Food Holidays & Occasions Christmas 23 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make This Season Christmas cookies have come a long way, and these recipes sweeten any holiday celebration. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 16, 2023 Close Photo: Justin Walker Whether you're a fan of chocolate, sugar cookies, shortbread, or meringues, you'll want to make a few of these holiday cookie recipes to round out seasonal menus and have on-hand for gatherings and gifting. You'll be hard-pressed to decide which ones to bake first, from S’mores Linzer Cookies to Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies. Here are the best Christmas cookie recipes for holiday parties and gatherings. 01 of 23 Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben Photo by Jenny Huang / Food Styling by Tyna Hoang / Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka German for "cheeky boys," these Bavarian cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie platter. Brown butter and cardamom make this simple cookie into a fragrant treat. Take the time to freshly grind the cardamom — its robust, citrusy flavor is worth it. Get the Recipe 02 of 23 Tortellini Dolci al Forno (Emilian Fruit-Stuffed Christmas Cookies) Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Not to be confused with the pasta of the same name, these classic Emilian Christmas cookies are made from a tender, flaky dough filled with a sweet-tart trio of fruit: cherry preserves, rich saba (cooked-down grape must), and candied citron. Get the Recipe 03 of 23 Cranberry Moscow Mule Gingersnaps Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver With freshly grated ginger, ginger syrup, and ground dried ginger, cookbook author Vallery Lomas’ drop cookies pack a punch. Speckled with lime zest and vodka-plumped dried cranberries, the namesake Moscow mule cocktail is well represented in these soft and cakey cookies. Get the Recipe 04 of 23 Milk Punch Cornmeal Cookies Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver These sweet, buttery drop cookies are topped with a blanket of bourbon-spiked white chocolate ganache, paying homage to the timeless milk punch cocktail. A combination of almond flour and cornmeal provides a light, sandy texture and a sweet, buttery flavor. Showered with freshly grated nutmeg for a touch of warmth, the ganache topping hardens into a smooth shell, locking in moisture for the ultimate gift-giving treat. Get the Recipe 05 of 23 Vanilla–Brown Butter Sablé Cookies Johhny Miller Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz loves simple vanilla cookies like these. Vanilla, a notoriously difficult ingredient to grow and source, really shines in this recipe, making the quality especially important. To efficiently seed a vanilla bean, use a paring knife to split the bean in half lengthwise, then use the full edge of the knife to scrape the seeds from the cut sides. Get the Recipe 06 of 23 Italian Rainbow Cookies Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Whether you call them rainbow cookies, Neapolitan cookies, or tricolore cookies, these are a crowd pleaser on any dessert table. Get the Recipe 07 of 23 Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies Justin Walker The peppermint bark in these cookies is simple to make and adds a beautiful pop of color and flavor in each cookie, though store-bought bark will work well here, too. Get the Recipe 08 of 23 Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Classic sugar cookies get the gluten-free treatment. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract provide a nice hint of spice, and letting the dough rest overnight to better hydrate the flour is the secret to the cookies' tender texture. Get the Recipe 09 of 23 Fudgy Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Cookbook author Jesse Szewczyk’s grasshopper cocktail–inspired cookie borrows the crème de menthe and white crème de cacao flavors and colors and reimagines them into an unexpected treat reminiscent of a Linzer cookie. Get the Recipe 10 of 23 S’mores Linzer Cookies Greg DuPree Linzer cookies are descendants of the linzer torte, named for the Austrian city of Linz. Swapping graham flour and hazelnut meal for a portion of the all-purpose flour and almond meal gives these linzer-inspired cookies the flavor of s’mores. Get the Recipe 11 of 23 Gluten-Free Cacao Nib Meringues Justin Walker Made with chocolate, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder, these intensely flavored meringues have a delicate, crispy exterior with a soft, chewy, marshmallow-like interior. Get the Recipe 12 of 23 Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies Greg DuPree Chocolate crinkle cookies are often more cloying than satisfying. By substituting the flour with Glutino pretzels, this version of the holiday staple is not only gluten-free but also perfectly salty-sweet with the best-ever chewy center. Get the Recipe 13 of 23 Cake Cookies Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser Sean Flynn says his grandmother's cake cookies have been a staple at celebrations in his home. They're a piece of cake to make. Get the Recipe 14 of 23 Cardamom Shortbread Cookies with Dulce de Leche Peda Filling Andria Lo Adorned with edible flower petals and gold leaf, these spiced sandwich cookies, from cookbook author Hetal Vasavada, are an occasion unto themselves. Get the Recipe 15 of 23 Brown Butter and Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley 2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff adds an extra layer of earthiness to these crumbly dark chocolate cookies with dark rye flour. This recipe prepares two logs of dough to make ahead for slice and bake cookies. Get the Recipe 16 of 23 Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies © Ditte Isager These marvelous Christmas cookies combine chocolate with spicy gingerbread. "I was tired of basic gingerbread," says Matt Lewis of Brooklyn’s Baked about why he created these cookies. The answer is clear: "My connection to chocolate is really deep," he says. An added benefit of these cookies is that the supple dough is very easy to work with. Get the Recipe 17 of 23 Spiced Gingerbread Cookies © Christina Holmes Baker Julianne Jones’ wonderfully zingy gingerbread cookies have a tender and cakey texture, yet they’re sturdy enough to decorate. Get the Recipe 18 of 23 Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian "Snow White" Cookies) Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Traditionally in Indonesia, Putri Salju ("Snow White" or "Snow Princess") cookies are made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews inside and are popular during the holidays, including Christmas, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year. Shandra Woworuntu adds pandan flavoring and omits the nuts. Get the Recipe 19 of 23 Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing © Lucy Schaeffer Chef Michael Mina recommends decorating these gingerbread cookies with kids. Get the Recipe 20 of 23 Kourampiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies) Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Blanched and toasted almond pieces bring a lovely crunch to Despina Economou's crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Greek Christmas cookies. Get the Recipe 21 of 23 Linzer Cookies with Spiced Jam © John Kernick Kevin Sbraga adds anise and coriander to the raspberry jam that he spreads between these hazelnut cookies, which are spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Get the Recipe 22 of 23 Negroni Cookies Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Angela Garbacz pairs unsweetened cocoa powder and pungent Campari to give these soft and chewy Negroni-inspired cookies their signature bitterness. Orange zest–infused sugar imparts a gentle, sweet fragrance and crunchy texture. Get the Recipe 23 of 23 Cardamom Thumbprints © Chris Court Adding cardamom to Kay Chun's crispy cookies gives them a subtle spiced flavor. You can fill the thumb print with jam or chocolate. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit