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24 Classic Christmas Cookies Just Like Grandma Used to Make

Inside: Inspired by Grandma’s kitchen, these are the best old-fashioned Christmas cookies for a plate of vintage sweet treats this holiday season.

Christmas cookies! What’s not to love? Well, plenty. In an already busy time of year, the cookie expectations can be overwhelming. Piping bags? Meringue? Cookie cutters? No thanks. Even if you love to bake, it can all feel like a bit much.

The good news is this: some of the best holiday recipes are simple drop cookies and other old-fashioned favorites you can make without a big fuss.

So, say goodbye to trendy and complicated Christmas cookies. These vintage-inspired cookie recipes will make your holiday kitchen happy and cozy.

grid of 6 homemade christmas cookies on plates.

Find your favorite, grab a large bowl, and let’s preheat that oven to 350 degrees and get to work.

Christmas Cookie Tips

  • Experiment with Classic Flavors: Old-fashioned Christmas cookies often feature flavors like vanilla, molasses, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove). These ingredients evoke warmth and nostalgia, so don’t hesitate to try adding a pinch more spice if you love those traditional tastes.
  • Perfect Your Dough Consistency: Getting the dough right is essential. If it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour; if it’s too dry, a splash of milk or egg white can help. The dough should be firm enough to roll out smoothly but not so dry that it crumbles.
  • Chill the Dough for Better Shaping: Chilling your dough for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling it out can make it easier to handle and help cookies hold their shape better during baking.
  • Customize with Decor: Use simple icing, sprinkles, or sugar dusting to bring a festive look to your cookies. Traditional decorations, like colored sugar or simple frosting designs, can improve the nostalgic feel of these cookies.
  • Store Separately for Different Textures: If you’re making both soft and crispy cookies, store them in separate containers to keep each type at its best texture. Soft cookies can make crisp cookies soggy if stored together.
  • Make It a Family Tradition: These cookies are perfect for making memories with loved ones. Involve kids in simple tasks like decorating or mixing ingredients – they’ll love creating their own holiday treats!
A plate filled with soft and chewy molasses cookies, perfectly cracked on the top and dusted lightly with sugar.

Classic Molasses Cookies

These classic molasses cookies are perfectly soft, chewy, and full of warm spice. With deep molasses flavor and a hint of ginger, they’re an old-fashioned treat everyone loves. Simple to make and irresistibly cozy – perfect for holiday baking!

A festive arrangement of snickerdoodle cookies stacked on a white plate, adorned with pieces of dried cranberries and chocolate chips.

Christmas Snickerdoodles

These snickerdoodles are a festive twist on the classic, coated in cinnamon sugar with a hint of holiday spice. Soft, chewy, and delicious buttery, they’re perfect for cookie exchanges or cozy nights. Quick to make and sure to be a holiday favorite!

Old Fashioned Farmhouse Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are soft, buttery, and lightly sweet, with a hint of vanilla in every bite. They’re a nostalgic treat that’s perfect for decorating or enjoying plain. The dough comes together easily, making these a delicious addition to your holiday baking lineup!

A baking sheet with several dark chocolate crinkle cookies, each coated in a generous layer of powdered sugar that has cracked during baking, revealing the rich, fudgy chocolate interior.

Black Forest Crinkle Cookies

These crinkle cookies are rich, fudgy, and packed with chocolate flavor, with a hint of cherry for a delicious twist. They have a beautiful crinkled top dusted with powdered sugar, making them as festive as they are tasty. Perfect for holiday cookie trays and ready in a snap!

finished cookies with crushed peppermint candies

Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are buttery, crisp, and infused with bits of crushed candy cane for a festive peppermint crunch. They’re easy to make and add a charming holiday touch to any cookie platter. Perfect with a warm drink or as a sweet gift!

A white plate with spicy gingersnap cookies, drizzled with a light glaze. The cookies have a cracked appearance and a deep golden-brown color, showcasing their spiced flavor.

Spicy Hot Gingersnaps

These are crisp, bold, and packed with warm spices and a hint of heat. With ginger, cinnamon, and a dash of cayenne, they’re perfect for those who love a little kick in their holiday treats. A unique and flavorful addition to any festive cookie spread!

