Our 103 All-Time-Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

Whether you’re still learning the basics of cookie making or are all about using those pro baking tips you’ve mastered over the years, there’s no better time to bake from scratch than during the holidays. Whether you whip up an assortment of holiday bars and barks to pack and ship to someone special or are baking a batch of easy-to-make cookies to serve alongside homemade hot chocolate on movie night, you’ll find that cookies always spread cheer. Nut and spice cookies, fruity cookies, sugar cookies and more: we always have a hard time narrowing down our favorites (which is why this collection has 100 recipes!).

But, we have to admit that the imperfection of these festive smashed cookies places them at the top of our list. The addition of two eggs gives the centers a tender and soft texture, while the crinkled edges get ever so slightly golden and crisp. Top with a simple confectioners' sugar glaze for a holiday treat perfect for a cookie tin — and that's oh-so-fun to make!

These chocolatey, coconutty cookies are sure to be a hit at your next holiday cookie swap. It’s important to add the chocolate candy to the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven, while they’re still soft and pliable; so, if your kitchen is on the cooler side, simply turn off your oven (to prevent overbaking) and work with one baking sheet at a time. The secret to that telltale coconut cookie chew is letting them cool completely on the baking sheets before serving or storing.

These whimsical treats combine the cozy charm of Christmas sweaters with the delight of homemade cookies. Instead of being decorated one at a time, the cookies get their design from a festive plaid-patterned cookie dough “textile” that’s fun and easy to create. The key to making the patterned dough is coloring and piping vibrant dough stripes onto a classic butter cookie base. For added holiday cheer, the center of each checkered sweater cookie features an adorable mini-Christmas tree. These tasty sweater cookies make a colorful addition to a Christmas cookie plate and are bound to be a favorite at holiday cookie swaps.

With their beautiful, swirled tops and vibrant filling, these Viennese whirls are sure to look divine on any holiday cookie platter. Despite their name, the delicate, buttery shortbread cookies are a favorite sweet treat in England. They’re sandwiched with a homemade vanilla bean buttercream and a spoonful of raspberry jam, which is traditional, but feel free to substitute with your favorite jam.

These gingerbread men are people-pleasers — you'll love how they hang around with lots of holiday spirit.

These giant, saucer-sized treats are packed with add-ins (red and green candies, peppermint chunks, salty pretzels and white chocolate chips), so they really live up to their name. If you leave these mammoth treats for Santa, don't forget a supersized glass of milk for washing them down!

Despite the intricate design, these festive pinwheels are simple to create. The cream cheese in the cookie dough adds just the right amount of pliability, so you can cut, fold and shape with ease. We decorated the cookies with white, red and green coarse sanding sugar, sometimes called pearlized sugar, but you can feel free to swap in plain confectioners' sugar. They'll look stunning either way!

The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food processor. The flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg make the little snowball look-alikes taste just like your favorite holiday drink. We'll say "cheers" to that!

These festive sheet-pan cookies are an ideal mashup of spritz and bar cookies. We flavored a classic rich butter cookie dough with a hint of vanilla and peppermint extract and used it in two ways: as a tender bottom crust and as melt-in-your-mouth top cookies piped out of a cookie press as lovely snowflakes. A generous layer of chocolate is sandwiched between the cookie layers, and a sprinkle of nonpareils and crushed peppermint candies adds a fun finish on top. Cut the sheet pan cookie into small rectangles and you’ll have a generous batch for cookie swaps, gifting and delicious holiday snacking alike.

Red velvet and cream cheese frosting are a match made in heaven, and here we just changed the usual cake to a cookie for hand-held eating. The dark-red tree shapes get contrast from bright green frosting and are decorated with a gold star on top and colorful nonpareils. This recipe is written for decorations with a classic holiday motif, but feel free to use other candies or sprinkles if you like.

Reduced apple cider adds tangy apple flavor to these rich cookies. Don’t let the reduction cool completely or it will be too hard and thick to beat evenly into the cookie batter. Using cookie stamps can take a little practice, but it’s well worth it for the simple and beautiful designs they impart on these festive rounds!

Not all the holiday fun happens at the North Pole. These South Pole denizens are the season's cutest critters. Have fun shaping and rolling colorful sugar cookie dough so that every slice produces a perfect penguin.

This holiday cookie tastes like what would happen if a pie and peppermint bark became besties. While this recipe requires a bit of time and effort, the process is surprisingly simple and the result is absolutely worth the wait. These tasty treats are not only perfect for making for yourself, but they also make fantastic gifts. Plus, here's a little secret: you can prepare the dough in advance and store it in your freezer for a couple of months, ensuring you always have something delicious on hand to enjoy whenever the craving strikes.

