16 Christmas Cookie Recipes to Bake This Holiday Season

There isn't one perfect Christmas cookie. Some are made for decorating with family, some are sturdy enough for gift boxes, and others are the cookies you bake when you want something festive without spending an entire afternoon in the kitchen.

This collection brings together 16 Christmas cookie recipes from What's Baking, with a mix of gingerbread, shortbread, peanut butter, chocolate, jam-filled sandwich cookies and pistachio favorites. Use it to plan a holiday baking day, build a cookie box, or simply choose a few recipes to keep on repeat through December.

16 Christmas Cookie Recipes for Holiday Baking

1. Christmas Sugar Cookie Sandwich Cookies

Soft, buttery sugar cookies filled with vanilla buttercream make an especially festive centerpiece for a holiday tray. The shaped cookies and sprinkle-coated edges also make them a natural choice for gifting.

2. Gingerbread Cookies

For a classic Christmas bake, these gingerbread cookies balance warm spices and molasses with crisp edges and a satisfying chew. They are ideal for decorating, cookie swaps and family baking days.

3. Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

These take classic gingerbread one step further by pairing spiced cookies with creamy vanilla buttercream. They feel a little more special while still keeping the familiar holiday flavor everyone expects.

4. Brown Butter Ginger Cookies

Nutty brown butter adds depth to a warmly spiced ginger cookie with crisp edges and a chewy center.

5. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate bring a sweet-salty contrast that works especially well beside spiced and fruit-filled cookies.

6. Dipped Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Two buttery peanut butter cookies are joined with a creamy filling and finished with chocolate. Their layered look makes them especially good for holiday gifting.

7. Vegan Shortbread Cookies

These crisp, tender shortbread cookies have the delicate snap and melt-in-your-mouth texture you want from a classic holiday shortbread, while also adding a dairy-free option to the box.

8. Air Fryer Scottish Shortbread

Buttery Scottish-style shortbread gets a practical air-fryer treatment here. It is especially useful when the oven is already busy with other Christmas baking.

9. Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown butter gives the classic chocolate chip cookie deeper caramel and nutty notes while keeping the familiar chewy-cookie appeal.

10. Jam Sandwich Cookies

Buttery cookies with a bright jam center add color and fruitiness to a tray full of chocolate, spice and nuts.

11. Austrian Nut Sandwich Cookies

Delicate hazelnut cookies with a rich chocolate-hazelnut filling bring a European-style element to the assortment.

12. Maple Cream Sandwich Cookies

Maple-infused cookies and silky maple cream give this sandwich cookie a warm, cozy flavor that fits naturally into Christmas baking.

13. Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies

Rich chocolate cookies and cool mint buttercream create a classic holiday flavor combination.

14. Eggnog Whoopie Pie Sandwich Cookies

Soft spiced cookies with eggnog buttercream bring one of the season's most recognizable flavors into a handheld dessert.

15. Vegan Pistachio Cookies

Vibrant pistachios, crisp edges, chewy centers and a touch of cardamom make these naturally festive.

16. Pistachio Pinwheels

The green pistachio spiral makes these pinwheel cookies one of the most visually striking choices in the list. The make-ahead dough is also practical for a busy holiday baking schedule.

How to Choose the Right Holiday Cookies for Your Baking Day

Sixteen cookie recipes offer plenty of variety, but making all sixteen in one afternoon is rarely practical. A more useful strategy is to pick cookies with different preparation needs. Choose one straightforward drop cookie, one roll-out or slice-and-bake cookie, one filled cookie and perhaps one striking centrepiece. That way your oven schedule, decorating time and storage needs do not all compete for attention.

Consider the ingredients you already have. Brown-butter chocolate chip cookies call for basic baking ingredients and chocolate, while pistachio pinwheels need pistachios and a shaped dough. Gingerbread adds molasses and spice. Jam sandwich cookies require jam and enough time to cool the pieces fully before assembly. Those differences matter when you are shopping for an ambitious holiday tray.

The easiest baking sequence

1. Start with the recipes that require chilling or resting the dough.
2. Prepare drop-cookie doughs while the chilled doughs rest.
3. Bake plain, unfilled cookies before assembling delicate sandwiches.
4. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating, filling, stacking or packing.
5. Keep the recipe's temperature, dough thickness and baking-time instructions with each tray.

