21 Easy Christmas Cookies That Are Always a Hit
If you’re looking for easy Christmas cookies to make this holiday season, you’re going to love these festive recipes.
Every cookie on this list takes 15 minutes or less to prep (not including chilling time), making holiday treats a whole lot easier to make.
These easy Christmas cookie recipes are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, Christmas parties, bake sales, and cookie boxes.
Easy Christmas Cookies Perfect For Your Christmas Cookie Exchange and Holiday Bake Sale
1. Chocolate Kiss Cookies
A box of cake mix and cream cheese make these chocolate kiss cookies wonderfully soft without much effort. Roll them in colorful Christmas sprinkles or crunchy sugar for a festive finish that looks great on a holiday cookie tray.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Kiss Cookies
2. Christmas Haystack Cookies
Skip the oven with these Christmas haystack cookies made from peanut butter, butterscotch, and crunchy chow mein noodles. Their sweet and salty flavor makes them a fun addition to holiday parties, and they only take minutes to prepare.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Haystack Cookies
3. Reindeer Sugar Cookies
Turn refrigerated sugar cookie dough into adorable little reindeer with pretzels and a few decorative toppings. Kids will have a blast helping make these Christmas cookies for holiday movie nights, classroom parties, or cookie exchanges.
Get the Recipe: Reindeer Sugar Cookies
4. Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
With just four ingredients and one mixing bowl, these Christmas cake mix cookies take the hassle out of holiday baking. There’s no need to chill the dough, and the cookies bake up with a soft, fluffy texture that’s perfect for sharing at cookie swaps.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
5. Grinch Crinkle Cookies
Bring a little Whoville fun to your Christmas dessert table with these Grinch-inspired crinkle cookies. Starting with boxed cake mix keeps the preparation short, so you can whip up a festive batch without spending all afternoon in the kitchen.
Get the Recipe: Grinch Crinkle Cookies
6. Hot Chocolate Cookies
Brownie mix gives these hot chocolate cookies their rich, fudgy texture, while a gooey marshmallow adds a little something special. Finished with a four-ingredient hot chocolate icing, they’re a cozy treat for snowy afternoons or Christmas celebrations.
Get the Recipe: Hot Chocolate Cookies
7. Peppermint Kiss Cookies
Give traditional sugar cookies a Christmas makeover with these soft, chewy peppermint kiss cookies. The refreshing peppermint flavor makes them a welcome addition to dessert platters, especially for anyone who loves minty holiday treats.
Get the Recipe: Peppermint Kiss Cookies
8. Ginger Molasses Cookies
You can enjoy the flavors of Starbucks ginger molasses cookies at home with this copycat recipe featuring dark brown sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Each cookie has a tender middle and a lightly crisp, sugar-coated edge that pairs nicely with a warm cup of coffee or tea.
Get the Recipe: Starbucks Copycat Ginger Molasses Cookies
9. Pecan Sandies
These old-fashioned pecan sandies have a buttery, shortbread-style texture with chopped pecans throughout. A dusting of powdered sugar gives them a snowy appearance, making this family recipe a lovely choice for Christmas cookie platters.
Get the Recipe: Pecan Sandies
10. Lofthouse Cookies
Love those soft, frosted sugar cookies from the grocery store bakery? This homemade Lofthouse cookie recipe lets you recreate that pillowy texture and sweet frosting for holiday gatherings or whenever you need a dessert to share.
Get the Recipe: Lofthouse Cookies
11. Snickerdoodle Cookies
A generous coating of cinnamon sugar gives these thick snickerdoodle cookies their familiar holiday flavor. They’re chewy with just a hint of tanginess, and the recipe uses everyday pantry ingredients you may already have on hand.
Get the Recipe: Snickerdoodle Cookies
12. Italian Christmas Cookies
These Italian Christmas cookies combine a tender vanilla cookie with a sweet almond glaze for a traditional holiday treat. Christmas sprinkles add a pop of color that makes them especially pretty on cookie trays or tucked into homemade gift boxes.
Get the Recipe: Italian Christmas Cookies
13. No-Bake Gingerbread Cookies
Enjoy classic gingerbread flavors without turning on the oven thanks to this recipe made with molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Quick oats provide a little chew, while vanilla pudding mix helps hold everything together.
Get the Recipe: No-Bake Gingerbread Cookies
14. Eggnog Cookies
If snickerdoodles are already on your Christmas baking list, these eggnog cookies are another treat worth trying. They bring the familiar flavor of holiday eggnog into a cookie that’s just right for Christmas parties and seasonal cookie exchanges.
Get the Recipe: Eggnog Cookies
15. M&M Christmas Cookies
Red and green M&M candies give these chocolate-filled Christmas cookies a festive look without any complicated decorating. With chewy centers and slightly crisp edges, they’re a great choice for Santa’s cookie plate or homemade holiday gifts.
Get the Recipe: M&M Christmas Cookies
16. Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
These peanut butter blossom cookies use a cake mix shortcut to make a traditional Christmas favorite with less work. Each soft peanut butter cookie gets rolled in sugar and topped with a milk chocolate kiss for that familiar combination everyone loves.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
17. Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies
These Christmas gooey butter cookies are a festive addition to your holiday baking list. Made with cream cheese, they turn out wonderfully soft and delicious.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies
18. Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chips bring a holiday twist to these hearty oatmeal cookies. They’re soft and chewy in the middle with crisp edges, making them a nice choice for an afternoon snack or Christmas dessert spread.
Get the Recipe: Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
19. Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies
Why choose just one mix-in when these Christmas cookies have marshmallows, M&Ms, pretzels, and chunks of chocolate in every batch? The combination of sweet and salty ingredients makes these chewy cookies a fun way to add variety to your holiday baking.
Get the Recipe: Kitchen Sink Christmas Cookies
20. Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
Warm gingerbread spices and a sparkling sugar coating make these chewy cookies a wonderful treat for the Christmas season. Each one is topped with a Hershey’s Hugs Kiss, giving you a sweet chocolate finish with every bite.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
21. Christmas Cowboy Cookies
These thick Christmas cowboy cookies are packed with oats, peanut butter, salted peanuts, coconut, chocolate chips, and colorful M&Ms. With so many goodies baked into each chewy cookie, they’re a fun choice for holiday cookie exchanges or filling up Christmas treat tins.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Cowboy Cookies
