7 Classic Christmas Cookies To Bake This Year!

Sugar cookies, gingerbread men, red velvet crinkle, melting snowmen, and snowballs are the most classic Christmas cookie recipes. Imagine all of the memories that will be made while baking these Christmas cookies this year!

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sugar cookie dough being rolled out with rolling pin on marble countertop with snowflake cookie cutters

When you think of Christmas traditions, what comes to your mind? For me, the thoughts of crowding into a cozy kitchen, with aprons and mixing bowls screams Christmas tradition to me. I dream of baking cookies with my family ever year.

When my kids were younger, I sewed and monogrammed the cutest little handmade aprons for them and would invite their friends over for cookie decorating parties. I asked everyone to bring a donation of either socks, underwear, T-shirts that we would donate to a local shelter. It was a perfect way to kick off the holiday season every year and we all had so much fun.

Through all of our moves, kitchen renovations, living where it’s too cold to decorate outside, kids being older, and so on, our cookie decorating parties have changed over the years. But nonetheless, they are still fun and filled with lots of memory making!

Time-Savings Tip!

This year, as I prepare for our annual cookie decorating party, I am sticking to my tried and true classic Christmas cookie recipes.

While we are going to be adding some new recipes this year to our decorating party, I love my no-fail recipes! I am simply going through my recipes below while binging on Hallmark Christmas movies {who else is with me?!?…A Christmas Movie Christmas had our whole family laughing!}. On each recipe card there is purple box that says “Make Recipe”. I click on that, select Walmart and the ingredients are magically added to my pick-up order! Now, that’s a great time-saving perk if you ask me! More Hallmark movie watching for me!

Christmas Cookie Recipes!

Here are my favorite Christmas cookies to make each year!

Melting Snowman Cookies

These little Melting Snowman Cookies are so delicious that they will literally melt in your mouth with my secret sugar cookie recipe ingredient! They are perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors and will certainly bring a smile to everyone’s face! 

Here is the recipe: Melting Snowman Cookies

Melting Snowman Cookie

Red Velvet Christmas Crinkle Cookies

A festive holiday classic cookie! These red velvet Christmas crinkle cookies are made with only four ingredients; red velvet cake mix, eggs, oil and powdered sugar.

Here is the recipe: Red Velvet Christmas Crinkle Cookies

Red Velvet Christmas Crinkle Cookies 3

Gingerbread Boy Cookies

These Gingerbread Boy cookies are rich in flavor with molasses and ginger. They bake flat making them perfect to decorate with Royal Icing. This recipe has been passed down through three generations. 

Here’s the recipe: Gingerbread Boy Cookies: Grandma Dobberfuhl’s Recipe

Gingerbread Boy Cookies | Gathered In The Kitchen

Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe

The absolute best sugar cookie recipe that is perfect for decorating! This versatile dough allows you to roll it out thin and have a crispy cookie or roll it out thick and have a soft and moist cookie!

Here’s the recipe: Mom’s Classic Sugar Cookie Recipe

stack of sugar cookies on cooling rack

Snowball Cookies aka Mexican Wedding Cookies

Snowball Cookies are bite sized cookies filled with pecans or walnuts and are covered with powdered sugar making them irresistible and addictive at the same time. They are the perfect holiday treat or cookie swap gift. Make a dozen, wrap them up in cellophane, tie with a bow and you’ve got the perfect little gift to give!

Here’s the recipe: Snowball Cookies aka Mexican Wedding Cookies

Snowball Cookies aka Mexican Wedding Cookies

Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

Using M&Ms in cookies is one of the best way to make festive holiday cookies. Change up the theme of the cookies by using different colored m&Ms. The Christmas themed M&M chocolate cookies are delicious, soft and easy to make!

Here’s the recipe: Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies | Gathered In The Kitchen

Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookie Recipe

Lofthouse sugar cookies are so light and fluffy that they are almost more like a cake cookie than a traditional sugar cookie. These are the best copycat Lofthouse style sugar cookies ever!

Here’s the recipe: Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookie Recipe

Copycat Lofthouse Sugar Cookie & Frosting Recipe

Tips for Decorating Christmas Cookies

Once your cookies are baked, it’s time to decorate them!! Options include sprinkles, icing; store-bought or homemade, M&M candies, crushed up candy canes and so much more! Being a traditionalist, I like to keep things simple. Below are my tips, tricks and recipes for creating beautifully decorated Christmas cookies!

The Best 3-Ingredient Royal Icing Recipe

The best no fail, 3 ingredient royal icing recipe for decorating sugar cookies.

Here’s the recipe: The Best 3-Ingredient Royal Icing Recipe

-Homemade-Royal-Icing-Gathered-In-The-Kitchen-2.png

Everything You Need To Know About Royal Icing

Royal icing is a frosting used to decorate sugar cookies, cakes, gingerbread houses and more. Royal icing can be made with or without meringue powder and can be made ahead of time or stored in the freezer. In this article we will discuss everything there is to know about royal icing from recipes, how does it taste, how to use, and how to store and more.

Everything You Need To Know About Royal Icing

How To Stencil Sugar Cookies | Silhouette Cameo & Wilton Color Mist

Creating stencils with a Silhouette Cameo to decorate sugar cookies using Wilton’s color mist is easy and the design possibilities are endless!

How to stencil on sugar cookies | Gathered In The Kitchen
Like it? Pin it! Gathered In The Kitchen
7 Classic Christmas Cookies To Bake This Year | Gathered In The Kitchen

You can find more of my holiday recipes over on Foodtalk!

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7 Comments

  1. Love baking. Starting this weekend!

  2. Carolyn Herron says:

    We are having a Christmas cookie baking party in a couple weeks with my mom! Can’t wait to try out your recipes! ?

  3. Cindy Rust says:

    The red velvet cookies look so festive and I bet they taste amazing! Pinned ?

  4. elizabeth@pineconesandacorns says:

    I love your cookies! Royal icing is somethings I’ve never used but you have encouraged me to try it.

  5. Paula@SweetPea says:

    All of your Christmas cookie recipes look fabulous.

  6. OMG! that melting snowman cookie is amazing! Loving the red velvet also. YUM!

  7. Those melting snowmen have been on my list for a long time. Maybe this will be the year. Off to pin it and send the recipe to my daughter. She’s the baker around here!!

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