Traditionally, easy Christmas cookies would be vanilla biscuits or simple sugar cookies. If that is a bit boring to your taste, there are a few unique cookies to serve at your next Christmas party
Types of Cookies
- Dropped cookie – this is the simplest cookie, where you drop a dollop of batter onto the baking sheet and bake the cookies.
- Molded cookie – a cookie that is shaped or rolled into a ball before placing it in the cookie sheet. You use only your hands to shape these cookies, with no rolling pins or cutters.
- Rolled or cut-out cookie – this is a stiffer dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes by means of a cookie cutter or using a knife before being transferred and baked on the cookie sheet.
- Pressed cookies – using a soft but firm batter or dough and a cookie press or a pastry tube, you squeeze out the dough in shapes onto the cookie tray before baking.
- Sandwich cookie – using pressed or rolled cookies, assemble two cookies after baking with a filling in between.
- No-bake cookies – technically not a cookie since no heat was used for cooking them. These doughs or mixes contain no eggs and harden without heat.
Easy Christmas Cookie Baking Tips
1. Chill Your Dough
If you chill your cookie dough before placing it in the oven, you’ll ensure the cookie is less spread out, taller, and has an enhanced flavor.
2. Replace Oil and Butter on Your Pans
If you find your cookies are flat and spread out thin after baking, you might want to switch to parchment paper or a silicone baking mat instead of using butter or oil since it allows the dough to spread out thin.
3. Use Enough Flour
Another reason for spread-out and greasy cookies is that you didn’t use enough flour, which means nothing can hold on to the wet ingredients in the dough. Weighing your flour instead of using volumetric measurements ensures the correct amount of flour every time.
4. The Temperature of Your Eggs and Butter Matter
To properly emulsify your ingredients, they must be at the correct temperature, so if a recipe says your butter and eggs should be at room temperature, ensure it is.
5. Don’t Overwhip
When you cream your sugar and butter together, ensure you don’t add in too much air, as this will guarantee a sunken-in cookie when baking. Whip until it has been just creamed together, and no more.
6. Ignore Specified Baking Times
If there is one instruction you can ignore, it’s the baking time specified in your recipe. Not everyone’s ovens are the same or even accurate, so rather keep an eye on your cookies until the edges are golden brown and you’re happy with the consistency of the middle.
7. Hot Spots In The Oven
When you’re making anything in the oven, there will always be a hotspot your oven creates, so when you bake cookies, make sure to either do one batch at a time or rotate the trays halfway through the baking process to ensure consistently good cookies every time.
15 Easy Christmas Cookies
1. Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweet and refreshing, this easy Christmas cookie recipe by Lemons for Lulu is made in about 20 minutes. Classic peppermint patties and chocolate is used to make this festive cookie.
2. Peppermint Bark Icebox Cookies
With this easy recipe by Lively Table, all you do is roll the dough into a tube and then place it in the refrigerator. Once cold, slice the dough into disks before baking.
3. Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
No one wants to calorie-count at Christmas time, but you can rest easy knowing these peanut butter cookies are not only scrumptious but also made with 4 healthy ingredients.
4. Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
It might sound like a tricky recipe to master, but Lively Table has made these yummy cookies with only 6 ingredients. These are ideal to impress your guests without too much effort.
5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
If you’re craving crunchy cookies but also a smooth filling, try making some of these sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling from Lemons for Lulu. They are sure to hit the spot every time.
6. Chewy Ginger and Molasses Cookie
Christmas time is synonymous with gingerbread, but not everyone wants to eat a rock-hard cookie. So making a fresh batch of these chewy ginger cookies is a great soft and healthy option. Plus, you can make it vegan with one easy swap.
7. Christmas Wreath Cookies
Who doesn’t love a Christmas-themed decorated cookie? Life Family Fun has a super simple method of making your own cookies and decorating them without having a master’s degree in baking.
8. Double Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies
A good chocolate chip and nut cookie seems like a necessity during the Christmas season. These double chocolate chip and pecan cookies have the perfect mix of textures and are dairy free. They’re a must to try this season for anyone catering to lactose intolerance or milk allergens.
9. No-Bake Santa’s Mitten Cookies
There’s no shame in taking a store-bought chocolate sandwich cookie, and simply decorating them to look like Chrismas-themed cookies. Life Family Fun shows you how to make a boring cookie filled with Christmas spirit
10. Pecan Snowball Cookies
Also known as pecan puffs, these tasty cookies rolled in powdered sugar from Lively Table, look like small snowballs, perfect to decorate your table and to be enjoyed by your guests.
11. Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cookies
Brown sugar cookies are one of the most common cookies out there, but Lemons for Lulu’s cinnamon twist on the classic makes it as delicious as you’d expect.
12. Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
Gluten-free and dairy-free, these melt-in-your-mouth almond flour peanut butter cookies are a delight to eat and only require 7 simple ingredients.
13. Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie
The deep red color of the cranberries against the white chocolate drizzle makes this chewy oatmeal cookie from Lemons for Lulu a pretty addition to your holiday table, and a treat to eat.
14. Coconut Flour Cookies
Coconut flour is gluten-free and offers a great taste and chew to the cookie. Your guests will surely come back wanting more of these soft and flavorful coconut flour cookies.
15. Airfryer Cookies
Airfryer cookies aren’t just great because they save you a lot of time, they’re also super crunchy on the outside and gooey in the inside, making them a win-win. Get the recipe from Lemons for Lulu.
Easy Christmas Cookies FAQ
What Is the Most Popular Christmas Cookie?
The most popular cookie by far is the classic choc-chip cookie. And, according to Stir and Taste, the peanut butter cookie and the oatmeal cookie are a close second and third on the list, with shortbread and gingerbread cookies being the least favorite.
How Far Ahead Can You Bake Christmas Cookies?
If you decide to freeze your cookies, you can keep your Christmas Cookies for 6 months in the freezer. It is best to bake your cookies before freezing them. If you don’t want to freeze them, and they don’t contain eggs or are moist bars, they can keep for up to 3 weeks at room temperature.
What to Add to Cookie Mix to Make It Taste Better?
Add a little bit of vanilla, oatmeal, and coconut oil to your cookie mix to increase the flavor.
