If I could have no other desserts, it would just be cookies! I absolutely love cookies; sticking my hands into a cookie jar makes me feel like a little kid again.
Christmas cookies are like the Holy Grail of the season, you can’t do wrong with a platter of Christmas cookies on your side table, on the kitchen counter, on the dining table or even in my most beloved ‘cookie jar’ on a shelf.
Baking cookies is one of the easiest ways to get your holiday spirit humming because you can’t make your home smell like Christmas without some Christmas cookies. What better way to start or end your perfect Christmas day than with the aroma of cookies baking or better still in the eating of the cookies…
Every Christmas season since I was a child, my Granny always bake a batch of cookies daily and they all disappear within hours; though I was the major culprit (wink). She bakes so many different cookies that there’s always a special batch baking for someone, be it an aunt, an uncle or even old Mr. Davis down the street. There’s never too many cookies you can bake in the holiday season, moreover, Santa is always there if there’s leftover… Lol!
This year, I’ve compiled 20 of the best Christmas cookies I’ve eaten, made and was even gifted (wink; especially by my Granny). If these cookies don’t convince Santa to stop at your house, nothing will.
P.S: I finally found my Granny’s secret ingredient: a lot of heart!
1. Peppermint Stripe Cookies
This cookie was inspired by a collage by Ellsworth Kelly: Brushstrokes Cut Into Twenty Squares and Arranged by Chance. For me, it becomes like a blank canvas for painting, you don’t need to have a big thick layer of Royal icing.
All you require for this is your square-shaped peppermint-flavored cookies dipped into Royal icing and then allowed to dry. You’ll want your Royal icing to be bone dry before you start painting on them.
For the stripe painting, I prefer using petal dust and luster dust mixed with peppermint extract. All that is left is to arranged the cookies together to form a bigger square, paint lines across them and then rearranged them randomly, voila!
This cookies can add color and sharp edges to any cookie box with its cutout square edges and bright white and red stripe icing decoration. So don’t forget to add this cookie to that box you’re sending to Aunt.
2. Peanut Shortbread (With Honeycomb)
This cookie may be my favorite of all the cookie (if I can actually put some cookies down and push myself to decide) but it definitely is the most addictive.
What I do is to make honeycomb candy and pour it right on top of the peanut shortbread, so it becomes fused together to form these two layers of deliciousness which I end up cutting into random shards. I like decorating it with sprinkles of melted chocolate; it can be a little messy but it’s part of the fun.
3. Blood Orange Poppy Seed Window Cookies
Poppy seed blood-orange window cookies which are essential part if any cookie box. The poppy seed cookie is so versatile and goes with really any flavor.
I like blood orange marmalade as the filling because the color and the flavor is so beautiful but you could use orange marmalade or any other jam that you like.
4. Gingery Brownie Crinkle Cookies
What would a cookie box be without a chocolate cookie? I absolutely love the combination of ginger and chocolate together which isn’t always the first thing you might think of to put with chocolate but it gives it a really great holiday spin on a chocolate cookie.
I put little slivers of candy ginger on top and fresh grated ginger inside which gives you that perfect bite of wholesomeness, yum.
5. Homemade Pocky
What I was really going for here is a crunchy, not too sweet cookie that can be dipped.
This is a really great one to have your kids help with because it’s just like making play dough snakes. My favorite part of making these cookies with my nephews was preparing the toppings and dipping the cookies in them.
You can go crazy with whatever toppings you want but my nephew’s favorites are milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate with freeze-dried raspberries. I allow them to set a bit and then sprinkle with crushed nuts, candies and even candy glitter.
6. Thumbprint Cookies (With Dulce De Leche, Nutella Or Jam)
I like my thumbprint cookies dough mixed with ground pistachio, hazelnut and pecan. You can make your choice or you can make all three; it’s completely interchangeable in this recipe.
Thumbprint cookies are always a crowd favorite but the addition of these nuts gives it more texture and the flavor is exhilarating, yum. I like thumb printing mine but you can also use a wooden spoon handle.
The truth is when these cookies get thumb printed, they are not even that hot yet because it’s halfway through the baking time. And don’t forget to add that scoop of gooey goodness of Dulce de Leche, Nutella or your favorite jam to the middle, the variety is endless!
7. Dirty Chai Earthquake Cookies
I know this cookie name sound like a strange name. It’s named after the coffee house drink called the ‘Dirty Chai’ which is an espresso and a chai mixed together, so redolent with all of these nutty warm flavors like brown butter, coffee and a bunch of spices.
This is kind of a cookie that explodes under a sugary crust, which is where it gets the ‘earthquake’ to its name. This cookie is the ultimate holiday cookie because it’s definitely the spiced cookie in the cookie box.
8. Marbled Tahini Cookies
When my Granny first sent me this cookie, I was so sure she’ll soon start a third world war with her innovative ideas. This cookie simply blew my mind away and not because of its elegant icing but because of its beauty in simplicity.
This cookie is a real work of art; I almost framed the last piece from that very first cookie box my Granny gifted me. It was that mesmerizing and the fun part I really love about this cookie is that it is self-decorative, no added icing decorations needed.
9. Color-Field Cookies
Are you lacking certain colors in your home this Christmas? This color field of cookies is sure to add color to any room it is displayed in and even surer to draw the crowd to itself.
This cookie was inspired by another Elsworth Kelly collage but I just have fun in mixing different colours into the confectioner sugar glaze. I make as many bright colors as I want and I just dip my cookies face down into different colours of icings. I even go as far as adding smiley faces in some, lol.
10. Gingerbread Cookies
A soft, chewy gingerbread cookie full of rich molasses and spice just screams the holiday season. The flavors are synonymous with Christmas and when these cookies are in man (gingerbread man) form, it’s hard to come up with a more festive treat.
