recipe is!
