50 Christmas Cookie Recipes to Fill Your Tins This Year

Does the thought of a cookie exchange make you want to hide under the Christmas tree? 🎄 Between the chaotic baking schedule and the fear of your beautiful creations turning into crumbs in the post, the holidays can feel overwhelming. We all want that Pinterest-perfect tin, but finding recipes that are both stunning and durable is a challenge.

I have curated the ultimate list of Christmas cookie recipes designed specifically to save your sanity. Whether you are looking for easy Christmas cookies for a crowd or sturdy cookies for mailing to loved ones far away, this list is your new holiday bible. These treats are tested for durability, flavor, and that magical “wow” factor. ✨

Get ready to become the MVP of your cookie swap! 🍪 With these holiday cookies for shipping, you can pack your tins with confidence, knowing they will arrive tasting fresh and looking gorgeous. Let’s get baking!

🎄 My Top 3 Favorites

  • Best for Kids: Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Men (Sturdy and fun to decorate!)
  • Best for High Volume: Classic Spritz Cookies (Press out dozens in minutes!)
  • Most Aesthetic: Classic Raspberry Linzer Cookies (A total showstopper in any tin.)

50 Christmas Cookie Ideas You’ll Love

1. Classic Raspberry Linzer Cookies ❄️

The ultimate Pinterest-aesthetic cookie! These sandwich cookies feature a jewel-toned jam center peeking through powdered sugar—a visual anchor for any cookie tin.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Aesthetic/Centerpiece
  • Time: Prep: 45m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-1: Top-down close-up of a dusted Linzer cookie with bright red raspberry jam contrasting against white sugar.

🛒 Buy This: Linzer Cookie Cutter Set – You cannot make this specific cookie without the “window” cutout tool; a set allows for interchangeable center shapes like hearts or stars.

2. Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Men ❄️

A non-negotiable for Christmas, this recipe focuses on a sturdy snap rather than a soft bend. These are excellent Christmas cookies to mail across the country without breaking.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Kids/Tradition/Shipping
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-2: A row of gingerbread men holding hands, decorated with simple white piping.

🛒 Buy This: Wilton Comfort Grip Gingerbread Man Cutter – Standard metal cutters hurt your hands after the 20th cookie; a comfort grip is essential for large-batch baking.

3. Hershey’s Peanut Butter Blossoms ❄️

A high-volume favorite in the USA, featuring soft peanut butter cookies crowned with a chocolate kiss. Warning: These are best cookies for cookie exchange locally, as the tip can melt in warm mail trucks.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Crowd-Pleaser/Kids
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-3: 45-degree angle shot showing the texture of the sugar coating and the height of the chocolate kiss.

🛒 Buy This: Small Cookie Scoop (1 tablespoon size) – Uniformity is key for these cookies to ensure the Kiss sits perfectly in the center; a scoop guarantees identical sizes.

4. Italian Ricotta Cookies ❄️

Cake-like, soft, and glazed with sprinkles, these add a necessary soft texture to a tin usually filled with crunch. They are truly divine with a cup of coffee.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Soft Cookie Lovers
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-4: A pile of glazed cookies with festive red and green nonpareils sprinkles.

🛒 Buy This: Stackable Cooling Racks – These cookies require significant cooling time before glazing; stackable racks save counter space during a baking marathon.

5. Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti ❄️

The champion of holiday cookies for shipping! These are twice-baked, hard, and shelf-stable for weeks, with red cranberry and green pistachio making them naturally festive.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Mailing/Coffee Lovers
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 45m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-5: Biscotti leaning against a mug of hot cocoa, showing the cross-section of nuts and fruit.

🛒 Buy This: Serrated Bread Knife – Cutting biscotti without crumbling requires a high-quality serrated knife; a standard chef’s knife will crush the loaf.

🎅 Quick Question!

Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve or Morning? Tell me in the comments!

6. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies ❄️

Fudgy, brownie-like interiors with a crackled powdered sugar exterior provide a dark contrast visually against lighter sugar cookies. A must-have for chocolate lovers.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Chocolate Lovers
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-6: Extreme close-up of the “cracks” revealing the dark chocolate fudge beneath the white sugar.

