Doing a long-distance cookie exchange? The best Christmas recipes

Any time is a good time for cookies, but the holiday season makes the dessert even more fun to make & eat. People can eat them alone or make them for their friends & family as a gift. 

There are a lot of types of cookies to choose from, and the holidays bring in room for more festive ones that are better suited for this time of the year. 

There are plenty of cookies to buy in the grocery store, but the ones made from homemade ingredients just feel more special. They usually taste way better, too. Here are some of the best Christmas cookie recipes to try this month.

Thumbprint cookies

Thumbprint cookies are a type of cookie that’s buttery and filled with jam or jelly. Any jam or jelly will work for this Christmas cookie recipe. They are also easy to freeze & thaw out, so they can even be made in bulk and saved for later.

Ingredients

¼ cup softened butter, ¼ cup shortening, ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 divided egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup chopped walnuts, seedless jam or jelly, and a pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter, shortening, and brown sugar until the substance becomes fluffy.
3. Add the egg yolk & vanilla.
4. Slowly add flour & salt to the mixture until it’s all stirred in.
5. Roll the dough into twenty small balls.
6. Beat egg white in a small bowl.
7. Dip each dough ball in the egg white and then the walnuts, making sure to press down so it sticks.
8. Place each ball about two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
9. Use a spoon or your thumb to make an indentation in each cookie.
10. Freeze cookies for fifteen to twenty minutes.
11. Bake the cookies for sixteen to eighteen minutes.
12. Make indents again, if needed. Then fill the indents with jam or jelly and let the cookies cool.

Peppermint cookies

Peppermint is one of the special flavors of the holiday season. Candy canes are fun to eat by themselves, but they are an even more exciting treat when they’re smashed up and put into a cookie. This is one of the Christmas cookie recipes that will satisfy anyone’s craving for a minty snack.

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter, ¾ cup white sugar, 1 beaten egg, 3 cups all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup crushed peppermint candy canes, ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar, 5 teaspoons warm water, and 2 tablespoons additional crushed peppermint candy canes.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat the butter & white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until it’s smooth.
3. Beat the egg into the butter & sugar mixture until it’s all stirred up together.
4. Mix the flour & salt into the mixture.
5. Mix the ½ cup of peppermint candy canes into the mixture.
6. Roll the dough into balls and arrange on a baking sheet. They should be about one tablespoon each.
7. Bake until firm. This usually takes eight to ten minutes
8. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute, then let them cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Whisk confectioner’s sugar & warm water in a bowl until you get an icing consistency you like.
10. Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing and top with extra crushed candy cane.
11. Let the icing dry for a few minutes and enjoy.

M&M Christmas cookies

M&Ms are fun to eat any time of the year, but they are also delicious in Christmas cookie recipes. Here’s a recipe that makes the chocolate candy more festive.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 1 cup Christmas M&Ms.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper
3. Cream together butter & sugars with beaters in a large bowl.
4. Mix until it turns creamy & fluffy, usually one to two minutes.
5. Mix in the eggs & vanilla until just combined.
6. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
7. Fold in the chocolate chips & M&Ms.
8. Refrigerate dough for fifteen to twenty minutes
9. Use a large cookie scoop (about three tablespoons) to scoop the dough onto the baking sheets. Make sure the dough is about two inches apart.
10. Bake for seven to ten minutes until the edges are golden brown.
11. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes. Then let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack. Once they are cooled, enjoy.

Gingerbread cutout cookies

Gingerbread is another holiday season staple. This Christmas cookie recipe makes it easy to bake & decorate gingerbread cutout cookies.

Ingredients

¾ cup softened butter, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 room temperature large egg, ¾ cup molasses, 4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon salt, vanilla frosting for decorating, and red and green paste food coloring for decorating.

Directions

1. Cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, usually for about five to seven minutes.
2. Add the egg & molasses to the mixture.
3. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
4. Gradually add those dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
5. Cover and refrigerate until the dough becomes easy to handle, usually a few hours or overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Lightly flour a surface.
8. Roll the dough to ⅛ inch thickness on the surface.
9. Cut with 2 ½ inch cookie cutters.
10. Place cookie dough one inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
11. Bake until edges are firm, about eight to ten minutes.
12. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks.
13. Tint some of the frosting red and tint some of it green. Make sure to leave out some white frosting as well.
14. Decorate the cookies with the Christmas-colored frosting.