Classic Spiced Cookies: Gingerbread and Brown Butter Ginger

Gingerbread Cookies offer recognizable shapes and warm spices. The published recipe includes ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and molasses; it is therefore worth checking the dough's specific chilling and rolling directions rather than treating it as an ordinary sugar cookie. Cookies rolled to different thicknesses will not all finish baking at exactly the same time.

Brown Butter Ginger Cookies deliver a different flavour experience from cut-out gingerbread. Brown butter adds toasted, nutty notes; use the recipe's precise instructions for browning and cooling the fat, because a hot or insufficiently cooled ingredient can alter dough texture. Mixing one chewy spice cookie with a firm cut-out cookie makes a tray feel more varied.

Chocolate Cookies: Choose One Familiar Favourite

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies use 225 g butter, two eggs and both brown and granulated sugar in their published formula. They can be a crowd-pleasing centre of a gift box, but do not promise that any cookie will stay crisp or soft for a particular number of days without considering its actual recipe and packaging.

For something more seasonal, the Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies contrast dark cocoa flavours with a mint filling. Because fillings vary in their storage requirements, check the recipe card and how the recipient will store the cookies. Do not assume that chocolate coating alone protects a dairy-based filling from spoilage.

Nut and Pistachio Cookies: Make Allergen Labels Obvious

Pistachio Pinwheels create a striking green spiral with pistachio filling and cardamom. The filling includes pistachios and an optional almond extract, so an ingredient label is especially important for gifts. Chilling the formed log supports cleaner slicing; forcing a completely frozen solid log through a knife can cause breaks or accidents.

Vegan Pistachio Cookies are another way to add green colour to the assortment. “Vegan,” however, does not mean nut-free or universally allergy-safe. Read the actual recipe ingredients and check any ingredient packaging when baking for someone with allergies.

Peanut-butter sandwich cookies add even more flavour, but keep them in separate clearly labelled packaging when someone else will be eating from the box. The presence of peanuts and tree nuts should never be disguised by decorative ribbons or attractive packaging.

Filled Cookie Options: Best Added Near Serving Time

Jam sandwich cookies add brightness, texture and colour, especially when the filling is visible through a cut-out centre. Bake and cool both pieces before sandwiching to avoid melting or spreading the filling. Our jam sandwich recipe uses strawberry jam, with raspberry or apricot suggested as alternatives. Follow the actual recipe for storage rather than assuming every homemade jam has the same shelf life.

Maple cream, chocolate-mint, hazelnut and eggnog whoopie-pie sandwiches have different filling styles. A cookie with a soft cream-based centre is more sensitive to heat, handling and transport than firm shortbread. A cookie box that travels without a cooler is usually better built around sturdy unfilled cookies; keep the delicate sandwiches for a dessert platter that can be served and stored correctly.

Planning a Variety Pack Without Making Sixteen Batches

For one small family gathering, a four-variety plan can be enough: gingerbread for spice, a chocolate cookie for richness, shortbread for a simple crisp texture, and pistachio pinwheels or a jam sandwich for visual interest. If you are baking for a larger crowd, increase the quantity of these varieties before adding several entirely new recipes.

Make a quick yield worksheet. For example, six gift boxes containing twelve cookies each require seventy-two cookies before a small allowance for breakage and tasting. If each chosen recipe yields roughly twenty-four cookies, three batches can reach that target. But actual yields vary widely with size, so check the recipe cards and your preferred box size rather than relying on an assumed universal cookie yield.

Choose packaging early. A rigid tin or box with food-safe parchment and dividers will protect delicate cookies more effectively than a loose bag. Keep strongly spiced gingerbread away from mild shortbread when possible so their aromas remain distinct. Let chocolate coatings and fillings set completely before layering.

Cookie Storage and Gifting Safety

Most cookie recipes can be prepared over several days, but not all completed cookies share the same storage rules. Unfilled sturdy cookies and cookies with fresh dairy, custard or cream cheese fillings belong in different categories. Store and transport perishable filled cookies under refrigeration according to their ingredients and recipe directions. For baked cookies intended for mailing, select varieties that are stable and durable at the expected shipping temperatures.

Never taste raw cookie dough to check flavour. Raw flour and uncooked eggs can carry harmful microorganisms, and baking is part of what makes the finished cookie safe to eat. If you make cookies for a classroom or shared gathering, label common allergens such as wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. Include the ingredients used in your own kitchen rather than assuming the basic recipe description tells the full story.