🛒 Buy This: Valrhona 100% Pure Cocoa Powder – Since cocoa is the main flavor driver here, premium Dutch-processed cocoa ensures a rich, dark color and superior taste.

7. Classic Spritz Cookies ❄️

The highest output-per-hour cookie allows you to press out dozens in minutes! These are arguably the best cookies for cookie exchange parties where volume matters.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: High Volume/Exchanges
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 8m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-7: A variety of Spritz shapes (trees, wreaths, flowers) decorated with tiny silver dragees.

🛒 Buy This: OXO Good Grips Cookie Press – Cheap presses break under stiff dough. This press is the industry standard for reliability and ease of use.

8. Snowball Cookies (Mexican Wedding Cookies) ❄️

Buttery, nutty spheres rolled in powdered sugar are sturdy, stack well, and fill in the “gaps” in a cookie tin perfectly.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Fillers/Nut Lovers
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-8: A pyramid stack of white snowball cookies on a rustic wooden board.

🛒 Buy This: Stainless Steel Powdered Sugar Shaker/Duster – Rolling them is messy; a shaker allows you to give them a final “snow” dusting once they are in the box for presentation.

9. Candy Cane Meringue Kisses ❄️

Naturally gluten-free and virtually weightless, these are excellent “packing material” for shipping heavy cookies. They add color and stability to the box.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Gluten-Free/Shipping Filler
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 60m+
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-9: Swirled red and white meringues looking like soft serve ice cream tops.

🛒 Buy This: Wilton 1M Open Star Piping Tip – To get the signature swirls shown in the photo, this specific large star tip is required.

10. Salted Caramel Thumbprints ❄️

A modern twist on the jam thumbprint featuring shortbread dough filled with thick caramel. The flake of sea salt makes them feel gourmet and indulgent.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Gourmet/Indulgent
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-10: Side angle showing the pool of caramel glistening with a flake of Maldon salt on top.

🛒 Buy This: Maldon Sea Salt Flakes – You cannot use table salt for finishing; the large, pyramid-shaped flakes are essential for texture.

11. Stained Glass Cookies ❄️

Sugar cookies with crushed hard candies baked into cutouts, creating a translucent, edible window. They are beautiful when hung on trees or backlit.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Decor/Kids
  • Time: Prep: 40m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-11: Cookie held up to a Christmas tree light, showing the light shining through the red and green candy center.

🛒 Buy This: Jolly Ranchers (Bulk Bag) – These melt the most consistently and offer the vibrant, clear colors needed for the “glass” effect.

12. Peppermint Mocha Cookies ❄️

Coffee-infused chocolate cookies dipped in white chocolate and crushed candy canes. These taste exactly like the famous coffee shop drink and are totally addictive.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Coffee Lovers/Trends
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-12: Cookie broken in half to show the dark chocolate interior, sitting next to a candy cane.

🛒 Buy This: Espresso Powder for Baking – Instant coffee doesn’t dissolve well in cookie dough; baking espresso powder intensifies chocolate flavor without adding liquid.

13. White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies ❄️

A chewy, texture-rich cookie that mimics the colors of Christmas without using food dye. They are hearty and perfect for a rustic box.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Rustic/Chewy Lovers
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-13: Stack of rugged oatmeal cookies showing chunks of fruit and chocolate.

🛒 Buy This: Silicone Baking Mats (Silpat) – Oatmeal cookies are prone to sticking and spreading unevenly; silicone mats prevent burnt bottoms.

14. Scottish Shortbread ❄️

A 3-ingredient classic that has no leavening agents, meaning it ships incredibly well and improves with age. The flavor deepens over time!

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Shipping/Purists
  • Time: Prep: 10m | Cook: 25m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-14: Rectangular shortbread “fingers” with fork tine marks, dusted with sugar.

🛒 Buy This: Square 8×8 Baking Pan with Sharp Corners – Traditional shortbread is baked in a block and cut; a pan with sharp corners gives the professional “finger” shape.

