There is nothing like a holiday cookie platter full of homemade Christmas cookies to make the season feel complete. This collection of traditional Christmas cookies covers the easy classics, from soft cut out cookies and simple drop cookies to buttery shortbread and gooey cookie bars.
Every recipe is made with pantry staples and steps you can trust, and most of them freeze beautifully so you can bake ahead and save yourself time in December. Whether you are packing tins for neighbors or building a cookie assortment for the family, start here with the classic Christmas cookies and easy recipes everyone reaches for first.
Cut Out Christmas Cookies
Cut out Christmas cookies are the ones that make the whole house smell like December. They give you those classic shapes, the tree, the star, the snowman, and they are easier than people think once you have a good chilled dough and a light hand with the flour.
These are my favorite easy cut out Christmas cookies, all made with soft doughs that hold their shape beautifully.
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Soft, a little tangy, and cut into all the Christmas shapes.
Iced Gingerbread Cookies
Spicy, sturdy, and built for royal icing details.
Molasses Cut Out Cookies
Deep, chewy, and made for the holiday tray.
Linzer Cookies
Jam-filled, vanilla drizzled, and just a little fancier.
Want more? Every shape and frosting idea you need is in my full cut out Christmas cookies list.
Drop Christmas Cookies
Drop cookies are the workhorses of holiday baking. No rolling, no cutters, just scoop and bake, and they fill a cookie tray faster than anything else. These easy drop cookies are sturdy, ship well, and always disappear first, from classic chocolate chip and cranberry to peppermint and crinkle cookies.
Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Topped with crushed candy canes, the one everyone asks for.
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Classic cookie that should be on every tray.
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate in a soft, chewy cookie.
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Bright red, soft, and covered in powdered sugar.
Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies
Rolled in cinnamon sugar, soft in the middle.
Gooey Butter Cake Cookies
Tender, flavorful, and festive.
I always make a couple of these first every December, and since the dough freezes so well, I scoop and freeze extra while I'm at it. That way I've got drop cookies ready to bake all month. Want every single one, including a few I didn't have room for here? See all my Christmas drop cookies.
Holiday Dessert Bars
When you need a lot of cookies with minimal effort, cookie bars are the answer. One pan, a quick press or spread, and you slice a whole tray out of the oven instead of baking batch after batch. These holiday dessert bars cover everything from soft sugar cookie bars to brownie-based bars and snickerdoodle blondies.
Sugar Cookie Bars with Russian Buttercream
Sugar cookie base with Russian buttercream piped on top, soft and sweet.
Want the full tray? Find all my holiday dessert bars, from cookie bars to brownies and more.
Classic Christmas Cookies
This is the heart of the page. These are the traditional Christmas cookies everyone remembers, the sugar cookies and gingersnaps, the shortbread and snowballs, the molasses and spice. They are the recipes that get passed down year after year. If you want classic Christmas cookies that taste like the holidays, start here.
Snowball Cookies
Buttery, nutty, and rolled thick in powdered sugar.
Gingerbread Man Cookies
Spicy, soft, and perfect for decorating.
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
A tender, classic sugar cookie everyone recognizes.
Coconut Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
A buttery cookie with jam and coconut.
Christmas Shortbread Cookies
Rich, buttery, and melt in your mouth.
Want the full classic list? See all my classic Christmas cookies.
Tips for the Best Traditional Christmas Cookies
These cookie baking tips will improve your cookie baking technique and ensure to create the softest, most flavorful, and beautiful cookies to give out this year.
Room temperature ingredients - Use room temperature ingredients unless the recipe calls for melted or chilled. Most recipes call for room temperature ingredients for a good reason. Using room temperature butter will allow it to cream to the perfect consistency for cookie baking and using room temperature eggs make it super easy to blend the egg into the cookie dough without overbeating.
Measure the flour - If the cookie recipe is grams, then use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients and if it's in cups then use a spoon to stir your flour to fluff it up and scoop it out using the spoon into a measuring cup. Use the handle of the spoon or a knife to level off the excess flour from the top of the measuring cup. This will reduce up to 50% extra flour that you don't need in your recipe!