At most holidays get-togethers, they’re inescapable; not as if I want to escape from them in the first place.
11. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Why would you exclude the best cookie of all from your holiday baking? Christmas or not, an expertly made chocolate chip cookie is King, and surely Santa Claus himself would agree. In fact, a cookie plate without chocolate chip cookies would most definitely earn you a spot on the naughty list.
Slightly crisp around the edges, a little chewy in the middle, it’s truly perfection in cookie form. There’s only one way a chocolate chip cookie can be improved upon, and that’s when they’re eaten hot from the oven in all their melty chocolate glory.
Sure, you run a risk of incurring serious stomach ache from all the cookies you’ll end up eating, but that’s a small price to pay for such a heavenly experience.
12. Christmas Swirl Cookies
Christmas cookies can’t get any better than with Christmas swirl cookies. Christmas swirl cookies is the undiluting combination of cookies and Christmas colours.
The bright triple-colored cookies is a sight to behold and even better sight to be eaten. This cookies with its unique baked colors can easily become the centerpiece of that family Christmas dinner; and the absolute part I love about it since I was once a clumsy Icing decorator is that it is self-decorative, meaning there’s no need for added icing decorations. What a win!
13. Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
My love for red velvet cake transcribed into my love for this red velvet crinkle cookie as I don’t usually have enough time to bake a holiday red velvet cake.
This soft and chewy cookie is as festive as it can get with its bold red and white colors. Everyone wants a red velvet cake but no one has the time to bake it, this simple cookie will bring the smiles to your guest’s faces after dessert as it will satisfy them with that red velvety flavor.
14. Cream Cheese Spritz
It’s not Christmas without spritz cookies, moreover, it’s the spritz season. Grab or dust off your cookie press and let’s get baking.
15. Snowball Cookies
Rich and buttery cookies with crunchy nuts inside and stuffed with chocolate makes them simply irresistible. The cookies are rolled twice in powdered sugar to create the snow effect. The sweetness of the powdered sugar is well balanced with the semisweet chocolate inside.
I like adding almond and orange zest to this classic melt-in-your-mouth flavor. They are definitely a must-try and looks really nice if you want to use them as holiday gifts. Snowball cookies are an amazing choice for your holiday cookie tray.
16. Potato Chip Cookies
Do you want a cookie that will disappear immediately you set them on a plate? This cookie will! This wholesome goodness of crunchy, buttery, nutty potato chip cookies will leave your guests asking for more.
17. Peanut Butter Cookies
For me, cookies doesn’t get better than peanut butter, sugar and a Hershey kiss. No matter the type of peanut butter cookie, be it a peanut butter blossom or a peanut butter thumbprint cookie, the subtle flavor of peanut butter either crunchy or creamy makes for delicious cookies.
18. Stamped Citrus Shortbread
These are shortbread cookies that are stamped with cookie stamp to create an aesthetically abstract pattern on the dough. These are really beautiful cookies and even better way to bring uniqueness into that your holiday platter of cookies.
I like glazing mine with a thin citrusy glaze when they are warm from the oven ( not hot, but cool enough to handle). Use a thin glaze so as not to obscure the beautiful patterns you’ve worked so hard to create.
19. Brown Sugar Anise Cookies
This is a cookie for people who do not plan ahead but need a cookie fast. You can have this fabulous cookie from dough to table in a really short amount of time.
The beautiful thing about this cookie is that it’s supposed to be freeform; you can make it into any shape you want, moreover, it’s one big cookie we’re going to cut afterward.
All you have to do is to roll your dough to about a quarter-inch thick, place in a pan, dock it (poke it with a fork to create holes to allow steam pass through), brush with egg white and give it a crunchy finish by sprinkling anise seeds on it and then bake.
If you don’t want anise seeds, you can use sesame seeds or even just sugar. You can cut the freeform cookie into any shape you want once your cookie is out of the oven.
20. Perfect Vanilla Almond Cutout Cookies
These simple Christmas-shaped biscuits with hints of vanilla and almond are sure to win the holidays if nothing else does. The simplicity and sweetness of this cookie can soften even the hardest of hearts and giving them as gifts is sure to grant you that favor you’ve been meaning to ask.
I just gift my mom these Cookies whenever I’m about to ask for a hard thing and then keep an eye on her to ask her for the thing when she’s munching on this simple goodness. Sorry Mom, but even you can’t resist this vanilla almond cookies.
The very best gift you could give this Christmas is something like a box of Cookies, so let’s get baking for the holiday season is upon us. Below are my top 10 Christmas cookies tips to get you underway:
My Top 10 Christmas Cookies Tips
1. Always have 2 or 3 cookie sheets on hand. Hot cookie sheet will melt your dough.
2. Choose a pan that has at least 2 inches of clearance on all sides in the oven. This will allow for good circulation and even baking.
3. Eggs should be at room temperature. Place in warm water to speed up the process.
4. Spray your measuring cup with cooking spray. This helps sticky ingredients come out easier.
5. Don’t overpack your flour. This will make your cookies more tender.
6. Line Brownie pans with aluminum foil that overlaps on the side. This makes it easier to lift out.
7. Flip and reuse parchment for multiple batches.
8. Flour the edges of your cookie cutter to prevent sticking.
9. Let the pan of the baked cookies rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes. This allows the cookies to set and not crumble easily.
10. Bang cookie sheet against the counter when cookies are done. This makes the cookie crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Voila! There you have it, my top 10 Christmas cookies tips and my best 20 Christmas cookies you should try this holiday season. I hope you find at least one new cookie type to add to your holiday cookie tray.
Merry Christmas, friends! May your holidays be sweet!
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These look amazing! But where are the recipes??