These buttery snowflake-shaped cookies are decorated with vanilla royal icing and painted with a watercolor effect that’s both artistic and elegant. Shades of blue wash over the surface of the cookies, and accents of shimmering edible silver leaf add sparkle and dimension. The key to painting on top of royal icing is diluting gel food coloring with a little bit of vodka because the moisture evaporates quickly and leaves the beautiful color behind. With their rich flavor and glossy finish, these cookies are as delicious as they are beautiful — a showstopper treat for any winter celebration.

These familiar cookies have crispy edges (thanks to superfine sugar) and a slightly soft middle. The small amount of baking powder ensures that they puff just a little without spreading too much — so they're perfect for cut-outs in all your favorite holiday shapes.

These biscotti have the same warm spices and crispy-crunchy texture that you love in a traditional gingerbread person, but require less time and effort than the classic cutout cookie! Each one gets an extra dip of melted white chocolate and a sprinkle of sanding sugar, for a sparkly holiday treat fit for a cookie tin. By Amanda Neal for Food Network Kitchen.

This quick and easy bake-sale classic goes over the top for the holidays — we've loaded the bars with your favorite Christmas candies.

If you love cutesy gingerbread cookies, but not the work it usually takes to make them, then this recipe is for you. These cookies have the same great flavor as the classic cutouts but there’s no need for a rolling pin, cookie cutters, icing or special equipment like piping tips. Instead, just shape the gingerbread people by pressing your fingerprint into the dough as you would with a thumbprint cookie. Then fill the indentations with easy microwave-melted chocolate and top off the holiday treats with festive sprinkle buttons.

These soft-and-chewy cookies are positively bursting with bright citrus flavor. We created this versatile recipe to highlight whatever citrus fruit you like the best — try tart lemon, zesty lime or sweet orange. A few drops of food coloring add a vibrant visual cue. These cookies are equally festive during the summer or winter months.

With these playful cookies, everyone can join in the reindeer games.

We packed these cookies with cinnamon, pecans and chocolate toffee chunks for the ultimate snickerdoodle experience--and then added one finishing touch. Inspired by blogger Sarah Kieffer's internet-famous crinkled chocolate chip cookies, we pulled the snickerdoodles out of the oven midway through cooking and banged the baking sheet on the counter, producing a cookie with the best of both worlds--crispy ripples around the edge and a soft, chewy center.

Lined up in a row on a platter, these cute treats are sure to get your guests in the holiday spirit. The cookies are tender but hold their shape when baked (so you end up with precise Christmas trees, not Christmas blobs). And adding mint makes them extra special.

The classic flavors of red velvet cake are transformed into cookies with the cream cheese baked right inside.

These cookies are serious about peanut butter: Each has a full-size peanut butter cup tucked inside the salty-sweet peanut butter dough. As the cup bakes, the peanut butter inside softens, creating the perfect combination of crisp cookie shell, creamy center and crunchy honey-roasted topping.

These are a classic holiday favorite for a reason — the buttery dough melts in your mouth and pairs perfectly with the tangy jam (baker's choice on the flavor!). Plus, they're just too nostalgic and adorable to resist.

Blondies are wonderful to make around the holidays because they come together quickly and one tray results in a whole batch of treats. Not to mention, these blondies are loaded with festive flavor, thanks to the toasted pecans, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries studded throughout. The drizzle of sweet butterscotch sauce and pinch of flaky sea salt makes for a winning salty-sweet combination.

Cornflakes get dressed for the holidays when mixed with a green marshmallow coating. Shaped into individual wreaths and topped with festive candies, these crunchy treats are a fun no-bake project.

Tiny chocolate cookies with a gooey center (even when cooled!) make decadent one-bite treats.

Shortbread is Ina's favorite cookie for the holidays. You can make many variations with one easy dough: Serve the shortbread plain, dipped in chocolate, or add pecans to the dough to make pecan shortbread.

A classic red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting has been taken to new level of ooey gooey buttery goodness, just in time for the holidays.

These truffle-stuffed cookie cups are bursting with hazelnut flavor because the nuts are not only in the truffles themselves, but also in the dough. Make sure that the muffin tin you use is a good nonstick one, because the cookies might be hard to remove otherwise.

