"Can you remember your favorite childhood holiday cookie recipes? Are those cookies still your favorite now? So many precious holiday memories can happen in the kitchen, from helping to cook or bake your family’s traditional holiday meals to experimenting with cookie cutters or cookie stamps for the first time—not to mention the time-honored tradition of constructing your own gingerbread house.
As you’re thinking of ways to make the holiday season special this year, consider trying out a new holiday cookie recipe. We’ve rounded up 30+ of the best recipes, from kid-friendly cookies to grown-up treats (margarita cookies, anyone?). And if you’re gifting cookies or participating in a cookie exchange, consider including a printout of the recipe and a festive note to make your gesture even more memorable. Read on for some of the best holiday cookie recipes to try this year.
1. Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
This recipe takes eye candy literally—not only are these cookies topped with peppermint Hershey’s Kisses delightful to behold, but also to pop into your mouth! If you enjoy freshly baked soft and chewy sugar cookies, then these will hit the spot.
2. Peppermint-Frosted Chocolate Cookies
‘Tis the season for peppermint! These cookies have the quintessential holiday flavor.
3. Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies
How cute are these reindeer cookies? Take your annual cookie-baking day to the next level with these cookies that your little ones will love decorating (and eating).
4. Fluffy One-Bowl Sugar Cookies
With any baking undertaking, we’re all about pursuing a recipe where there’s less potential for a mess. Not only are these melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies made in a single bowl, but they’re vegan and gluten-free. If you’ve never heard of the wonders of aquafaba, then you’re in for a pleasantly surprising vegan baking hack!
5. Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Mint and chocolate are a match made in heaven and perfect for wintertime. This recipe is great for anyone who can’t get enough of this beloved pairing.
6. Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Who doesn’t love a gooey stuffed cookie with a wonderfully soft texture? As one of the most decked-out snickerdoodle recipes we’ve ever encountered, its magic of blending chocolate, cinnamon, and caramel is an unbeatable combination.
7. Paleo Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Turn your favorite sweet breakfast treat into a delicious cookie with this recipe! The best part? This recipe is paleo-friendly.
8. Holiday Spritz Cookies
Cookies that are as cute as they are tasty are our favorite kind. This is a recipe to keep in mind for your holiday baking day.
9. Hot Cocoa Cookies
A cozy cup of hot chocolate in the form of a cookie just out of the oven? We’re sold. From its cocoa and almond buttery batter to its creamy vanilla bean frosting, they’re decadent yet healthy. By skipping butter, flour, and refined sugars, this is a minimalist recipe you can feel better about indulging in!
10. The Best Snickerdoodle Cookies
A classic snickerdoodle always hits the spot, and this recipe is delicious and super easy to follow.
11. Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Soft Sugar Cookies
Holiday baking wouldn’t be complete without decorating sugar cookies, and this is the best recipe for adorable, extra-soft cookies.
12. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Any cookie covered in powdered sugar automatically gets my stamp of approval. What makes these even better is that they’re the perfect amount of chewy, chocolatey goodness, thanks to the Mexican chocolate.
13. Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are a holiday season necessity, and we’ve found the perfect recipe to make yours the best of the best.
14. The Grinch Cookies
The Grinch doesn’t seem like such a holiday hater when transformed into a yummy cake mix cookie. Blanketed in powdered sugar and studded with red candy hearts, these festive green cookies will definitely be a hit with kids or at your next holiday party.
15. Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies
The best cookies are the ones that melt in your mouth, and these butter cookies do just that.
16. Lemon Shortbread Cookies
We’ve found the easiest, tastiest shortbread recipe that will leave your home smelling festive and delicious. Plus, they’re extra fun to decorate!
17. Pecan Sugar Cookies (with Brown Butter Icing)
The traditional red-and-green frosting gets a makeover here with brown butter icing and pecans atop soft sugar cookies—yum!
18. Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
If you look forward to the holiday Oreo flavors hitting the shelves, look no further than this recipe to make an elevated version of your own.
19. Gluten-Free White Chocolate Matcha Shortbread Cookies
Matcha lovers rejoice! You can get the nutty flavor in cookie form, too—like with these adorable gluten-free white chocolate matcha tree cookies.
20. Almond Butter Sparkle Cookies
The crunchy exterior of these cookies is perfectly contrasted against the soft interior. We know you won’t be able to have just one!
21. Christmas Cowboy Cookies
With all the best flavors wrapped in one, these Christmas cowboy cookies are the perfect salty/sweet treat.
22. Lace Cookies
If snowflakes could be captured and baked to a golden caramel crisp, we imagine this would be the result. These dainty lace cookies are a type of delectable holiday cookie that will pair perfectly with hot cocoa, a hot toddy, or your favorite Starbucks drink.
23. Cheesecake-Stuffed Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
This recipe basically combines three delicious treats in one with a festive spin—essentially, everything you could hope for in a cookie.
24. Hazelnut Gelt Cookies
If your family celebrates Hanukkah or you’re just in the mood to try a new delicious recipe, try these gelt cookies made with homemade (or store-bought) hazelnut flour. Kids will love decorating with toppings of their choice.
25. Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Wintertime is captured by many flavors, and the fusion of white chocolate and peppermint is definitely one of them. While white chocolate can be overly sweet for some, this soft cookie’s crushed peppermint pieces add a kick that invites you to make an exception.
26. Soft Batch Christmas Sprinkle Cookies
Easy and effortlessly festive, these sprinkle cookies are the perfect holiday treat!
27. Lime Coconut Snowball Cookies
If you’re not a fan of traditional holiday cookie flavors, go outside the box with these tropical-flavored treats.
28. Blizzard Cookies
The perfect recipe for a cold winter day! When the weather outside is frightful, warm up by making these blizzard cookies with white chocolate chips and cream cheese.
29. Hot Toddy Molasses Cookies
A hot toddy is one of the best ways to warm up on a cold day. Capture the bourbon and honey flavors in dessert form with this cookie recipe.
30. Margarita Cookies
When the cold winter weather seems never-ending, transport yourself to summer with this cocktail-inspired recipe. These margarita cookies could be just the thing to bring to your friends’ gift exchange.
31. Peppermint Mocha Cookies
If you were as thrilled as we were when the Starbucks holiday drinks came out, you’re sure to love these cookies, too.
32. Snowball Cookies
These snowball cookies delicately crumble in your mouth. You may find yourself indulging in one (or more) before you’re even done baking.
