10 Christmas Cookie Recipes That’ll Save Your Holiday Sanity (Or Destroy It — In the Best Way)

Every December, I tell myself I’m only making one batch of Christmas cookies. Maybe two, tops. Keep it simple, keep it manageable, don’t turn the kitchen into a disaster zone that takes three days to clean.

And then somehow, I’m elbow-deep in flour at 11 PM on a Tuesday, trying to remember if I already added vanilla to the third batch, with Christmas music blaring and my kids asking if they can “help” — which really means eating all the chocolate chips and leaving sticky fingerprints on literally every surface.

This is my life every holiday season. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This year’s Christmas cookie recipes collection happened because I was planning a cookie exchange with friends (ambitious, I know), needed teacher gifts (plural — so many teachers), and my family’s annual Christmas Eve party where everyone judges your baking but pretends they’re not. No pressure or anything.

So I tested. A lot. I burned batches. I had dough that spread into alien blob shapes. I discovered that “quick 20-minute cookies” is a LIE when you factor in cooling time and the fact that you’ll eat half of them before they make it to the gift boxes.

But these ten? These are the survivors. The ones that actually worked, tasted incredible, and didn’t make me question my life choices. Some are classic holiday flavors, some are total wildcards (lemon cookies for Christmas? Trust me on this), and all of them have been battle-tested by my brutally honest family who will tell you if something tastes “fine” — which is code for “I’m being polite but it’s not great.”

So here are my top Christmas cookie recipes for this year — each one tested, tasted, and created in the beautiful chaos that is holiday baking.

1. Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my secret weapon for when I need to impress people who think they’re too sophisticated for “regular” Christmas cookies.

The espresso powder does something magical here — it doesn’t make them taste like coffee cookies, it just makes the chocolate taste MORE. Like chocolate turned up to volume 11. My brother-in-law, who’s annoyingly picky about desserts, grabbed three of these before dinner even started. Then tried to blame it on his kids. Sir, I saw you.

They bake up with those perfect crispy edges and soft, almost gooey centers that make people think you attended culinary school. Plot twist: I learned this recipe during a 2 AM panic baking session before a holiday party and now it’s my go-to when I need to look like I have my life together.

The dough is sticky — like, aggressively sticky — so don’t skip chilling it for at least 30 minutes. I tried once. They spread into one massive cookie planet. Not cute for Christmas cookie platters.

Full recipe link’s right below — fair warning, you might eat the dough before it even makes it to the oven.

2. Soft Lemon Raspberry Cookies

Okay, hear me out. I know lemon isn’t exactly a traditional Christmas flavor. But sometimes you need something bright and fresh when everything else is chocolate, peppermint, and more chocolate.

These little beauties are soft and tender with lemon zest in the dough, and you press a thumbprint in the center and fill it with raspberry jam before baking. They come out looking so festive and pretty — the red jam makes them holiday-appropriate, I promise — that people assume you’re way more talented than you actually are.

My mom’s friend Martha (who only bakes from scratch and judges everyone else’s shortcuts) asked me THREE times if I really made these myself. Yes, Martha. I did. They’re not that complicated.

The lemon and raspberry combo is like if summer decided to crash your Christmas party wearing a fancy dress. Unexpected but somehow it works perfectly. They’re sweet but tangy, soft but with just enough structure that they don’t fall apart when you stack them in tins for gifting.

Just make sure your jam isn’t too liquidy or it’ll bubble over and make a mess. Learned that one the hard way.

3. Crumbl Iced Oatmeal Cookies for Christmas

Everyone’s obsessed with Crumbl cookies, right? Those massive, thick cookies that cost approximately one month’s grocery budget? Well, these are my copycat version and they’re PERFECT for Christmas cookie platters because they look bakery-fancy.

The oatmeal base is soft and thick — like, legitimately thick, not “I forgot to add enough flour” thick — with cinnamon and brown sugar and that cozy spice flavor that screams holidays. Then you top them with a simple vanilla icing that hardens just enough to stack without disaster.

I made these for my office cookie exchange and won. WON. There was no official competition but everyone kept asking who made “the giant oatmeal cookies” and could they have the recipe, so I’m counting it as a victory.