A triple dose of cream cheese (mixed into the batter, in chunks in the dough and as a glaze on top) makes these pillowy cookies extra tangy. We topped ours with lime zest and minced cranberries, but these treats are the perfect vehicle for many toppings — consider your favorite cheesecake flavorings for inspiration.

The combination of white peppermint bark atop a chocolate cookie base equals the ultimate holiday treat. This big-batch recipe is ideal for cookie swaps, festive parties or even wrapping up as gifts. It is also easy enough for baking with the whole family. Instead of forming individual cookies, you break the giant sheet into pieces, just like you would with traditional bark.

Iced oatmeal cookies remind me of home, family and baking on a cold winter's day. I love them because they are classic cookies (oatmeal, cinnamon and raisins) that have been dressed up for the holidays like mountains with freshly fallen snow.

Your search is over -- this perfect butter cookie will stay in your recipe box for years. It's crisp, yet tender and perfect for tea for two or cookies for Santa. Plus, you have the choice to make drop cookies or a slice-and-bake version!

Why settle for one cookie flavor when you can have three? Peanut butter, sugar cookie and fudgy brownie batter are swirled together and baked into one giant cookie, making for a slice-and-bake you'll want to serve at parties and keep in the freezer for a weeknight cookie fix.

These cheerful spritz cookies are ready to brighten your holiday cookie table — no extra fussing, frosting or decorating needed.

These cookie sandwiches are packed with holiday cheer, thanks to a hint of molasses and gingerbread spice in the soft, chewy cookies, as well as a generous dose of spiced cookie butter spread in the filling. Plus, there's an extra dusting of sanding sugar to add the perfect sweetness and festive sheen.

These festive cookies are perfect for the holidays, thanks to the generous addition of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and refreshing peppermint candies. Make sure to chill the dough before baking to ensure a thick and fluffy cookie that your friends and family will enjoy in their holiday tins.

These holiday sugar cookies sparkle like winter snow! Vegan marshmallows don't have gelatin in them and are the key to an ooey gooey center that stays fluffy throughout baking.

Peanut butter blossoms take on a delicious holiday transformation that's perfect for celebrating Hanukkah. Each cookie is coated in festive sprinkles and pressed with a chocolate gelt coin (a traditional Hanukkah present) while still warm. Soft and chewy, with melted chocolate in the center, these cookies are sure to get you in the spirit!

This fudge is a total triple threat -- thanks to peanut butter chips, crunchy peanut butter and chopped roasted salted peanuts. Using sweetened condensed milk, makes it quick and easy to achieve a thick, fudgy texture without cooking raw sugar; no candy thermometer required! Cut the fudge into small squares and share it with family and friends as a delicious edible gift.

These spiced cookies are crisp on the outside and slightly softer inside, with a delicious cinnamon-sugar coating and a heaping spoonful of creamy glaze on top. Inspired by cinnamon rolls, the cookies make the sweetest addition to any holiday cookie box.

These cookies turn gingerbread on its head — literally. Flipping gingerbread men upside down provides the perfect shape to decorate the cookies to look like reindeer.

The spicy-rich flavors of eggnog (including nutmeg, cream and rum) add a new holiday twist to a classic cookie shape, and the striped chocolate candies on top make them even more festive.

Our Triple Chocolate Cookies are a chocolate lover's dream: They're chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and full of white, semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chunks.

Rolling a woven doily over cookie dough leaves an impression which, after baking and glazing with a simple green frosting, looks like the fluffy pine needles of a holiday wreath. A paper doily doesn’t provide enough of an indentation, so using a woven doily is a must—plus it can be washed and used year after year! Tart raspberry jam pairs well with the almond Linzer cookie, but feel free to mix it up with your favorite flavor.

Around the holidays Jeff clearly has sweets on the brain; he even likes to call these his "I'm Dreaming of a White Chocolate" cookie. "One look at something covered in sprinkles and your brain explodes with excitement," he says. "Sprinkles add color, crunch and a healthy dose of holiday cheer!"

Who doesn't love a confection inspired by nature? In this case, it's a peanut butter truffle dipped in chocolate, which resembles the nut from Ohio's state tree, the buckeye.

Santa's iconic red coat, fluffy white trim and black belt cookies are sure to bring out joyful belly laughs.

Alex loves these cookies because "they have all the flavors of eggnog but don't have eggnog in them." Sandwich the cookies with creamy icing, then top with a drizzle of caramel and spiced sugar.

We transformed the classic cakey confection into a fun slice-and-bake cookie. But don't worry, we kept the almond flavor that's well known and loved! A dip in a raspberry-spiked chocolate icing provides extra flavor and visual appeal.

