Sarra Ina Garten Christmas cookie recipes cover every spot on the holiday platter, from buttery shortbread and spiced ginger snaps to rich double chocolate chip cookies rolled in cocoa. These sixteen tested recipes are built for gifting, cookie swaps, and keeping the cookie jar full all season long.
1. Sugar Cookies
Buttery dough made with a full cup of softened butter, vanilla extract, and a touch of milk rolls out smoothly and holds its shape through baking. Sanding sugar or royal icing on top makes them sparkle on a holiday cookie tray. Ready in just 20 minutes, they’re one of the fastest cookies you can bake.
2. Ginger Snap Cookies
Warm molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves give these cookies a deeply spiced flavor with crackled tops and chewy centers. Each ball of dough gets rolled in granulated sugar before baking for a sparkly crust. Done in about 20 minutes and perfect alongside hot cocoa or mulled cider.
3. Mexican Wedding Cookies
Powdered sugar coats every inch of these tender, crumbly cookies made with softened butter, vanilla, and finely chopped pecans. They practically melt on your tongue and look beautiful dusted in white on a holiday dessert table. Ready in about 33 minutes with no mixer skills required.
4. Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Finely chopped pecans folded into a simple dough of butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla create a sandy, crumbly cookie with a toasty nut flavor. A dusting of powdered sugar on top finishes them off for gift boxes and holiday tins. Bake time is just 15 minutes.
5. Shortbread Cookies With Jam
Rich shortbread dough made with one and a half cups of butter gets pressed with a thumbprint and filled with raspberry jam for a Linzer-style holiday classic. The buttery cookie and tangy jam balance each other in every bite. Ready in about 30 minutes and gorgeous on any cookie platter.
6. Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cocoa powder in the dough and a pound and a half of semisweet chocolate chunks make these cookies intensely rich and fudgy. Light brown sugar and vanilla extract keep the flavor deep and complex. They take 35 minutes total and disappear fast at any holiday gathering.
7. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Creamy peanut butter and cocoa powder swirled into the dough with semisweet chocolate chips create a cookie that hits every salty-sweet note. Light brown sugar and vanilla round out the flavor while keeping the center soft and chewy. Just 20 minutes from bowl to cooling rack.
8. Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Dark chocolate chunks, old-fashioned oats, and a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top give these cookies a sophisticated edge. The combination of brown sugar and cinnamon keeps them warm and chewy inside while the salt makes the chocolate pop. Ready in 25 minutes.
9. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Cinnamon-spiced dough loaded with three cups of rolled oats, raisins, and optional walnuts bakes into a thick, chewy cookie with crispy edges. Brown sugar gives them a caramel-like sweetness that pairs perfectly with the warm spice. Swap raisins for dried cranberries to make them even more festive.
10. Cowboy Cookies
Shredded coconut, chopped pecans, rolled oats, and chocolate chips all packed into one loaded cookie make these a crowd favorite at holiday parties. Every bite has a different texture, from chewy coconut to crunchy pecans. Done in 25 minutes and hearty enough to fill a gift bag on their own.
11. Pumpkin Cookies
Pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and nutmeg make these soft, cakey cookies taste like fall in every bite. A tangy cream cheese frosting made with powdered sugar and vanilla goes right on top. They bake in 15 minutes and bring a seasonal twist to any Christmas cookie spread.
12. Cookies and Bars
Golden chocolate chip cookie dough pressed into a baking pan and sliced into thick bars gives you the flavor of a classic cookie with the ease of one-pan baking. Semisweet chocolate chips, brown sugar, and vanilla keep them rich and buttery. Ready in 50 minutes and easy to stack in a gift box.
13. Mini Linzer Cookies
Delicate shortbread rounds sandwiched with raspberry jam and dusted in powdered sugar look like tiny stained-glass windows on a cookie platter. The dough is a simple mix of butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla, chilled and rolled thin. They yield about 36 cookies, making them ideal for holiday gifting.
Get the Recipe at Food Network
14. Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies (via Food Network)
Finger-shaped shortbread made with butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla gets half-dipped in melted semisweet chocolate for an elegant holiday finish. The buttery crunch of the cookie against the smooth chocolate coating is simple and satisfying. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and dip once cooled.
Get the Recipe at Food Network
15. Cherry Pistachio Biscotti (via Food Network)
Tender twice-baked cookies studded with sweet dried cherries and bright green pistachios are a showstopper in any cookie tin. Brown sugar, butter, and