15. Rugelach ❄️

A Jewish holiday classic often included in Christmas tins, featuring cream cheese dough rolled with apricot or chocolate filling. They appeal to sophisticated palates.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Sophisticated Palates
  • Time: Prep: 45m | Cook: 20m
  • Difficulty: Hard

Image-15: Crescent-rolled pastries dusted with cinnamon sugar, arranged on a platter.

🛒 Buy This: French Rolling Pin (Tapered) – Rugelach dough is delicate; a tapered pin allows for better control when rolling the circle out thin enough to shape.

16. Magic Cookie Bars (7-Layer Bars) ❄️

Technically a bar, but essential for tins because they are dense and impossible to break in the mail. They are a lifesaver for shipping boxes.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Easy/Shipping
  • Time: Prep: 10m | Cook: 30m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-16: Square cut bar showing all the visible layers of coconut, chocolate, and nuts.

🛒 Buy This: Parchment Paper Sheets (Pre-Cut) – These bars are incredibly sticky; pre-cut sheets save time and frustration during cleanup.

17. Hot Cocoa Cookies ❄️

A viral trend featuring chocolate cookies topped with a marshmallow that gets toasted and melty. Kids go crazy for these!

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Trends/Kids
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-17: Close up of the gooey marshmallow pull on top of the cookie.

🛒 Buy This: Mallow Bits (Dehydrated Marshmallows) – Fresh marshmallows can get messy in a tin; Mallow Bits give the look and flavor but stay firm and dry for packaging.

18. Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies ❄️

The red version of the chocolate crinkle provides a shocking pop of color in a box of mostly brown cookies. They look stunning on a white plate.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Visual Pop
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-18: Bright red cookies contrasting against a white plate.

🛒 Buy This: Gel Food Coloring (Super Red) – Liquid dye waters down the dough; concentrated gel is required to get that deep, vibrant Christmas red.

19. Cornflake Wreaths ❄️

A retro no-bake classic! Cornflakes are coated in green-dyed melted marshmallow/butter and shaped into wreaths. They are nostalgic and fun.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: No-Bake/Kids/Retro
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 0m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-19: Green wreaths with red cinnamon candy “berries” on a white background.

🛒 Buy This: Cinnamon Imperial Candies (Red Hots) – These specific hard candies are the traditional “berries” and can be hard to find in stores.

20. Empire Biscuits ❄️

Popular in the UK and Canada, these two shortbread biscuits are sandwiched with raspberry jam and topped with white icing. Perfect for tea time.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: UK Audience/Tea Time
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-20: Top-down shot emphasizing the bright red cherry in the center of the white icing.

🛒 Buy This: Glacé Cherries – A specific type of candied cherry is needed for the traditional look that doesn’t bleed into the icing.

21. Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods ❄️

The ultimate “gap filler” for shipping! They are tall, sturdy, and provide that perfect sweet and salty crunch.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Budget/Bulk/Filler
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 0m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-21: A bouquet of pretzel rods standing in a jar, covered in white chocolate and festive sprinkles.

🛒 Buy This: Tall Cellophane Treat Bags – These are difficult to pack in a tin; wrapping them individually in tall bags makes them great party favors.

22. Buckeyes (Peanut Butter Balls) ❄️

An Ohio tradition that went national! These peanut butter fudge balls are partially dipped in chocolate and require no baking.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: No-Bake/Peanut Butter
  • Time: Prep: 45m | Cook: 0m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-22: A tray of Buckeyes showing the exposed peanut butter “eye” at the top.

🛒 Buy This: Dipping Tool Set – Using a fork often pierces the ball; a dipping loop tool allows for a smooth chocolate coating.

23. Eggnog Cookies ❄️

Soft, cakey cookies infused with nutmeg and rum extract, topped with a spiced eggnog glaze. They capture the seasonal flavor perfectly.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Seasonal Flavor
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-23: Pale cookie with a creamy glaze and a dusting of fresh nutmeg on top.

🛒 Buy This: Whole Nutmeg + Grater – Pre-ground nutmeg loses flavor fast. Freshly grated nutmeg is the secret to authentic eggnog taste.