A five-ingredient treat for the chocolate sandwich cookie enthusiast…what's not to love? These truffles encase a soft cookie filling with a chocolatey shell. They're fun to decorate with cookie crumbs or sprinkles, depending on the occasion.

Don't let their angelic faces and doughy bodies fool you — these gingerbread cookies are super-spicy from the very first bite. Cayenne, allspice and a hefty dose of black pepper result in a complex, lingering heat that is surprisingly pleasant, and molasses makes them chewy while taking the edge off.

Thanks to the help of a muffin tin, these peppermint-spiked sugar cookies are perfectly round every single time. They're also easy enough for everyone in the family to pitch in to help. Frozen peppermint patties are stuffed in the middle to ramp up the flavor and provide a hidden surprise with the first bite. No need to decorate after baking -- the sprinkles go right on top before going into the oven so that once they are cool, they are ready to go.

A spiced apple filling tops these buttery cookies, packing all the flavor of your favorite pie into a single bite — for a fraction of the work! Smoosh a small scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies for an inspired take on "pie a la mode."

Thumbprint cookies just got a lot easier with this bake and slice version. Instead of pressing divots into multiple mounds of cookie dough and filling each with jam, we shaped the dough into a log with a trough and flooded the center in one go. We used raspberry and apricot jam, but it's easy to swap out for whatever you have on hand. Once the cookie logs are baked, let them cool and then slice into strips.

This satisfying shortbread is as easy as it gets — and its traditional style is perfect for this time of year. It's simultaneously crisp, crumbly and tender because we've added a little cornstarch to the flour. And granulated sugar gives the cookies their gorgeous golden color.

Made from only four ingredients, these cookies are chocolatey, fudgy and pleasing for brownie and cookie lovers alike. Add crushed candy canes to dress them up for the holiday.

Australians adopted this biscotti-like Pistachio Melba from the Eastern European/Jewish cookie Mandelbrot.

Almond cookies like these are thought to resemble coins, making them particularly popular as a symbol of good fortune during the Chinese New Year. Traditional recipes are made with lard and flavored with almond extract. We used butter and almond flour in these to boost the nutty flavor and create a crumbly texture similar to pecan sandies. Enjoy them year-round, particularly with a cup of tea or coffee.

I love this recipe because it combines two of my favorite sweets in one — butter cookies and Southern pralines! The results are buttery, sweet and nostalgic. I also love this recipe because it includes a simple praline sauce that can be made without a candy thermometer.

This is my take on a delicious childhood dessert that my guru’s wife used to make. In Bengal, narkel means coconut and naru means a ball-shaped sweet (laddoo in Hindi). Though this can be made with white sugar, it’s amazing with unrefined sugar because of the lovely earthy caramel tastes that it adds. I tried it both with traditional Indian jaggery and with panela, the Latin version of jaggery, and I have to say I almost preferred it with panela. Use any unrefined sugar you can find.

We took our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and increased the brown sugar to make these cookies extra moist and chewy. Then we super-sized them -- the better to get in more of our favorite candy-coated chocolates. Save some extra candy for topping each cookie before baking. The result, cookies that look just as good as they taste!

Inspired by the candy, this indulgent dessert is both familiar and elegant. Almond paste fortifies the rich aroma of the cherries, and the two-ingredient chocolate glaze is rich and velvety. Cocktail maraschino or glace cherries work fine here, but might we suggest you treat yourself to high-quality candied cherries, such as Luxardo or Amarena? It is the holiday season, after all.

This holiday decorating project is a delicious brain teaser. "Where is the Santa?" you'll ask yourself as you pipe decorative circles and triangles over the giant sugar cookie. But then, you will suddenly see them — eight Kris Kringles!

A festive twist on the classic holiday treat, these cookies get an irresistible holiday upgrade from broken peppermint bark folded right into the dough. Each bite is a mix of creamy chocolate, crunchy peppermint and melt-in-your-mouth cookies – perfect for holiday parties, cookie exchanges or just a cozy night in. And for an even simpler version, skip the homemade peppermint bark and sub in your favorite store-bought chocolate bark.

These mini woven Christmas trees, lightly sweetened and with a deliciously crisp texture, bring a modern two-tone effect to the traditional holiday cookie tin. The trees come out in a variety of pattern and color combinations, depending on where they're cut on the woven dough sheets. A small gold star on top brings some festive flair and ties them all together.