You’ll love this curated list of 26 best Christmas cookies and bars for a sweet and spiced holiday! From traditional Christmas cookies to holiday favorites with a twist, these are perfect for gift-giving too.
Is it even the holidays if you’re not baking at least one (or a dozen!) batch(es) of cookies? And in my case, elbow deep in cookie batter and powdered sugar and icing as the holiday draws near?
One of my favorite things to do every Christmas is to bake cookie boxes for friends and neighbors! They usually feature anywhere from 6-10 different types of cookies. It’s my chosen method of payment in advance for all the favors I can ask them in the following year!😄
Forget all the sugar, just the fun of baking cookies as edible gifts gives me enough of a high to take me all the way through the dreary winter months!
So, I put together this curated list of 26 festive Christmas cookies from my website to give you lots of inspiration for the holiday season. I also share lots of tips for cookie success, how best to store them, and even ideas for transporting and gift-giving .
- My best tips for cookie success
- Classic Christmas cookies
- Savory and spiced holiday cookies
- Chocolate lovers’ Christmas cookies
- Christmas cookie bars
- How to store cookies (and make-ahead tips)
- Tips for transporting and gift-giving
My best tips for cookie success
- Read the recipe fully before you start! A well written recipe should not be vague, with clearly explained steps that are easy to follow.
- Please use metric measurements , if available. As explained in my measurements conversion page, weight measurements will guarantee consistently good results (over volume measurements).
- Do not substitute recipe ingredients without making sure they’ll work. Instead, look for a different recipe that’s tested with those substitutions or alternative ingredients.
- Alternatively, you can test any recipe modifications or variations ahead of time , before you’re ready to bake the final batch.
- With cookies, the choice of fat is crucial . Use the right type of butter – melted butter vs room temperature butter vs chilled butter, as noted in the recipe.
- If the recipe calls for brown butter , trust the process and make the brown butter! It really elevates the flavor of the cookies.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter when baking cookies, so that I have full control over how much salt I add to the dough.
- Do not bake cookies in a glass tray! Only use metal baking trays / sheet pans for baking cookies. Glass conducts heat differently and will change how the cookies bake.
- Ideally, use a flat tray / sheet pan – not a pan with high sides. The higher sides can also radiate heat and impact how the cookies bake.
- If the cookie recipe calls to be chilled – DO NOT skip this step! You might be tempted to cut down on time. But there’s a reason for the chilling step. Sometimes, it’s to prevent the cookies spreading as they bake, or to allow the dough to rest and evenly hydrate.
- Space the cookies appropriately on the baking sheet. Some cookies will spread quite a bit, like these lace cookies or even the chocolate chip cookies . If the dough portions are kept too close, they will melt into one big blob.
- Know your oven . This is a big one. Most ovens are not able to bake multiple racks at the same time because the oven cannot evenly and efficiently bake cookies on two racks. So, bake one tray at a time for best results, if that’s the case.
- If you still choose to bake two trays at once, you’ll have to rotate and swap the trays half way through to make sure they bake as evenly as possible. But this also risks losing air and steam from inside, which can affect the cookies.
- Bake in the middle rack of the oven . Most ovens should have even heat from the bottom and top elements. So the middle rack provides even heat from both sides. If you bake too close to the top element or bottom element, the cookies may overbake or burn.
- Remember when I told you to closely follow the recipe? Well, ONE exception to that rule would be if your oven runs hot or cold . In which case, the bake times may vary! So, check the consistency of the cookies that are baked first. Then adjust the bake time to get the consistency you like.
- Cookies are usually very soft while still warm, so let them cool a little before using a wide spatula to lift them off the tray and transfer to a wire rack. Then let them cool completely on a wire rack . Otherwise, water condensation on the tray will make the cookies soggy.
Classic Christmas cookies
1. Thumbprint cookies
2. Linzer cookies
3. Soft ginger cookies
4. Shortbread cookies
5. Snowball cookies
6. Funfetti sugar cookies
7. Oatmeal lace cookies
8. Italian pistachio cookies
9. Meringue cookies (meringue kisses)
10. Chocolate chip and cranberry shortbread cookies
11. Gingerbread house
Savory and spiced holiday cookies
12. Savory thumbprint cookies
13. Thyme and cheddar savory cookies
14. Juniper berry spiced chocolate hazelnut cookies
15. Cardamom and orange melting moments cookies
Chocolate lovers’ Christmas cookies
16. Chocolate shortbread cookies
17. Chocolate chip cookies
18. Fudgy chocolate brownies
19. Double chocolate chip cookies
20. S’mores cookies
Christmas cookie bars
21. Brookie bars
22. Pecan pie bars
23. Apple pie bars
24. Millionaire’s shortbread bars
25. Snickerdoodle blondies
26. Brown butter blondies
How to store cookies (and make-ahead tips)
- Cookies should ALWAYS be stored in an airtight container if you want to keep them fresh for longer.
