All-Time Favorite Christmas Cookies

Make your best chocolate cookie recipe even better with a creamy white chocolate-peppermint frosting that can act as a cookie sandwich filling. Drizzle with melted chocolate and shower with peppermint pieces if you like. 

What's Christmas without the best sugar cookies? Gather family, friends, and frosting, then get decorating. For extra glam, use festive shades of edible glitter—your sugar cookie trees will be twinkling in no time.

Transform sugar cookies into cute winter wreaths with the addition of chocolate shavings and red candies. Set out a platter at your next party and prepare to watch them disappear quicker than the snow on a warm and sunny day.

Gingerbread houses are adorable, but this rainbow-colored version takes the fairy talelike concept to new cuteness heights! Cut the dough using our templates then bake on a cookie sheet. Once cooled, use royal icing “glue” to cement the pieces together and accessorize with the most colorful candies you can find.

Quick: Grab one before they melt! Bring our best chocolate cookie recipe to life with adorable Frosty-like faces made of vanilla candy coating, peanut butter cups, and a cute sprinkle nose.

These yummy chocolate cookies have a surprise inside—a delicious mint filling! Refreshing and perfect for the holidays (it's like a minty gift you can "unwrap"), these cookies will be gone in a flash.

Real vanilla seeds and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar make this shortbread recipe stand out from the rest of the cookie competition. Bake in a rectangle and slice into bars or roll out a circle and slice into wedges for a dessert pizza-like format.

Tired of plain sugar cookies? This recipe is for you! With seven flavor variations, these easy holiday cookies can be changed up every time you make the recipe. White chocolate pistachio, anyone?

Chocolate and mint are always a swoon-worthy flavor pairing, and these crinkle cookies are no exception. Mimic winter's snow by rolling the dough for one of our best Christmas cookie recipes in powdered sugar before baking.

Sweet! Store-bought sugar cookie dough is the “crust” on this dessert pizza. Bake it for 15 minutes, top with melted chocolate and peanut butter, plus a handful of candies for one of the simplest and best Christmas cookie recipes for kids (of all ages).

Stop dreaming about a white Christmas and make your own! Leaf-shape cookie cutouts and a dusting of powdered sugar transform our tasty rosemary shortbread cookies into a beautiful snowflake centerpiece. These simply beautiful bites might just become your new favorite Christmas cookies!

Calling all chocoholics! Just like one of your go-to candy bars, these squares have a light and fluffy filling between layers of chocolate. Holiday guests are sure to be impressed by this delicious copycat dessert.

Try a new twist on classic sugar cookies with our unexpected decoration inspiration: red plaid! We love how the bright red pops against its white counterpart (and how delicious they taste). The quilted pattern that makes this favorite Christmas cookie recipe unique is surprisingly doable. All that's required is a bit of rolling, layering, stacking, and slicing.

We've brought our best ginger cookie recipe from the archives back—and gave it a modern spin. After the moist and chewy cookies cool, brush on gold luster dust for some seasonal shimmer.

The original monster cookie gets a cheery makeover with the help of crunchy toffee pieces, toasty pecans, and red and green candies. Serve warm with a tall glass of milk, or bag the best toffee cookies up to send to family and friends.

With layers of crushed cookies, nougat, peanuts, caramel, and a luscious chocolate topping, it's no wonder these bars are a holiday favorite. Ready to go in just over an hour, these marshmallow bars are the perfect last-minute dessert.

A Christmas classic goes from traditional to fabulous when dipped in melted white chocolate, then rolled in nonpareils and edible glitter. The festive, fruity Christmas cookie is one of our most-loved cookie recipes of all time!

Treat yourself to a handful of minty green Christmas cookies. And don't worry: Some of the cutest and best Christmas cookie recipes don't require much effort. Make these in just four simple steps with the help of homemade dough, food coloring, and pecan halves for the chipper tree trunks.

These decadent bars are packed with chocolate and peanut butter—definitely one of our favorite dessert combinations. Topped with chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, even a small square is sure to delight your guests. Just one bite will skyrocket these to "best peanut butter cookie" territory!

Peanut butter? Caramel? Chocolate? These pecan-studded cookies have it all. Awe your Christmas crowd by whipping up a batch of these delicious treats to share. They'll be a favorite Christmas cookie for anyone who craves turtle candies.

Our best oatmeal cookies meet our classic chocolate chip cookie recipe in this tart, sweet, and chocolaty combination. A bit of brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon give each crumb holiday flavor.

