Easy Christmas Cookies Recipes For Busy Holiday Bakers

These five easy Christmas cookie recipes give you a choice between buttery shortbread, cinnamon snickerdoodles, molasses gingersnaps, chocolate crinkles, and spice spritz. Each includes ingredient weights and a method adapted from a tested King Arthur Baking recipe, so you can choose a batch and get straight to baking.

Choose by the time you have and the kind of cookie you want on the tray. Shortbread and snickerdoodles work for a same-day bake, while crinkles give you an option to mix ahead. Check chilling time and oven temperature before planning a second batch.

1. Buttery Shortbread You Can Cut Into Fingers

Shortbread suits a busy afternoon because you press one batch of dough into a pan and cut the cookies after baking. The result is buttery and firm enough to stack once the pieces have cooled.

The King Arthur shortbread recipe uses salted butter, confectioners’ sugar, flour, vanilla, and a little salt. It bakes at 325°F for 35 to 40 minutes in the specified pan. The ingredients and steps below are adapted from that recipe.

Ingredients

• Salted butter, 227 g (1 cup), at cool room temperature
• Confectioners’ sugar, 113 g (1 cup)
• Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
• Almond extract, ¼ teaspoon, optional
• Table salt, ¼ teaspoon
• All-purpose flour, 240 g (2 cups)

How To Plan This Batch

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease and line a 9-inch round or 8-inch square pan.
2. Beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, optional almond extract, and salt. Mix in the flour until the dough comes together.
3. Press the dough flat in the pan and prick it with a fork.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and the edges are darker.
5. Rest in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting surface, slice while slightly warm, and cool on a rack.

Cut fingers if the cookies need to share a small tray. Wedges take more room but look especially nice when the shortbread is the only cookie on the plate. A knife or wheel gives you straighter edges when the shortbread is still warm enough to cut.

2. Cinnamon-Sugar Snickerdoodles For A Same-Day Tray

Snickerdoodles give you a soft cinnamon-sugar cookie without a long chilling stage. Choose them for a same-day bake if you want something lighter in flavor than molasses or dark chocolate.

The King Arthur snickerdoodle recipe uses shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, and cinnamon sugar. It gives a specific baking powder alternative for the cream of tartar and baking soda, so use that guidance if you need the swap.

Ingredients

• Vegetable shortening, 184 g (1 cup)
• Granulated sugar, 298 g (1½ cups)
• Large eggs, 2
• Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
• Cream of tartar, 2 teaspoons
• Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
• Table salt, ½ teaspoon
• All-purpose flour, 330 g (2¾ cups)
• Cinnamon sugar, about ½ cup for rolling

What To Watch As You Bake

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the shortening and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the flour.
3. Coat tablespoon-sized portions in cinnamon sugar. Space them about 1½ inches apart and flatten to about ½ inch thick.
4. Bake 11 to 12 minutes, rotating and swapping the sheets halfway through if baking two at once. The cookies should be set and beginning to turn golden.
5. Move the cookies to a rack to cool.

Portion a tray before you turn to another dough. It’s easier to compare sizes when you can see them all together. If you’re putting several cookies on a tray, give the snickerdoodles their own space so their cinnamon coating stays visible beside darker cookies.

3. Molasses Gingersnaps With Crisp Edges

Gingersnaps give you a darker, spicier cookie and a distinct crunch. They’re an especially good choice when you want something that feels different from a soft cinnamon cookie or a buttery shortbread.

The King Arthur gingersnap recipe uses molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Its shortening version is designed for crispness. The recipe offers an 11-minute bake for a more flexible center and 13 minutes for a crisper cookie, both at 375°F.

Ingredients

• Vegetable shortening, 138 g (¾ cup)
• Granulated sugar, 198 g (1 cup)
• Table salt, ½ teaspoon
• Baking soda, 2 teaspoons
• Large egg, 1
• Molasses, 113 g (⅓ cup)
• All-purpose flour, 280 g (2⅓ cups)
• Ground ginger, 1 to 2 teaspoons
• Ground cloves, ½ teaspoon
• Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon in the dough
• For the coating, 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How To Choose The Texture

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets.
2. Beat the shortening, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Beat in the egg and then the molasses. Mix in the flour and spices.
3. Combine the coating sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish.
4. Roll 1-inch portions in the coating and leave at least 1½ inches between cookies.
5. Bake 11 minutes for a bendier center or 13 minutes for more crunch. Cool fully before storing.

Pick a crisper snap if the cookies are going beside tea. For a tray with a lot of crunchy cookies already, use the shorter bake from the recipe so the center has a different feel. Keep portions consistent while you test the time.

4. Chocolate Crinkles You Can Mix Ahead

Chocolate crinkles give you a dark cookie with a broken white sugar coating and a rich center. The dough needs to chill, so they’re easy to fit into a busy day when you can mix it earlier.