- Let them cool to room temperature before storing them . Warm cookies will get soggy in an airtight container.
- Some cookies have a shorter lifespan than others . For example, lace cookies should be eaten within 24 hours, compared to most other cookies that will taste great for at least a few days! So, plan your bake accordingly.
- Cookies such as chocolate chip cookies, ginger cookies, shortbread cookies can be portioned or cut ahead of time and frozen for later .
- Cookies like shortbread, linzer, melting moments can also be baked and then frozen for later. Make sure to minimize air contact by wrapping them well . To refresh the cookies, reheat them gently in a low heat oven while loosely covered.
- The cookies for any filled cookies can be made ahead, and then filled about 1 day before eating, serving, or gifting to retain freshness.
Tips for transporting and gift-giving
- Separate the savory cookies from sweet cookies . Ideally, place the savory cookies in a sealable cellophane bag or similar. This is because the savory cookies may contain very savory ingredients such as garlic, cheese, or onions. The sweet cookies can absorb these smells, which won’t be desirable.
- Unfortunately, it’s not really feasible or affordable to use airtight gift boxes. So, most cookie boxes will be regular paper boxes. But, each type of cookie can be packed in cellophane bags (in addition to the savory ones) to keep them fresher for longer.
- Use large muffin liners to separate the cookies in the box. This is a cost effective way to separate the cookies, while making it look very neat.
- Include a little note on how to store the cookies and for how long (e.g. in an airtight container, how many days at room temperature / fridge etc.), so that the recipient can make sure the cookies stay fresh for longer.
- If packing large batches of different types of cookies (for a cookie swap etc.), make sure you have airtight containers. Any cookies that have sticky fillings can be separated by parchment paper between layers – for example like the thumbprint cookies .
There’s a reason why Classic Thumbprint Cookies are so popular. They are a holiday favorite, easy to make, and even easier to customize with different filling and flavor variations!
I’ve shared all my tips and tricks to help you PERFECT easy thumbprint cookies!
Oh baby, it’s cookie season! It’s one of the main reasons why I love Christmas! 🙂
And with alllll the Christmas cookies out there, it’s hard – nigh impossible, for me to pick a favorite. But Classic Thumbprint Cookies …. oh yeah, they come this close to being my favorite.
Thumbprint cookies are a holiday favorite, a party favorite, and a snack favorite for me. These are one of half a dozen or so that feature in my holiday cookie boxes every year. Shortbread cookies , linzer cookies , meringue cookies , soft ginger cookies etc. are all classics for a reason.
Plus, these cookies are really easy to make and to customize too.
I’ve shared a uniquely delicious savory thumbprint cookie on the blog before, which is really popular on the blog. But I realized I’ve never shared a classic thumbprint cookie recipe with you guys before. So today, I’m going to fix that.
This is the recipe for delightfully buttery and delicious classic thumbprint cookies with a sweet jam filling . I’m sharing all my tips to help you make PERFECT thumbprint cookies and avoid cracks and spreading.
Just follow this easy guide to find out how you can nail those classic thumbprint cookies and entertain your friends and family this holiday season!
What are thumbprint cookies?
A buttery cookie with a shallow well in the middle that’s filled with a sweet filling like jam. You use your thumb to push down on the cookie dough, creating that shallow well in the middle – hence “thumbprint” cookies.
But did you know that thumbprint cookies originated in Sweden? These cookies are called Hallongrotta/hallongrottor in Swedish, meaning “raspberry cave”!
While you can fill the thumbprint in the middle with any type of jam you like, I’ll be using raspberry jam here, because that’s the flavor of classic thumbprint cookies! But I have filled these before with strawberry jam , plum jam , fig jam , and grape jelly too.
Are thumbprint cookies the same as shortbread cookies?
