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My 10 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

December 3, 2021 by Joy the Baker 5 Comments

I always to love get in the kitchen and crank up the oven but there’s something about baking in December that feels extra special to me.  It’s all the chocolate, and all the sprinkles, and all the giving.  I bake so I can GIVE and GIVING is the vibe every December so this might just be my favorite season.  If you’re like me (and you’re here because you surely are) my offering today will serve you. It’s a collection of my very best Christmas cookie recipes. Gather your flour and ingredients. Here’s a taste of the holidays!

First up: Gingerbread People Marshmallows – a double trouble holiday treat of homemade marshmallows and mini, chocolate-dipped gingerbread people as decorations.  These are a labor of love but so rewarding to gift.  I especially like these marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa. Just fish the molasses ginger cookie out before the marshmallow melts so you have little gingerbread cookies to dip! These aren’t plain ol’ sugar cookies. We’re really going for it.

Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate and piled on a board.


Let’s talk about the best Christmas cookie recipes that are also peanut butter cookie recipes because for me, the two categories overlap seamlessly.

•  Peanut Butter Cup Christmas Cookies are a variation of my mom’s Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies made with peanut butter cups because more is more when it comes to peanut butter candy. Either way we’re talking about perfect peanut butter cookies.

•  Speaking of MOM!  She really shines come Christmas as evidenced by Mom’s Famous Peanut Butter Balls. Name a better flavor combination. I’ll wait.

•  What could be better than a classic chewy gingersnap cinnamon spice cookie than one made with… you guessed it: peanut butter!  See: Peanut Butter Gingersnap Chews.

•  I LOVE a holiday shortbread cookie during the holiday season and here’s my favorite way:  Confetti Holiday Shortbread. An easy and reliable vanilla shortbread is studded with festive sprinkles (they’re even rolled into the top of the cookies) and cut into small squares.  We’re essentially making shortbread cookies as easy to eat as popcorn!  These cookie bites tuck very nicely into a cupcake paper inside a holiday cookie tin!

For a gluten-free sprinkle cookie, see: Rainbow Cereal Cookies!

Baked Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies on a cooling rack


There’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting a classic like Dad’s Best Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies into your holiday baking routine but… ya know, we could jazz it up a bit.

•  These Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of the most popular cookie recipes on the site because we’ve baked actual Oreo cookies into chocolate chip cookies with no apologies. It’s cookie inception! (Are we still into that movie?)

•  Browned Butter Cappuccino Cookies  with white chocolate chips are both bitter and sweet which I think is all of life. These cookies have a depth of flavor thanks to brown sugar and instant coffee powder!

Baked mulled wine bars sliced into small squares.

•  In terms of Christmas cookie recipes it doesn’t get more wealthy than Spiced Mulled Wine Fruit Bars.  Pair a buttery press-in crust with red wine soaked dried fruit.  Each slice is rich and indulgent and honestly, my favorite way to enjoy mulled wine because of the jam and cloves. It’s an impressive dessert.

chilled chocolate bark recipe on a platter.


•  This Chocolate Almond Ginger Bark is actually impossible to stop eating one you make it so let this serve as your warming. Make a double – nope – make a triple batch.  You’ll need one batch to consume while you pack the others for gifting. Sliced almonds are my favorite way to add nuts to chocolate bark. They toast so evenly!

•  Classic Black and White Cookies might be my favorite of all the cookies (though it’s impossible to choose). I’ve turned the classic into a little holiday treat with peppermint for these darling Chocolate Peppermint Black and Marble Cookies.

Bonus!  This year I want to make Jon’s Churro Cookies and you might want to scroll through Cup of Jo’s What’s Your Holiday Cookie Showstopper? The comments are full of everyone’s favorites!

And if you’re playing Santa and packing cookies to gift and ship this year, check out how I package my cookie tins for some helpful tips!

Happy Holidays and happy baking, friends!

xo

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  1. Charlotte Quattlebaum

    November 26, 2022 at 4:39 pm

    My favorite is the Dark Chocolate, walnut and golden raison cookie. Pretty, delicious the perfect chocolate on a cookie tray.

    Reply
  2. Eleanor Gaccetta

    January 6, 2022 at 1:46 pm

    Thank you for putting this out there. I agree with your opinion and I hope more people would come to agree with this as well.

    Reply
  3. Mo

    December 12, 2021 at 5:44 pm

    Yay cookies!! but also PLEASE tell where that sweater is from. It’s so happy and unique and looks lovely on you!

    Reply
  4. samantha campanini

    December 10, 2021 at 11:47 am

    I think I’m going to make the chocolate peppermint!

    Reply
  5. Emilia

    December 3, 2021 at 9:00 am

    You forgot one! My favorite recipe of yours to make at Christmas is the Vanilla Bean Confetti Cookies: https://joythebaker.com/2014/10/vanilla-bean-confetti-cookies/.
    I always get tons of compliments on them and they stand out amongst all the red and green.
    Thanks for all the great recipes!

    Reply

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