20 Easy, Fun, and Festive Christmas Cookies for Every Baker

This collection features holiday cookies with bold flavors, whimsical shapes, and playful designs. Many incorporate candy, chocolate, or colorful dough to create visually festive treats. Textures range from soft and chewy to crisp or layered. Each description focuses on flavor, appearance, and holiday charm without restricted phrasing.

Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies

A wooden board displays a stack of cookies with colorful candy pieces and white chocolate chips, next to a bowl of ridged potato chips. — Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies. Photo credit: The Cookin’ Chicks.

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Packed with chocolate, candy, and nuts, these cookies bake soft and chewy. Each bite delivers a variety of flavors and textures. The cookies spread slightly while keeping chunky fillings intact. They are playful and indulgent for festive gatherings.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies

Christmas Chocolate Waffle Cookies

Chocolate waffles with green and red holiday sprinkles are on a cooling rack next to a small glass bowl filled with similar sprinkles. — Christmas Chocolate Waffle Cookies. Photo credit: Busy Little Chefs.

Chocolate dough is pressed into a waffle pattern before baking. The cookies remain tender inside with crisp edges. Drizzled chocolate or sprinkles add festive decoration. Each cookie combines classic flavor with unique presentation.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Chocolate Waffle Cookies

How to Make Sour Cream Christmas Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

A tray of Christmas-themed sugar cookies decorated with icing, featuring shapes like trees, snowmen, stars, and candy canes. — How to Make Sour Cream Christmas Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Photo credit: Saving Talents.

Soft, tender sugar cookies are enriched with sour cream. Baking creates lightly golden edges and a chewy center. Cream cheese frosting adds smooth sweetness. Each cookie is rich and festive.
Get the Recipe: How to Make Sour Cream Christmas Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Reindeer Oreo Cookie Balls

Crushed Oreos mixed with cream cheese form round cookie balls. Candy pieces or pretzels create reindeer faces and antlers. Chilling sets the shape while maintaining a soft interior. Each bite is whimsical and sweet.
Get the Recipe: Reindeer Oreo Cookie Balls

Keto & GF Gingerbread Cookies

Low-carb, gluten-free dough rolls smoothly for cut outs. Spices like cinnamon and ginger create warmth. Baking produces tender cookies with lightly crisp edges. Each cookie retains classic holiday flavor without gluten.
Get the Recipe: Keto & GF Gingerbread Cookies

Mischievous Grinch Nutter Butter Cookies: A Fun Holiday Treat

A white plate with six green cookies decorated to look like cartoonish yellow eyes with black outlines. Festive candy and green tinsel surround the plate on a white surface. — Mischievous Grinch Nutter Butter Cookies: A Fun Holiday Treat. Photo credit: Thriving Parenting.

Nutter Butter cookies become playful Grinch characters with icing and candy details. Soft peanut butter centers contrast with firm edges. Each cookie captures a whimsical holiday look.
Get the Recipe: Mischievous Grinch Nutter Butter Cookies: A Fun Holiday Treat

Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe

A stack of round, homemade cookies is arranged on a metal plate, with star anise pods placed around them for decoration. — Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe. Photo credit: Living In Normal.

Lightly spiced dough with a hint of anise bakes into crisp cookies. Powdered sugar adds visual contrast. The cookies are fragrant and visually elegant. Each cookie is simple yet flavorful.
Get the Recipe: Anise Christmas Cookies Recipe

Christmas Thin Mint Cookies

Chocolate-covered cookies topped with red, green, and white sprinkles are stacked on a white plate. — Christmas Thin Mint Cookies. Photo credit: This Nana Can Cook.

Chocolate mint cookies bake thin and crisp. A smooth mint glaze or chocolate drizzle tops each cookie. The flavor is refreshing and festive. Each cookie is visually simple but flavorful.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Thin Mint Cookies

Christmas Oreos: Easy Holiday Cookies

A plate of white chocolate-covered cookies decorated with colorful Christmas-themed icing designs, including trees, snowflakes, a wreath, and the word Joy. — Christmas Oreos: Easy Holiday Cookies. Photo credit: The Soccer Mom Blog.

Oreos are decorated with festive frosting, sprinkles, or chocolate coatings. The cookies remain crisp with creamy centers intact. Each cookie is playful and colorful for holiday tables.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Oreos: Easy Holiday Cookies

Candy Cane Cookies

Five chocolate cookies topped with chocolate frosting and mini red, white, and green candy canes are arranged on a white wooden surface with a red and white checkered cloth. — Candy Cane Cookies. Photo credit: Baste Cut Fold.

