13 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Get in the Festive Spirit
Bust out the cooking sheets and celebrate the holiday season with these festive treats.
Nuremburg Lebkuchen: Soft and Chewy German Christmas Cookies
Lebkuchen (or honey cake) is a German cousin of North American gingerbread. In addition to being sweetened by honey—instead of molasses— it contains a few different spices than gingerbread, most strikingly, white pepper and anise seed. Both help to create a unique but warm spice blend.
Get the Recipe: Nuremburg Lebkuchen
Peppermint Shortbread Meltaways & Pistachio Orange White Chocolate Macarons
Here, we have two treats, because they pair so beautifully together! Try our deliciously buttery shortbread cookies that boast a refreshing sprinkle of peppermint. And don’t forget our pistachio macarons (they’re basically a cookie, right!?) with a delightful orange filling.
Get the Recipes: Peppermint Shortbread Meltaways; Pistachio Orange White Chocolate Macarons
Shortbread Christmas Sweater Cookies
You could stick to your standard holiday baking. Or, you could amp up the fun with Great British Bakeoff star Kim-Joy’s cookbook, Christmas with Kim-Joy: A Festive Collection of Edible Cuteness—a riot of whimsical treats (with no-fail tips and vegan options) that bring big-time fun back into the kitchen.
Try these shortbread cookies flavoured however you like, such as with orange zest, ground cardamom, or mint extract, and decorate them with royal icing to create beautiful (or ugly) Christmas sweaters.
Hedgehog Cookies
Festive little hedgehogs! These German-style cookies (also from Kim-Joy’s cookbook) are dunked in chocolate and have a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Recipe: Hedgehog Cookies
Five-Spice Ginger Molasses Cookies
These ginger cookies—spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and more—are the perfect combination of chewy and crisp. The rolling sugar adds sweetness and a slight crunch to the soft middles.
Gluten-Free Gingerbread
The smell of gingerbread baking is a welcome sign of the holidays. Here’s a gluten-free version that anyone can enjoy.
Recipe: Gluten-Free Gingerbread
Ginger Molasses
Packed with ginger and boasting an oh-so-chewy texture, the cookies are so good, we suggest baking more than just one batch.
Recipe: Ginger Molasses Cookies
Vegan and Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
For the dairy-free, gluten-free set, these sugar cookies with coconut maple frosting are sure to hit the spot.
Chewy Cranberry Walnut
The cranberries in these cookies offer a subtle fruity touch that feels just right this time of year, while the walnut delivers extra crunch.
Recipe: Chewy Cranberry Walnut
The Great Canadian Hemp
Grown only in Canada, Hemp Hearts add a subtle nutty flavour to these must-try cookies.
Recipe: The Great Canadian Hemp Cookie
Chocolate Chunk
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. This cookie is every healthy chocoholic’s dream (and Santa’s, too).
Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Dark Chocolate and Molasses Cookies
The molasses in these dark chocolate chip cookies is responsible for making them perfectly chewy and satisfying.
Oatmeal Date Shortbread
This recipe combines two standout types of cookies: classic tender, buttery, perfect-every-time shortbread cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies.
Recipe: Oatmeal Date Shortbread
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