46 Festive Christmas Cookies To Bake This Holiday Season

Holiday season = cookie season = the best season.

Nothing says Christmas like a batch of warm cookies fresh from the oven. Ready to get your holiday baking on? Here are a bunch of delicious cookie recipes to get you started.

1. Mint Chocolate Cookies With Mint Frosting

ambitiouskitchen.com

All the flavors of Christmas in a single cookie topped with a delicious and fluffy peppermint buttercream frosting.

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Cookies With Mint Frosting

2. Unfussy Sugar Cookies

Deb Perelman / smittenkitchen.com

These might be the easiest, laziest sugar cookies of all time, but they still taste amazing. You can use cold butter (a major time saver), you don't need to chill the dough for hours (20 minutes in the freezer is good enough), and you don't even need any cookie cutters, piping bags, or food dye.

Recipe: Unfussy Sugar Cookies

3. Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies

David Lebovitz / davidlebovitz.com

Salted chocolate chip cookies are already a dream come true, but add tahini to the mix and you'll reach dessert nirvana.

Recipe: Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies

4. Sumac Snickerdoodles

Chantell Lauren Photography / mynameisyeh.com

A classic cookie with an unexpected twist: adding sumac to your snickerdoodles turns basic cookies into a sweet, tangy, and unique treat.

Recipe: Sumac Snickerdoodles

5. Dark Chocolate Cookies With Salted Caramel

sprinklebakes.com

Yes to anything chocolate and salted caramel. Yes to how pretty these are. Yes to everything about them.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Cookies With Salted Caramel

6. Bourbon Balls

Lauren Zaser / buzzfeed.com

If you prefer your dessert a little boozy, these Bourbon cookies are for you.

Get the recipe: Bourbon Balls

7. Seven-Layer Cookies

Deb Perelman / smittenkitchen.com

Disclaimer: these rainbow cookies take 11 hours to make, but you'll only be actively baking for about two hours. The rest is just waiting around, and the result is well worth the time and effort.

Recipe: Seven-Layer Cookies

8. Stamped Christmas Cookies: Brown Butter Muscovado

alexandracooks.com

Even if you don't own a cookie stamp set, you can still absolutely make these cookies.

Recipe: Stamped Christmas Cookies: Brown Butter Muscovado

9. Frosted Honey Graham Cookies

chelseasmessyapron.com

These soft and chewy cookies are filled with cream cheese frosting and topped with honey and crushed Graham crackers. Need I say more?

Recipe: Frosted Honey Graham Cookies

10. Molasses Cream Pie Cookies

bakerbynature.com

These masterpieces are filled with white chocolate buttercream, but if you get lazy you can also use marshmallow fluff. I won't tell a soul.

Recipe: Molasses Cream Pie Cookies

11. Matcha Macarons

tasty.co

The best of French and Japanese flavors combine to make these delicate treats.

Recipe: Matcha Macarons

12. Glazed Sugar Cookies With Buttercream "Embroidery"

mynameisyeh.com

These are almost too pretty to eat (key word: almost). You won't be able to resist going back for seconds and thirds of these sugar cookies.

Recipe: Glazed Sugar Cookies With Buttercream "Embroidery"

13. Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies With Cream Cheese Glaze

Ghazalle Badiozamani / thekitchn.com

All the flavors of carrot cake in cookie form? Sign me up!

Recipe: Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies With Cream Cheese Glaze

14. Bakery-Style Butter Cookies

Deb Perelman / smittenkitchen.com

The best thing about these cookies is that you can customize them to your preferences: cut them into any shape, add almond extract to the dough, use your favorite jam for the filling, and top them with anything from sprinkles and chopped nuts to dried coconut and just melted chocolate.

Recipe: Bakery-Style Butter Cookies

15. Lemon Curd Cookies

chelseasmessyapron.com

Any excuse to bake with lemon curd is a win in my book.

Recipe: Lemon Curd Cookies

16. Easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies

halfbakedharvest.com

The real star of the show here is the ganache, which is silky and smooth and tastes like hot chocolate.

Recipe: Easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies

17. Whole Wheat Santa Sugar Cookies

sprinklebakes.com

These classic sugar cookies are made with whole wheat. They also happen to be adorable and so much fun to make.

Recipe: Whole Wheat Santa Sugar Cookies

18. Cranzac Cookies

David Lebovitz / davidlebovitz.com

These are a take on Anzac biscuits, which are made with oats, golden syrup, and coconut and are very popular in Australia and New Zealand. This recipe calls for dried cranberries, but you can also use raisins or dried cherries.

Recipe: Cranzac Cookies

19. Cinnamon Roll Cookies

chelseasmessyapron.com

These soft and chewy cinnamon cookies are topped with cream cheese so they taste like cinnamon rolls in cookie form.

Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Cookies

20. Double Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Cookies

bakerbynature.com

Double the chocolate is always a good idea.

Recipe: Double Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Cookies

21. Macchiato Macarons

tasty.co

This baking project is a bit of an undertaking, but for anyone looking for a challenge this holiday season, you'll be so proud of the results.

