21 Christmas Cookie Recipes So Good, You Won't Want To Share With Santa
There are all sorts of things you can get your loved ones for the holidays, but we all know that the greatest gift that you can give a friend or family member for Christmas is actually a big, delicious plate of fun holiday cookies. And for that, you're going to need some easy Christmas cookie recipes. Because with so much preparation for the holidays, you don't want to be bogged down baking complex recipes all day.
We've compiled some of the most delicious and easiest cookie recipes that have minimal ingredients, short prep times, and are hassle-free. Read on, and for more festive cheer, don't miss 24 Best Vintage Christmas Dinner Recipes.
Gingerbread Cookies
What Christmas would be complete without some gingerbread cookies? This Christmas cookie recipe has 12 ingredients, which may seem like a lot, but most of those are the spices that go into giving this delicious cookie its great flavors. Even with 12 ingredients, it still has a very short prep time.
Get our recipe for Gingerbread Cookies.
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Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
One of the most fun ways to celebrate the holidays is by making Christmas cookies, and these are a variation of the traditional sugar cookies that are well-connected with the holiday. The cookie itself only has nine ingredients, and a prep time of 20 minutes, so they're pretty low-lift to make.
Get the recipe from Well Plated by Erin.
Snickerdoodles
Covered in a mix of cinnamon and sugar, Snickerdoodles are a staple comfort food and a holiday cookie classic. This easy Christmas cookie recipe results in a light and fluffy cookie, which is the perfect way to eat Snickerdoodles.
Get our recipe for Snickerdoodles.
Candy Cane Snowball Cookies
There are few cookies more perfectly-flavored and decorated for winter and the holidays than the ones in this recipe. With a prep time of just 30 minutes, they're pretty easy to bake as well.
Get the recipe from Well Plated by Erin.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate and peanut butter are a seamless combination and come together beautifully in this simple recipe. Another plus? This easy recipe results in 24 to 30 cookies, so you'll have plenty to hand out to friends and family over the holidays.
Get our recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Peppermint Chocolate Cookie
You can't go through the holiday season without having something peppermint-flavored, so make it this cookie. Not only is it delicious, but it's a simple recipe with only nine ingredients.
Get our recipe for Peppermint Chocolate Cookies.
No Bake Sugar Cookie Bites
Sugar cookies are the quintessential Christmas cookie and normally aren't too tricky to bake. This recipe's even easier because it requires no baking time at all and just six ingredients to form the bite.
Get the recipe from Minimalist Baker.
Monster Cookies
This cookie recipe has a lot of ingredients, but that doesn't mean that it's hard to make. Most of the ingredients are for the mix-ins, like M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and rolled oats.
Get the recipe from Well Plated by Erin.
Eggnog Christmas Cookies
Are there any cookies as specifically tailored for Christmas as the ones in this recipe? Capturing the flavors of eggnog, this recipe only has a 12-minute bake time!
Get the recipe from Sweet Phi.
Chocolate and Lemon Cake Cookies
Cake mix isn't just used for cakes, you can always make cookies with it, like in this simple, four-ingredient recipe. The fun part of this recipe is that you don't have to stick with chocolate and lemon, you can use any cake mix you'd like.
Get our recipe for Chocolate and Lemon Cake Cookies.
Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
When you imagine a plate of holiday cookies, you're bound to picture a jelly thumbprint cookie somewhere on it. The cookies are a Christmas staple, and this recipe, with just seven ingredients, is extremely simple to put together and yields 24 cookies.
Get our recipe for Jelly Thumbprint Cookies.
Lemon Coconut Thumbprint Cookies
Lemon is normally a flavor that's more associated with springtime but step out of the box a bit this holiday season with these lemon coconut thumbprint cookies, which only require eight ingredients. If you feel the urge to get really fancy with this recipe, you can make the required lemon curd yourself, but store-bought also works just as fine.
Get the recipe from Well Plated by Erin.
Coconut No Bake Cookies
These coconut cookies, which only have 10 ingredients in the recipe, are perfect for when you want to add a bit more variety to your holiday cookie collection. The best part about this recipe is that it requires no time in the oven, once you're done putting them together they're ready to go.
Get the recipe from Minimalist Baker.
One Bowl Vegan Coconut Snowball Cookies
While coconut might not be a very wintry flavor, these cookies take on the shape and texture of a winter highlight — snowballs. The best part of this recipe is that everything is made in one bowl, meaning you'll have fewer dishes to do in order to clean up.
Get the recipe from Minimalist Baker.
Strawberry Shortcake Drop Cookies
With all of the comfort food being consumed at Christmas, it's always nice to have a bit of fruit on your plate, even if it is stuffed inside of a cookie. This recipe, with only 10 ingredients, is relatively low-lift and results in delicious cookies.
Get our recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Drop Cookies.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
When chocolate chip cookies are advertised as healthy, that usually means bland and joyless, but these cookies aren't that at all. Instead of substituting the ingredients that make chocolate chip cookies so beloved, this recipe just cuts down on the amount of butter and chocolate chips that are usually in the cookies. So you're still getting a delicious, beloved treat, but just with fewer calories and fat.
Get our recipe for Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Keto-Friendly Almond Cookies
The Keto diet avoids sugar and carbs, so how are you supposed to make cookies that adhere to it? Easily, with this recipe which swaps all-purpose flour for almond flour and sugar for sugar-free sweetener.
Get our recipe for Keto-Friendly Almond Cookies.
Quinoa Cookies
When you're out shopping for Christmas cookie ingredients, quinoa isn't normally at the top of the list, but trust us on this one. This easy recipe, which just has nine ingredients, also doesn't need any baking time, making it even simpler.
Get the recipe from Well Plated by Erin.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Not every cookie recipe requires a trip to the grocery store — this one, which only has peanut butter, sugar, and an egg in the ingredients, can most likely be made with what you already have in the kitchen. With just four ingredients, these cookies could not be easier to make, and they're pretty tasty as well.
Get our recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies.
Coffee and Chocolate Meringue Cookie
With only six ingredients and a 20-minute cook time, these meringue cookies are extremely simple to make, but will impress your friends and family. Not only is this cookie easy to bake, it's also very low in calories and each serving only contains one gram of fat, making this a healthy option for Christmas sweets.
Get our recipe for Coffee and Chocolate Meringue Cookie.
Keto No-Bake Cookie Dough
This recipe manages to put together a cookie dough that's soft, delicious, and somehow will still keep you in ketosis, thanks to some clever and simple substitutions. You could always bake the dough into real cookies as well, but sometimes it's even more delicious when it's still in dough form.
Get our recipe for Keto No-Bake Cookie Dough.
