Baking holiday cookies is a favorite Christmas tradition! These all-time best Christmas cookies will easily be the star of any cookie exchange! I’m sharing 35+ favorite Christmas cookie recipes my family loves. Everything from sprinkle cookies, sugar cookies, spritz cookies, and shortbread, to snickerdoodles, rum balls, red velvet, and more!

If you like to tuck a little homemade fudge into your cookie trays be sure to check out our recipes for Baileys Fudge, White Chocolate Christmas Fudge, Grandma’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, and Peppermint Fudge. Of course, the popular Five Minute Fudge Wreath is a gift all on its own!

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Soft-Baked Christmas Sprinkle Cookies in Christmas mug

Trimming the tree and decorating the house while we listen to Christmas music are the first traditions that come to mind, but my favorite would have to be baking Christmas cookies.

Each year the cookie recipes might get switched around a little, but some of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes continue to make an appearance every year.

Everyone has their favorites, so I ask each family member what cookie they HAVE to have that year, then we go thru our recipes to see if we’ve forgotten any must-haves, and I usually give one new recipe a try.

Below you will find a list of our favorite holiday cookie recipes from classics and old-fashioned cookie recipes, to traditional and Santa’s favorites! I bet you’ll find more than one you have to make!

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photo collage of a large variety of christmas cookies

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Soft-Baked Christmas Sprinkle Cookies on Christmas plate

Soft-Baked Christmas Sprinkle Cookies

A pile of red and green Christmas drop cookies

Christmas Drop Sugar Cookies

holiday cookies on a counter - one cookie with a bite out!

Frosted Sugar Cookies – Lofthouse-Style

decorated Christmas cookies

Decorated Cut-Out Cookies with Royal Icing

Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies on a plate with a glass of milk

Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

easy Rum Balls on gold tray

Rum Balls

cookies on a plate with a mug of eggnog

Eggnog Cookies

chocolate peanut butter balls with Christmas sprinkles

Krispie Peanut Butter Balls

christmas spritz cookies on white platter

Classic Spritz Cookies

close up of snowball cookies in a green dish

Russian Tea Cakes

a pile of snickerdoodles on a plate

Snikerdoodles

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles on a black plate

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

a stack of sugar doodle cookies on a red polkadot background

White Chocolate Chip Sugar Doodle Cookies

stack of chocolate lava cookies

Hot Fudge Filled Chocolate Lava Cookies

cranberry cookies on a gold cooling rack with spatula

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie TidyMom

The Worlds Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Bites. #cookies recipe at TidyMom.net

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Bites

peppermint cookies TidyMom

Peppermint Butter Cream Cake Mix Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Super soft chocolate cookies hold a peppermint kiss in the center in these Peppermint Surprise Crinkle Cookies. Find the recipe at TidyMom.net

Peppermint Surprise Crinkle Cookies

f you like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you’re going to LOVE these Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. They are super easy to make, if you follow a few tips I’m sharing. Get the cookie cups recipe and tips at TidyMom.net

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

woman's hand holding a Peanut Butter cookie over a tray of cookies

Peanut Butter Blowout Cookies

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies

Your favorite sugar cookie dough is quickly transformed into gorgeous red velvet cookies stuffed with a caramel surprise and topped with a drizzle of white chocolate.easy recipe at TidyMom.net

Caramel Filled Red Velvet Cookies

Easy Peanut Butter Gooey Butter Cookies - recipe at TidyMom.net

Easy Peanut Butter Gooey Butter Cookies

Butter Pecan Cookies on a plate with a cup of coffee

Butter Pecan Cookies

a pile of easy M&M cookies on a cookie sheet

Homemade M&M Cookies

Featured Product 9-inch Springform Pan

Our favorite for baking perfect cheesecakes—choose the heavy-duty 9-inch Wilton springform pan.

Pistachio cookies on a plate with a glass of milk

Pistachio Cookies With Dark Chocolate

a stack of White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

stack of Toffee Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Toffee Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Cappuccino Cookies

Cappuccino Cookies

a plate full of cookies with a glass of milk and a straw.

Old-Fashioned Ranger Cookies

overhead shot of cookies with chocolate drizzle on a plate

Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

a stack of four chocolate chip cookies with maraschino cherries

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

cake mix cookies stacked on a cooling rack

Easy Cake Mix Cookies

Red platter with Holiday Tree Cherry Hand Pies

Easy Christmas Tree Cherry Hand Pies

santa belly cookies

All the tips and tricks you need for cookie baking

Decorated Christmas Cookies Can Be Easy!

Holiday Cookie Baking Tips

How to Freeze Cookies to Decorate Later

Baking cookies is a tradition I shared with my mom while growing up, and have continued to do so with my girls. I hope to have grandchildren someday to bake cookies with and carry on the tradition for another generation. I’d love to hear who you enjoy baking cookies with or for!!

CLICK HERE TO FIND MORE COOKIES RECIPES

Originally posted in July 2014. UPDATED January 2024. We spiffed up this post with more information and new photos. No changes were made to the recipe.