Chill the dough - If the recipe you are following says to chill the dough - chill it! There are a few reasons behind this: either the chilled dough will result in a more puffy cookie or it is to allow the flavors to meld together and create a deeper flavor.
Line the cookie sheets - Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper but don't grease them. Using parchment will not only make clean up easy but it will also reduce the amount of spread that your cookies will have.
One cookie sheet at a time - This is a big one! Bake one cookie sheet at a time to get evenly browned cookies. Overloading your oven can create hot spots which result in burnt edges on some of your cookie batch. Allow the cookie sheet to cool between baking.
Use a cooling rack - As a cookie sits on the pan it was baked on, it continues to bake as it cools. Once the cookies have firmed up enough to move (about 5 minutes), it's a good idea to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Keep these tips in mind for soft, reliably delicious Christmas cookies, and you will have a platter that comes together easily and tastes great.
The Best Cookie Baking Tools
Having the proper tools and supplies on hand is an important to have when baking cookies, especially when making several holiday cookie recipes at a time.
- Cookie Scoop - every cookie baker should have this handy little tool. It is perfect for getting the same size cookies every time and it makes scooping the dough easier!
- Cookie sheet - Using a light-colored baking sheet will slow down the browning process during baking and having more than one on hand will help bake batches quicker.
- Parchment paper - Parchment paper helps keep cookies from spreading too much and it also makes clean-up easier. Using a silicone mat instead of parchment paper is also useful but it will need to be used.
- Digital kitchen scale: When measuring in grams, this is a very useful kitchen tool.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer: Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment is very useful when making large batches of cookies. A hand mixer is an essential tool for cookie baking.
- Cooling racks: Allows proper airflow to cool your cookies evenly and prevents them from overbaking on the hot cookie sheet
- Cookie Cutters: A variety of Christmas cookie cutters are essential when making cut out cookies.
Storing and Keeping Cookies Soft
Store baked cookies in an airtight container so air does not make them stale and hard.
Layer frosted sugar cookies with parchment paper so they do not stick together.
If your cookies have gotten a little hard, toss a slice of bread in the container and check back in a few hours.
Use fresh baking powder and baking soda, since old or expired leavening will stop your cookies from spreading and rising properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make my Christmas cookies stay soft?
To make your Christmas cookies stay soft, you use the correct amount of flour by spooning and measuring it before using it in your dough. Having too much flour will result in dense cookies. Keep an eye on the oven to prevent the cookies from overbaking. When baking cookies, the edges of the cookies should be lightly browned and the centers still soft.
Keep in mind that cookies will continue to bake as they cool on the cookie sheet. Another tip for retaining softness is to store the cooled cookies in an airtight container with a piece of bread, which will keep the cookies soft. A slice of bread added to cookies that have already been stored and no longer soft will help soften them up again.
Which types of cookies are best for cutouts?
Sugar cookies dough and gingerbread dough is best for cutout cookies. These cookies keep their shape as they don't spread too much during baking.
How can I ensure my cut out cookies maintain their shape?
Chill your dough before rolling and cutting is an important to step to maintaing the cookie cutter shape will baking. Chilling the dough slows down how much the ingredients heat up in the oven and will result in a better shape than if the cookies had not been chilled.
What are the most traditional Christmas cookies?
The most traditional Christmas cookies are the ones that show up on cookie platters year after year, soft sugar cookies, gingerbread, snickerdoodles, shortbread, and thumbprint cookies. These are the classic Christmas cookies most families expect to see, and they are easy to make ahead and freeze.
Ready to build your platter? Jump back to the cut outs, drop cookies, bars, and classic favorites above.
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
This is the ultimate collection of Christmas cookies - there’s truly something for everyone here. They all look so delicious!
I love all these recipes! They are all delicious and I can't wait to make these recipes at home.
I am saving this as my reference in making these delicious recipes. Thank you!