The 25 cookies of Christmas: Best of Recipe Box (2024)

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

The 25 cookies of Christmas

It’s the most-wonderful time of the year! Carols are in the air. Boxes are wrapped in colorful paper. And warm cookies are coming out of the oven. Ah, but which cookies? We’re making it hard to choose with our 25 cookies of Christmas. Pick one or two to make for your office potluck or neighborhood cookie swap, or bake up a bunch so you’ll have a colorful plate of cookies for Santa.

Kate Sears

Frosted Sugar Cookies

These frosted sugar cookies from Good Housekeeping magazine are the perfect foundation for creative decorating, dressing them up with dustings of coarse sanding sugar, colored sprinkles, sugar pearls and silver sugar balls. While you can make them with a round cookie cutter, this is the time to break out holiday cookie cutters shaped like snowflakes, snowmen and stars.

Recipe: Frosted Sugar Cookies.

Stephanie Yao Long

Cranberry Ecstasy Bars

One of our most-popular Christmas recipes ever is this recreation of the cranberry dessert that's sold at Starbuck's during the holiday season. Former Foodday Test Kitchen Director Linda Faus and then-intern Nathan Hostler made batch after batch to get them just right. Because they aren't loaded with preservatives, we're convinced our version of the bar is better than the original.

Recipe: Cranberry Ecstasy Bars.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Toasted Mint-Marshmallow Brownies

A rich brownie gets topped with marshmallow fluff and dusted with chopped mint candies. It’s doesn’t get more Christmasy than that.

Recipe: Toasted Mint-Marshmallow Brownies.

Stephanie Yao Long

My Ginger Cookies

Baking icon Alice Medrich came up with these addictive cookies, which have crunchy edges and a chewy center, beautifully crackled on top, spicy, and are loaded with diced crystallized ginger. You can tone down the heat by omitting the fresh ginger and cutting down on the crystallized ginger and still end up with a great cookie. They also make an amazing wintry ice cream sandwich when paired with vanilla bean ice cream.

Recipe: My Ginger Cookies (aka Screaming Ginger Cookies).

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Spiced Maple-Chestnut Clusters

Not only are these spiced maple-chestnut clusters delicious, they’re guaranteed to be a hit with everyone, since they are both vegan and gluten-free.

Recipe: Spiced Maple-Chestnut Clusters.

Stephanie Yao Long

Smoked Salt, Dried Cranberry and Almond Chocolate Bark

This sophisticated candy from Portland author Diane Morgan makes an outstanding holiday gift. There are only four ingredients, so make sure your nuts and fruit are fresh, and that you use a good-quality chocolate.

Recipe: Smoked Salt, Dried Cranberry and Almond Chocolate Bark.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Dirty Snowballs

This is a great recipe for baking cookies with children, since there’s lots of fun hands-on work. And they are made on the stovetop, so you don’t even have to turn on the oven.

Recipe: Dirty Snowballs.

Stephanie Yao Long

BabyCakes NYC Chocolate Chip Cookies

When we made these cookies from a recipe from the New York bakery BabyCakes, many tasters pronounced them the best chocolate chip cookies they had ever had. Then we told them that the cookies were vegan and gluten-free, and jaws dropped. They are that good.

Recipe: BabyCakes NYC Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Coconut-Chai Meringue Breakaways

The flavors of chai tea take the form of a cookie with these meringue breakaways, which feature Indian spices, but also could be flavored with peppermint extract.

Recipe: Coconut-Chai Meringue Breakaways.

Laurie Skrivan

Pecan Sandies

This classic holiday cookie can be dressed up either with a half pecan garnish, or dusted with a generous amount of powdered sugar.

Recipe: Pecan Sandies.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Bourbon Cherry Bars

Talk about indulgent! These bar cookies are built on a rich base made out of pecans and brown sugar, then topped with bourbon-cherry glaze.

Recipe: Bourbon Cherry Bars.