The King Arthur chocolate crinkle recipe calls for melted bittersweet chocolate and butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and a confectioners’ sugar coating. The dough chills for two to three hours or overnight. The recipe bakes small portions at 325°F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Ingredients

• Bittersweet chocolate, 227 g (1⅓ cups chopped or chips)
• Unsalted butter, 113 g (½ cup)
• Granulated sugar, 135 g (⅔ cup)
• Large eggs, 3
• Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
• Espresso powder, 2 teaspoons, optional
• Baking powder, ½ teaspoon
• Table salt, ¼ teaspoon
• All-purpose flour, 200 g (1⅔ cups)
• Confectioners’ sugar, about 1 cup for coating

How To Split The Work

1. Warm the chocolate and butter gently, then stir off the heat until smooth.
2. Beat the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and optional espresso powder in a separate bowl. Stir in the chocolate mixture, then the baking powder, salt, and flour.
3. Refrigerate the dough for two to three hours or overnight.
4. Heat the oven to 325°F and line the baking sheets. Shape small portions about 1¼ inches across, coat them with confectioners’ sugar, and leave about 1½ inches between them.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate and swap the sheets halfway through if baking two at once. Cool on a rack.

Make this batch first if you want it on a tray later in the day. You can use the chilling time for shortbread or a non-baking task. Keep the chocolate crinkles separate from anything damp until you’re ready to serve so the sugar coating stays distinct.

5. Sparkling Spice Spritz With Or Without A Press

Spice spritz gives you a small butter cookie with cinnamon, cardamom, and a tender texture. A cookie press makes stars and wreaths. The tested recipe also allows teaspoon-size drop cookies if you don’t have a press.

The King Arthur sparkling spice spritz recipe uses butter, cream cheese, egg yolk, flour, and spices. It calls for a 375°F oven and an ungreased sheet, chilled if you’re using the press. Its bake range is 10 to 16 minutes, depending on size and shape.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, 227 g (1 cup), softened
• Granulated sugar, 149 g (¾ cup)
• Cream cheese, 113 g (4 ounces), softened
• Table salt, ¾ teaspoon
• Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons
• Ground cinnamon, 1½ teaspoons
• Ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon
• Ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon
• Ground allspice or cloves, ⅛ teaspoon
• Large egg yolk, 1
• All-purpose flour, 300 g (2½ cups)
• Coarse sparkling sugar, optional

How To Get The First Tray Ready

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Use ungreased baking sheets and chill them if you’ll use a press.
2. Beat the butter, sugar, cream cheese, salt, vanilla, and spices together. Beat in the yolk and stir in the flour.
3. Press the dough onto the sheets or use teaspoon-sized drop portions. Add sparkling sugar if you like.
4. Bake for 10 to 16 minutes, until the edges turn brown.
5. Rest for five minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a rack.

Start with a single shape until you know when the edges brown in your oven. A small wreath and a thick star may finish at different times. Keep the first tray consistent and switch discs once you know how the batch behaves.

How To Plan A Cookie Tray Around Your Time

Choose shortbread if you want to portion a single pan after baking, or snickerdoodles for a same-day tray with no long chill. Mix chocolate crinkle dough earlier if you want a make-ahead option. Add gingersnaps for crunch or spritz if you have time to shape several small trays.

Start by checking your oven temperatures. Shortbread and crinkles both use 325°F, so they can make sense in the same baking window if the dough and pans are ready. Gingersnaps and spritz use 375°F.

Wait for the oven to settle at the new setting before adding the next type.

A Practical Order For Two Batches

1. Pick two cookies with different textures or flavors.
2. Measure ingredients for each batch into separate sets of bowls.
3. Mix and chill the dough that needs time first.
4. Bake the other cookies while the chilled dough firms up.
5. Cool the finished cookies fully before arranging them together.

Check the recipe’s instructions for storage and keep crisp and soft cookies separate until serving if you want their textures to stay distinct. The FDA advises against tasting raw cookie dough because raw flour and eggs can carry germs. Save your taste test for the baked cookies.

For a cookie you can cut and decorate, try these Christmas sugar cookies that hold their shape. If you’re making extras to give away, these Christmas cookie gift boxes show how to keep the cookies in place.

Frequently Asked Questions

The easiest choice depends on how much time you have before serving and whether you want to shape individual cookies. Pick the texture and schedule first.

Which easy Christmas cookies can I make on the same day?

Try shortbread or snickerdoodles. Shortbread saves shaping time because the dough goes into one pan. Snickerdoodles need individual portions but avoid the long chill in the chocolate crinkle recipe.

Read the full recipe before setting your serving time.

Can I make the chocolate crinkle dough the day before?

Yes. The linked recipe allows an overnight chill. Keep the dough covered in the refrigerator and follow the recipe when you’re ready to portion it.

Set up the coating and pans before taking it out.

Do I need a cookie press for spritz?

A press gives you the familiar shapes, but the linked spritz recipe also gives a drop-cookie option. Use the suggested portion size and watch the edges as the first tray bakes. Larger portions may need longer.

Can I bake different cookies at the same temperature?

Use the temperature specified for each recipe. Shortbread and crinkles share a setting, and gingersnaps and spritz share another. They still have different bake times.

Bake them on separate pans and set a timer for each batch.

When should I put cookies in a tin?

Wait until the cookies have cooled fully. Put delicate crinkles in a shallow layer and reserve deeper sections for sturdier pieces such as shortbread. Check each recipe’s storage guidance if the tin is going to sit for several days.

Final Thoughts

For a holiday tray, make the easy Christmas cookies that fit the day you actually have. A pan of shortbread and a batch of snickerdoodles give you two textures without waiting for dough to chill. If you can mix ahead, chocolate crinkles are a good way to add something darker and richer.

Leave enough time to cool the cookies and clear the counter before arranging them. A smaller tray with distinct flavors can feel more considered than five batches made in a rush.

Sources

FDA guidance on handling flour and raw dough