586 holiday cookie recipes

Buttery sesame seed cookies topped with candied cherry halves for festive color. Simple drop cookie recipe makes 24 treats perfect for holiday baking with kids or last-minute cookie trays.

None Such mincemeat cookies: a vintage drop cookie made with crumbled prepared mincemeat folded into a simple shortening dough. Bakes 4 dozen in 12 minutes for the holiday cookie tin.

Soft spiced raisin drop cookies made with cookie mix, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, topped with a smooth vanilla butter frosting. A semi-homemade shortcut for holiday cookie trays.

Peachy pinwheels swirl a soft butter cookie dough around a nutmeg-spiced dried peach filling, then slice and bake into spiral cookies. A pretty pinwheel cookie for the holiday tin.

Chocolate spritz cookies made with cocoa and real butter, pressed into shapes and drizzled with melted semi-sweet chocolate. A holiday cookie press classic.

Classic cut-out Christmas cookies with almond and vanilla extract, rolled thin and topped with colored powdered sugar frosting. A holiday cookie-decorating tradition.

Spice and nut thumbprint cookies with ground pecans, cinnamon, and jam filling. Buttery shortbread-style cookies with a fruity center, perfect for holiday baking.

No-bake graham orange walnut cookies roll up bright orange juice concentrate, crunchy walnuts, and graham crumbs into bite-sized balls. No oven, no eggs, ready in 10 minutes for a citrus-kissed holiday cookie.

Twisted peppermint candy cane cookies with red and white dough, sprinkled with crushed candy while still warm. A festive holiday baking project that kids and adults both love shaping by hand.

German honey spice cookies rolled into bite-sized balls with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, mace, and black pepper, then dipped in a sweet vanilla glaze. A traditional Pfeffernusse-style holiday cookie.

Chocolate mint sticks: a three-layer holiday bar with a fudgy brownie base, a bright green peppermint buttercream middle, and a glossy chocolate glaze on top. A Christmas-cookie classic.

Raisin-spice cookies made with oatmeal cookie mix, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, raisins, and chopped nuts. A quick drop cookie with warm holiday spices that makes four dozen in under 30 minutes.

Yuletide chocolate chip cookies loaded with candied cherries, currants, pecans, and almonds. A festive holiday cookie with brandy flavoring and warm pumpkin pie spice that ages beautifully in the cookie tin.

Rosette cookies fried on a decorative iron with a thin egg-and-milk batter, dusted with powdered sugar. Crisp, lacy Scandinavian holiday cookies with a delicate snowflake shape.

English rocks cookies packed with candied cherries, candied pineapple, dates, and pecans in a spiced brown sugar-buttermilk batter. A dense, fruity holiday cookie baked low and slow.

Sandbakelse, traditional Scandinavian butter cookies with cardamom, pressed into mini tart tins and filled with jam. Delicate, sandy-textured holiday cookies dusted with powdered sugar.