18 Classic Holiday Cookies That Never Go Out of Style
These timeless Christmas cookie recipes have been passed down through generations, bringing families together during the holiday season.
Each recipe captures the nostalgic flavors and traditions that make Christmas baking so special and memorable.
01. Sugar-Coated Molasses Crackle Cookies
This version uses vegetable oil instead of butter, creating tender cookies with deep molasses flavor. The dough gets rolled into balls before coating with granulated sugar.
The sugar coating creates those signature crackly tops when the cookies expand during baking. Each cookie develops beautiful fissures across the surface.
This method works great for soft cookie lovers who want rich spice flavors. Perfect for holiday cookie exchanges and gift boxes.
02. Peppermint Candy Cane Shaped Cookies
These festive cookies use peppermint oil for authentic candy cane flavor and get shaped into classic curved forms. The dough splits into red and white portions for striping.
The shaping technique involves rolling colored dough into ropes, then twisting them together. This creates the traditional candy cane appearance when baked.
Takes more time for shaping but creates stunning holiday presentation. Great for families who enjoy decorating cookies together.
03. Traditional Spiced Shortbread Cookies
This old-fashioned recipe uses butter, flour, and sugar with just a pinch of nutmeg for subtle warmth. The simple ingredients create melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The key technique involves cutting cold butter into flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This method ensures tender, crumbly cookies.
Perfect for beginners who want impressive results with minimal ingredients. These cookies stay fresh for days in airtight containers.
04. Red and Green Pinwheel Cookies
This approach uses colored cookie dough rolled into logs, then sliced to reveal beautiful spiral patterns. Food coloring creates festive red and green swirls throughout.
The rolling technique involves flattening each colored dough into rectangles, stacking them, then rolling tightly. Chilling helps maintain clean pinwheel shapes when slicing.
This method looks complicated but uses simple slice-and-bake techniques. You get bakery-quality presentation with homemade flavor and freshness.
05. Simple Three-Ingredient Shortbread
These cutout cookies use only butter, confectioners’ sugar, and all-purpose flour for pure shortbread flavor. The minimal ingredients let the butter taste shine through.
This version works perfectly for cookie cutters and holiday shapes. The dough holds crisp edges and bakes to golden perfection.
Great for once-a-year bakers who want foolproof results. Takes less time than complex recipes but delivers classic shortbread taste.
06. Delicate Italian Waffle Cookies
These elegant pizzelle cookies use a special iron to create thin, crispy wafers with beautiful embossed patterns. Traditional flavors include anise or vanilla extract.
The special pizzelle iron cooks the batter quickly into delicate, lace-like cookies. Each cookie develops intricate designs pressed into the surface.
This method requires a pizzelle maker but creates stunning centerpiece cookies. Perfect for elegant holiday gatherings and gift giving.
07. Pine Nut Italian Cookies
These gluten-free cookies use almond paste, pine nuts, and egg whites for chewy texture and nutty flavor. The exterior gets coated with pine nuts before baking.
The almond paste base creates naturally sweet, dense cookies that stay moist for days. Pine nuts toast during baking for extra crunch and flavor.
Perfect for gluten-free holiday baking with just five simple ingredients. These cookies improve in flavor after sitting overnight.
08. Bold Spiced Gingerbread People
This top-rated recipe uses generous amounts of molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg for authentic gingerbread flavor. The dough rolls thin for crispy cookies.
The key technique involves chilling the dough before rolling to prevent spreading. This ensures clean cookie cutter shapes and defined edges.
This version takes more time but creates classic Christmas cookie jar favorites. Great for decorating with royal icing and candies.
09. Spiced Italian Coffee Cookies
These twice-baked biscotti combine gingerbread spices with traditional Italian cookie techniques. The dough gets shaped into logs before the first baking.
The double-baking method creates perfectly crispy cookies that hold up well when dunked in coffee or cocoa. Slicing happens while warm for clean cuts.
Perfect for holiday coffee breaks and gift giving to coffee lovers. These cookies stay fresh for weeks in airtight containers.
