Christmas time is such a wonderful time of year. There are so many activities to take part in, with one of the best being cookie baking. Many families bake tons of cookies every single year, to enjoy themselves and share with others.
If you're tired of making the same cookies every single year, we've got a great set of recipes here for you to look through. There are so many options that you're sure to find some that you love, regardless of your tastes.
One of the great things about many of these recipes is that you can easily make them with kids. What good is a Christmas cookie recipe if you can't include children in the baking process? Kids get a kick out of being able to make cookies, especially when they can leave them for Santa.
If you don't find a recipe you like here, no worries. We have tons of other recipes available on our site. Be sure to check them all out, and bookmark these cookie recipe pages so you can come back to them whenever you need them. Merry Christmas!
Christmas Cookies
B
Bambary Tarts
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Put plump raisins in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
2. Cream room temperature butter and gradually add sugar. Beat until light. Add beaten egg. Stir in raisins and lemon juice.
3. Fill pastry-lined tart tins with a teaspoon of the mixture (about 1/3 full). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Banana-Cornmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/2 cup mashed very ripe banana (1 medium)
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375º. Grease cookie sheet. Beat brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the butter, banana, and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
2. Stir in flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. (If dough is too soft to shape, cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.)
3. Mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Banana-Ginger Jumbles
Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
1/4 cup milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, if desired
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375º. Beat brown sugar, butter, shortening, ginger, and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in bananas and milk.
2. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center.
4. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm.
Banana-Nut Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Cream Cheese Frosting — (recipe follows)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese — softened
1/3 cup butter or margarine — softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease rectangular pan, 13 × 9 × 2 inches. Mix sugar, bananas, oil and eggs in large bowl with spoon.
2. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in nuts.
3. Spread batter in pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
4. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Cut into 6 row by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Directions:
1. Mix cream cheese, butter and vanilla in medium bowl. Gradually beat in powdered sugar with spoon until smooth and spreadable.
Basler Brunsli
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almonds
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 egg whites
Directions:
1. In a food processor, process the almonds and sugars until the almonds are powder-fine but not oily; stop the processor and scrape down the sides several times.
2. Add chocolate and mix until fine, being careful to not overmix and cause the chocolate to heat up and melt. Add spices and egg whites and mix until dough forms a mass.
3. Chill dough for about 1/2 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Generously dust a work surface with powdered sugar.
5. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a 2 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter (hearts are traditional, but you can cut them to any shape you want).
6. Place cookies on baking sheet. Put cookies into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 325 F. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm.
Bienenstich
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, firm
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped or slivered almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small pan, combine 1/2 cup of the butter, 1/4 cup of the sugar, honey, milk, almonds, and almond extract. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring; set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cut remaining 1/2 cup butter into pieces and, with a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut into flour mixture until mixture is very crumbly and no large particles remain.
4. Add egg and mix with a fork until dough holds together. Press dough evenly over bottom of an ungreased 10 by 15-inch rimmed baking pan. Pour almond mixture over dough, spreading evenly.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until topping is deep golden. Let cool in pan on a rack.
6. Cut into 2-inch squares; for smaller cookies, cut each square diagonally into 2 triangles. Store airtight.
Bisquick Butterscotch Brownies
Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
2-1/3 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 (3.5 ounce) can coconut
1-1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch pan for 45 minutes.
2. Cool on rack, cut while warm.
Black-Eyed Susans
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 drops yellow food color
1 egg
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese — softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 dozen (about) large semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, food color, egg and cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
2. Stir in flour. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
3. Heat oven to 375º. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Make 3 cuts with scissors in top of each ball about three-fourths of the way through to make 6 wedges. Spread wedges apart slightly to form flower petals (cookies will flatten as they bake).
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set and edges begin to brown.
6. Immediately press 1 chocolate chip in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cut balls from top into 6 wedges about 3/4 way through dough.
Black Walnut Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups chopped black walnuts
Directions:
1. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and add maple flavoring. Add in flour and baking soda, then add baking powder dissovled in a couple drops of water.
2. Add nuts and mix well. Divide dough into thirds and roll into logs. Refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour.)
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Slice logs into thin cookies.
4. Bake for 9 minutes or until light brown in color.
Bourbon Balls
Ingredients:
3 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 75)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup light corn syrup
Powdered or granulated sugar
Directions:
1. Mix crushed wafers, powdered sugar, pecans and cocoa.
2. Stir in bourbon and corn syrup.
3. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar.
4. Refrigerate in tightly covered container several days before serving.
Brandied Fruit Drops
Ingredients:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/3 cup brandy
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried apricots — chopped
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup golden raisins
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease cookie sheet. Beat brown sugar, butter, brandy and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
2. Stir in flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet.
4. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Brandy Snap Cups
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon brandy
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups mixed fresh strawberries and raspberries
2/3 cup raspberry jam — melted
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Heat butter, corn syrup and brown sugar to boiling in 1 1/2-quart saucepan, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Stir in brandy.
2. Mix flour and ginger; gradually stir into syrup mixture.
3. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls at least 5 inches apart onto lightly greased cookie sheets or line sheets with baking parchment paper.
4. Bake until cookies have spread into 4- or 5-inch rounds and are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes (watch carefully as these cookies brown quickly).
5. Cool cookies 1 to 3 minutes before removing from cookie sheets.
6. Working quickly, shape over inverted drinking glass about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Allow cookies to harden; remove gently and place on wire racks. Cool completely.
If cookies become too crisp to shape, return to oven to soften about 1 minute. Fill each cookie cup with 1/4 cup berries. Drizzle with jam.
Brownie Crinkles
Ingredients:
1 package fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease cookie sheet. Mix brownie mix (dry), water and egg product with spoon about 50 strokes or until well blended.
2. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Roll in powdered sugar.
3. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Brownie Drop Cookies
Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) package fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375º. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Mix brownie mix, water and egg in large bowl with spoon. Stir in nuts (dough will be stiff).
2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set.
3. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups sifted flour, less if possible
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tablespoon light cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
granulated sugar, for decorating
Directions:
1. Blend 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg, vanilla, and cream.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add enough of the remaining 1 cup flour to make the dough stiff enough to roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill several hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place on a lightly floured cutting board and roll to 1/8″ thickness. Use floured cookie cutters to cut into shapes.
6. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake 8 minutes.
Makes 2 dozen
Brown Sugar Drops
Ingredients:
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Light Brown Glaze — (recipe follows)
LIGHT BROWN GLAZE
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine — melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons milk (2 to 4 tablespoons)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400º. Beat brown sugar, butter, shortening, milk and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center.
3. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Spread with Light Brown Glaze.
LIGHT BROWN GLAZE:
Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable.
Brown Sugar Spritz
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
For pineapple filling:
29 1/2 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup sugar
red and green food coloring
Directions:
1. Make pineapple filling. In a saucepan stir together pineapple and sugar, bring to boiling.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture is very thick, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring often.
3. Divide fruit filling in half. Using a few drops of food coloring, tint half of the filling red and the other half green. Cool thoroughly.
4. Preheat oven to 400F. Cream together butter and brown sugar; beat in egg and vanilla. Stir together flour and baking powder; add gradually to creamed mixture, mixing until smooth. Do not chill.
5. Place half of the dough in the cookie press. Using the ribbon plate, press dough in ten 10-inch strips on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Using star plate and remaining dough, press lengthwise rows of dough on top of each strip, making a rim along both edges.
7. Spoon red or green pineapple filling between rims on top of ribbon strips.
8. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. While hot, cut strips into 1 1/4 inch diagonals. Cool. Makes 78.
Buckeyes
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Peanut butter
1 pound butter
3 pounds powdered sugar
two 12-ounce packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 of one bar of paraffin wax
toothpicks for dipping
waxed paper
Directions:
1. Place wax paper onto cookie sheets and set aside.
2. Cream peanut butter and butter until combined. Add sugar a little at a time. Make sure it is mixed well.
3. Roll peanut butter mixture into approximately 400 1-inch diameter balls. Insert one tooth pick into each small peanut butter ball. Set all of them aside.
4. Melt chocolate and paraffin (parafin helps the chocolate become shiny when it cools) in a double boiler. Be careful not to over-heat the chocolate.
5. Dip the ball into the chocolate so as to almost cover the entire ball. Leave small portion of ball uncoated. Let cool on waxed paper. Store in a cool place.
Note: This recipe makes 400 cookies. Halve or quarter the recipe if you can't eat that many!
Bumblebees
Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8 dozen pretzel twists
8 dozen pretzel sticks
Directions:
1. Beat peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, honey and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder.
2. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
3. Heat oven to 350º. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (dough will be slightly sticky).
4. For each cookie, place 2 pretzel twists side by side with the bottoms (the bottom comes to a rounded point, similar to the bottom of a heart shape ) touching on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Place 1 ball of dough on center, and flatten slightly. Break 2 pretzel sticks in half. Gently press 3 pretzel stick halves into dough for stripes on bee. Break fourth pretzel piece in half. Poke pieces into 1 end of dough for antennae.
6. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Butter Crunch Clusters
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 cups Cheerios® cereal
1 cup salted cocktail peanuts or Spanish peanuts
Directions:
1. Heat butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat.
2. Stir in cereal and peanuts until well coated. Drop mixture by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper; cool.
Buttergeback
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1-1/8 cup butter, softened
1-1/8 cup sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
2-1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons condensed milk
1 egg yolk
Directions:
1. Hard boil the 3 eggs in boiling water (about 10 minutes) and let cool. Peel the eggs and reserve the yolks. Discard egg whites. Pass the egg yolks through a chinoise or strainer.
2. Beat the yolks with the butter , sugar, and vanilla sugar until creamy. Sift the flour and add to the butter mixture. Mix well.
3. Wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Roll out dough on a floured board to 1/8″ thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and place cookies on cookie sheet.
5. Mix the raw egg yolk with the condensed milk and brush the top of each cookie with this mixture. Bake for about 18 minutes or until lightly golden.
Butterscotch Gingerbread People
Ingredients:
1 small box butterscotch pudding mix (cook & serve)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
decorations or icing
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cream pudding mix, butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat egg in. Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.
2. Roll out on floured board and cut with cookie cutters. Add candy buttons, cinnamon candy hearts or other decorations as desired.
3. Bake for approximately 10 minutes and cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Cookies may then be decorated with icing as desired.
Butterscotch Haystacks
Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 package or 6 oz butterscotch morsels
1 large can chow mein noodles
Directions:
1. Melt peanut butter and butterscotch together. Can be done on the stove top or in a microwave. Pour over noodles; mix well.
2. Drop by tablespoon on wax paper; freeze for a couple of hours. May be stored in a loose fitting topped cookie jar.
Butterscotch Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla or grated peel of one orange
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups butterscotch chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in small bowl.
2. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl.
3. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips. Spread dough into greased 15 x 10 inch pan.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until very lightly browned.
Butterscotch Shortbread
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 300º. Beat butter, shortening and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour and salt. (Dough will be dry and crumbly; use hands to mix completely.)
2. Roll dough into rectangle, 15 × 7 1/2 inches, on lightly floured surface. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake about 25 minutes or until set. (These cookies brown very little, and the shape does not change.) Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Butterscotch-Oatmeal Crinkles
Ingredients:
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine — softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated or powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease cookie sheet. Beat brown sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
2. Stir in flour, oats, baking powder and salt.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Christmas Cookie Recipes Index