Nathan Hostler, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Springbrook Hazelnut Farm's Caramel Hazelnut Cookies

Oregon is known for its hazelnuts, so these caramel cookies are a perfect home-grown addition to a Christmas cookie plate. The soda crackers provide a touch of salt that balances out the sweetness of the caramel.

Recipe: Springbrook Hazelnut Farm's Caramel Hazelnut Cookies.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Secret Honey Nut Cookies

These easy-to-make cookies have a delicious secret hidden inside, featuring a crunchy, chewy center of ground mixed nuts and honey. And they get rolled in powdered sugar, so they look like they’ve been dusted with snow.

Recipe: Secret Honey Nut Cookies.

Nathan Hostler, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

(Almost) Packer Orchards Cowboy Cookie

We worked hard to come up with a make-at-home version of the giant Cowboy Cookies that Packer Orchards and Bakery sells at its farmers market stands, and while we weren’t able to replicate the exact texture, the flavor of these cookies comes close.

Recipe: (Almost) Packer Orchards Cowboy Cookie.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Rainbow Butter Cookies

Freeze-dried fruit takes the place of blah sugary sprinkles with these colorful, bite-sized Christmas cookies. These are a beautiful addition to any cookie tray, and are especially nice as a part of a festive cookie tin.

Recipe: Rainbow Butter Cookies.

Alicia Ross, Kitchen Scoop

Key Lime Cookies

December is a busy month for cookie baking. Easy but elegant Key Lime Cookies make perfect gifts or additions to cookie swaps and Christmas parties.

Recipe: Key Lime Cookies.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Mexican Tortilla Cut Outs

Here’s a fun cookie project to make with children, since there’s no measuring of ingredients of need to make dough, since the cookies are made with flour tortillas. All you need are holiday-shaped cookie cutters, melted butter and seasonings.

Recipe: Mexican Tortilla Cut Outs.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Pumpkin Bread Biscotti

The classic Italian cookie gets a fall twist, thanks to pumpkin and holiday spices. Have a coffee drinker on your gift list? They’ll love dunking these biscotti into their lattes or hot chocolate.

Recipe: Pumpkin Bread Biscotti.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Mocha Gingerbread Brigadeiros

Brigadeiros are a traditional Brazilian no-bake confection that gets updated with the flavors of gingerbread, mocha and molasses.

Recipe: Mocha Gingerbread Brigadeiros.

Alicia Ross, Kitchen Scoop

Snowflake Cookies

These cookies are soft and delicate, and have a melt-in-your-mouth quality to them – sort of like a real snowflake. No Christmas cookie plate is complete without a powdered sugar cookie, and these make a worthy addition.

Recipe: Snowflake Cookies.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Pistachio, Orange and Date Nankatai

The best sort of holiday baking fills the house with gorgeous smells, and these nankatai do the trick with their orange aroma. The cookies hail from India, but capture the flavor of the holiday season, thanks to the pistachios and dates.

Recipe: Pistachio, Orange and Date Nankatai.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

No-Bake Haystack Cookies

These no-bake treats are a perfect addition to any cookie platter. And since they’re made with only 4 ingredients, they’re good if you’re short on time and need an easy recipe for an office cookie swap.

Recipe: No-Bake Haystack Cookies.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Chocolate Almond Crescent Cookies

Food Network personality Melissa d'Arabian created this healthier Christmas cookie, made with white whole-wheat flour, which has a texture similar to all-purpose flour, but has the health benefits of whole grains.

Recipe: Chocolate Almond Crescent Cookies.

Alan Richardson/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Edouard's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking guru Dorie Greenspan got this recipe from Edouard Bobin, the co-owner of one of the Parisian bistro Le Pantruche. While it’s similar to the sort of recipe you might find on the back of a bag of chocolate chips, it has more flour, and the nuts are ground, not chopped, producing a dense, chewier cookie.

Recipe: Edouard's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Foolproof Holiday Butter Cookies

Here’s another Dorie Greenspan recipe that is perfect for the holiday season. Let your creativity run wild to decorate these cookies. If you aren’t going to decorate them, dust them with sugar before baking.

Recipe: Foolproof Holiday Butter Cookies.