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Oh, I just adore christmas cookie season! There’s something magical about the scent of vanilla and cinnamon filling the kitchen while snowflakes drift past the windows. My childhood memories are wrapped up in those flour-dusted afternoons at Grandma’s table—her arthritic hands shaping gingerbread men while I “helped” by eating half the sprinkles.
Now I carry on her tradition with my own kids, mixing up batches of sugar cookies (always frosted lopsided by tiny fingers), spicy gingerbread that makes the whole house smell like holidays, and jewel-bright thumbprints my neighbors beg for every year. These recipes aren’t just treats—they’re edible love letters wrapped in ribbon or tucked into freezer bags for last-minute guests. Whether you’re prepping for a cookie exchange or just want to hear your toddler squeal “I decorated this one ALL BY MYSELF!”, these christmas cookies turn kitchen chaos into the sweetest kind of memory-making.
P.S. Want more baking inspiration? My Pinterest boards are stuffed with holiday cookie ideas—just search for “Sophia’s Christmas Cookies” (but maybe don’t look when you’re hungry!).
Why You’ll Love These Christmas Cookies
Trust me, these cookies will become your holiday go-tos for so many reasons:
- Easy-peasy mixing – No fancy equipment needed, just a bowl and some elbow grease (or let your stand mixer do the work while you sip cocoa)
- Freezer superheroes – Make dough in November and bake fresh in December when surprise guests arrive (or when midnight snack cravings strike)
- Gifting gold – Package them in dollar-store tins with ribbon and suddenly you’re the most popular person on the block
- Kid chaos-friendly – Let little hands go wild with sprinkles and icing (who cares if the reindeer cookies end up looking like alien blobs?)
- Flavor fiesta – Switch between sugar cookie sweetness, gingerbread spice, and jammy thumbprints so no one gets bored
My favorite part? These recipes create as many memories as they do crumbs—every messy, giggly, flour-covered minute of it.
Christmas Cookies Ingredients
Gathering your ingredients is half the holiday fun – I love lining everything up like edible presents! Pro tip: Check your spice jars before starting (nothing worse than realizing your cinnamon’s empty mid-recipe). Here’s what you’ll need for each delightful batch:
For the Sugar Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (lightly spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cool but not cold (cut into cubes)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (none of that imitation stuff!)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
For the Gingerbread Cookies
- All sugar cookie ingredients plus…
- 1 tsp ground ginger (freshly opened for fullest flavor)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup fancy molasses (not blackstrap – too bitter)
For the Thumbprint Cookies
- All sugar cookie ingredients plus…
- 1/2 cup jam (seedless raspberry is my fave, but use what makes you happy)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for optional glaze)
- 2 tbsp whole milk (for optional glaze)
See how the base works triple duty? That’s my grandma’s genius – one master dough, three completely different cookie experiences!
How to Make Christmas Cookies
Alright, let’s get our hands floury! Making christmas cookies is half baking, half holiday magic – and I’ll walk you through every joyful step. The key here is not to stress. So what if your icing isn’t Food Network perfect? Imperfect cookies made with love taste the best anyway!
Preparing the Dough
First, grab that butter you left out to soften (if you forgot, microwave it at 20% power for 10-second bursts – no cheating with melted butter!). In your mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until it’s pale and fluffy – about 3 minutes if you’re using a hand mixer. Then crack in that egg and vanilla, mixing just until combined.
Now the dry ingredients – whisk them together in another bowl because nobody likes bitter baking powder pockets in their cookies! Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients on low speed until barely combined. For gingerbread, this is when you’ll mix in those cozy spices and molasses. The dough should cling together without being sticky – if it’s too wet, add 1 tbsp flour at a time.
Here’s Grandma’s trick: divide dough into disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes. Cold dough holds its shape better when baking!
Shaping and Baking the Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F while you roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper (no extra flour needed – genius!). For sugar cookies, aim for 1/4-inch thickness. Too thin and they’ll burn; too thick and they won’t crisp.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or use a glass for simple circles. Gingerbread folks need a firm tap to release from the cutter – wiggle gently if they stick. For thumbprints, roll dough into 1-inch balls, then press your thumb (or a spoon handle) deep into each center before filling with jam.
Bake one sheet at a time for even baking – about 10 minutes for most cookies. They’re done when the edges just start turning golden. They’ll firm up as they cool on the rack!
Decorating Your Christmas Cookies
This is where the real fun begins! Let cookies cool completely before decorating – warm cookies make runny icing puddles. For easy royal icing, mix powdered sugar with milk until it ribbons off the spoon. Pipe outlines first, then “flood” the centers with thinned icing using a squeeze bottle.
Get the kids involved with sprinkles, sanding sugars, and nonpareils. My five-year-old’s “abstract decorating phase” has produced some shockingly beautiful cookies! For gingerbread, raisins make perfect eyes (until someone eats them mid-decoration). And don’t forget the ultimate cheat: melted chocolate chips in a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off.
Remember: there are no decorating mistakes, just “unique design choices” that make your cookies one-of-a-kind!
Tips for Perfect Christmas Cookies
After dozens of holiday baking seasons (and more than a few cookie disasters!), I’ve learned these foolproof tricks that make all the difference between crumbly catastrophes and bakery-worthy treats:
Chill like it’s winter! That dough needs at least 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling – warm dough spreads into sad puddles in the oven. If it gets too stiff while chilling? Just let it sit on the counter for 5 blissful minutes.
Bake smarter: Rotate your baking sheet halfway through for even browning (oven hotspots are sneaky!). And please – use light-colored aluminum pans instead of dark ones that can scorch your precious cookies. When in doubt slightly underbake – they’ll firm up as they cool on racks.
Storage secrets: Layer completely cooled cookies between parchment paper in airtight containers. Feeling fancy? Throw a slice of bread in there – it absorbs excess moisture to keep cookies perfect for days (then you get bonus slightly-soggy cookie-flavored bread!).
Decorating hacks: Outline cookies with piping icing first like a coloring book before flooding. Keep a damp toothpick handy to coax icing into tight corners. And for thumbprints? Heat the jam slightly first so it spreads smoothly without tearing your cookie!
Remember – every “mess-up” is just proof these were made with love (and maybe a little too much holiday cheer!).
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Listen, I live for freezer-friendly cookies during the holiday madness! Here’s how to get ahead of the game without sacrificing that fresh-baked taste:
Dough Prep: After mixing, wrap cookie dough tightly in plastic (I shape mine into flat disks for quicker thawing). Sugar and thumbprint doughs freeze beautifully for 3 months – gingerbread can go 4 months thanks to those preservative-rich spices. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes before rolling.
Baked Cookies: Freeze fully cooled cookies in single layers separated by parchment – they’ll keep texture for 2 months. Thaw at room temperature while you brew coffee (about 30 minutes). Pro tip: Gingerbread actually tastes better after freezing – the spices mingle and deepen!
See? Future-you will be doing a happy dance when cookie emergencies strike!
Gifting Your Christmas Cookies
Oh, wrapping up cookies as gifts is half the holiday fun! I always save pretty tins throughout the year – those fancy tea canisters or holiday popcorn buckets make perfect containers. Line them with wax paper or colorful tissue, then layer cookies between sheets of parchment (pro tip: alternate shapes so they nestle together snugly).
Tie bundles of 3-4 cookies in cellophane with curling ribbons for teacher gifts – bonus points if you let kids decorate the tags! Mason jars stacked with cookies make adorable edible snow globes when you add a big bow. And nothing beats the classic: a festive plate wrapped in cling film with a sprig of holly tucked under the ribbon.
Need more wrapping inspo? My Pinterest has about 87 billion cookie gifting ideas (just search for my cookie boards – fair warning, it’s dangerously addictive browsing!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Over the years, I’ve gotten the same questions about these christmas cookies almost as often as I’ve gotten crumbs on my favorite holiday apron! Here are the answers to everything you might wonder:
Can I freeze the dough?
Absolutely! That’s the beauty of these recipes. Wrap it tightly in plastic (I like to flatten it into disks first) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes before rolling – easy as pie (or should I say cookies)!
How long do these cookies last?
Stored properly in an airtight container, sugar cookies stay fresh about a week (if they last that long!). Gingerbread cookies actually improve after a day or two as the spices mellow. Jam-filled thumbprints are best within 3-4 days before the jam makes them soggy.
Can I substitute ingredients?
You bet! Out of molasses? Use dark corn syrup or honey in the gingerbread. No jam for thumbprints? Melted chocolate works great. Just remember – every substitution changes the texture slightly, so embrace tasty experiments!
How do I prevent cookies from spreading?
Three magic words: chill your dough! Also, make sure your baking powder isn’t expired, and never put dough on warm baking sheets. Sometimes overcrowding the pan causes spreading too – give those cookies some personal space!
What’s the best way to decorate with kids?
Keep it simple and messy! I set up “decorating stations” with bowls of sprinkles, tinted icing in squeeze bottles, and plastic knives for spreading. Pro tip: Put cookies on wax paper first – when the decorating frenzy ends, you can just lift the paper full of sprinkles and funnel them back into containers!
Nutritional Information
Just between us, I’m more about cookie joy than calorie counting during the holidays! These estimates will vary based on your exact ingredients – whether you used full-fat butter or organic jam makes a difference. Think of this as a friendly guide, not a lab-tested analysis. After all, love and sprinkles don’t come with nutrition labels!
Share Your Christmas Cookie Creations
Nothing makes me happier than seeing your kitchen adventures! Did your gingerbread men end up with polka dots? Did the kids create sprinkle explosions? Snap a photo and share your cookie masterpieces in the comments below – I wanna see every wonky, wonderful creation! Leave a rating too if these recipes brought some holiday magic to your home.
PrintChristmas Cookie Collection
A variety of freezer-friendly, giftable cookies perfect for the holidays, including sugar, gingerbread, and thumbprints. Includes make-ahead schedules and decorating tips.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Total Time: 32 min
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup jam (for thumbprints)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for icing)
- 2 tbsp milk (for icing)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture.
- For gingerbread cookies, add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses to the dough.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls. For thumbprints, press your thumb into each ball and fill with jam.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.
- For icing, mix powdered sugar and milk. Decorate cooled cookies as desired.
Notes
- Make dough ahead and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Involve kids in decorating for a fun activity.
- Package cookies in festive boxes for gifting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 30mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg