My 12 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes Joy the Baker

We want to make sure your holiday cookie tin is the best because you are the best. This is not a competition, but obviously, if we were to momentarily think of this as a competition –  you have to win. We’re giving you only the best 12 holiday cookie recipes ensuring instant victory at any holiday party. Share these Christmas cookie recipes with people you love the most, and make extra for yourself because we’re out here loving ourselves with mid-afternoon and midnight snacks, too.

•  The most popular holiday cookies last year was (rather unexpectedly) these Gingerbread Ricciarelli or Italian Almond Flour Cookies.  These cookies are naturally gluten-free and somehow, with the magic of time, get even more chewy and delicious as the days pass.  These are an ideal cookie for a cookie tin you ship to a friend.  They’re sturdy enough to go the distance and unique enough to shine on a cookie platter.

•  The sheer nerve of adding cheesecake to one of my favorite cookies.   We’re over the top this time of year so naturally, Cheesecake-Stuffed Snickerdoodles make sense.

•  If you need an easy, truly simple, Toby-Baked-Them holiday cookie, the answer is Confetti Shortbread.  Consider these the popcorn of holiday cookies. They’re very buttery crisp and undeniably popable.

Peanut butter really gets its due this time of year.  I eat it by the spoonful all year round but peanut butter gets extra fancy come December.  For your PB hearts, consider:

•  Mom’s Peanut Butter Balls which made everyone in Ohio upset because my family doesn’t call them buckeyes and sometimes I have the audacity to only half dip them in chocolate.  For the record, Mom now DOUBLE dips them in chocolate so she’s really gone for it.

•  Imagine a chocolate covered peanut butter cup pressed into a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie.  Now imagine having your kids set out a plate for Santa knowing full well you’ll be eating these come midnight.  Yep, pretty sweet:  Peanut Butter Cup Christmas Cookies

•  Something about December has me sprinkling gingerbread spice into just about everything from my morning coffee to buttered toast (taking cinnamon sugar toast up a notch, huzzah!).  Peanut Butter Gingersnap Chews are cozycozy.

•  We bake bars because we don’t have to fuss with a pie and a bar makes a great addition to a cookie tin.  These Mulled Wine Bars with dried fruit, red wine, and spices are quietly decadent.   Lemon Poppyseed Bars add an unexpected citrus moment to all the chocolate peanut butter madness. Lemon bars are always a delight.

There is no rule that says Chocolate Chip Cookies don’t have a place in the cookie tin.  I would argue that the cookie is so classic and versatile that YES, OF COURSE.

•  An undeniable classic and the cornerstone of this site is  Dad’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe which only took a few decades to perfect to legend status.

•  Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies are cookies baked into other cookies with extra chocolate chips and if that isn’t the epitome of this decadent time of year I don’t know what is.

•  Be prepared for folks to bite into one of these cookies and ask, “Do these have coffee in them?” with a sparkle in their eye. The answer is, “Yes, you’re welcome.”  Browned Butter Cappuccino Cookies

If you’re looking for a quintessential Christmas cookie look no further than this sweet baking project: Gingerbread Marshmallows. Homemade chocolate dipped gingerbread people on top of bouncy homemade marshmallows. These just put a smile on my face.

Honorable mention Christmas cookie recipes goes out to these Tahini and Pistachio Biscotti that I’m going to make for my neighbors (without chocolate for packing) and these Blueberry Cobbler Thumbprint Cookies which I love with raspberry jam too.   Also, here’s how I pack my holiday cookie tins if you need advice on sending cookies to friends!

Happy Baking!

xo