They are not the same, but they do come VERY close. Shortbread cookies use a 1:2:3 ratio of sugar, butter and flour. They are buttery, but crumblier, because they don’t have a binding agent. They rely on butter to hold the dough together.
Thumbprint cookies are made with a dough that’s identical to shortbread cookies, BUT the dough has eggs in addition. Some recipes call for whole eggs, but my recipe uses egg yolks only.
The egg yolk enriches the dough giving you a richer taste than shortbread, but more importantly, binds the dough together for a smoother and more pliable result.
That being said, you still CAN make thumbprint cookies with shortbread cookie dough as well.
How can I prevent my thumbprint cookies from cracking?
To be honest, there’s nothing wrong with thumbprint cookies with a few cracks along the edges. That’s part of the charm!
However, there are ways to minimize cracking. It’s got all to do with HOW you shape the cookies .
How to minimize thumbprint cookie cracking
- Keep the dough soft – once the cookie dough is made, cover and let it rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, so that the dough will be easier to handle, and be less sticky. It’s important to keep the dough at room temp. when you roll it into balls, because then it’s easier to shape the soft dough, with minimal cracking.
- Make the indentation as soon as the cookies are formed – rather than rolling ALL of the cookie dough into balls first and THEN making wells, you should roll each cookie dough ball, place it on the cookie tray and immediately make the indentation BEFORE preparing the next one.
- Roll the cookie dough balls until the surface is smooth – since the dough is soft, it’s easy to get a nice, smooth surface. Make sure there are no cracks to begin with, so that they don’t widen and show up when you press down on the cookie balls to create the wells.
To elaborate on the second point above, the reason why I like to prepare each thumbprint cookie as I go is that once you have rolled the cookie into a smooth ball, the cookie will form a “crust” – much like any dough will do, if it’s left exposed to air for any amount of time. So if you wait until the end to create the wells in the middle, the crust will most definitely cause the cookies to crack. To avoid that, I do the following.
How to make thumbprint cookies
- First, portion the cookie dough with a cookie scoop.
- Roll the cookie dough into a smooth ball.
- Roll the smooth ball in sugar (optional).
- Place the cookie ball on the parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Use my thumb or another kitchen utensil to form an indentation in the middle of the cookie.
- Repeat steps 1-5 with the rest of the cookie dough.
- Once the baking tray is filled with cookies, fill the wells with jam.
- You can either fill a second tray with more cookies and keep those in the fridge or freezer, OR wrap any remaining dough tightly with plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature until you’re ready to use.
I also like to coat these easy thumbprint cookies in sugar before placing them on the baking tray. You can use regular granulated sugar or raw sugar for this. I prefer d emerara sugar because that gives these thumbprint cookies a nice sweet crunchy texture as well.
And rather than rolling the cookie balls in sugar, I put the sugar in a small ziploc bag and then place a cookie inside the bag, and then shake it a little bit to evenly coat the cookie with sugar. Works like a charm.
How to minimize thumbprint cookie spreading
It’s pretty much impossible to make a good cookie with NO spreading at all. I mean, in theory you can add more flour to the dough until it’s pretty stiff and won’t spread at all, but then you end up with very dry, crumbly cookies.
Not good.
The simple reason why a cookie spreads as it bakes is that the butter and sugar melt inside the cookie, causing it to spread. If you bake at too low a temperature, the cookie will spread too much before it bakes and sets properly, and if you bake at too high a temp., then the cookie bakes and sets outside quickly, but the middle will still be raw.
Tips to minimize cookie spreading
- Chill the cookies in the fridge BEFORE baking – cooling the butter in the cookies before baking means that it won’t melt as readily, making it spread too fast.
- Use a chilled or room temperature baking sheet – NEVER use a hot or warm baking sheet to place your UNBAKED cookies on. I like to chill the cookies AND the baking tray together in the fridge, but at least make sure the baking tray is at room temp. before you place the unbaked cookies on it.
- Make the indentation in the middle narrow rather than wide – use just the tip of your finger and go straight down, to create a narrow indentation in the middle of the cookie, rather than a wide indentation that would make the thumbprint cookie spread.
So there you go! That’s how you can make PERFECT and EASY thumbprint cookies that are sure to impress your friends and family! 🙂
Then you can fill these classic thumbprint cookies with any type of jam you like. Personally, I love raspberry, or apricot jam.
These easy thumbprint cookies are so so good! The cookies are buttery, with a hint of vanilla, and a deliciously fruity jam filling.