You don't need to be a pastry chef to create these impressive-looking treats. Using sugar, eggs, and fresh mint extract, you can whip up a batch of perfectly peaked mint meringues. And since two are better than one, spread the bottom of one meringue with melty smooth chocolate so you can sandwich another on the reverse side.

With toasted almonds, coconut, and a milk chocolate ganache, these bars are guaranteed to stand out from the crowd this holiday season.Toasting the almonds makes all the difference, but don't worry—it's easy! Simply bake in a single layer on a sheet pan for 10 minutes or so, tossing twice.

The sweet, gooey filling in these tarts has a hint of raspberry liqueur that pairs perfectly with the crisp pastry outside. Pipe or dollop on a small amount of our chocolate buttercream frosting to finish the best chocolate cookies you'll ever gift.

Fill the centers of our best peanut butter cookies with creamy chocolate frosting or milk chocolate kisses to make them completely irresistible. Make a big batch up to three months ahead of your parties, then freeze until you're ready to enjoy.

Use one of your favorite candy bars as inspiration for, and as the surprise inside, this simple treat. Ready in less than an hour, these bars offer the just-right mix of crunchy (corn flakes) and creamy (peanut butter) and are perfect for the busy holiday season.

Introducing: our best chocolate cookie recipe that's filled with even more chocolate! Sweet meets salty for an irresistible flavor pairing in this tasty dessert that's full of gooey goodness.

Tip: For a mess-free counter, place the baked cookies on waxed paper or on a wire rack set over waxed paper. When you're done drizzling the cookies with caramel, just toss the waxed paper for easy cleanup!

These spiral chocolate-mint cookies are as mesmerizing as they are mouthwatering! The dough gets a one-two punch of mint flavor from peppermint extract and chopped chocolate-mint candies.

Tip: Roll the cookies on waxed paper so you can easily wrap and chill in the same waxed paper that just kept your counter clean. To keep it from sliding around, brush your counter with a bit of shortening.

The best ginger cookies feature plenty of molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves—just like these oversized sweets. To add a seasonal touch, roll the cookie dough balls in red or green decorative sugar before baking.

For our favorite Christmas cookie that's easy and low-cal, try our light and airy meringues. Prep takes just 20 minutes, and only six ingredients are required to bring these minty goodies to the table.

Cater to your guests' diets by offering a gluten-free option. The only step that's different: Make your own simple gluten-free flour blend so you can bake a batch of the best Christmas cookies that contain zero wheat. Combine with butter, sugar, eggs, and mix-ins as usual, and you're just seven minutes away from a pan of tender and tasty chocolate chip cookies.

Craving a classic? Try this almost-couldn’t-be-easier shortbread recipe. You need just three ingredients to make one of the best Christmas cookie recipes you’ll taste all season long—plus whatever sprinkles, sugars, or icing options you choose to decorate with.

Dedicate your oven to cooking the meal: These rich-tasting truffles are our best chocolate chip cookies that call for zero cooking time. In addition to being deliciously easy, they look great, too, thanks to a melted chocolate drizzle. Package a dozen in a gift box for a thoughtful food gift for co-workers, neighbors, and friends.

In the 1920s, creamy filling mounded between two big, puffy cookies became a phenomenon. For the holidays, we've paired our best red velvet cookies with a luscious cream cheese-based filling. To add even more festivity, roll the edges of the cream in green or gold sprinkles.

Filled with a scoop of marshmallow creme and topped with a mini milk chocolate, these spritz sandwiches will remind you of toasting marshmallows around a fire. For a super cute presentation of one of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes, arrange them in the shape of a snowman on your dessert table.

A chocolate cookie crumb crust is topped with rich layers of peppermint cream and chocolate fudge. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks or freeze for up to three months to cut down on holiday season stress.

There are few better combinations than chocolate and caramel, and when they come together in these gooey bars, they form one of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes. Best of all, these bars can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to three months.

This recipe is for everyone who believes the best oatmeal cookies come with raisins mixed in the dough! In addition to the dried fruit (feel free to swap in dried cranberries if you prefer), these treats get dressed up with a sweet maple syrup glaze.

A maraschino cherry-cream cheese filling finds a home between vanilla wafers in this yummy Christmas cookie recipe. Dip the whole shebang in a chocolate coating to amp up the wow factor.

Tip: Change the toppings to give each treat a different look. Try jimmies, colorful nonpareils, almond slivers, white chocolate drizzles, or chocolate shavings.

We’ll let you in on the secret that makes it possible to stir together one of our best red velvet cookies in just 20 minutes: they start with refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough! To give them the crimson dessert treatment, simply stir in cocoa powder and food coloring, then dunk in cream cheese frosting.