24. Soft Molasses Spice Cookies ❄️

Deeply spiced, chewy, and coated in sugar, these stay soft for days. They are a safe bet for shipping if sealed well!

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Shelf Life/Spice
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-24: Dark brown, crackled cookie with visible sugar crystals.

🛒 Buy This: Grandma’s Molasses (Original) – The specific moisture content of this brand ensures the cookies stay chewy rather than turning hard.

25. Checkerboard Cookies ❄️

Vanilla and chocolate dough stacked and sliced to create a pattern. High technical skill, but visually they are very impressive.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: “Show Off” Baking
  • Time: Prep: 60m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Hard

Image-25: Sharp, geometric square cookies showing the black and white pattern.

🛒 Buy This: Bench Scraper / Dough Chopper – Essential for straightening the edges of the dough logs to ensure the checkerboard pattern is square, not wobbly.

26. Pecan Sandies ❄️

Buttery, crumbly shortbread loaded with toasted pecans. A classic “dad favorite” that pairs perfectly with milk.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Nut Lovers/Seniors
  • Time: Prep: 10m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-26: Simple round cookies dusted with powdered sugar, with a glass of milk.

🛒 Buy This: Food Processor – To get the pecans finely ground enough to distribute flavor without making the dough fall apart, a processor is better than chopping by hand.

27. Pistachio Pudding Cookies ❄️

Uses instant pistachio pudding mix to create a soft cookie with a distinct green color. They are effortless to make!

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Easy/Color
  • Time: Prep: 10m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-27: Pastel green cookies with white chocolate chips.

🛒 Buy This: Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix – This is the core ingredient that provides the binding, flavor, and color in one step.

28. German Lebkuchen ❄️

Similar to gingerbread but softer, nuttier, and glazed. A staple of European Christmas markets and great for tradition.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: International/Tradition
  • Time: Prep: 40m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Hard

Image-28: Dark, glazed cookies sometimes decorated with three almond halves.

🛒 Buy This: Oblaten (Baking Wafers) – Authentic Lebkuchen is baked on top of these thin edible wafers to prevent sticking and keep the shape.

29. Turtle Cookies ❄️

Chocolate dough rolled in pecans, thumb-printed, and filled with caramel. These are decadent and incredibly rich.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Indulgent
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-29: Close up of the caramel center oozing slightly.

🛒 Buy This: Squeeze Bottle for Caramel – Spooning caramel is messy; a squeeze bottle allows you to fill the thumbprints neatly and quickly.

30. Oreo Truffles ❄️

Crushed Oreos and cream cheese dipped in chocolate. Another “filler” item that looks like a fancy bonbon but costs pennies to make.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: No-Bake/Budget
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 0m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-30: White chocolate coated balls with crushed Oreo dust sprinkled on top.

🛒 Buy This: Candy Melts (Bright White) – Standard white chocolate chips often seize when melting; Candy Melts are formulated to be fluid and smooth for dipping.

31. Lemon Curd Cookies ❄️

A citrusy break from all the chocolate and spice! Buttery shortbread with a tart lemon center creates a refreshing flavor contrast.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Flavor Contrast
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-31: Bright yellow centers dusted with white sugar.

🛒 Buy This: Microplane Zester – You need fresh lemon zest in the dough to mirror the curd flavor; a microplane gets the zest without the bitter pith.

32. Cowboy Cookies ❄️

The “Kitchen Sink” cookie featuring oats, chocolate chips, pecans, coconut, and cornflakes. They are hearty and filling for hungry travelers.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Hunger/Travel
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-32: Large, thick cookies with visible chunks of all ingredients.

🛒 Buy This: Large Cookie Scoop (3 Tbsp) – These are meant to be bakery-style giants. A large scoop handles the chunky dough better than spoons.

33. Millionaire’s Shortbread ❄️

A three-layer bar with a shortbread base, caramel center, and chocolate top. They are very rich and popular in the UK.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: UK Favorites/Richness
  • Time: Prep: 40m | Cook: 50m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-33: Cut square showing distinct distinct layers of biscuit, golden caramel, and chocolate snap.

🛒 Buy This: Digital Candy Thermometer – The caramel layer must reach the soft-ball stage to set correctly; guessing results in runny bars.

34. Speculoos (Windmill Cookies) ❄️

Thin, crunchy, spiced cookies originating from the Netherlands/Belgium. The flavor of “Biscoff” is perfect for dipping.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Dipping/Texture
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-34: Intricate windmill or St. Nicholas shapes.

🛒 Buy This: Wooden Speculoos Mold – To get the authentic traditional relief designs, a wooden mold dusted with flour is the traditional and best method.

35. Chocolate Peppermint Bark ❄️

Not a cookie, but essential for tins! Layers of dark and white chocolate with crushed candy canes act as a colorful filler.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Filler/Visual
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 0m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-35: Shards of bark stacked up, showing the two-tone chocolate.

🛒 Buy This: Offset Spatula – Essential for spreading the chocolate layers thinly and evenly over the parchment paper.

36. Melting Moments ❄️

An Australian/UK favorite featuring very pale, tender butter cookies sandwiched with lemon buttercream. They literally melt in the mouth.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Texture
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-36: Pale sandwich cookies with fork marks on top.

🛒 Buy This: Cornstarch (Cornflour) Bulk – High ratios of cornstarch are the secret ingredient that gives these cookies their unique “melting” texture.

37. Kolaczki ❄️

Polish cream cheese dough folded over fruit jam (usually apricot or raspberry). A lovely nod to heritage baking.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Heritage/Fruit
  • Time: Prep: 45m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-37: Diamond-shaped pastries with jam centers.

🛒 Buy This: Pizza Cutter / Pastry Wheel – The dough must be cut into perfect squares to fold correctly; a wheel makes this fast and precise.

38. Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies ❄️

A hybrid of the gingerbread man flavor with the soft texture of a crinkle cookie. Great for those who hate hard gingerbread but love the spice.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Flavor Hybrid
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-38: Brown crinkled cookies that look softer than traditional gingerbread.

🛒 Buy This: Crystallized Ginger – Chopping this up and adding it to the batter gives a spicy, chewy “zing” that powder cannot achieve.

39. English Toffee Bars ❄️

A cookie base topped with chocolate and walnuts/pecans. It tastes just like a Heath bar and offers a great crunch.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Crunch/Toffee
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 25m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-39: Bar broken in half to show the cookie base and chocolate topping.

🛒 Buy This: Chopped Walnuts (Bulk) – Buying pre-chopped nuts saves significant time when making large traybakes like this.

40. Classic Sugar Cookie Cutouts ❄️

The canvas for creativity! This simple vanilla dough holds its shape perfectly when baked, making it ideal for decorating parties.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Decorating Parties
  • Time: Prep: 60m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-40: Various shapes (stars, bells) completely covered in smooth royal icing.

🛒 Buy This: Meringue Powder – Essential for making Royal Icing that dries hard and shiny (and safe to eat) without using raw egg whites.

41. Rum Balls ❄️

A no-bake “adults only” treat using crushed vanilla wafers, cocoa, nuts, and dark rum. Perfect for parties.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Adults/Parties
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 0m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-41: Dark balls rolled in coarse sugar or cocoa powder.

🛒 Buy This: Vanilla Wafers – The base of this recipe requires a specific dry, sweet cookie crumb that Nilla Wafers provide perfectly.

42. French Macarons (Red & Green) ❄️

High-difficulty, high-reward almond flour meringue sandwiches. They elevate the perceived value of any cookie tin instantly.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Experts/Impressing
  • Time: Prep: 60m | Cook: 15m
  • Difficulty: Hard

Image-42: Perfect red and green macarons standing on their sides showing their “feet.”

🛒 Buy This: Digital Kitchen Scale – Macarons cannot be made with cup measurements. Precision to the gram is required for success.

43. Haystacks ❄️

Chow mein noodles coated in butterscotch and peanut butter. Sounds weird, tastes addictive! A crunchy, salty-sweet filler.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Texture/Budget
  • Time: Prep: 15m | Cook: 0m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-43: messy piles of golden-coated noodles.

🛒 Buy This: Butterscotch Chips – The primary flavor driver; difficult to substitute with caramel.

