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The holiday season is the perfect excuse to pull out your mixing bowls, warm up the oven and fill the house with the smell of freshly baked cookies.
Whether you are baking for a family gathering, a cookie exchange, homemade gifts or a cozy afternoon at home, these 7 cookie recipes will help you keep your cookie tins full. You will find classic Christmas cookies, updated versions of old favorites and a few treats that feel a little different in the best way.
If you are planning your whole menu, take a look at my Christmas recipes for more festive ideas.
How to use this list
Not sure where to start? If you need nut-free cookies, go for the Linzer cookies. Baking with kids is easier with gingerbread cookies and chocolate cherry thumbprints. For gifts that travel well, walnut biscotti and butter cookies with hazelnuts are great options.
Delicate, buttery and filled with sweet jam, these nut-free Linzer cookies are a timeless holiday favorite. The dough bakes up tender and slightly crisp and the cutout tops let the raspberry peek through. They look beautiful on a Christmas cookie tray and are a great choice when you need a recipe that does not include nuts.
These melt-in-your-mouth crescent cookies are a classic for a reason. The dough is made with butter, sugar and finely ground walnuts, then shaped into little crescents and coated in powdered sugar while still warm. The texture is crumbly and tender with a gentle vanilla flavor that goes so well with coffee, tea or hot chocolate during the holidays.
White wine cookies are a lovely way to add something new to your holiday baking. The dough comes together with just a few simple ingredients. They are easy to make and work well for entertaining, serving with coffee after dinner or packing into small gift bags for friends and family.
No holiday baking list is complete without gingerbread cookies. This version is made without molasses, which is handy if you cannot get it easily or prefer a milder flavor. The cookies are warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves and hold their shape nicely, so they are great for cutting into festive shapes. Decorate them with icing or enjoy them plain, stack them on a cookie platter or bake a batch with kids for a fun afternoon project.
These chocolate cherry thumbprint cookies are a playful treat for chocolate lovers. The rich cocoa cookie base is topped with bright maraschino cherries that give them a fun Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer look. They are eye-catching on a cookie tray, simple enough to make with kids and an easy way to add a chocolate cookie with a bright pop of color.
Rich and buttery, these hazelnut butter cookies are all about simple ingredients and big flavor. Toasted hazelnuts add crunch and a deep, nutty taste, while the dough bakes into a tender crumb that almost melts in your mouth. Serve them with a cup of hot cocoa or coffee or pack them into tins as edible gifts during the festive season.
These walnut biscotti are baked twice, which gives them their signature crisp texture. The walnuts add an earthy flavor that works beautifully with coffee, tea or even a small glass of dessert wine. They travel and store well, so they are ideal for gifting or keeping in a jar to snack on throughout the holidays.
With these 7 cookie recipes, it is easy to mix and match a plate of treats that feels festive and homemade. Choose one recipe for a quick bake or work your way through the whole list and stock your freezer and cookie tins.
Grab your apron, gather your ingredients and enjoy baking your way through the holidays.
