Christmas cookie baking doesn’t have to take all day or require fancy decorating skills. These easy Christmas cookies come together quickly with simple ingredients, and most of them are perfect for baking with kids or whipping up at the last minute for cookie exchanges, bake sales, or neighbor gifts. I’ve gathered my favorite recipes that actually work for busy families during the hectic holiday season.
25+ Easy Christmas Cookies
Santa’s Trash Cookies
Santa’s Trash Cookies are loaded with all the good stuff – chocolate chips, pretzels, candy, and whatever else you have in your pantry. Kids love helping throw ingredients into the bowl, and no two batches ever look exactly the same. Pack them in cellophane bags tied with ribbon for easy neighbor gifts.
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies rolled in powdered sugar. The chocolate chips add a nice surprise to the traditional snowball cookie. They freeze beautifully, so you can make them weeks ahead and have cookies ready whenever you need them.
Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies
These Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies start with a boxed cake mix and need just a few ingredients. The crushed candy canes on top make them look festive without any decorating skills required. They’re perfect for when you need two dozen cookies in under 30 minutes.
Sugar Cookie Wreath
This Sugar Cookie Wreath looks impressive but uses refrigerated cookie dough shaped into a festive wreath. It’s one of those recipes that makes people think you spent hours in the kitchen when it actually took about 15 minutes of prep time. Serve it on a platter with a small bowl of frosting in the center for dipping.
Reindeer Gingersnap Cookies
These adorable Reindeer Gingersnap Cookies start with store-bought gingersnaps that you decorate with pretzels, candy eyes, and red M&Ms. They’re a fun project for an afternoon with the kids and always get smiles at cookie exchanges. The best part is there’s no actual baking required.
Christmas M&M Cookies
Christmas M&M Cookies are simply your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with red and green M&Ms mixed in. The festive colors make them perfect for holiday parties, and you can make the dough ahead and freeze it for easy baking later. Kids can help sort the M&Ms by color before mixing them in.
Christmas Oreos
These Christmas Oreos are dipped in melted chocolate and decorated with sprinkles or crushed candy canes. They look fancy but require no baking whatsoever, making them perfect for when you need a last-minute treat. Set up a decorating station and let kids customize their own.
Pecan Snowball Cookies
These classic Pecan Snowball Cookies are tender, nutty, and covered in a snowy coating of powdered sugar. They’re one of those cookies that everyone expects to see at Christmas gatherings. Make a double batch because they disappear fast.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are a heartier option that’s perfect for breakfast or after-school snacks during the holidays. The oats make them feel a little healthier, and the cranberries add festive color. They ship well if you’re mailing holiday care packages.
Easiest Cranberry Cookies
The Easiest Cranberry Cookies use dried cranberries and come together in one bowl with no chilling required. The tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate chips make them perfect for anyone who doesn’t love super-sweet cookies. They stay soft for days when stored in an airtight container.
Lingonberry Thumbprint Cookies
These Lingonberry Thumbprint Cookies are buttery cookies with a jewel-toned jam center. You can use any jam you like, but lingonberry gives them a traditional Scandinavian touch. Kids love making the thumbprint indentations before filling them with jam.
Hungarian Cookies (aka Kiffles Cookies)
Hungarian Cookies are tender cream cheese pastries filled with jam, nuts, or poppy seed filling. They look fancy but the dough is surprisingly easy to work with. These are the cookies that disappear first at every cookie exchange I’ve ever attended.
Sprinkle Cookies
These fun Sprinkle Cookies are soft, colorful, and covered in sprinkles. Use red and green sprinkles for Christmas or any color combination you like. They’re basically impossible to mess up, which makes them perfect for baking with young kids.
Butterscotch Haystack Cookies
Butterscotch Haystack Cookies are no-bake cookies made with butterscotch chips and chow mein noodles. They come together in minutes and have that perfect sweet-and-salty thing going on. Kids think they’re hilarious because cookies aren’t supposed to have noodles in them.
Twix Cookies
These Twix Cookies taste just like the candy bar with a shortbread base, caramel middle, and chocolate top. They take a little more time than some of the other cookies on this list, but they’re worth it for special occasions. Cut them into small squares so everyone can try one without feeling too guilty.
Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies use Bisquick mix as a shortcut to soft, chewy cookies. They’re perfect for when you’re out of flour but still need to make cookies. The texture is slightly different from traditional chocolate chip cookies, but my kids actually prefer them.
Bisquick Peanut Butter Cookies
These Bisquick Peanut Butter Cookies need just a few ingredients and come together in about 20 minutes. Press them with a fork for the classic crisscross pattern, or leave them plain. They’re soft, peanut buttery, and perfect with a glass of cold milk.
Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookies bring those warm pumpkin spice flavors into a soft, chewy cookie. They’re perfect for early December when you’re transitioning from Thanksgiving flavors to full Christmas mode. The cream cheese frosting makes them extra special.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
These Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are soft, spiced, and loaded with chocolate chips. They’re one of those cookies that tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to blend. Pack them in your kids’ lunchboxes for a special holiday treat.
3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies
You really can make delicious cookies with just three ingredients, and these 3 Ingredient Sugar Cookies prove it. They’re perfect for when you need cookies right now and don’t want to run to the store. Kids can cut them into holiday shapes and decorate with colored sugar.
Sugar Cookie Bars
Sugar Cookie Bars give you all the flavor of cut-out sugar cookies without the rolling and cutting. Just press the dough into a pan, bake, frost, and slice into squares. They’re my go-to when I need cookies for a school party and don’t have time for individual cookies.
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies are a nice bright, citrusy option when you need a break from all the chocolate and peppermint. They’re soft, chewy, and have that fresh lemon flavor. Roll them in powdered sugar before baking for a snowy appearance.
Orange Sugar Cookies with Orange Glaze
These Orange Sugar Cookies with Orange Glaze have a subtle citrus flavor that’s really refreshing during cookie season. The glaze adds sweetness and makes them look polished. They’re especially good with a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Chocolate Cool Whip Cookies
Chocolate Cool Whip Cookies are incredibly easy and turn out soft and fudgy every time. The Cool Whip gives them an amazing texture. Roll them in powdered sugar for a crackled appearance that looks like you spent way more time on them.
Air Fryer Cookies
Air Fryer Cookies are a game changer when you need just a few cookies without heating up the whole house. They bake faster than in a regular oven and come out perfectly every time. This method works with most cookie dough recipes.
Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies
These Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies are soft, chewy, and ready in less than 15 minutes. The air fryer gives them perfectly crispy edges while keeping the centers tender. They’re perfect for when you want fresh-baked cookies but don’t want to heat up the whole kitchen.
Sugar Cookie Brownies
Sugar Cookie Brownies combine two favorite desserts into one amazing treat. They’re part sugar cookie, part brownie, and totally delicious. Cut them into small squares because they’re rich.
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
These Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are soft peanut butter cookies with a mini peanut butter cup pressed into the center. They’re one of those cookies that look impressive but are actually super simple to make. Bake them right before guests arrive so your house smells amazing.
More Christmas Recipe Collections
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- Christmas Candy Recipes
- Christmas Fudge Recipes
- Christmas Bark Recipes
- Christmas Party Food Ideas
- Christmas Party Food Ideas
- No Bake Christmas Treats
- Easy Christmas Desserts
- Christmas Bake Sale Ideas
- Easy Christmas Treats for Homemade Gifts
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