44. Dark Chocolate Dipped Madeleines ❄️

Soft, sponge-like cakes shaped like shells. Dipping them in chocolate makes them elegant and helps seal in moisture.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Elegant/Soft
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-44: Shell-shaped cakes half-dipped in dark chocolate.

🛒 Buy This: Madeleine Pan – You literally cannot make this cookie without the specific shell-mold pan.

45. Slice-and-Bake Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies ❄️

Dough logs you make now, freeze, and slice later. These are perfect for “emergency” fresh cookies when guests drop by.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Prep-Ahead/Freezer
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-45: Perfect round slices with visible nuts and fruit.

🛒 Buy This: Plastic Wrap (Industrial Size) – These logs must be wrapped tightly to prevent freezer burn; high-cling wrap is essential.

46. Florentines ❄️

Thin, lace-like cookies made from nuts and candied fruit held together with honey/caramel. They are delicate and all about texture.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Texture/Delicate
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 10m
  • Difficulty: Hard

Image-46: Very thin, lacy cookies with light shining through the nut gaps.

🛒 Buy This: Sliced Almonds (Blanched) – Whole almonds won’t work; you need thin, blanched slices to create the delicate lace structure.

47. Peppermint Meltaways ❄️

Similar to wedding cookies but flavored with peppermint and dusted with crushed candy canes. They offer a lovely melting texture.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Melting Texture
  • Time: Prep: 20m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-47: White dusted cookies with pink specks of candy cane.

🛒 Buy This: Peppermint Extract – Mint extract can taste like toothpaste; Peppermint extract is sweeter and specifically festive.

48. Whoopie Pies (Red Velvet or Gingerbread) ❄️

Two soft cake-cookies sandwiched with marshmallow creme filling. These are large, impressive, and perfect for cake lovers.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Cake Lovers
  • Time: Prep: 30m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-48: Side view of the sandwich showing the thick white filling layer.

🛒 Buy This: Whoopie Pie Pan – While you can scoop them, a shallow-well pan ensures perfectly round, flat cakes for stacking.

49. Cinnamon Roll Cookies ❄️

Sugar cookie dough rolled with cinnamon sugar filling, sliced and baked to look like mini cinnamon buns. Ideal for brunch.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Breakfast/Brunch
  • Time: Prep: 40m | Cook: 12m
  • Difficulty: Med

Image-49: Swirled cookies with a light glaze drizzle.

🛒 Buy This: Cinnamon (Saigon/Vietnamese) – For a recipe where cinnamon is the main star, Saigon cinnamon offers a much stronger, sweeter kick than generic brands.

50. The Ultimate “Cookie Care Package” Strategy ❄️

Not a recipe, but the method for packing the tin. Put heavy cookies on the bottom, fillers in the gaps, and use parchment between layers for the best presentation.

✨ Why It Works:

  • Best For: Execution
  • Time: Prep: 20m
  • Difficulty: Easy

Image-50: A beautiful, open cookie tin showing 5-6 varieties separated by cupcake liners or parchment.

🛒 Buy This: Holiday Cookie Tins (Nesting Set) – The vessel is just as important as the cookie. A nesting set allows you to create different sized gifts for neighbors vs. family.

***

And there you have it! 50 incredible ideas to make your holiday baking easier and your cookie exchanges more delicious. 🎅 Whether you are wondering how to package cookies for shipping without breaking or just need a sturdy cookie for mailing, this list has you covered.

Can I freeze Christmas cookies with icing? Generally, yes—just be sure to let them thaw on the counter, not in the container, to avoid condensation! Happy Baking, friends! xo

Nancy Williams!
Nancy Williams!

Hi, I'm Nancy Williams!
Welcome to my creative corner, a place dedicated to making every occasion special!

As a busy mom of three (two boys and a girl), I’ve always believed that the magic of childhood is built on traditions and celebrations. My days are filled with laughter, learning, and... let's be honest, a lot of glitter and craft supplies!

For me, nothing beats the joy of seeing my kids' faces light up during a fun holiday activity or while making a messy, wonderful DIY project.

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