A collection of festive Christmas cookie recipes including favorites like molasses cookies, stained glass cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies and other sweet treats.
These cookie recipes are perfect for baking exchanges, gift giving and parties.
There’s nothing more satisfying than a warm cookie and some hot chocolate or coffee on a cold day. The holidays are full of magic, and in my own personal opinion, a good cookie only adds to that magic. I suppose just about any cookie could be made into a holiday cookie, however, there are some cookies that just scream Christmas for me.
I’ve listed some of my favorite cookies, along with some other holiday treats that I would love to make this year. I’m sure you’re just like me and have those holiday cookie recipes you never miss making every year. However, I enjoy finding a new recipe or two to try every year as a tradition of sorts.
Baking cookies is a fun way to unleash your creativity. Whatever recipe you choose, there’s always room to add your own touch and customize them. It’s even fun to get the kids involved!
Looking for more holiday inspiration? I’ve got you covered with ideas including 35 Holiday Entertaining Recipes , 30 Christmas Appetizer Recipes , 20 Candy Cane Recipes and 20 Christmas Candy Recipes .
30 Christmas Cookie Recipes
Brownie Cookies
Cake Mix Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Cookies
Chocolate Covered Oreos
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Christmas Crack Recipe
Chocolate Spritz Cookies
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Christmas Wreath Cookies
Can you freeze Christmas Cookies?
Many types of holiday cookies can be made in advance then frozen for future use. If your cookie recipe calls for frosting, I find it’s best to freeze the cookies plain, then frost them after they’ve thawed. Store your cookies in a single layer in resealable freezer bags for up to 2 months.
Double Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Eggnog Cookies
Gingerbread Christmas Cookie Tree
Gooey Butter Cookies
Nutella Cookies
Italian Cookies
Molasses Cookies
Monster Cookies (Christmas Version)
Oreo Balls
Peanut Butter Blossoms
How to package Christmas cookies for gift giving
There’s nothing better than a homemade holiday gift, and I love to give cookies to friends and family. You can get creative with the packaging to make your gift extra special.
- Holiday Tins: I buy festive tins at my local dollar store, then line them with parchment paper.
- Christmas Plate: I choose a festive porcelain Christmas themed plate at the housewares store, then arrange my cookies on the plate.
- Cellophane Bags: Pack your cookies into little clear bags, then tie them shut with a festive bow.
- Mason Jars: Stack your cookies in a glass jar, seal the jar, then tie a ribbon around it.
Peppermint Bark Cookies
Pizzelle
Peppermint Cookies
Red Velvet Cookies
Stained Glass Cookies
Snowball Cookies
Twix Cookies
Rocky Road Cookies
Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Whether you love chocolate, fruit, molasses or other great flavors, these recipes will make your holiday merry and bright! For a festive Christmas try these fantastic cookies.
These thumbprint cookies are soft vanilla cookies filled with fruit jam and baked until golden brown. An easy and classic cookie recipe that’s perfect for parties, after school snacks and special occasions.
When the holidays roll around, I find myself in the kitchen whipping up plenty of festive Christmas recipes including Italian cookies , Oreo stuffed cookies , eggnog cookies , Nutella cookies and these beautiful little thumbprint cookies.
Thumbprint cookies are a classic for good reason – they’re simple yet look so impressive, and they couldn’t be any easier to make! You can customize your cookies by adding any number of fillings and coatings for a sweet treat that’s delicious any time of the year.
- Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
- How Do You Make Thumbprint Cookies?
- Tips For Perfect Cookies
- Quick Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Flavor Variations
- More Great Cookie Recipes
- Love This Recipe?
- Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, a large egg, vanilla extract, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt and jam.
How Do You Make Thumbprint Cookies?
Thumbprint cookies are all about the perfect dough that bakes up crisp on the outside, yet soft on the inside. Make this dough by beating sugar, brown sugar and butter together. Mix in an egg, some vanilla, flour and baking soda and the dough is ready to go. Chill the dough in the fridge and roll it into balls. Dip the dough balls in sugar, then place them on a baking sheet. Press wells into the cookies with a spoon. Fill the cookies with a little jam, you can use any flavor of your choice. Bake until light golden brown, then cool and enjoy.
Tips For Perfect Cookies
- Keep the dough cold when you roll it into balls. If the dough warms up, it can get sticky and the balls can become rough instead of smooth. You can place sticky dough in the fridge or freezer to chill if needed.
- After you put the jam in the cookies, place the sheet pan of cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. Chilling the dough prevents the dough from spreading too much as it bakes.
- Some dark jams and jellies can “stain” the dough of the cookies. If you are worried about staining, avoid using blackberry or grape jams or jellies. I typically use raspberry, strawberry or apricot jam.
- Make sure you don’t overfill the cookies or the jam may bubble over and run down the sides of the cookies.
- If your balls of dough crack as you make the indentations in the middle, your dough may be overly cold and stiff. You can simply patch any cracks with your fingers .
Quick Tip
If you have trouble shaping the dough into balls, try putting a little cooking spray on your hands.
You can freeze baked thumbprint cookies. Just place them in an airtight container in a single layer. If you want to stack cookies, put a piece of waxed paper, plastic wrap or parchment paper between the layers. The frozen cookies stay fresh for about a month. When you are ready to eat the cookies remove them from the container and let them thaw on the counter.
There is no need to refrigerate thumbprint cookies, and they will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days.
It’s very important to chill your cookie dough before you bake it. This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
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Flavor Variations
While this recipe is delicious as written, you can easily customize the flavors to suit your tastes.
- Coatings: Try rolling your balls of cookie dough in coatings such as sprinkles, coconut, finely minced almonds, pecans, walnuts or cinnamon sugar.
- Fillings: The filling possibilities are endless and include ingredients such as Nutella, lemon curd, chocolate ganache, marshmallow cream or caramel sauce.
This thumbprint cookie recipe is so fun to make because you can fill the cookies with all different kinds of flavors. This is a holiday classic that never goes out of style!
More Great Cookie Recipes
S’mores Cookies
27 mins
Monster Cookies
25 mins
Cake Mix Cookies
20 mins
Snowball Cookies
50 mins
Chocolate Spritz Cookies
20 mins
Love This Recipe?
Ingredients1x2x3x
- ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling the cookies
- ▢ 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- ▢ 1 egg
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 cup jam
Instructions
- Place the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, then beat for 1-2 minutes or until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Beat until just blended.
- Place the dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Cover the dough completely with the plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 3 days.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you plan to use it.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then coat each ball in granulated sugar.
- Place the balls of dough 3 inches apart on 2 sheets pan lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
- Use your thumb, the back of a teaspoon, or the round end of a pestle to make an indentation in each cookie. Be gentle as you make each indentation so that the cookies don’t crack.
- Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Place the trays of cookies in the freezer. Chill for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are firm.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.
Notes
- Keep the dough cold when you roll it into balls. If the dough warms up, it can get sticky and the balls can become rough instead of smooth. You can place sticky dough in the fridge or freezer to chill if needed.
- If you have trouble shaping the dough into balls, try putting a little cooking spray on your hands.
Nutrition
