my favorite Christmas cookie recipes

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, a.k.a. cookie baking season! If you’ve got a sweet tooth and a craving for Christmas cookies, I’ve rounded up all of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes from the blog over the years that will carry you through all the way to the new year. From cheesecake-stuffed red velvet cookies to Neapolitan thumbprint cookies, this list covers all the cookie types that make this season sweet and special.

My Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes

Gather ’round, all ye who love cookies of Christmastime! I’ve taken a moment to curate each and every one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes from the last 12 years on the blog to share with you today, and this might be my favorite blog post yet (because it’s all COOKIES). From chocolate sandwich cookies to simple sugar cookies to cookies stuffed with cheesecake (yasss), this list has every recipe for every craving and baking ability. So I’m going to bow out, and let the cookies do the rest of the talking. Enjoy!

Chocolate Nutella Linzer Cookies

If you’re the kind of person who believes more is more, then you will love these chocolate cookies stuffed with chocolate-hazelnut spread. They’re soft, tender, and ultra-chocolatey with a hint of creamy hazelnut-flavored goodness. Add a snowfall of sparkling sugar on top and you’ve got a hint of crunch, too.

Chai-Spiced Crescent Cookies

Soft almond crescent cookies may be simple but they always win my heart (and sweet tooth) this time of year. Adding chai spices to the cookies just takes them up a notch in a very good way.

Peanut Butter Brownie Swirl Cookies

Never again must you choose between peanut butter, brownies and cookies! These swirly sensations have all three in one recipe that yields some seriously delicious large-and-in-charge cookies.

Slice & Bake Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies

These slice-and-bake-style chocolate shortbread cookies are flavored with orange zest and dipped in chocolate, then topped with a sprinkle of sea salt. I’m not officially saying these are the best cookies ever, but I’m also not NOT saying it.

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies

These simple sugar cookies are a dream cookie — soft and chewy and perfectly sweet, and easy to make, too. If you’re looking for a cutout sugar cookie dough, this is not it, but if you’re looking for a sugar cookie that’s exquisitely soft, chewy and tender when you bit into it, you’ve come to the right recipe.

Chocolate Cardamom Cookies

These oversized chocolate cookies are baked with a hint of cardamom for added flavor and spice, and honestly, I am always craving them. They’re almost like giant Oreo cookies that are soft in the centers, and they make anyone who tries them very happy — Santa included.

Eggnog Latte Cutout Cookies

Whether it’s snowing by you or not, you can bring the wintertime magic indoors with these snowflake-shaped, eggnog latte-flavored cutout cookies! Of course, if you don’t have snowflake cookie cutters, you can make these any shape you want — the dough is very easy to work with and incredibly forgiving.

Hot Toddy Molasses Cookies

I shared the recipe for these hot toddy-inspired cookies last week and man, I am already itching to bake another batch. They’re flavored with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, honey, bourbon and orange zest, and they’re perfectly chewy in the centers with a lightly crisp edge. YUM.

Funfetti Cookies

These sprinkle-covered cream cheese cookies might not initially scream, “Christmas!” to you, but can you imagine them with red, white and green jimmies all over? Totally festive.

Cheesecake-Stuffed Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

If any of the cookies in this round-up were to be named Queen of Christmas Cookie Recipes, these would be it. Tender, red velvet-flavored crinkle cookies are baked with a soft, creamy cheesecake center and not only are they absolutely scrumptious, but they’re pretty to look at, too!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the gluten free friends in your life (or anyone who loves a good chocolate chip cookie), make these classic treats, stat. They’re chockfull of chocolate and topped with a flurry of sea salt for a lil bit of that sweet-salty magic, and honestly, you can’t even tell they’re gluten-free. (PS These cookies have all 5-star reviews!)

Double-Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Soft chocolate cookies + white chocolate frosting + peppermint crunch topping = Santa’s new favorite cookie (and yours, too ;)).

Neapolitan Thumbprint Cookies

I was way too old before I realized that the Neapolitan trio of flavors shouldn’t be left to just ice cream, but here we are on the smarter side of things where these Neapolitan Thumbprint Cookies exist, and I couldn’t be happier. Who doesn’t want a half-vanilla, half-chocolate cookie with a sweet strawberry filling? That’s a rhetorical question.

Ridiculously Soft Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

These cookies hit all the right holiday cookie notes: They’re (ridiculously) soft, they taste like gingerbread and they’ve got that festive crinkle coating. I love them as much as Buddy the Elf loves spaghetti topped with maple syrup.

Ombre Peppermint Slice & Bake Cookies

If you’re looking for a fun cookie to pack up and send cross-country, these ombre peppermint cookies are a great option! And I mean, who wouldn’t want to open up a box of these pretty, minty cookies all ready to enjoy? I know I want to.

Chocolate Alfajores

Traditional alfajores are made with shortbread-like cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche, and these cookies are also sandwiched with dulce de leche but the cookies are chocolate! I used a linzer cookie cutter for this recipe, but any round cookie cutter will do the trick here.

Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies

It does not get more nostalgic than Snickerdoodles! These super soft and fluffy cookies take only 20 minutes. Perfect for your holiday celebrations!

More Christmas Cookie Recipes

Want even more cookie inspiration? Here ya go.