Picking the best Christmas cookie for your experience level

Not all of these sixteen recipes demand the same level of attention. The easiest cookie for you depends on whether you prefer simple mixing, carefully rolled dough or assembling a filling. A plain shortbread is a manageable starting point when you have an accurate scale and follow the temperature of the fat specified by the recipe. A gingerbread cutout is a good choice when you want a little decorating, but it involves rolling and handling dough evenly. Filled sandwich cookies require extra patience because two biscuits must fit neatly together.

If you are baking for the first time, choose one recipe before planning a huge assortment. Make a test batch, observe the dough texture and check the first tray. When the cookies cool, judge not only the flavour but also how they pack, how fragile they feel and whether the filling or decoration remains neat. Those notes are more useful than a promise that every recipe is foolproof.

Good starting points for beginners

• Simple shortbread: Try Vegan Shortbread Cookies if you are comfortable handling a short, buttery-style dough. The actual recipe uses vegan block butter, flour, caster sugar and cornstarch; the specific fat matters for texture.
• A familiar drop cookie: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies reward careful browning of the butter. Cool that butter as instructed rather than assuming it behaves exactly like softened butter.
• A seasonal cutout: Gingerbread Cookies are well suited to a decorating day, provided the dough is chilled and rolled to a consistent thickness.

Recipes that call for an extra planning step

Choose the Pistachio Pinwheels when you have time to shape a regular log and cut even slices. A neat spiral depends on consistent rolling more than on complicated decoration. For Jam Sandwich Cookies, the cookies themselves need to be cooled before filling, and carefully matched sizes make a cleaner finish. Buttercream sandwich cookies, such as Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies, need a filling that is stable and safely stored according to the particular recipe.

Understanding the differences between the sixteen recipes

Many holiday roundups use the same phrases for every cookie: buttery, crispy, chewy and irresistible. Those descriptions are less useful than knowing what makes a specific recipe worth selecting. Below are practical ways to compare the choices without pretending they have all been tested side by side.

Traditional holiday spice

Gingerbread Cookies use the recognizable flavour of ginger, cinnamon and molasses. Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies add a filling, making them a separate assembly project. Brown Butter Ginger Cookies emphasize the nutty depth of browned butter alongside winter spices. If you want a box that tastes varied, you probably do not need all three; pick the one that matches your preferred texture and available time.

Chocolate and peanut combinations

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies combine a nut butter base with chocolate and are not appropriate for a peanut-free recipient. Dipped Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies take more steps because they contain a peanut filling and a chocolate dip. For a simpler familiar chocolate cookie, make Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and skip the sandwich assembly.

Shortbread, fruit and nut textures

Air Fryer Scottish Shortbread and Vegan Shortbread Cookies are not identical formulas: the former contains conventional butter and uses an air fryer; the latter contains vegan block butter and is designed around that particular ingredient. Follow the distinct recipe cards rather than applying one cooking temperature to both. Austrian Nut Sandwich Cookies add ground hazelnuts or almonds and a filling, which creates more allergen and packaging considerations.

Maple Cream Sandwich Cookies bring maple flavour; Eggnog Whoopie Pie Sandwich Cookies are a different, softer style with a filling. Their relatively soft components make careful storage important. Choose Vegan Pistachio Cookies or the more visual pistachio pinwheels if you want a green accent; both include tree nuts and should be labelled accordingly.

How to avoid the most common holiday cookie mistakes

Inconsistent scoop size

If some drop cookies are twice the weight of others, they can bake at different rates. Portion evenly using a scoop or kitchen scale, and allow space for spreading. The time in a recipe card assumes a particular cookie size, so check the first tray when changing that size.

Rushing chilled dough

Rolling dough that is too soft can stretch the cutouts or blur the definition of pinwheels. Follow the recipe's chilling instructions, work with smaller portions, and return dough to a cool place if it becomes difficult to handle.

Decorating before the cookies have cooled

Warm cookies can melt buttercream and soften certain decorations. Set the baked cookies on an appropriate rack and wait until they are fully cool. If applying a chocolate dip, give the coating sufficient setting time before packaging.

Combining crisp and soft cookies for storage

Moisture migrates between different baked goods in a shared airtight container. Keep crisp shortbread separate from moist whoopie pies or chewy cookies, or place them in separate food-safe bags within a larger gift box. King Arthur Baking discusses the effect of mixing textures in its cookie-storage advice.

Ignoring the filling's storage requirements

A simple unfilled cookie and a cookie containing a fresh-cream or custard-based filling do not have the same handling needs. Follow each recipe's storage requirements and treat perishable fillings as refrigerated foods. A sealed decorative box does not make them safe at room temperature.

