26 Festive Christmas Cookie Recipes for the Best Cookie Swap Ever

Christmas Cookie Tablescape — The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Create a Santa-worthy arrangement of dazzling treats with this roundup of the best-ever Christmas cookie recipes. With this collection, you will be the hit of the holiday cookie swap circuit and the envy of all of your Christmas guests. From delicious gingerbread cookies and shortbread cookies to ugly Christmas sweater cookies and Snicker cookies, you can choose from the best traditional to more unique treats to fill your cookie platter and give as gifts.

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Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies

The Spruce

The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party is a fun and cheeky modern holiday tradition that's really caught on. Instead of bringing a scented candle or bottle of wine, show up with a batch of these adorable, creative cookies "dressed" in ugly Christmas sweaters made of icing. They will be the hit of the party. And, since the theme is "ugly," you don't need to be a master cookie decorator—colored icings, holiday sprinkles, and candies are all you need to create an ugly sweater cookie.
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Gingerbread Cookies

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

What would a Christmas party be without traditional gingerbread cookies? These gingerbread Christmas cookies are as delicious to eat as they are fun to make. Get the kids involved in rolling out the dough, cutting the gingerbread people shapes, and decorating the cookies with icing and their favorite candies. It's a wonderful holiday treat that can become a fun Christmas tradition for your family.
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Gingersnap Cookies

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Unlike gingerbread cookies, gingersnap cookies don't require rolling and cutting. Instead, the dough is simply rolled into balls or scooped onto the baking pan. The heat of the oven will flatten them into nice rounds. They can be baked until crisp or for a shorter time if you like your cookies moist.
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Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Everyone's favorite flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter takes center stage in these scrumptious, easy-to-make cookies that require absolutely no baking at all. Your microwave is key when making these tender and creamy treats that are nice and chewy in the middle. Once the mixture of sugar, milk, cocoa, butter, and salt comes to a boil, then peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal are added. The dough is then rolled into balls and left to cool completely.

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6-Ingredient Jam Thumbprint Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Whether unexpected holiday guests are soon to arrive or you need a last-minute treat to bring to a Christmas party, these super easy, cute, and delicious cookies are the perfect recipe. You probably even have the six ingredients in your fridge already. The best part is that buttery, jam-filled thumbprint cookies are a holiday classic and make a great Christmas Eve cookie for Santa's plate.
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Austrian Linzer Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Austrian Linzer cookies are an absolutely beautiful, traditional Christmas cookie recipe that adds something quite special to Christmas party tables and holiday cookie swaps. In this classic Linzer cookie recipe, buttery, delectable shortbread cookies are sandwiched together with a bit of jam; the decorative cutout in the top half of the cookie allows for a peek at the fruit filling.
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Snicker Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Get ready for oohs and ahhs when you bring a batch of these unbelievable, decadent, and delicious Snicker Cookies with a candy bar surprise inside to your Christmas cookie swaps or office holiday party. A peanut butter cookie dough is wrapped around a miniature Snickers bar and baked; once golden, these incredible treats are drizzled with a bit of melted chocolate.
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Dairy-Free Shortbread Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Christmas shortbread cookies are a wonderful, traditional holiday treat. Just the smell of shortbread baking in the kitchen lets you know that Christmas is coming. This Christmas cookie recipe for shortbread is dairy-free, making these cookies vegan-friendly and suitable for lactose-free diets. Best of all, they deliver the classic flavor and texture of Christmas shortbread.

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Butter Press Cookies

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Buttery and crumbly, these traditional butter press cookies are flavored with almond or vanilla extract, filling your kitchen with deliciousness as they bake and making them irresistible to eat. They are so pretty they're sure to be the star of the cookie platter. As long as you have a cookie press, this recipe is easy to put together, resulting in a simple cookie to enjoy decorating for your Christmas holiday table.
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Mexican Tea Cakes

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Mexican tea cakes (sometimes called Mexican wedding cakes) are actually tender little cookies with a texture and taste that's similar to traditional holiday shortbread. With their buttery flavor and irresistible powdered sugar coating, these cookies are a must for any Christmas or holiday party. Feel free to slip a little secret sweet inside, like a chocolate kiss, candy bar, or Maraschino cherry. If you need a dairy-free cookie, try a vegan version of this recipe.
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Coconut Macaroons

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Traditional macaroon cookies are sweet coconut confections that are a welcome treat at any cookie exchange this festive season. This dairy-free macaroons recipe uses coconut for its sweet, hearty flavor and texture. Serve these elegant, fun little macaroons on your holiday table alongside a pot of tea or hot chocolate for a yummy treat that kids and adults alike will enjoy. The dough also freezes beautifully, making this a great last-minute cookie when guests drop in.
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Chewy Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

