14 Easy Christmas Cookies to Fill Your Holiday Cookie Tins
Nothing says Christmas like a kitchen full of fresh-baked cookies and the sweet anticipation of sharing them with family and friends. These festive favorites will have your cookie tins overflowing with holiday cheer.
1. Iced Eggnog Chewy Spice Cookies
These soft, chewy cookies are basically Christmas in cookie form with their warm blend of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. The simple powdered sugar icing made with eggnog takes them straight to holiday heaven. I love how the spices fill the whole house with that cozy Christmas smell while they’re baking.
2. Snowy Eggnog Melt-Away Cookies
These buttery little gems practically dissolve on your tongue with their delicate texture and sweet eggnog flavor. The sparkling sugar coating makes them look like they’ve been dusted with fresh snow. They’re perfect for leaving out for Santa since they pair so well with a glass of milk.
3. Thick and Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies
The cinnamon-sugar coating on these soft, cake-like cookies screams Christmas comfort. I cream room-temperature butter with sugar to get that perfect tender texture that’s more like a pillow than a typical chewy cookie. They’re the kind of cookie that makes everyone gather around the kitchen counter.
4. Chewy Ginger Cookies
These heavily spiced cookies get their deep, rich flavor from molasses and dark brown sugar – classic Christmas flavors that never go out of style. The soft, chewy texture comes from that perfect combination of sweeteners, and they’re studded with crystallized ginger for extra bite. They’re my go-to when I want cookies that taste like the holidays should.
5. The Best Shortbread Cookies
Sometimes the simplest cookies are the most elegant, and these buttery shortbread cookies prove that point. The melt-in-your-mouth texture comes from just a few quality ingredients and no leavening agents – pure, simple perfection. I love how they can be shaped into festive cutouts or kept classic and round.
6. Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rich, cocoa-based dough loaded with big chunks of bittersweet chocolate makes these cookies feel extra special for the holidays. The browned butter adds a nutty, almost toffee-like depth that elevates them beyond your average chocolate chip cookie. They’re perfect for the chocolate lovers on your Christmas list.
7. Toffee Cookies
The combination of brown butter and homemade stovetop toffee gives these cookies a sophisticated, caramelized flavor that’s perfect for holiday entertaining. You get that toasted, buttery richness that pairs beautifully with a cup of hot cocoa. The crunchy toffee bits add the perfect textural contrast.
8. White Chocolate Maple Oat Cookies
These thick, bakery-style cookies get their chewy texture from old-fashioned oats and a distinct sweetness from pure maple syrup. The white chocolate chunks make them feel extra festive and indulgent. They remind me of cozy winter mornings and have that homemade charm that makes perfect holiday gifts.
9. Brownie Marbled Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is basically a brookie in cookie form – you make both a rich, brownie-like chocolate dough and classic chocolate chip dough, then marble them together. The contrast between the two doughs creates these beautiful swirled cookies that look as impressive as they taste. They’re always the first to disappear from my Christmas cookie platters.
10. Cookies and Cream Cookies
These cookies are absolutely packed with crushed Oreos and chocolate chips, making them a hit with kids and adults alike during the holidays. The melted butter base gives them that perfect chewy texture that holds up well in cookie tins. I love how they bring out everyone’s inner child at Christmas gatherings.
11. White Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies
The secret to these cookies is the frozen peanut butter center that you wrap the cookie dough around – it creates this amazing gooey surprise in every bite. The white chocolate makes them feel festive and elegant for the holidays. They’re my secret weapon for impressing guests who think they’ve tried every kind of cookie.
12. Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies get their deep, sophisticated flavor from brown butter paired with the slight bitterness of espresso and semi-sweet chocolate. They’re perfect for adult holiday parties or late-night cookie decorating sessions. The coffee flavor isn’t overwhelming – it just makes the chocolate taste even more intense.
13. S’mores Cookies
These cookies bring all the campfire nostalgia indoors, which is perfect when it’s too cold for actual s’mores making. The brown sugar cookie base gets loaded with graham cracker pieces, chocolate, and marshmallows for that classic combination. They’re fun to make with kids during winter break.
14. Chocolate S’mores Cookies
This brownie-style cookie gets its dense, chewy texture from melted butter instead of creamed butter, creating something that’s part cookie, part brownie. The s’mores elements make them extra special for the holidays when you want something familiar but elevated. They’re rich enough that one cookie feels like a real treat.
