Whether you're a fan of chocolate, sugar cookies, shortbread, or meringues, you'll want to make a few of these holiday cookie recipes to round out seasonal menus and have on-hand for gatherings and gifting. You'll be hard-pressed to decide which ones to bake first, from S’mores Linzer Cookies to Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies. Here are the best Christmas cookie recipes for holiday parties and gatherings.
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Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben
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German for "cheeky boys," these Bavarian cookies will be the star of your holiday cookie platter. Brown butter and cardamom make this simple cookie into a fragrant treat. Take the time to freshly grind the cardamom — its robust, citrusy flavor is worth it.
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Tortellini Dolci al Forno (Emilian Fruit-Stuffed Christmas Cookies)
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Not to be confused with the pasta of the same name, these classic Emilian Christmas cookies are made from a tender, flaky dough filled with a sweet-tart trio of fruit: cherry preserves, rich saba (cooked-down grape must), and candied citron.
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Cranberry Moscow Mule Gingersnaps
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With freshly grated ginger, ginger syrup, and ground dried ginger, cookbook author Vallery Lomas’ drop cookies pack a punch. Speckled with lime zest and vodka-plumped dried cranberries, the namesake Moscow mule co*cktail is well represented in these soft and cakey cookies.
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Milk Punch Cornmeal Cookies
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These sweet, buttery drop cookies are topped with a blanket of bourbon-spiked white chocolate ganache, paying homage to the timeless milk punch co*cktail. A combination of almond flour and cornmeal provides a light, sandy texture and a sweet, buttery flavor. Showered with freshly grated nutmeg for a touch of warmth, the ganache topping hardens into a smooth shell, locking in moisture for the ultimate gift-giving treat.
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Vanilla–Brown Butter Sablé Cookies
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Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz loves simple vanilla cookies like these. Vanilla, a notoriously difficult ingredient to grow and source, really shines in this recipe, making the quality especially important. To efficiently seed a vanilla bean, use a paring knife to split the bean in half lengthwise, then use the full edge of the knife to scrape the seeds from the cut sides.
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Italian Rainbow Cookies
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Whether you call them rainbow cookies, Neapolitan cookies, or tricolore cookies, these are a crowd pleaser on any dessert table.
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Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies
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The peppermint bark in these cookies is simple to make and adds a beautiful pop of color and flavor in each cookie, though store-bought bark will work well here, too.
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Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
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Classic sugar cookies get the gluten-free treatment. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract provide a nice hint of spice, and letting the dough rest overnight to better hydrate the flour is the secret to the cookies' tender texture.
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Fudgy Grasshopper Sandwich Cookies
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Cookbook author Jesse Szewczyk’s grasshopper co*cktail–inspired cookie borrows the crème de menthe and white crème de cacao flavors and colors and reimagines them into an unexpected treat reminiscent of a Linzer cookie.
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S’mores Linzer Cookies
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Linzer cookies are descendants of the linzer torte, named for the Austrian city of Linz. Swapping graham flour and hazelnut meal for a portion of the all-purpose flour and almond meal gives these linzer-inspired cookies the flavor of s’mores.
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Gluten-Free Cacao Nib Meringues
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Made with chocolate, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder, these intensely flavored meringues have a delicate, crispy exterior with a soft, chewy, marshmallow-like interior.
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Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies
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Chocolate crinkle cookies are often more cloying than satisfying. By substituting the flour with Glutino pretzels, this version of the holiday staple is not only gluten-free but also perfectly salty-sweet with the best-ever chewy center.
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Cake Cookies
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Sean Flynn says his grandmother's cake cookies have been a staple at celebrations in his home. They're a piece of cake to make.
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Cardamom Shortbread Cookies with Dulce de Leche Peda Filling
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Adorned with edible flower petals and gold leaf, these spiced sandwich cookies, from cookbook author Hetal Vasavada, are an occasion unto themselves.
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Brown Butter and Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies
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2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff adds an extra layer of earthiness to these crumbly dark chocolate cookies with dark rye flour. This recipe prepares two logs of dough to make ahead for slice and bake cookies.
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Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies
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These marvelous Christmas cookies combine chocolate with spicy gingerbread. "I was tired of basic gingerbread," says Matt Lewis of Brooklyn’s Baked about why he created these cookies. The answer is clear: "My connection to chocolate is really deep," he says. An added benefit of these cookies is that the supple dough is very easy to work with.
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Spiced Gingerbread Cookies
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Baker Julianne Jones’ wonderfully zingy gingerbread cookies have a tender and cakey texture, yet they’re sturdy enough to decorate.
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Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian "Snow White" Cookies)
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Traditionally in Indonesia, Putri Salju ("Snow White" or "Snow Princess") cookies are made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews inside and are popular during the holidays, including Christmas, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year.Shandra Woworuntu adds pandan flavoring and omits the nuts.
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Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing
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Chef Michael Mina recommends decorating these gingerbread cookies with kids.
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Kourampiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies)
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Blanched and toasted almond pieces bring a lovely crunch to Despina Economou's crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Greek Christmas cookies.
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Linzer Cookies with Spiced Jam
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Kevin Sbraga adds anise and coriander to the raspberry jam that he spreads between these hazelnut cookies, which are spiced with cinnamon and cloves.
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Negroni Cookies
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Angela Garbacz pairs unsweetened cocoa powder and pungent Campari to give these soft and chewy Negroni-inspired cookies their signature bitterness. Orange zest–infused sugar imparts a gentle, sweet fragrance and crunchy texture.
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Cardamom Thumbprints
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Adding cardamom to Kay Chun's crispy cookies gives them a subtle spiced flavor. You can fill the thumb print with jam or chocolate.
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