A bowl filled with sugar-coated rum balls.

Grandma’s Rum Balls

Grandma’s rum balls are rich and chocolatey, with the perfect touch of rum for a warm holiday flavor. They’re easy to make—no baking required—and only get better as they sit. A classic treat that’s perfect for gifting or enjoying with loved ones!

A stack of potato chip cookies on a baking sheet.

Potato Chip Cookies

These are the perfect blend of sweet and salty, with a satisfying crunch from real potato chips. Buttery and tender, they’re an unexpected treat that’s easy to make and always a hit. Perfect for adding a fun twist to your holiday cookie lineup!

An array of colorful spritz cookies shaped like flowers and Christmas trees.

Christmas Spritz Cookies

These spritz cookies are buttery, tender, and beautifully festive. Made with a simple dough and a cookie press, they come in fun holiday shapes and can be decorated with sprinkles or colored sugar. Perfect for adding charm and tradition to your holiday cookie tray!

A plate of traditional Polish Kolaczki cookies, each filled with different fruit preserves such as apricot and raspberry.

Polish Kolaczki Cookies

These cookies are delicate, buttery, and filled with sweet fruit jam—perfect for the holidays. Made with cream cheese dough, they’re tender and flaky with a hint of richness. Even better when dusted with powdered sugar for a festive finish!

A plate of crescent-shaped cookies, generously coated in powdered sugar.

Swedish Crescent Cookies

These crescent cookies are buttery, nutty, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They’re a classic holiday treat made with ground almonds and shaped into delicate crescents. Perfectly finished with a dusting of powdered sugar for a snowy touch!

A cozy holiday scene featuring a plate of classic snickerdoodle cookies beside a bottle of milk with a straw.

Classic Snickerdoodles

These classic snickerdoodles are soft, chewy, and coated in cinnamon sugar for the perfect hint of spice. With a slight tang from the cream of tartar, they have that signature snickerdoodle flavor everyone loves. Perfectly cozy and easy to make for any occasion!

A black plate filled with snowball cookies, generously coated in powdered sugar, showcasing their round shape and macadamia nut pieces.

Snowball Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

These are buttery, tender, and packed with a delicious crunch from rich macadamias. Rolled in powdered sugar, they have a festive, snowy finish that makes them perfect for the holidays. Easy to make and even easier to enjoy!

A white plate with thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry jam and drizzled with a light icing.

Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprints

One of our VERY favorite recipes on this list! These cheesecake thumbprints are buttery, soft, and filled with a creamy cheesecake center topped with sweet raspberry jam. Each bite combines the richness of cheesecake with the fruity brightness of raspberries. Perfect for adding a touch of elegance to your holiday cookie tray!

A close-up of soft, round cookies topped with colorful rainbow sprinkles, highlighting their smooth, light-colored surface and slightly puffy texture.

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies

These sour cream cookies are soft and fluffy and need just a few simple ingredients. They’re easy to make with minimal effort and have a deliciously nostalgic flavor. Perfect for a cozy treat or holiday gatherings!

A plate of fruitcake cookies packed with candied red and green cherries, pecans, and festive spices, each cookie showcasing a crunchy pecan on top.

Fruitcake Cookies

These fruitcake cookies contain festive flavors from candied fruits, nuts, and warm spices. They’re easy to make and bring all the holiday cheer of traditional fruitcake in a bite-sized treat. Perfect for cookie exchanges or adding a classic touch to your holiday spread!

Shortbread cookies dipped in rich chocolate and sprinkled with red, green, and white holiday sprinkles, arranged on a wooden plate.

Chocolate Covered Shortbread

These shortbread cookies are buttery, crisp, and dipped in rich, smooth chocolate for a decadent finish. With just a few simple ingredients, they’re easy to make and add a touch of elegance to any cookie tray. Perfect for gifting or savoring with a warm drink!

A plate of speculaas cookies, each decorated with sliced almonds and displaying a warm, golden-brown color with a slightly crispy texture.

Speculaas

These cookies are warm and spiced, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. They’re crisp and full of cozy holiday flavors that make them extra special. Perfect for pairing with coffee or sharing as a festive treat!

