Christmas baking is half the fun of the season: cutout sugar cookies to decorate, spiced gingerbread, chocolate crinkles rolled in powdered sugar, and Aunt Sandy's rugelach-style Twisters. Here are our favorite Christmas cookies and candies, with a plan for baking ahead, tips for a cookie swap and how to pack a gift tin so everything arrives the way it left your kitchen.
A bake-ahead plan
Three to four weeks ahead: make the doughs. Most cookie doughs, including sugar cookie, gingerbread and snickerdoodle, freeze well for up to three months. Wrap them tightly, label them, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling or scooping.
Two weeks ahead: bake the sturdy cookies and bars and freeze them, unfrosted, in airtight containers.
One week ahead: make the fudge and peppermint bark; keep them airtight in a cool place.
Two or three days ahead: bake and decorate the cutouts; icing needs a night to dry hard before stacking. Pack the tins.
The day of: thaw anything frozen in its container, so condensation forms on the outside rather than on the cookies, then build your trays.
Hosting a cookie swap
Ask each guest to bring a dozen cookies for every other guest, plus a dozen to sample, and something to carry their share home in.
Sturdy cookies travel and trade best: crinkles, snickerdoodles, bars and gingerbread. Save delicate frosted cookies for home.
Label every batch with its name and the common allergens in it, nuts and peanuts especially; peanut butter blossoms are a favorite, and a peanut allergy is a serious one.
Share the recipes: every recipe on this site has a Recipe card button that prints it on a 4 by 6 inch index card.
Packing gift tins
Let everything cool completely first; warm cookies steam in a closed tin and turn soft.
Pack crisp and soft cookies in separate tins; soft cookies make crisp ones go soft. Keep strong flavors like peppermint and gingerbread apart from mild ones.
Layer with waxed or parchment paper, heaviest cookies on the bottom, and fill gaps with crumpled parchment so nothing slides.
For mailing, choose bars, crinkles and other sturdy cookies, wrap them in pairs back to back, and ship early in the week so they do not sit in a warehouse over a weekend.
Spiced molasses cut-out cookies with ginger, cinnamon and cloves, soft in the center and crisp at the edges. Perfect for gingerbread people; makes about 30.
Soft, fudgy chocolate cookies rolled in powdered sugar that crack into a snowy crinkle pattern as they bake. A Christmas cookie-tray favorite; makes about 36.
Soft peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar and topped with a chocolate kiss pressed in while warm. The classic Christmas cookie exchange cookie; makes about 36.
Sandra's wonderful Jewish cookies: a rich yeast dough chilled overnight, rolled in cinnamon sugar and nuts, cut into wedges and rolled into crescents. Always makes 64.
Crunchy oatmeal chocolate chip cowboy cookies made with rolled oats, brown and white sugar, shortening and Nestle morsels, baked at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Turtle bars: a brown sugar shortbread crust topped with pecan halves and a quick butter caramel, baked, then swirled with melted chocolate chips.
Seven Layer Bars45 min total | 1 (9 x 9-inch) pan of 1-inch squares
Classic seven layer bars: graham crumbs, coconut, chocolate and butterscotch chips and walnuts layered over melted butter and baked under sweetened condensed milk.
Greek Christmas cookies made with olive oil, orange juice, cinnamon, cloves and a splash of whiskey, dipped hot in honey syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon pecans.
No-bake Swedish chokladbollar of butter, sugar, cocoa and rolled oats with an extra splash of strong coffee for a mocha flavor, rolled in pearl sugar or coconut. Makes about 20.
Brazil's favorite party sweet: sweetened condensed milk, butter and cocoa stirred on the stove until thick, rolled into fudgy balls and coated in chocolate sprinkles. Makes about 25.
Smooth, rich, nut-free chocolate fudge made with chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla. No candy thermometer needed; a treat any time of year. Makes 36 pieces.
A layer of dark chocolate topped with white chocolate and crushed candy canes, chilled and broken into shards. An easy Christmas gift; makes about 1 1/2 pounds.
A small gingerbread house built from homemade gingerbread, held together with royal icing glue and decorated with frosting, cereal, pretzels and candies. Makes 1 house, about 5 inches wide.
Common questions
How far ahead can I bake Christmas cookies?
Most cookie doughs freeze well for up to three months, and most baked cookies and bars freeze well, unfrosted, for a couple of months in airtight containers. Bake the sturdy ones two weeks ahead and decorate cutouts in the last few days.
Can I freeze decorated sugar cookies?
Yes, once the icing has dried completely. Freeze them in a single layer, then stack them between sheets of parchment in an airtight container, and thaw them in the closed container so the icing does not get damp.
Which Christmas cookies ship best?
Sturdy, not-too-delicate cookies: bars, chocolate crinkles, snickerdoodles and gingerbread. Avoid anything with soft frosting or a filling that needs the refrigerator.
How many cookies should each person bring to a cookie swap?
A dozen for every other guest plus a dozen to sample. With eight guests, that is about eight dozen per person, so a recipe that makes three or four dozen needs to be doubled.