And since these classic thumbprint cookies are so easy to make, you can make multiple batches and gift them to your friends and family this holiday season too. You can fill them with different jam fillings, and even flavor the thumbprint cookies with different extracts for some creative variations.
Flavor variations
- Add some orange zest to the cookie dough, and fill the middle with cranberry sauce.
- Add some lemon zest to the cookie dough, and fill the cookies with blueberry jam.
- Or instead of jam, place a reese’s peanut butter cup or a hershey’s kiss candy in the middle.
- Add some almond extract to the cookie dough, and fill the middle with salted caramel sauce .
There are so many ways you can dress up these easy thumbprint cookies! Once you realize how easy it is to make classic thumbprint cookies, you can make them your own.
Recipe
A savory twist on your classic jam-filled sweet thumbprint cookie. These Savory Thumbprint Cookies with an incredible Bourbon Tomato Jam are the PERFECT party appetizer.
These savory cookies are insanely flavorful, easy to make and vegetarian!
If you thought we spent all of December eating homemade Twix candy bars , or buttery melting moments cookies , or chocolate beer truffles , ginger cookies , or drinking white hot chocolate , that would only be partially true. 🙂
After all we made thumbprint cookies too! Except, these aren’t the kind you’d expect. These babies are savory cookies (just like my thyme and cheddar cheese savory cookies !). Savory Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam to be precise. I’m going to be quite frank, there’s no way I can do these cookies any justice with words here.
These are some of the best cookies (savory or otherwise) that I’ve had, and I don’t say that lightly. And that bourbon tomato jam is a guaranteed crowd favorite!
Mr. K is very easy to please when it comes to the food I make. He’s one of the least picky eaters out there and he will literally eat anything I put in front of him (bless him) with gusto.
If he’s fairly quiet, then I can expect a standard “good food, thank you” response. But the more vocal he gets, the more he enjoyed it, I can tell. And these savory cookies, he couldn’t stop talking about!
Why we love these savory thumbprint cookies
- Crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, with a kicked up sweet and spicy tomato jam in the center, these cheesy savory cookies are just so flavorful and unique!
- And these make the best starter recipes for your Christmas party or New Year’s Eve party. Or any other occasion for that matter.
- And these are vegetarian cookies to boot.
Imagine how your guests would be bowled over when they realize that these aren’t actually sweet cookies. Plus, this might be your only chance to get the better of your friend’s annoying kid, when he/she bites into one of these thinking they are regular sweet thumbprint cookies.
That expression alone would be worth the effort, would it not? Not that I would know. I mean, I’d never do such a thing. Noooo, never.
before baking
Aaaand they are so easy to make, even my hubs could make them. Seriously. The dough comes together quickly and you just make an imprint with your thumb to fill up with some delicious jam/jelly. So really, you got no excuse not to make them.
They’d do really well as a party appetizer or even as tea time snacks . I made these because I needed a break from sweet cookies and bar recipes .
As a huge fan of classic thumbprint cookies , I decided to give them a spicy, savory, flavorful twist. The result is truly glorious.
after baking
About the cookies
These cookies are crazy delicious with a fantastic jelly center. Here I made a cheese and rosemary cookie dough base and gave it a little bit of a spicy kick, using deseeded jalapeno. So the cookie on its own tastes insanely good, if you choose not to have a jelly/jam center.
Bourbon tomato jam
This just might be my favorite part about these cheesy thumbprint appetizers.
I filled these up with an amazingly flavorful tomato jam that incorporates garlic and a few spices and then kicked it up with bourbon! Bourbon folks. Does it not scream PARTY APPETIZER??
Besides, slow roasted tomatoes , this tomato jam is my favorite way to preserve juicy tomatoes all summer long.
bourbon tomato jam
Honestly, these came out even better than I expected, and we have now frozen the remaining cookies for later.
Storage instructions
You can easily refrigerate or freeze the formed cookies (before baking) without filling the center with jam, no issues there.
Or even freeze the baked cookies in a single layer (if you stack them, the jam can stick to the bottom of the cookies).
These cheesy savory thumbprint cookies will go really well with all kinds of fun cocktails , so all in all, these were meant to take center-stage at a party.
Oh, and I made an even more amazing, flavorful dip for these cookies, and you can find the recipe for that super easy, sweet and spicy dip in my spicy mango relish post.
Recipe