10. Fruitcake-Inspired Drop Cookies
These cookies capture all the flavors of traditional fruitcake in easy drop cookie form. Candied fruits, nuts, and warm spices create festive flavor combinations.
The drop cookie method makes these much easier than actual fruitcake baking. All the ingredients get mixed together and scooped onto baking sheets.
Great for fruitcake lovers who want individual serving sizes. The flavors actually improve after the cookies sit for several days.
11. Four-Ingredient Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
These classic cookies use just peanut butter, sugar, eggs, and chocolate kisses for simple holiday baking. The peanut butter creates chewy texture without any flour.
The signature technique involves pressing chocolate kisses into warm cookies right after baking. This creates the perfect chocolate-peanut butter combination in every bite.
Perfect for busy bakers who want impressive results with minimal ingredients. You can make these in under an hour start to finish.
12. Traditional Italian Family Cookies
This old-fashioned recipe uses basic pantry ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and vanilla for simple Italian-style cookies. The dough comes together quickly without special equipment.
The traditional shaping involves rolling dough into ropes, then forming into various shapes before baking. Each cookie develops a tender, cake-like texture.
Great for families who want to continue Italian baking traditions. These cookies work well with simple glaze or powdered sugar dusting.
13. Cranberry Cornmeal Sandwich Cookies
These elegant sandwich cookies feature cornmeal for subtle texture and tart cranberry filling between two delicate layers. The cornmeal adds interesting crunch and golden color.
The Linzer-style technique involves cutting decorative windows in the top cookies to show the colorful filling underneath. Powdered sugar dusting adds elegant finishing touches.
This method takes more time but creates bakery-quality presentation. Perfect for special holiday gatherings and cookie gift boxes.
14. Old-Fashioned Gingersnap Cookies
This family recipe from 1899 uses traditional ingredients like molasses, ginger, and cinnamon for authentic gingersnap flavor. The cookies bake until crispy and golden.
The rolling technique involves coating dough balls in granulated sugar before baking. This creates the signature crackled tops and sweet exterior coating.
Perfect for cookie lovers who appreciate historical recipes with proven results. These cookies stay crispy for weeks when stored properly.
15. Buttermilk Sugar Cookie Cutouts
These soft sugar cookies use buttermilk for tangy flavor and tender texture. The dough rolls easily and holds clean shapes when cut with cookie cutters.
The buttermilk creates incredibly soft cookies that stay fresh for days. This version works perfectly for decorating with colored icing and sprinkles.
Great for families who prefer soft cookies over crispy ones. The tangy buttermilk flavor makes these unique among sugar cookie recipes.
16. Rich Butter Spritz Cookies
These cookies use a cookie press to create decorative shapes and patterns with rich butter dough. Food coloring adds festive holiday colors to the finished cookies.
The cookie press technique pushes dough through decorative discs to create consistent shapes. Different attachments make stars, trees, and other holiday designs.
Perfect for families who enjoy decorating cookies together. The cookie press makes professional-looking results accessible to home bakers.
17. Quick Thumbprint Jam Cookies
These shortbread-style cookies feature thumb indentations filled with colorful jam or preserves. The buttery base pairs perfectly with sweet fruit fillings.
The thumbprint technique involves pressing indentations into cookie dough balls before baking. Jam gets added either before or after baking for different textures.
This method works great for beginners who want bakery-style results. No refrigeration required, making these perfect for quick holiday baking sessions.
18. Festive Cornflake Wreath Cookies
These no-bake cookies combine cornflakes, marshmallows, butter, and green food coloring for easy wreath shapes. Red cinnamon candies create holly berry decorations.
The melting technique involves combining marshmallows and butter, then mixing with colored cornflakes. The mixture gets shaped while warm into wreath forms.
Perfect for kids who want to help with holiday baking. These cookies come together quickly without any oven time required.
Final Thoughts
These vintage Christmas cookie recipes prove that classic flavors never go out of style, bringing generations together through shared baking traditions.
Whether you choose simple three-ingredient shortcuts or elaborate decorated cookies, each recipe creates lasting holiday memories and delicious treats to share.