38 Brand-New Christmas Cookies to Bake This Year

Updated on Oct. 03, 2024

Here are the best new Christmas cookie recipes for 2023, straight from our Test Kitchen. Pair them with traditional Christmas cookies to create the perfect treat tray.

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Triple-Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Santa is sure to stop by your house if you leave these minty triple-chocolate peppermint cookies waiting for him. They’re quick and easy for the whole family to make together. —Teresa Ralston, New Albany, Ohio

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Chocolate-Drizzled Ravioli Cookies

Total Time 1 hour
Servings about 3-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: My daughter Madalyn came up with the recipe for these Oreo-filled ravioli. Our family couldn’t stop eating them! Even her teachers were asking her to make them and to share the recipe! —Sarah Sandifer, Bamberg, South Carolina

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Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Here’s proof that peanut butter and chocolate just belong together. These peanut butter blossom cookies are an easy family favorite and never fail to make my children smile. Take them to the next level for Christmas and pipe green frosting (the canned stuff works!) over the kiss. Sprinkles finish it off and look like ornaments on a tree! —Tammie Merrill, Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Shortbread Ornament Cookies

Total Time 1 hour 45 min
Servings about 3 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: These buttery shortbread cookie ornaments are almost too pretty to eat! You can use cookie cutters in shapes of your choice. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
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Marokanky

Total Time 40 min
Servings about 1-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: These Czech Christmas cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The batter is prepared on the stovetop, then cooled and baked. The original recipe calls for nuts and candied orange zest, but any dried fruit or combination of dried fruits can be used in place of the orange zest. —Cyndee Sindelar, Princeton, New Jersey
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Peppermint Schnapps Hot Cocoa Snowflakes

Total Time 1 hour 10 min
Servings about 4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Mint and chocolate are perfect partners in these cutout cookies! —James Schend, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
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Mincemeat Cookies

Total Time 35 min
Servings 9 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: You can taste the spirit of Christmases past in these chewy old-fashioned cookies with their sweet caramel frosting. One batch makes 9 dozen cookies that freeze well for the holidays! —Betty Jorsvick, Olds, Alberta
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Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

Total Time 40 min
Servings about 3-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: These peppermint hot chocolate cookies are a variation of the cookies my mother made when I was growing up. Now my 13-year-old daughter and I bake them together. They’re always a huge hit! The taste is like rich hot chocolate baked into a scrumptious cookie. —Larry Piklor, Johnsburg, Illinois
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Christmas Mice Cookies

Total Time 30 min
Servings 1-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: These whimsical little cuties taste like truffles. Every Christmas, we make sure to have enough for friends and neighbors. —Deborah Zabor, Fort Erie, ON
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Gingerbread Amaretti Cookies

Total Time 30 min
Servings 2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: The classic Italian cookie gets a new gingerbread twist! Don’t overbake—they should be slightly chewy. —Tina Zaccardi, Eastchester, New York
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Swedish Spice Cutouts

Total Time 1 hour 15 min
Servings about 4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: My sister, Judith Landgren of White Sulphur Springs, Montana, brought this recipe with her when she came to the United States from Sweden in 1928.

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Buttery Spritz Cookies

Total Time 30 min
Servings about 7-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: This tender spritz cookie recipe is quite eye-catching on my Christmas cookie tray. The dough is easy to work with, so it's fun to make these spritz cookies into a variety of festive shapes. This is hands-down the best spritz cookie recipe ever. —Beverly Launius, Sandwich, Illinois

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Dutch Speculaas

Total Time 50 min
Servings about 2-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: In Holland, it’s tradition to mold this Dutch speculaas dough into the shape of St. Nicholas and serve the cookies on Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas Day). —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
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Hawaiian Wedding Cake Cookies

Total Time 35 min
Servings 1-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Macadamia nuts and pineapple help give this Hawaiian cookie recipe its tropical name. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon

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Roly-Poly Santa Cookies

I include these fanciful Santas on every cookie tray I gift. Making these is such a creative way to decorate Christmas cookies! —Mrs. Andrew Syer, Oak Ridge, Missouri

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Horn Walnut Cookies

Total Time 1 hour 15 min
Servings 4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: It takes only a few ingredients to create these elegant and delicious horns. This is a terrific make-ahead recipe because the dough can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to seven days. —Loretta Stokes, Philadephia, Pennsylvania
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Penguin Cutouts

Total Time 1 hour 40 min
Servings 3 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Your children can help decorate these cute Christmas cookies. It’s a great way to get them involved in the kitchen. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
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Fudge Bonbon Cookies

Total Time 35 min
Servings 4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: These fudgy favorites are double delights—the cookies are flavored with both chocolate chips and chocolate kisses. Drizzled with white chocolate on top, they’re fancy enough for a buffet table. —Janice Smith, Cynthiana, Kentucky
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White Chocolate-Cranberry Biscotti

Total Time 50 min
Servings 2-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: The original version of this recipe was handed down from my great-aunt. Through the years, my mother and I have tried different flavor combinations…this is a favorite for all. —Brenda Keith, Talent, Oregon
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Stained Glass Cherry Macaroons

