40 of our favourite festive cookies to make for Christmas
What better way to get in the festive spirit than baking some Christmas biscuits? Our selection of Christmas cookie recipes are the perfect thing to bake in the run up to Christmas Day and a great activity to try with kids, friends, or by yourself while listening to some festive music.
We love Christmas biscuits that double up as decorations – whether that’s a Winter Wonderland gingerbread house or an iced gingerbread Christmas wreath – nothing beats the scent of freshly-baked gingerbread filling the kitchen.
Baking Christmas biscuits doesn't have to be complicated. Our traditional gingerbread recipe delivers perfect biscuits everytime. So much so, we recommend making a double batch to avoid them disappearing too quickly!
Fancy a boozier bake? Why not try our eggnog cookies, which taste just like the classic festive cocktail. These stollen crinkle biscuits are a must-try for any fans of the traditional German Christmas bread.
Christmas baking is a great activity to occupy kids over the holidays. We love this recipe for Christmas spritz biscuits, which look just like mini Christmas trees and make a wonderful gift for friends and family this festive season. It’s easy for kids to pipe out the shape of these biscuits and if they look a little messy, just cover with extra sprinkles!
Read on for our all-time favourite Christmas biscuit and cookie recipes for 2023.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Wreaths
This recipe makes plenty of crisp cookies, ideal for gifting in boxes or cellophane bags (or storing and enjoying, as they keep brilliantly). Once iced, you can decorate with herbs or sugar sprinkles, or keep them plain.
Recipe: Frosted Sugar Cookie Wreaths
Pepparkakor Village
Nothing says Christmas quite like the smell of gingerbread baking, and this classic Swedish variety lasts well and has a great characteristic snap. You can, of course, use the dough to make simple gingerbread people, rather than designing a hanging garland, or just add 1 hole to string up individually.
Recipe: Pepparkakor Village
Sugar Cookie Wreaths
A crisp and buttery biscuit that will hold its shape once baked – ideal for stamping out all sorts of shapes and getting creative with the icing.
Recipe: Sugar Cookie Wreaths
Mulled Wine Jammy Dodgers
Teatime just got a whole lot more exciting with these boozy festive biscuits – for adults only! Use any shaped cutter you have to hand for the decoration in the middle.
Recipe: Mulled Wine Jammy Dodgers
Ricciarelli
These traditional Italian chewy almond cookies also happen to be gluten-free and make a beautiful festive gift (that’s if you can bare to part with them!).
Recipe: Ricciarelli
Cranberry and Orange Shortbread
We’ve rolled these biscuits in demerara sugar for extra crunch and prettiness.
Recipe: Cranberry and Orange Shortbread
Double Chocolate and Chestnut Sandwich Biscuits
Chestnut purée adds a wonderful, sweet nuttiness to these rich and tender biscuits. If you aren’t a fan, you can sandwich your biscuits together with buttercream instead.
Recipe: Double Chocolate and Chestnut Sandwich Biscuits
Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
Keep a stash of the unbaked cookies in the freezer, so you’ve always got a sweet treat on hand for unexpected guests
Recipe: Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
Hazelnut Jam Thumbprints
These easy gluten-free morsels are devilishly moreish. Use your favourite jam to flavour the centres.
Recipe: Hazelnut Jam Thumbprints
Double Ginger Biscuits
Fiery ground ginger meets smooth and sweet white chocolate. The question is, to dunk or not?
Recipe: Double Ginger Biscuits
Polvorones
These festive Spanish shortbread cookies are traditionally made with pork fat, but we’ve given the option to use butter for a vegetarian option.
Recipe: Polvorones
Five-ingredient amaretti biscuits
A classic Italian biscuit, amaretti biscuits are the perfect after dinner treat at Christmas. Especially when served with espresso or a glass of our Christmas pudding vodka.
Recipe: Five-ingredient amaretti biscuits
Tiramisu Biscuits
These coffee and chocolate flavoured biscuits make the perfect festive gift, simply store in an airtight biscuit tin and tie with ribbon.
Recipe: Tiramisu Biscuits
Gingerbread Advent Mobile
The perfect Christmas baking project for kids, this gingerbread biscuit advent calendar is in mobile form - but they make great Christmas tree decorations too.
Recipe: Gingerbread Advent Mobile
Stollen Crinkle Biscuits
Nothing evokes Christmas quite like the flavours of stollen, so we’ve reimagined them in crinkle cookie form. You can leave out the brandy, if you prefer, or soak the fruit in apple juice instead.
Recipe: Stollen Crinkle Biscuits
Santa's washing line
Even Santa can’t escape the weekly wash! These washing line Christmas biscuits are a perfect Secret Santa gift or an alternative Christmas decoration for your home.
Recipe: Santa's washing line
Christmas sugar cookies
Whether hung on your tree, packaged as a beautiful gift, or enjoyed as a teatime treat, this is a Christmas cookie recipe you'll want to repeat year after year.