If you love Nutella, you'll go nuts for these chewy cookies that are loaded with chocolate hazelnut flavor. Brownie-like in texture, these chocolate-nut cookies are a great holiday recipe for pleasing the kids at your festive gatherings this year. They're also absolutely delicious served alongside a cup of coffee, for the adults to enjoy after a holiday meal.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Dress up your Christmas table or holiday cookie swap with these pretty, elegant little meringue cookies. Packed with mint chocolate flavor, and studded with chocolate chips for an extra dose of decadence, these melt-in-your-mouth meringue cookies are as fabulous to eat as they are impressive to look at. And you can add a little green food coloring to make them extra festive.
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Oatmeal Butter Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Homey and buttery, these oatmeal butter cookies make a comforting, yummy treat on a cold winter's day. The good, old-fashioned cookie flavors of butter, oats, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar make these simple cookies a surprisingly wonderful treat—and may not last long in the Christmas cookie jar.
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Brown-Eyed Susan Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Cute little brown-eyed Susan cookies are an adorable and welcome Christmas cookie that not only looks pretty but also tastes great. Soft, sweet, traditional thumbprint butter cookies are topped with a chocolate candy kiss, making the treat look like a brown-eyed Susan flower. They're a lovely addition to any holiday cookie platter.
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Colossal Double Chocolate White Chip Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

These giant cookies with both dark and white chocolate have more to love. Kids and adults alike will delight in these huge double chocolate white chip cookies as their generous size and combination of milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips transform a typical chocolate chip cookie into a fun and special treat.

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Chocolate Drop Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Here's a super quick and easy cookie recipe that you can bake up in about 30 minutes when a last-minute Christmas party invitation arrives, and you want to bring along something homemade. Rich and chewy cookies loaded with chocolate make a simple and wonderful treat for holiday parties but are also perfect enjoyed with a hot mug of tea by the fire.
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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

You're sure to earn a reputation as an accomplished cookie baker when you share these cookies with friends and family. This recipe simply blows other chocolate chip cookie recipes out of the water. Two kinds of chocolate chips and oatmeal combine with other traditional cookie ingredients to create an incredible chocolate chip cookie that comes out golden, crispy, and chewy, with an intriguing bit of crunch. Set out a batch of these wonders at your holiday cookie swaps and watch them disappear.
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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Peanut butter cookies are a year-round favorite and are so delicious with a big glass of milk. Bake up a batch of these amazing flourless cookies with this easy and delicious recipe. You can also add chocolate chips, if you like, for a peanut butter cup twist.
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Vanilla Crescents

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Your guests will not be able to resist these sweet little crescent cookies, coated in powdered sugar to look like freshly fallen snow. This traditional Czech vanilla and almond cookie recipe is popular all year round in Europe but is especially beloved at Christmastime. They'll fill your kitchen with an almond, sugar, and vanilla scent—a precursor to the cookie's rich flavor.

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Sugar-Free Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, and Banana Cookies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

This cookie has a lot going for it: it's quick and easy to make, is sugar free, and is low in calories as well as vegan. And these sugar-free peanut butter cookies will still look impressive on the Christmas cookie platter. Made in under 30 minutes with ingredients that are common to most households, the peanut butter, oatmeal, banana, maple syrup, and a splash of soy milk make these tasty cookies a healthier holiday treat.
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Molasses Cookies

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Nothing quite says Christmas like chewy, buttery, rich molasses cookies. They also happen to be easy to make, as long as you factor in an hour of chilling time. The spiced cookies are reminiscent of gingerbread, with cinnamon, ginger, and clove. Rolled in chunky sugar, they make a pretty gift.
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Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Blondies

The Spruce / Claire Cohen

Chocolate chip blondies are a favorite bar cookie for kids and adults alike at holiday time and are quick to make as the batter is simply spread into a baking dish. These blondie cookies are moist, chewy, delicious, and loaded with the sweetness of brown sugar and chocolate chips. They are also dairy free, making them ideal to bring to cookie swaps, school holiday parties, and Christmas gatherings.
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Red Velvet Crinkles

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

If you love red velvet cake, you will quickly become a fan of these red velvet crinkle cookies. The bright red color and dusting of sugar "snow" make them perfect for all your Christmas parties and gatherings, and the rich cocoa flavor will make them a favorite at the cookie exchange. Make sure to leave time for the dough to chill and become firm before rolling into balls and baking.

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Dutch Stroopwafles

Angelika Kaczanowska / Getty Images

This recipe may take a bit of time to prepare, but the thin, caramel-filled waffle sandwich cookie is both impressive and irresistible, making it worth all of the effort. A yeast-based dough is left to rise and then cooked into delicate, round waffle wafers and then a warm mixture of molasses, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon is then spread between two cookies. Syrupy, sweet, and with a wonderful depth of flavor, they make a very special treat at holiday parties.
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Scandinavian Poor Man Cookies

The Spruce

Scandinavian poor man cookies are spiced, fried treats made with plenty of butter and cream, and the brandy and cardamom bring a unique taste to these crispy pastry bites. Whip up a batch of these fun, rich, aromatic Christmas cookies for a whole new taste experience this holiday season.

Spread Holiday Cheer With 14 Festive Christmas Desserts