12 Holiday Cookie Recipes to Get in the Festive Spirit
Updated: Dec. 13, 2021It's cookie exchange time! So bust out the cooking sheets and celebrate the season with these festive treats.
Peppermint Shortbread Meltaways
These deliciously buttery cookies boast a refreshing sprinkle of peppermint.
Get the Recipe: Peppermint Shortbread Meltaways
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 extremely delicate and have a “melt in your mouth” texture thanks to the addition of potato starch. Decorate these hedgehogs with whatever sprinkles you like.
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 an oh-so-chewy texture, you won’t ever want to bake just one batch.
Recipe: Ginger Molasses Cookies
Vegan and Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
Here’s a nutritionist-recommended recipe for a healthier version of sugar cookies.
Legendary Chocolate Chip Oatmeal
These mouthwatering cookies contain half the fat of original chocolate chip cookies.
Recipe: Legendary Chocolate Chip Oatmeal
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 this recipe.
Recipe: The Great Canadian Hemp Cookie
Chocolate Chunk
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. This cookie is every healthy chocoholic’s dream.
Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies
The Perfect Oatmeal
This classic will be a family favourite, and you will be begged to make them again next year.
Recipe: The Perfect Oatmeal Cookie
Next: This Nutrition Expert Is Encouraging You to Eat the Cookie