Recipe: Christmas Bauble Hanging Biscuits
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza
This giant Christmas cookie also makes for a fun pudding served warm in slices topped with vanilla ice cream.
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza
German Christmas biscuits (Zimsterne)
These chewy gluten-free Christmas biscuits are a staple of the German Christmas markets and fill your kitchen with nostalgic aromas. If you can find them, use ready-ground hazelnuts.
Recipe: Zimsterne
Eggnog Cookies
All the flavours of the festive drink in a chewy, American-style Christmas cookie. Yum!
Recipe: Eggnog Cookies
Florentines
Lacy, crisp and full of fruit and nuts, these chewy Christmas florentines are fun to make and a joy to eat.
Recipe: Florentines
Sour Cherry and White Chocolate Garibaldi
We’ve given the classic currant biscuit a festive twist with sour cherries and sweet white chocolate.
Recipe: Sour Cherry and White Chocolate Garibaldi
Chocolate Shortbread Trees
Kids will love making, decorating (and, of course, eating!) these easy chocolate shortbread trees.
Recipe: Chocolate Shortbread Trees
Salted chocolate cookies
These gluten-free dark chocolate cookies are made even better with a sprinkling of sea salt to cut through the sweetness. Dunk in a mug of creamy hot chocolate for the ultimate indulgence.
Recipe: Salted chocolate cookies
Giant Iced Gems
We’ve given these much-loved biscuits a giant makeover! Try sprinkling with glitter or using Christmassy colours for added festive flair.
Recipe: Giant Iced Gems
Christmas tree biscuits
These piped beauties (‘spritz’ means to squirt or spray in German) are much easier to make than they appear! We love making a double batch to give to loved ones.
Recipe: Chritmas spritz cookies
Lemon and cranberry shortbreads
Made in a food processor, these cranberry-studded shortbread fingers are easy to make and wonderful with a cup of Christmas tea.
Recipe: Lemon and cranberry shortbreads
Gingerbread wreath
Classsic swedish gingerbread with a characteristic snap. This recipe makes two wreaths, one to give and one to keep.
Recipe: Gingerbread wreath
Crescent moon biscuits
These Austrian biscuits are extremely popular at Christmas and make delightful gifts.
Recipe: Crescent moon biscuits
Peppermint spirals
These fun biscuits are sure to raise a smile. If you don’t like peppermint flavour, just leave it out, or replace with almond essence instead.
Recipe: Peppermint spirals
Speculaas cookie sandwiches
These Dutch-inspired spiced cookies are sandwiched together with a rich orange, cinnamon and nutmeg-infused ganache. Try stopping at one!
Recipe: Speculaas cookie sandwiches
Pecan and cranberry freezer cookies
These cookies can be cooked from frozen, convenient to keep on hand for unexpected guests over the festive period (or for Christmas movie marathons!).
Recipe: Pecan and cranberry freezer cookies
Red velvet biscuits
A take on the ever-popular cake and reminiscent of Bourbon biscuits in festive snowflake shapes. Need we say more?
Recipe: Red velvet snowflake biscuits
Stained glass biscuits
A box of these pretty stained glass star biscuits threaded with ribbon look great on your Christmas tree or mantlepiece.
Recipe: Stained glass biscuits
Spiced advent biscuits
These biscuits are inspired by traditional German lebkuchen, and can be decorated with bright colours or simple white icing.
Recipe: Spiced advent biscuits
Chocolate and nuts biscotti
These tasty Italian biscuits are perfect for a special occasion.
Recipe: Chocolate and nut biscotti
Best gingerbead biscuit recipe
There's nothing quite as lovely as the smell of gingerbread filling your kitchen. These simple gingerbread biscuits not only taste amazing, but are easy enough for little ones to help with, too.
Recipe: The only gingerbead recipe you'll ever need
Gingerbread house
Follow our recipe to create your very own Winter Wonderland gingerbread house, a great activity to do with the kids with Christmas carols on the radio.
Recipe: Gingerbread house
Snowy biscuit lodge
We've put together a handy printable guide with instructions on how to make and decorate a charming biscuit house - perfect for giving as a Christmas present or making with kids to keep them occupied. We've even included a template, so cutting out the biscuit pieces is child's play!
Recipe: Snowy biscuit lodge
Spiced sultana and lemon cookies
Try this cookie recipe for American-style soft sultana and lemon cookies. They're quick to make and great to have with a warm cup of tea.
Recipe: Spiced sultana and lemon cookies
The ultimate biscuit mix
This DIY biscuit mix makes a thoughtful homemade gift for keen bakers this Christmas.
Recipe: Ultimate biscuit mix recipe.
Vanilla and almond Vanillekipferl
These Austrian biscuits are extremely popular at Christmas and make delightful gifts.
Recipe: Vanilla and almond Vanillekipferl recipe
Vanilla cookies
Keep it simple with this crowd-pleasing vanilla cookie recipe. Your bakes can be stored and enjoyed throughout the week – if they last that long, that is.
Recipe: Vanilla cookies
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