Choose the right cookies for your occasion

For a family decorating afternoon: Make gingerbread cutouts and Christmas sugar-cookie sandwiches, but plan the dough handling and cooling before the decorating begins. Children can shape and decorate under appropriate supervision, but raw flour and raw egg in uncooked dough are not for tasting.

For a small gift for a neighbour: Use a sturdy assortment, such as shortbread, brown-butter chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread and a few pistachio pinwheels. Confirm allergies before including nuts, and pack each texture separately so they stay pleasant over several days.

For a holiday dessert table: A combination of chocolate-mint sandwiches, maple cream cookies, pistachio pinwheels and jam sandwiches looks colourful, but needs more preparation and more careful storage. Make unfilled components in advance when the recipe allows and assemble closer to serving.

For mailing: Favor sturdy, smaller cookies with no perishable filling. King Arthur Baking's tested shipping advice recommends robust bakes and stable packing; the delicate cream-filled varieties are generally more practical for hand delivery.

Frequently asked Christmas cookie questions

Do I really need to bake sixteen kinds?

No. The sixteen recipes offer choice, not a requirement. Four or five contrasting options are usually enough for a varied cookie box or holiday tray. Fewer recipes also make it easier to maintain consistent dough handling and fresh presentation.

Can every cookie in this roundup be frozen?

Not necessarily in the same form. Some doughs can be frozen before baking; other cookies are more convenient baked ahead; fillings and decorations may have their own limits. Consult the individual recipe and our make-ahead cookie guide before freezing a finished sandwich cookie.

Which cookies need extra allergen care?

Peanut-butter cookies, pistachio cookies and Austrian nut sandwiches clearly contain nuts. Many other recipes contain wheat, egg and dairy; check the linked ingredient lists and packaging rather than assuming a cookie is safe because it looks plain or is labelled vegan.

Which recipe is best when I own an air fryer rather than an oven?

The Air Fryer Scottish Shortbread is written for that appliance. Basket space, airflow and the specific device affect results. Do not convert every oven-cookie temperature by using one fixed rule.

Sixteen cookies, six distinct baking styles

The collection includes a mix of simple, rolled, filled and shaped cookies. That is useful because each style creates a different amount of preparation and storage work. A sturdy plain cookie might be baked days before a holiday gathering. A sandwich with a soft cream filling may be better assembled later. A pinwheel log needs careful rolling and chilling. The best selection is not necessarily the one with the most varieties; it is the one you can prepare safely, package neatly and enjoy while it still tastes good.

Roll-out cookies

Christmas Sugar Cookie Sandwich Cookies, classic Gingerbread Cookies and Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies all involve shaping or chilling stages. Keep dough thickness consistent and work with small cold portions. The sandwich varieties require two cooled halves per finished cookie, and their published yield refers to completed sandwiches rather than individual cut-outs.

Drop cookies

Brown Butter Ginger Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and Vegan Pistachio Cookies provide round, scoopable options. Some doughs require substantial resting time, particularly recipes made with browned butter. Do not advertise the bake time alone as the total time required to make them. The vegan pistachio option still contains tree nuts and wheat flour.

Shortbread

Vegan Shortbread and Air Fryer Scottish Shortbread are distinctive from chewy drop cookies. Their sandy texture depends on fat and gentle handling. The air-fryer Scottish version is written for a small appliance and has different capacity constraints from an oven batch. Follow the specific recipe rather than assuming that the two methods can be swapped at the same temperature.

Sandwich cookies

Jam Sandwich, Austrian Nut Sandwich, Maple Cream Sandwich, Chocolate Mint Sandwich and Eggnog Whoopie Pie Sandwich Cookies each depend on a filling. The Austrian version contains hazelnuts or almonds and chocolate-hazelnut spread; the eggnog whoopie pies use buttermilk in the cookie and eggnog in the filling. Packaging and refrigeration need to follow these exact ingredients, not a blanket promise that every sandwich cookie is shelf stable.

Decorative nut and peanut options

Pistachio Pinwheels add a bright spiral and require the filled log to chill. Dipped Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies have a separate peanut-butter filling and chocolate-dipping stage. Both can look impressive, but allergen communication must be explicit; pistachios and peanuts are different allergen categories and should not be combined casually when baking for a shared group.

How much baking can realistically fit into one afternoon?