Total Time 1 hour
Servings about 7 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Macaroons are a timeless treat and a family favorite in our house. These merry morsels are always the first to disappear from the cookie tray. —Jamie Jones, Madison, Georgia
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Orange Gingerbread Tassies

Total Time 35 min
Servings 2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: I make big Christmas cookie plates every year and it’s fun to have something with a different shape to include. These have a delicious flavor with the gingerbread and orange, and they are really easy! This is also yummy with lemon zest if you prefer that over the orange. You can also decorate with some candied orange peel if you have it.
—Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, UT
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Rosemary Shortbread Christmas Tree Cookies

Total Time 40 min
Servings 15 cookies
From the Recipe Creator: These lovely treats are a traditional part of our Christmas cookie platter. Because the scent of rosemary and the shape of its leaves remind me of pine needles, I cut these using a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter. They are fragile, so handle the dough and baked cookies carefully. —Amy Bartlett, Depew, New York
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Gluten-Free Snowballs

Total Time 30 min
Servings about 6 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: I took a classic holiday cookie and made it gluten-free. It’s now my husband’s favorite Christmas cookie. They’re so buttery, nutty and sweet—and everyone loves how they crumble in your mouth.
—Joan Sarge, Asheville, North Carolina
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Butter Pecan Cookies

Total Time 35 min
Servings 4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: When my daughter was a teen, these butter pecan cookies earned her blue ribbons from two county fairs. Then a few years ago, her own daughter took home a blue ribbon for the same cookie. Needless to say, these mouthwatering morsels are winners! —Martha Thefield, Cedartown, Georgia
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Slice ‘n’ Bake Fruitcake Cookies

Total Time 35 min
Servings 5 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: A cross between classic fruitcake and buttery cookies, these treats are perfect for Christmas. Each one is chock-full of raisins and candied cherries.
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Andes Mint Cookies

Total Time 25 min
Servings 3 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Transform your favorite candy into a baked treat! These Andes mint cookies are better than any after-dinner mint. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

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Christmas Cutout Cookies

Total Time 25 min
Servings 6 dozen (2-1/2-inch cookies)
From the Recipe Creator: Rich and buttery Christmas cutout cookies like these never last long at a party. They're one of my favorite homemade Christmas cookies. I use seasonal cutters to celebrate the holidays tastefully. —Lynn Burgess, Rolla, Missouri

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Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookies

Total Time 45 min
Servings about 7 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: These butter sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookies to bake for Christmas. The dough recipe is versatile, so you can use it for other holidays, too. Children like to help with the cookie decorating. —Cynthia Ettel, Glencoe, Minnesota
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Jeweled Coconut Drops

Total Time 35 min
Servings about 3-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Red raspberry preserves add a festive flair to these tender coconut drops. Perfect for potlucks and cookie exchanges, these shaped cookies never last long when I make them for my husband and two sons. —Ellen Marie Byler, Munfordville, Kentucky
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Hot Chocolate Cookies

Total Time 25 min
Servings 5 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Using hot cocoa mix and marshmallow bits in the cookie dough really makes these hot chocolate cookies taste like the cozy drink. —Lisa Kaminski, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
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Butterscotch Shortbread

Total Time 40 min
Servings 4-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: After sampling these tender cookies in a specialty store, I knew I had to duplicate them. My version has lots of toffee bits and butterscotch chips. I’ve given away dozens as home-baked gifts. —Sandra McKenzie, Braham, MN
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White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Total Time 25 min
Servings 4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: These white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies that I adapted from another recipe call to mind ones my mother used to bake. Instead of stirring in raisins like she did, though, I add bright red cranberries for festive flair. —Marjorie Goertzen, Chase, Kansas
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Nutmeg Sugar Cookies

Total Time 50 min
Servings 7 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: The holidays are my favorite time of year because I love to bake. These are one of my favorite cookies—they always disappear fast! —Jean Wysocki, Westminster, Colorado
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Chocolate Lebkuchen

Total Time 1 hour 15 min
Servings about 1-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: Having lived in Germany, I try to keep my German cooking as authentic as possible. This lovely lebkuchen recipe is a culinary Christmas custom. —Cathy Lemmon, Quinlan, Texas
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Mexican Wedding Cakes

Total Time 45 min
Servings about 6 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: As part of a Mexican tradition, I tucked these tender cookies into small gift boxes for the guests at my sister’s wedding a few years ago. Most folks gobbled them up before they ever got home! —Sarita Johnston, San Antonio, Texas
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Chai Snickerdoodles

Total Time 40 min
Servings 6-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: When I think of winter, I think of two things: warm cookies and chai. My recipe combines the two in my favorite cookie recipe—snickerdoodles! —Evangeline Bradford, Covington, Kentucky
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Chocolate Macadamia Macaroons

Total Time 35 min
Servings 1-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: This perfect macaroon has dark chocolate, chewy coconut and macadamia nuts, and is dipped in chocolate—sinful and delicious! —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon
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Lemon Snowflakes

Total Time 40 min
Servings 4 dozen
From the Recipe Creator: You’ll need just four ingredients to make these delightful lemon snowflake cookies. Confectioners’ sugar highlights the cracked tops to give them their snowflake appearance. —Linda Barry, Dianna, Texas