Red and white dough is twisted into candy cane shapes. Baking creates soft centers with lightly crisp edges. The pattern remains bold and festive. Each cookie is bright and cheerful.
Get the Recipe: Candy Cane Cookies

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Close-up of snowflake-shaped gingerbread cookies decorated with white icing patterns, arranged on a parchment-lined surface. — Gingerbread Cookie Recipe. Photo credit: Baste Cut Fold.

Classic gingerbread dough rolls smoothly for cut outs. Baking creates soft cookies with slightly crisp edges. Icing adds buttons and facial details. Each cookie is traditional and flavorful.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Grinch Crinkle Cookies

Green crinkle cookies decorated with small red heart-shaped candies, with a bowl of red heart candies in the background. — Grinch Crinkle Cookies. Photo credit: Semi Homemade Kitchen.

Green dough is coated in powdered sugar before baking. Cracks appear across the surface, revealing the Grinch design. Candy or icing details complete the look. Each cookie is soft and visually playful.
Get the Recipe: Grinch Crinkle Cookies

Cake Mix Christmas Cookies

A pile of cookies with red and green candy-coated chocolates, chocolate chips, and sprinkles baked into a light-colored dough. — Cake Mix Christmas Cookies. Photo credit: Semi Homemade Kitchen.

Colored cake mix forms soft, chewy cookies. Sprinkles or candy decorations add festive color. Edges remain slightly crisp while centers stay tender. Each cookie is easy and colorful.
Get the Recipe: Cake Mix Christmas Cookies

Small Batch Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

A white plate with several chocolate chip cookies sits on a festive red napkin near a glass of milk and holiday greenery. — Small Batch Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies. Photo credit: Homemade In The Kitchen.

Spiced dough with chocolate chips bakes into soft cookies with golden edges. The combination of gingerbread spice and chocolate is rich. Each cookie is tender yet slightly crisp. They are ideal for smaller gatherings.
Get the Recipe: Small Batch Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

Small Batch Gingerbread Cookies with Eggless Royal Icing

Classic gingerbread shapes are decorated with eggless royal icing. The cookies bake firm yet stay tender inside. Icing adds clean, bright detail. Each cookie is small batch but festive.
Get the Recipe: Small Batch Gingerbread Cookies with Eggless Royal Icing

Gingerbread Pizzelle Italian Cookies

Decorative, round patterned cookies are arranged on a cooling rack with small sprigs of greenery and flowers, and a metal serving spatula is visible in the corner. — Gingerbread Pizzelle Italian Cookies. Photo credit: XoxoBella.

Thin, crisp cookies are patterned using a pizzelle iron. Light spices and slight sweetness create a delicate flavor. Each cookie is crisp with intricate designs. They make a traditional holiday treat.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Pizzelle Italian Cookies

Best Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe

A plate of Christmas sugar cookies decorated with colorful icing and sprinkles in festive shapes like stars, ornaments, and trees. — Best Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe. Photo credit: The Slow Roasted Italian.

Soft sugar cookie dough is rolled and cut into festive shapes. Baking creates lightly crisp edges with tender centers. Icing or sprinkles add holiday colors. Each cookie is simple yet cheerful.
Get the Recipe: Best Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe

Peppermint Snowball Cookies

A red box filled with powdered sugar-coated cookies and two candy canes, with more cookies and decorative white berries in the background. — Peppermint Snowball Cookies. Photo credit: Three Olives Branch.

Round cookies are coated in powdered sugar and lightly baked. Peppermint flavor adds a refreshing touch. The centers remain soft while edges stay firm. Each cookie is visually snowy and festive.
Get the Recipe: Peppermint Snowball Cookies

Christmas Baci di Dama Cookies

A white tree-shaped dish filled with red and green sandwich cookies with white filling, surrounded by festive holiday decorations. — Christmas Baci di Dama Cookies. Photo credit: Three Olives Branch.

Two small almond cookies sandwich a layer of chocolate. Baking keeps the exterior crisp while the filling stays soft. Each cookie is small, elegant, and sweet. They are a refined holiday treat.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Baci di Dama Cookies

2-Ingredient Christmas Cookies

A person holds a baking tray with six chocolate chip cookies, each with a frosted Christmas tree design, on a parchment-lined surface with holiday decor nearby. — 2-Ingredient Christmas Cookies. Photo credit: The Soccer Mom Blog.

Simple dough or cake mix forms quick, easy cookies. Baking produces soft, tender rounds. Sprinkles or candy can decorate the tops. Each cookie is straightforward but cheerful for the season.
Get the Recipe: 2-Ingredient Christmas Cookies