You’re sure to find a favorite in this collection of 15 delicious Christmas sugar cookie recipes—perfect for a holiday cookie exchange. I gathered some of the most creative, softest, easiest, and best-decorated sugar cookies from across the web to help you bake festive treats this season. Merry Christmas!
1. Never Fail Sugar Cookies from Salt & Baker
These are what I picture when I think of the perfect Christmas sugar cookie: soft, reliably shaped, and generously dusted with festive sprinkles. This recipe skips the dough-chilling step, which saves time during a busy holiday rush.
2. Sugar Cookies with Crushed Peppermint from Beyond the Chicken Coop
These star-shaped cookies topped with crushed candy cane are not only pretty but delightfully seasonal. The peppermint adds a bright, refreshing flavor that pairs well with classic sugar cookie sweetness.
3. Easy Cutout Sugar Cookies from Amy in the Kitchen
This recipe yields dough that’s easy to roll and cut, with helpful tips to ensure your shapes stay crisp and pretty. It’s a great choice for making festive cutouts with clear edges.
4. Holiday Sugar Cookies with DIY Colored Sugar by The View from Great Island
Quick and forgiving, this recipe also shows how to make your own colored sugar so you can add a playful, polished look to cookies—ideal for decorating with kids or for a themed cookie platter.
5. Sugar Cookies with Easy Icing from Nicky’s Kitchen Sanctuary
If you aren’t a seasoned decorator, an easy icing recipe makes decorating approachable. These star and tree cookies look charming without requiring advanced piping skills.
6. Vegan Sugar Cookies from Salt & Lavender
These dairy-free cookies are soft, flavorful, and praised by many who’ve tried them. They’re also convenient: no chilling required, so you can bake and decorate sooner.
7. Window Pane Sugar Cookies from Preppy Kitchen
Stained-glass cookies look impressive but are surprisingly simple to make. They add a whimsical, colorful touch to a holiday cookie tray.
8. Christmas Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Icing from The Anthony Kitchen
This recipe features buttercream icing that’s smooth and flavorful. The tutorial includes steps for making the buttercream from scratch, plus ideas for creating charming wreath and tree designs.
9. Decorated Christmas Tree Cookies from Bakers Royale
These beautifully decorated trees are made from boxed sugar cookie mix, so you can simplify the baking and spend more time perfecting the decoration for an elegant result.
10. No Roll Sugar Cookies from Spend with Pennies
No rolling, no chilling—these cookies save time and effort, making them ideal when you’re juggling holiday tasks but still want a homemade treat to share.
11. Edible Sugar Cookie Dough from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen
For those who prefer to skip baking, this edible cookie dough is formulated to be safe to eat and delivers all the indulgence of raw cookie batter without the risk of raw eggs.
12. Candy Cane Kiss Cookies from Crayons and Cravings
Adding Hershey’s Kisses to sugar cookies creates a delightful center and makes each cookie feel extra festive and indulgent.
13. The Softest Sugar Cookies (That Hold Their Shape) from The Food Charlatan
This recipe teaches how to achieve cookies that are tender and soft while still holding crisp shapes—perfect for decorated cutouts that won’t spread into indistinct blobs.
14. Christmas Chalkboard Sugar Cookies from A Turtle’s Life for Me
These creative cookies use fondant and edible paint to achieve a chalkboard look with messages like “Let it snow” and “Joy to the world.” They’re a stylish, unexpected addition to a cookie platter.
15. Matcha Green Tea Sugar Cookies from Sweet and Savoury Pursuits
For a more complex flavor profile, matcha adds earthy, slightly bitter notes that balance the sweetness and create a distinctive holiday cookie worth sharing.
Which of these Christmas sugar cookie recipes will you try this year? Share your pick in the comments!