16 Popular Christmas Cookies for the Holidays

Sneak Preview: Sixteen popular Christmas cookies for the holidays are collected here for your consideration. Don’t miss the gingerbread church house at the end.

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What makes a cookie the most popular cookie at your house around the holidays? Is it because…

  • They remind you of somebody who always made them. (What cookie will you be remembered for?)
  • Maybe they are part of a tradition you followed as a child. (Is it a tradition worth passing on?)
  • Perhaps they are too much trouble to make more than once a year. (Cut-out cookies come to mind.)

Whatever it is, there’s always room for another cookie on the tray. Right? Take a look and see what you might like to add to your holiday cookie tradition.


What makes a cookie a popular “Christmas Cookie?”

Do you know what the most popular Christmas cookie is in the United States? According to General Mills, it’s the peanut butter blossom. At least that recipe is visited more than any other, according to them. Interesting. Will you make them this year?

This is my criteria, but each cookie only has to meet one of them:

  • Look interesting or beautiful on a Christmas cookie tray.
  • The cookie is decorated with red and/or green colors.
  • It can be easy, like the Coconut Icebox Cookies, while others are quite a project, like the Gingerbread church house.
  • Cookies are nice to give, like the Powdered Sugar Lemon Cookies or Pfeffernusse.
  • Don’t forget about Santa. Do you leave the same cookies every year, or does Santa get the leftovers?

Whether you’re looking for something new or a better version of a familiar cookie, look below.

Need help troubleshooting? Please email me: Paula at saladinajar.com–photos welcome!

Peppernuts (Pfeffernusse) Recipe
These crispy bite-size Peppernut cookies are reminiscent of gingerbread. Also known as Pfeffernusse.
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Thumbprint Cookies with Icing and Nuts
These shortbread-like cookies are covered with chopped pecans and filled with marbleized icing for a festive look that never gets old.
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Raisin Bran Crunch Cookies
Slightly crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, these cookies are filled with Raisin Bran Crunch cereal (or your choice of a flaky cereal), coconut, and pecans.
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Meyer Lemon Greek Yogurt Bars (No Grating or Squeezing!)
These Meyer Lemon Bars with Greek yogurt start with a coconut shortbread base underneath a Meyer lemon layer. Greek yogurt makes it creamy. The recipe calls for using the entire lemon (minus seeds)–no grating or squeezing required.
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Microwave Brownie Recipe
You no longer need to keep tempting cookies in the pantry for unexpected company. These Microwave Brownies are easy enough for kids to mix up and bake.
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Fluffy Lemon Cookies with Greek Yogurt & Sweet Lemon Glaze
These cake-like cookies combine the tanginess of Greek yogurt with the tartness of lemon, finished with a sweet lemon glaze.
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Lemon Shortbread Cookie Recipe
These melt-in-your-mouth lemon shortbread cookies are studded with pecans and coated in powdered sugar for a delicate, festive finish. Perfect for gifting or adding to a holiday cookie tray.
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Peanut Butter Pinwheel Cookies
This Peanut Butter Pinwheel Cookie recipe combines peanut butter dough with a layer of melted chocolate. Roll the dough into a jellyroll shape before slicing.
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Chinese Chews with Coconut: A Nostalgic Pecan-Packed Treat
Chinese Chews with Coconut combine a crisp, buttery shortbread crust with a chewy coconut-pecan filling. This easy-to-make bar cookie is perfect for holiday trays, potlucks, or anytime you crave a nostalgic, homemade treat.
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Cinnamon Jumbles with Brown Butter Icing
Kid-favorites!! These cake-like, cinnamon-spiced cookies are frosted with a browned butter icing.
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Easy Lemon Pecan Cookies: Fancy Enough for a Cookie Tray
The traditional jelly thumbprint cookie gets a makeover with a lemon curd filling in a pecan-studded cookie.
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Slice-and-Bake Coconut Shortbread Cookies (No Eggs!)
These buttery coconut shortbread cookies are a freezer-friendly treat you can slice and bake on demand. No eggs needed!
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Iced Shortbread Cookie Recipe
A simple but delicious shortbread cookie with smooth butter icing. Kids and adults alike love these.
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Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars: Buttery, Crunchy & Irresistible!
Buttery shortbread, melted chocolate, and crunchy pecans—these Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars are the perfect no-fuss dessert. Quick to make and impossible to resist!
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How to Make a Gingerbread Church House
Directions for making and decorating gingerbread church house
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Parting thoughts: Our favorite Christmas cookies are the Christmas Thumbprints. Santa would be disappointed if he didn’t find them on the plate next to the fireplace on Christmas eve.

Need help troubleshooting? Please email me: Paula at saladinajar.com–photos welcome!

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