A good four-variety selection might consist of one shortbread, one drop cookie, one gingerbread and one filled showpiece. Prepare dough that needs chilling the previous evening. On baking day, begin with the more straightforward cookies while the filled-cookie components stay cool. Finish the sandwiches only after the baked pieces have cooled completely. This prevents melted centres, smeared icing and damaged packaging.

Check recipe-card yields before shopping. A recipe that makes twelve sandwiches needs twice as many individual cookie halves, while a recipe that makes twenty-four single gingerbread cookies needs just twenty-four cut-outs. For a gathering of ten guests, offering two or three small cookies each may be enough; for large gift boxes, calculate the number of recipients, the amount per box and a small breakage buffer.

Holiday cookie FAQs

Can I make all sixteen recipes?

Yes, but that is a significant baking project. Make a written batch calendar and consider freezing dough that the specific recipe allows you to freeze. More recipes mean more ovens, equipment, ingredient management and opportunities for allergen cross-contact.

Which cookies suit beginners?

Choose a relatively simple shortbread or familiar drop cookie, read every step in advance and prepare the correct pan or air-fryer basket. Decorated and filled sandwiches add additional steps, so they may be better after a basic cookie has been mastered.

Should I pack all types together?

Separate strong spices, moist fillings and delicate decorations. A rigid box with parchment cups helps prevent damage, but food safety depends on the ingredients and transport temperature, not the decorative appearance of the packaging.

How to Choose Cookies for a Christmas Cookie Box

A good cookie box is more interesting when the cookies do not all taste or look the same. Instead of choosing several nearly identical cookies, build contrast into the box.

• Add one classic: gingerbread or shortbread.
• Add one chocolate cookie: chocolate mint or brown butter chocolate chip.
• Add one fruit-filled cookie: jam sandwich cookies.
• Add one nut-based cookie: pistachio, peanut butter or Austrian nut cookies.
• Add one showpiece: pistachio pinwheels or decorated sugar cookie sandwiches.

Which Christmas Cookies Are Best for Gifting?

For gifts that need to travel, prioritize cookies that hold their shape and do not depend on a very soft filling. Shortbread, gingerbread, brown butter cookies, pistachio cookies and pinwheels are especially easy to stack and pack. Sandwich cookies can still be included, but keep them in a single layer or use paper cups so the filling stays neat.

How to Pack Christmas Cookies

Let every cookie cool completely before packing. Line the box with food-safe parchment, separate strongly flavored cookies when possible, and use small paper cups or parchment dividers to keep delicate cookies from rubbing against one another. Put sturdier cookies on the bottom and softer or decorated cookies on top.

If you are making several recipes, bake in stages instead of trying to finish everything in one day. Doughs and cookies that freeze well can be made first, while filled or decorated cookies can be finished closer to gifting.

A Simple Holiday Baking Mix

If you want variety without making all 16 recipes, choose four or five with different personalities: one gingerbread cookie, one shortbread, one chocolate option, one fruit or nut cookie, and one showpiece. That is enough to create a Christmas tray that feels abundant without turning holiday baking into a week-long project.

More Christmas Baking Inspiration

You can also explore more cookie and biscuit recipes and use the recipes above to build your own holiday baking plan based on how much time you have, who you are baking for, and whether the cookies are being served at home or packed as gifts.

A holiday cookie selection worksheet

Make a small worksheet before baking with the cookie's name, published yield, ingredients, dough rest time, baking temperature, finishing steps and intended storage. Sixteen recipes are easier to compare when their requirements sit side by side. Choose a manageable mix of four or five favourites rather than preparing every recipe in one session.

Keep cut-out, drop, sandwich and slice-and-bake cookies in separate groups. Note that each completed sandwich consists of two baked halves, and factor in time to prepare fillings. Label nut-containing cookies clearly and follow the recipe's specific storage directions. A thoughtful selection is more useful than an unnecessarily large assortment.

Decide when the cookies will be eaten before committing to perishable fillings. A tray served at home can include varieties that need refrigeration, whereas an unrefrigerated mailed gift should feature appropriately sturdy shelf-stable recipes. Keep delicate decorations from touching the box lid and give chocolate coatings sufficient time to set.

Choose Fillings That Suit Transport

For a box that will be mailed or carried without cooling, choose cookies without perishable fillings. Cream cheese, fresh cream and custard require refrigeration; do not assume every buttercream is suitable for unrefrigerated gifting. Check the exact filling and storage instructions before packing.