Snowflake-shaped rosette cookies dusted with powdered sugar, artfully arranged on a dark plate, surrounded by pine cones and evergreen branches.

Scandandavian Rosette Cookies

These Scandinavian rosette cookies are light, crispy, and delicately sweet with a hint of vanilla. Made with a special iron, they’re beautifully shaped and perfect for the holiday season. A delicious, airy treat that’s as stunning as it is delicious!

Linzer cookies with a layer of raspberry jam peeking through the center holes, dusted with powdered sugar, showing their delicate, sandwich-like structure.

Austrian Linzer Cookies

These cookies are buttery, tender, and filled with sweet raspberry jam for a fruity flavor. With a dusting of powdered sugar and a delicate, nutty crumb, they’re as beautiful as they are delicious. Perfect for holiday gatherings or gifting!

A plate of pignoli cookies, covered in pine nuts and dusted with powdered sugar, highlighting their round shape and chewy texture.

Pignolis

These pignoli cookies are chewy, almond-flavored, and topped with crunchy pine nuts for a classic Italian treat. Made with almond paste, they’re naturally gluten-free and have a rich, nutty flavor. Perfectly simple yet decadent, they’re perfect for holiday gatherings or enjoying with espresso!

Crescent-shaped cookies coated in smooth chocolate, arranged in a bowl lined with parchment paper, showcasing their glossy chocolate finish and crescent form.

Fudge-Dipped Crescent Cookies

These fudge-dipped crescent cookies are buttery, tender, and dipped in rich chocolate for an extra indulgence. Shaped into delicate crescents, they’re as beautiful as they are delicious. Perfect for adding a little elegance to your holiday cookie spread!

Three Italian butter cookies dipped in chocolate and covered with colorful rainbow sprinkles, arranged on a cooling rack.

Italian Butter Cookies

These Italian butter cookies are tender, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, just like from a classic Italian bakery. Piped into elegant shapes and often dipped in chocolate or topped with sprinkles, they’re perfect for any holiday cookie tray. A classic treat everyone will love!

Shortbread cookies topped with a layer of caramel and a generous dollop of melted chocolate, arranged on a cooling rack.

Turtle Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are rich, buttery, and topped with gooey caramel and a drizzle of chocolate. Finished with a sprinkle of chopped pecans, they combine all the flavors of classic turtle candy in a delicious cookie. Perfect for adding a little indulgence to your holiday baking!

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FAQs

Do I need any special equipment to make these old-fashioned Christmas cookies?

Not really! Most old-fashioned Christmas cookie recipes only require basic kitchen tools: a mixing bowl, measuring cups, a rolling pin, and cookie cutters (if you’re doing cut-outs). You might need a hand or stand mixer for softer, fluffy cookies, but it’s doable without them, too!

How can I get the perfect texture?

Texture often depends on the ingredients and baking time. For a softer, chewier texture, try slightly underbaking the cookies or adding a bit of extra fat, like butter or shortening. For crispier cookies, bake a little longer and use all-purpose flour without substitutions.

Can I freeze the dough or baked cookies?

Yes, both the dough and baked cookies freeze well. For the dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag. When you’re ready to bake, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. For baked cookies, freeze them in single layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container. They’ll last for a few months this way and taste fresh when defrosted.

What’s the secret to making them taste “old-fashioned”?

The secret is in the simple, wholesome ingredients like butter, sugar, and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger). Avoid artificial flavors, and try adding a splash of molasses or a pinch of brown sugar for that rich, nostalgic taste.

How can I make my cookies more festive without much extra work?

There are many simple ways to add a festive touch! Consider sprinkling colored sugar on top before baking or dusting finished cookies with powdered sugar for a snow-dusted look. Adding cinnamon or ginger to the dough can make them feel extra seasonal.

How can I avoid spreading during baking?

If your cookies spread too much in the oven, try chilling the dough before baking, using more flour, or baking on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Also, avoid over-mixing the dough, which can spread cookies more during baking.

I hope you’ve found something you love on this list, whether new to you or a forgotten favorite. Whether baking for loved ones or just treating yourself on a quiet afternoon, these cookies bring a special touch to the season. So, the next time you’re ready to bake, you’ll have plenty of delicious options.

picture of smiling female

By Katie Shaw

Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.

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