The secret is brown butter. Yes, it adds an extra step. Yes, it’s worth it. Browning butter smells like Christmas should smell — nutty, warm, slightly caramelly. Better than any candle.

They’re massive, soft, and taste exactly like you spent all day slaving in the kitchen when really it’s maybe 45 minutes of actual work.

4. Crumbl Banana Bread Cookies

Still on my Crumbl copycat journey because why pay $5 per cookie when I can make chaos in my own kitchen for free?

These banana bread cookies are what happens when you have overripe bananas during Christmas and you’re too tired to make actual banana bread. They’re soft, dense, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and topped with cream cheese frosting that makes them feel special enough for holiday gifting.

My kids don’t even like bananas but they demolished these. I found crumbs in their rooms for days. That’s the sign of a winning recipe right there.

They taste EXACTLY like a slice of banana bread had a baby with a cookie, and honestly, that baby is going places. The cream cheese frosting is optional but like… don’t skip it. It takes them from “nice cookie” to “WHERE DID YOU GET THESE?”

Pro tip: use the brownest, saddest-looking bananas you have. The ones you were about to throw out. Those make the best cookies. Food waste transformed into Christmas magic.

Grab the recipe below — your brown bananas are about to have a purpose.

5. Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

These are my favorite Christmas cookies aesthetically. They’re SO PRETTY. Red and white and crinkled and festive, like they belong in a magazine spread about perfect holiday baking.

And yet, they’re ridiculously easy. The dough is basically red velvet cake in cookie form — slightly tangy, cocoa-rich, that classic red velvet flavor — and then you roll the dough balls in powdered sugar before baking. As they bake and crack, you get these gorgeous red-and-white crinkle patterns that make people think you’re a professional.

I made these for Christmas Eve and my grandmother, who’s notoriously impossible to impress, said “Well, these are actually quite nice.” In her language, that’s basically a standing ovation.

The rolling-in-powdered-sugar step turns into a messy situation real fast. My kitchen looked like it snowed indoors. But the results are so worth it. They’re soft, slightly chewy, sweet but not overwhelming, and they LOOK like Christmas.

Just chill the dough properly or the powdered sugar will melt into nothing and you’ll be sad. Ask me how I know.

6. Cookies and Cream Cookies

Let me tell you about the cookie that made my nephew declare me “the best aunt ever” (his words, I’m not being braggy — okay maybe a little braggy).

These are Oreos. Baked inside chocolate cookies. With more Oreos on top. It’s cookie inception and it’s ridiculously delicious and no, I don’t care that Oreos aren’t “traditional Christmas cookies.” The kids don’t care either.

The base is this rich, fudgy chocolate cookie dough loaded with crushed Oreos, and then you press Oreo halves into the tops before baking. They come out looking like you ordered them from a fancy bakery, but really you just bought two packages of Oreos and called it baking.

They’re perfect for cookie exchanges because they look impressive and everyone — EVERYONE — loves Oreos. My father-in-law, who claims he’s “not really a sweets person,” ate four in one sitting. Then tried to hide the evidence.

Only issue: Oreos are expensive when you need like 30 of them for one recipe. But also, you get to “quality control” the broken ones while you’re separating them, so really, built-in snacks. Smart planning.

7. Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Second lemon cookie on this Christmas cookie list and I stand by this choice. Not everything needs to be chocolate or peppermint.

These lemon crinkle cookies are bright, tangy, sweet, and honestly refreshing after you’ve eaten your body weight in rich, heavy holiday food. The lemon flavor is STRONG — we’re talking fresh lemon juice AND zest — which gives you this punchy citrus taste that wakes up your taste buds.

The crinkle technique is the same as the red velvet ones (roll in powdered sugar, watch them crack beautifully as they bake), but the flavor is completely different. They’re like edible sunshine in cookie form, which is nice in December when it’s dark at 4 PM and you’re questioning your life choices.

I brought these to a holiday potluck and someone said “finally, something that’s not chocolate.” HIGH PRAISE from the chocolate-overload crowd.

They’re naturally pretty too — the white powdered sugar against the golden yellow cookie looks cheerful and bright, like a little ray of sunshine on your cookie tray.

