The holidays aren’t complete without a variety of cookies on the table, from classic sugar cookies to rich chocolate treats. These 17 recipes cover all the festive favorites that’ll make your cookie platter the star of any gathering.
1. Chewy Double Ginger Molasses Cookies
These are the cookies that make your house smell like Christmas morning. The combination of fresh and crystallized ginger gives them that perfect holiday spice, and they stay soft for days in a cookie tin.
2. Neapolitan Cookies
I love making these because they look so impressive but start with just one base dough. The strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate layers make them perfect for cookie exchanges when you want something that stands out.
3. Fudgy Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
The red velvet color screams Christmas, and that crackled powdered sugar coating looks like fresh snow. They’re basically little bites of red velvet cake in cookie form.
4. Ultimate Chocolate Cookies
When you need cookies for the serious chocolate lovers on your list, these deliver. Two kinds of chocolate plus cocoa powder means they’re intensely chocolatey, and the flaky salt on top makes them feel fancy.
5. Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
The colorful M&Ms make these perfect for Christmas – just grab the red and green ones if you want to be festive. Kids always go for these first, but adults finish the plate.
6. White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
These have that rich, buttery flavor that feels special enough for the holidays. The white chocolate chunks look like little snowflakes, and macadamia nuts always make cookies feel more luxurious.
7. Neapolitan Shortbread Cookies
Shortbread is classic Christmas cookie territory, and the three-flavor stripes make these look like they came from a fancy bakery. They’re actually easier than the sugar cookie version but just as pretty.
8. Chewy Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cardamom
The cardamom gives these an unexpected warmth that’s perfect for winter. They’re like a sophisticated version of regular sugar cookies that’ll have people asking what makes them taste so good.
9. Pan-Banging Peanut Butter Cookies
The pan-banging technique gives these the most incredible texture – crispy edges with gooey centers. They look rustic and homemade in the best way, perfect for a cozy Christmas cookie plate.
10. Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Sometimes you need a classic peanut butter cookie that reminds everyone of childhood Christmases. The flaky salt on top makes them taste like they came from a fancy bakery.
11. Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can’t have Christmas cookies without chocolate chip – it’s basically a law. These have that perfect bakery texture with thick centers and crispy edges that everyone expects from the ultimate cookie.
12. Half-and-Half Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are my secret weapon when I can’t decide between regular chocolate chip and double chocolate. Two flavors in one cookie means everyone gets their favorite, and they look really cool on the plate.
13. Chocolate Espresso Sugar Cookies
The espresso deepens the chocolate flavor without making them taste like coffee. Rolling them in sparkly sugar makes them look festive, and adults appreciate the sophisticated flavor.
14. Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
Brown butter turns basic sugar cookies into something people actually get excited about. The nutty, caramel-y flavor is perfect for the holidays, and they’re simple enough to make in big batches.
15. Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
These are perfect when you’re baking for a crowd because the recipe makes a ton. The ground oatmeal gives them a hearty texture, and walnuts make them feel more grown-up than regular chocolate chip.
16. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
People pretend to hate these until the plate’s empty every single time. Fresh nutmeg makes them taste like something your grandma would make, which is exactly what you want at Christmas.
17. Buttery Vanilla Shortbread
Classic shortbread belongs on every Christmas cookie plate – it’s simple, elegant, and stores perfectly for cookie tins. The intense butter flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture never go out of style.