Recipe: Macchiato Macarons

22. Matcha Neapolitan Cookies

Ghazalle Badiozamani / thekitchn.com

Inspired by Neapolitan ice cream, this cookie flavor trio includes vanilla, matcha, and hojicha (another Japanese green tea).

Recipe: Matcha Neapolitan Cookies

23. The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Lauren Zaser / buzzfeed.com

There are lots of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, but this one reigns king. Try it for yourself and you'll see why it's the best.

Recipe: The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

24. Stained-Glass Sugar Cookies

sprinklebakes.com

So gorgeous you'll want to hang these festive cookies on your tree, these treats get their stained-glass appearance from melted hard candies.

Recipe: Stained-Glass Sugar Cookies

25. Iced Pumpkin Cookies

cookingclassy.com

Calling all pumpkin spice lovers — this one's for you.

Recipe: Iced Pumpkin Cookies

26. Classic Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies

alexandracooks.com

These sweet and tender cream cheese cookies are so easy to make, they're a great baking project to make with kids.

Recipe: Classic Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies

27. Cookies and Cream Breakaway

Lauren Zaser / buzzfeed.com

Do these cookies and cream bars count as cookies? I'm going to say yes.

Recipe: Cookies and Cream Breakaway

28. Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

cookingclassy.com

A quick and easy cookie recipe, these don't require any chilling and are ready in under an hour.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

29. Chubby Rocco Cookies

Ghazalle Badiozamani / thekitchn.com

Whoever first came up with the idea to put pretzels in cookies deserves a Nobel prize. This recipe adds chocolate chunks and mini marshmallows into the mix for even more deliciousness. We are truly not worthy.

Recipe: Chubby Rocco Cookies

30. Brown Sugar Cookies

pinchofyum.com

There's no icing or fancy decorating required for these crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside cookies.

Recipe: Brown Sugar Cookies

31. Rhubarb and Pistachio Rugelach

Chantell Quernemoen / Chantell Lauren Photography / mynameisyeh.com

Ok, technically these are pastries and not cookies, but who cares? They're filled with rhubarb jam and rosewater and topped with toasted pistachios.

Recipe: Rhubarb and Pistachio Rugelach

32. Chocolate Swirled Meringue Cookies

sallysbakingaddiction.com

Only five ingredients are required to make these meringues: semi-sweet chocolate, egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and granulated sugar.

Recipe: Chocolate Swirled Meringue Cookies

33. Twix Thumbprint Cookies

cookingclassy.com

Turning your favorite candy bar into cookies is never a bad idea.

Recipe: Twix Thumbprint Cookies

34. Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies With Whipped Buttercream

Lauren Zaser / buzzfeed.com

Go ahead and decorate your heart out. These sugar cookies are the ultimate festive treat.

Recipe: Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Christmas Sugar Cookies With Whipped Buttercream

35. Chewy Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

bakerbynature.com

This chewy, indulgent dessert is ready in just 40 minutes.

Recipe: Chewy Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

36. Chocolate-Hazelnut Shortbreads

Lauren Zaser / buzzfeed.com

As if shortbread cookies weren't delicious enough, add some rich melted chocolate and crunchy hazelnuts to the mix.

Recipe: Chocolate-Hazelnut Shortbreads

37. Spritz Cookies

sallysbakingaddiction.com

You don't need to chill the dough for these gorgeous cookies, which means you can whip them up in no time. Once they're out of the oven, it's time to decorate.

Recipe: Spritz Cookies

38. Gingerbread Cookies

cookingclassy.com

They smell like Christmas and they taste like Christmas. These cookies are basically Christmas.

Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies

39. Coconut No-Bake Cookies

minimalistbaker.com

If you're intimidated by baking, these cookies are a life-saver. You don't even need to turn on the oven to make them.

Recipe: Coconut No-Bake Cookies

40. Dark Chocolate Orange Biscotti

sallysbakingaddiction.com

IMHO, dark chocolate and orange is one of the best flavor combos in the world. Don't at me.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Orange Biscotti

41. Chai Spiced Maple Sugar Cookies

halfbakedharvest.com

If you've ever been to Canada, you've probably seen these iconic maple cookies. This is a homemade version, but with some chai spices added to the mix.

Recipe: Chai Spiced Maple Sugar Cookies

42. Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

bakerbynature.com

This one goes out to all the thin and crispy chocolate chip cookie lovers out there.

Recipe: Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

43. Blueberry Muffin Breakfast Cookies

minimalistbaker.com

Cookies for breakfast? Twist my arm...

Recipe: Blueberry Muffin Breakfast Cookies

44. Salted Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Slice and Bake Cookies

sallysbakingaddiction.com

If you liked "The Cookie", you're going to love these salted pistachio and chocolate slice-and-bake beauties.

Recipe: Salted Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Slice and Bake Cookies

45. Coconut Lime Shortbread Cookies

gimmesomeoven.com

This recipe tastes like a tropical cocktail in cookie form, and I'm here for it.

Recipe: Coconut Lime Shortbread Cookies

46. Salted Chocolate Brownie Cookies

callmecupcake.se

Half brownies, half cookies, these sweets offer the best of both worlds.

Recipe: Salted Chocolate Brownie Cookies