Oh, and before I forget — chill the dough. I’m serious. Room temperature dough makes flat sad cookies instead of beautiful crinkled ones.

8. Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Look, I know these aren’t exciting. They’re not trendy. They’re not covered in crushed candy canes or filled with Nutella or topped with gold leaf or whatever Pinterest is doing this year.

But they’re CLASSIC Christmas cookies for a reason. My grandma made these every year. My mom makes these every year. Now I make them every year because apparently I’m turning into my mother (she was right about most things, turns out).

These vanilla sugar cookies are buttery, soft, perfectly sweet with pure vanilla flavor that reminds you why vanilla is the most popular flavor on earth. They don’t spread weird, they hold their shape, they’re thick and tender with slightly crispy edges.

I’ve made these so many times I could probably do it blindfolded. They never fail. They freeze beautifully. You can decorate them for different holidays or eat them plain at midnight standing at the counter wondering why you can’t stop.

They’re not fancy, but they taste like home. Like Christmas memories and childhood and everything good about the holidays before it gets stressful and commercial and exhausting.

Sometimes simple is exactly what you need.

9. Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies

If you’ve never had gooey butter cake, I’m genuinely sorry for your loss. It’s a St. Louis thing — impossibly soft, rich, slightly under-baked, and absolutely addictive.

These cookies are that same concept but lemon-flavored and in cookie form for your Christmas cookie platters. And before you say “another lemon cookie??” — yes. YES. They’re all different and they’re all necessary.

The texture is wild. They’re soft and dense and almost cream cheese-like inside, with this slight crust from the powdered sugar coating. They look rustic and crackly and imperfect, which I love because it takes the pressure off. Nobody expects these to be Pinterest-perfect — they’re supposed to look homemade.

The lemon and cream cheese combo is tangy and rich at the same time. They’re sweet but not cloying, which makes them dangerous because you think “oh I’ll just have one more” and suddenly you’ve eaten six.

Warning: they’re RICH. Two cookies and you’re satisfied. Five cookies and you’re having regrets. Trust me on this scientific research I conducted.

These are not your grandma’s Christmas cookies, but they should be.

10. Lemon Blueberry Cookies

Last one! And yes, another lemon cookie, because apparently I have a type and I’m owning it.

These are technically more summery than Christmas-y, but the blueberries look festive enough and sometimes you need something fresh and bright when everything else is heavy and spiced. Fresh blueberries folded into lemony cookie dough, baked until the berries burst slightly and create these little jammy pockets of flavor.

The lemon zest makes everything taste brighter and the blueberries add natural sweetness and moisture. They’re softer than most cookies because of the berry juice, which means they’re best eaten within a day or two.

Not that they last that long anyway. My husband ate four for breakfast. Four. I didn’t say anything because I’d already eaten three the night before, so who am I to judge?

The only tricky part is not overmixing once you add the blueberries, or you’ll end up with purple-gray cookie dough that looks questionable but tastes fine. Fold gently, bake immediately, eat too many before they cool.

These taste like a blueberry muffin decided to become a cookie, which honestly sounds like a solid career change.

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So there you have it. Ten Christmas cookie recipes that have taken over my kitchen, my freezer, and approximately 70% of my December schedule.

If I’m being completely honest, the red velvet crinkle cookies are my current favorites for gifting because they look SO festive and fancy. But the espresso chocolate chip ones are what I make when I need a 2 AM stress-baking session. And the vanilla sugar cookies are what I make because tradition matters and my mom would be disappointed if I didn’t.

My freezer currently looks like a cookie dough warehouse. I’ve got portions ready to bake at any moment because apparently I’ve developed a cookie emergency preparedness system. Is this what becoming your mother looks like? Because I’m not mad about it.

Look, Christmas baking is supposed to be stressful and chaotic and messy. If your kitchen isn’t covered in flour and powdered sugar, are you even really doing it? The burned batches, the cookies that spread weird, the dough you eat straight from the bowl — that’s all part of the experience.

If you make any of these, tag me or drop it in the comments. I genuinely want to know which ones become your favorites. And if you burn a batch? Welcome to the club. We have cookies — slightly charred, but still edible.

Now excuse me while I go “quality test” those leftover lemon crinkles one more time…