Hello Friends,
Christmas baking is in full swing at our house! After briefly considering NOT baking cookies this year, I realized it really wouldn’t feel like Christmas without them. We give most of our cookies away to friends and neighbors and it makes my husband happy to have fresh-baked cookies in the house. I enjoy getting my hands messy in the kitchen with cookie dough and other goodies, so I decided to go ahead and enjoy myself in the kitchen this year!
However, I have a confession to make…
I have high expectations when it comes to Christmas cookies and treats!
With so much sugar around during the Christmas season, I try to be careful which treats I decide to enjoy. I want a treat that looks pretty, tastes good with a glass of milk, and feels like a party in my mouth!
I personally think the best Christmas treats have chocolate (although I do bake a few treats void of chocolate that are still delish!).
Over the past few years, I have slowly discovered which Christmas treats are our favorites. The cookies and treats below are the ones that my husband and I BOTH love, not to mention, they look pretty when served, taste great with milk, and taste delicious!
Please know that I don’t make ALL these recipes every single year. I usually make at least 4-5 different cookie recipes so we can give away a festive plate of Christmas cookies to our friends and neighbors. The other treats and sweets are ones I make occasionally for a party or even for Christmas Day. I hope you can find a recipe (or two) that you like and enjoy from this list!
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8 Sweet Recipes We LOVE at Christmas
These cookies made it on my list first because they are the #1 cookie I remember baking at home with my mom. When I think “Christmas cookies” these come to mind. I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter and they honestly look super nice on top of a plate of festive cookies.
I’ve used a couple different recipes for these cookies, but this year, I used this recipe from Domino because I didn’t have any shortening on hand (this recipe uses butter instead).
This is a cookie recipe I started baking a few years ago. Since then, I have found myself going back to this recipe almost every Christmas. There’s something so delicious about the combination of chocolate, coffee, and peppermint! My husband isn’t a fan of coffee, but even he enjoys these cookies!
The original recipe says to dip these cookies in melted white chocolate and top with crushed candy canes. The cookies still taste great without the “extras” but they certainly look a lot more festive with the white chocolate and peppermint!
P.S. You’ll want to note that these cookies need significant time in the fridge before rolling into balls and baking. Three hours are the recommended amount of time, but overnight is better!
This cookie has become a “go-to” for me at Christmas simply because everyone LOVES them. Last year, when I asked friends and neighbors which cookie they enjoyed the most, this one was mentioned a lot! These cookies not only look beautiful (and remind me a snowballs) they literally melt-in-your-mouth! These cookies are naturally on the dry side, but the powdered sugar and butter in the cookies make them truly delicious. These cookies also look lovely on a platter of Christmas cookies and help add some contrast to all the brown and tan cookies.
These cookies are so much FUN. I recently baked a big batch of these cookies, took a photo, sent them to my husband and said,“THIS is a Christmas cookie!”
The combination of chocolate and MnM’s makes a chocolate lover’s heart very happy! 😉 Not the mention, the red and green MnM’s make these cookies look very festive. Growing up, MnM’s were a big part of our Christmas celebrations. My grandparents always bought the red and green MnM’s for everyone to enjoy at their house and my parents always bought the bags of peanut MnM’s for us to enjoy at home.
It just seems fitting to have a cookie with MnM’s in my Christmas cookie lineup.
This year, I used the Monster Cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking addiction. I was very pleased with how they turned out. These cookies are a wee bit on the dry-side so they go perfectly with a tall glass of milk!
P.S. If you’re making these for Christmas, you’ll want to grab red and green MnM’s for a festive cookie!
When my husband thinks of Christmas cookies, he thinks of sugar cookies. Growing up, I don’t remember making sugar cookies at all (I’m sure we did a couple times? I just don’t remember). So, over the years, I’ve been learning to make a batch of sugar cookies to make my husband happy. As a result, I’ve grown to love them too! I prefer a softer sugar cookie that can still be cut out into fun shapes. To keep them exciting, a delicious icing and some festive sprinkles are a must!
These cookies take a bit more work but they are worth it!
Disclaimer: I used a different recipe last year, but this is the recipe I’m trying next!
One of my great-great Aunts makes these cookies every Christmas. Being a huge fan of peanut butter, I have always loved these yummy ritz cracker cookies! It wasn’t until last year that I finally tried making these cookies for myself. My husband and I made them together and we had a few technical issues in the kitchen (melting chocolate isn’t always as simple as it sounds!). In the end, we had a delicious batch ritz cracker cookies and I was thrilled. And yes, as you can imagine, these cookies go great with milk!
Whenever I need a snack-y, sweet item for a Christmas party, puppy chow is my go-to! This recipe makes a LOT so it’s great to take to a large gathering OR fill in mason jars for an easy DIY gift idea.
Puppy chow is sweet and crunchy and the powdered sugar on top makes it a wintery, melt-in-your-mouth treat for the holidays! This is definitely a crowd pleaser! 🙂
I love this beautiful dessert for Christmas Day. It’s a delicious cheesecake mixture baked on top of an Oreo cookie crust and topped with red cherries – how festive! Because they are baked in a cupcake tin, these individual cheesecakes are an easy grab-and-go dessert at a large Christmas gathering. They also look lovely displayed on a cake stand (like this one!). If you’re looking for something a little different than traditional Christmas cookies for a dessert, you may want to give this one a try (the recipe is pretty simple and straight-forward).
Ok, can you tell I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter?
I just realized that HALF of these recipes contain chocolate and peanut butter (#1, #4, #6, and #7). Whoops! I guess you know my weakness now! If you (or someone you love) has a peanut allergy, you’ll want to skip the peanut butter recipes. However, if you love chocolate and peanut butter as much as me, well… you’re welcome! 😉
While my family likes to use organic, natural peanut butter in our home on a regular basis, the best kind of peanut butter to use in baking is the processed kind with added sugar and oils (think Peter Pan, Jiffy, or Skippy). They create more moisture in a cookie, whereas natural peanut butter could make your cookies dry and crumbly.
What are you baking this year?
I would love to hear about your favorite holiday recipes – feel free to leave a comment below and tell me about them!
Until Next Time,
Chocolate and peanut butter are the best❤️
We haven’t gotten to do any baking yet this year, but I am going to bookmark this post to go back to. Some of those sound so good! And yes, peanut butter and chocolate are wonderful!
We always bake sugar cookies. Marion is allergic to chocolate and peanuts. Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas. God Bless.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Joan,Marion and Marilyn