25 Creative Christmas Cookie Recipes (2024)

Now that you’ve perfected making the ultimate pumpkin pie (high five!) it’s time to start wow-ing with another sweet seasonal delight: Christmas cookies! To us, it’s a tradition as significant as a holiday tree, so we made sure to round up 25 amazing unique Christmas cookie recipes for you to make as soon as December hits. Yep—that means one batch of cookies every day through Christmas. At that rate, there’s no way you won’t make Santa’s nice list! ;)

1. Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies: Is it the crinkle that makes these cookies so good? Or is it the double chocolate? Like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, we might never know! ;) (via Melanie Makes)

2. Holiday Cake Mix Cookies: There’s no denying that standard sugar cookie recipes are great, but this twist on the Christmas cookie staple is a real game changer: use cake mix instead! Genius, especially when speckled with festive M&Ms. (via Parent Pretty)

3. Hot Cocoa Cookies: We’re jazzed to share our whimsical take on hot chocolate cookies. Cut into mug shapes and topped with marshmallows and whipped cream, these cookies are almost as sinful as the real thing! (via Brit + Co.)

4. Rudolph Cookies: With chocolate pretzel antlers and a shiny red M&M nose, these Rudolph cookies are sure to go down in history! ;) (via Splash of Something)

6. Oreo Snowflake Cookies: We’re smitten with this gorgeous food hack that upgrades Oreos to bright, wintry bites. Marshmallow fondant and white melting chocolate are the secret ingredients to making this snowy design come to life. (via Cake Whiz)

8. Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies: If you ask us, chocolate and peppermint is hands down the best combo for sweet confections. Achieve master baker status by tucking a whole peppermint patty in the center of a chocolate cookie. (via Bakerita)

9. Santa’s Shortbread Cookies: Keep it simple this holiday with delectable shortbread cookies. It’s a go-to recipe that’s sure to satisfy Santa (and anyone sneaking a snack off of his late night plate!) (via The Clever Carrot)

10. Gingerbread Trees With Lemon Icing: Drizzles of lemon icing and a sprinkle of sugar add sweetness to this standard gingerbread cookie recipe. Add some flair to your baking repertoire by doing as Martha does and cutting your cookies into Christmas tree shapes. (via Martha Stewart)

11. Cinnamon Clove Coffee Cookies: One of the best parts about winter baking has to be the use of spices. Warming clove, spicy cinnamon, and the extra special addition of fresh coffee grounds add zing to each bite. (via Katrina’s Kitchen)

12. : Why choose between candy or cookies when you can eat both in one bite? This decadent Christmas cookie is way easier to make than you may think, especially since you’re starting with pre-made cookie dough. (via )

13. : OMG! These are the cutest Christmas cookies around! If we can only choose one way to decorate our treats this year, it’s for sure with melting snowmen! (via )

15. Red Velvet Cookies: These red velvet cake cookies have our vote for quickest to fly outta the cookie jar. Perfect this recipe now and you can bust out a second batch for your sweetheart in February! (via Food Fanatic)

16. Chili Chocolate Star Cookies: Bring the heat Christmas cookie-style with these chili and chocolate-filled star cookies. If that combo sounds a tad out of reach for your taste, you can always try the cookie recipe with a sweet, jam-based filling instead! (via By Guldahl)

17. Pine Nut and Peppercorn Shortbread: After eating so many sugar-packed cookies this holiday season, we might go ahead and give this more savory recipe a try. Pink and green peppercorns add both spice and festive flair. (via What’s Cooking Good Looking)

18. Walnut Snowball Cookies: Here’s another Christmas cookie recipe where one is never ever enough! Finely chopped walnuts add just the right amount of texture to these mounds doused in powdered sugar. (via Yummly)

19. Spicy Gingerbread Cookies: Experience the dark side of the gingerbread spectrum with this seriously spicy recipe. Be sure to decorate with royal icing to keep the spice at bay! (via Smitten Kitchen)

20. Sprinkle Sugar Cookies: Sure, it’s a no-frills cookie recipe, but sometimes you just can’t go wrong with standard sugar cookies! Don’t these just transport you back to your childhood? That kind of nostalgia is priceless! (via The Coers Family)

21. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Cookies: This might be the most decadent Christmas cookie we have on the list thanks to the addition of a flavored hot chocolate mix—caramel hot chocolate, to be exact! Go big or go home by dressing this batch in a gooey salted caramel. We bet it tastes just like heaven! (via Beyond Frosting)

22. Flourless Fuffernutter Thumbprint Cookies: Instead of filling your thumbprint cookies with jam, fill them with marshmallows! That’s the amazing move that this blogger pulled to create the fluffernutter thumbprint cookie. Here’s to taking more risks in the kitchen! (via Cupcakes & Kale Chips)

23. Molasses Spice Cookies: You can’t go wrong with this classic Christmas cookie. Case in point: we’re already craving this gooey treat topped with crunchy sugar granules. (via American Heritage Cooking)

24. Cookie Christmas Trees: These towering cookies are sure to wow all your holiday guests, including Santa himself! Plus, it’s way fun to add a twist to the Christmas cookie game! (via Brit + Co.)

25. Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies: If you’re looking to dazzle with your cookie decorating skills, then this is the Christmas cookie for you! Whip out your pastry tips to get this look that’s almost too elegant to eat. (via Damn Delicious)

What’s your go-to holiday cookie recipe? Tell us in the comments below!