Decorating cookies is one of the most joyful parts of the holiday season.
Whether you’re baking with kids, hosting a cookie-decorating night, or preparing treats for Christmas parties, these 17 Christmas cookies recipes to decorate will make your celebration brighter and sweeter.
From classic sugar cookies to creative modern designs, each recipe gives you room to add your own artistic touch.
1. Sugar Cookies With Royal Icing
No Christmas cookie list is complete without these. Start with a cut-out sugar cookie dough that holds its shape.
Mix your royal icing in three consistencies: outline, flood, and detail.
Decorate with snowflakes, candy canes, ornaments, or stockings.
Add luster dust or edible glitter for a sparkling finish.
2. Gingerbread Men With Icing Outfits
Soft or crispy gingerbread dough works for decorating.
Give each gingerbread man a unique personality—tiny scarves, sweaters, buttons, and smiling faces.
Use white icing for clean classic details, or add food coloring to create colorful clothing designs.
3. Snowflake Almond Cookies
These delicate cookies are perfect for intricate piping work.
Use almond-flavored dough and cut into snowflake shapes.
Outline with white icing, then add tiny dots, lines, and lace-style details.
Adding sanding sugar while the icing is wet gives a frosted look.
4. Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies
Cut tree shapes from green-tinted cookie dough or decorate plain dough with green royal icing.
Add garlands, ornaments, and stars using sprinkles or mini candies.
Piping zigzag patterns or layered textures makes trees look fuller and more realistic.
5. Ornament Ball Cookies
Use round cutters and decorate with bold patterns: stripes, dots, chevrons, glitter bands, or metallic accents.
A small icing hook at the top helps them resemble real ornaments.
These cookies look beautiful packaged in clear gift bags.
6. Santa Hat Cookies
Make triangle or round cookies topped with red icing.
Add a fluffy trim and pom-pom using piped white icing or mini marshmallows.
These are simple enough for beginners yet fun and festive.
7. Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies
Use sweater-shaped cookie cutters and let your creativity shine.
Decorate with playful patterns: snowflakes, reindeer, zigzags, polka dots, or classic Christmas colors.
Thick icing piping helps create the “knitted” effect.
8. Peppermint Candy Swirl Cookies
These cookies are formed by twisting red and white dough together.
Once baked, decorate with clear glaze and crushed peppermint dust on top for sparkle.
They don’t need much decoration, but a thin drizzle of white icing adds polish.
9. Reindeer Face Cookies
Start with round cookies and add brown icing for the face.
Use pretzels for antlers, chocolate chips for eyes, and a red candy or icing for Rudolph’s nose.
Kids especially love decorating these!
10. Christmas Light Bulb Cookies
Use icing to create colorful bulbs in red, blue, green, yellow, and pink.
Outline each shape, flood with color, then add a shiny highlight using white icing.
You can even decorate long rectangular cookies as the “light cord” and attach bulb cookies.
11. Stained Glass Cookies
Use cut-out sugar cookie dough and add crushed hard candies in the center.
Decorate the outer cookie with detailed edging or brush on a light sugar glaze.
These cookies look stunning hung in windows or on the tree.
12. Snowman Face Cookies
Round cookies become adorable snowmen with black icing “coal” eyes, an orange icing carrot nose, and a smile.
Add a scarf detail at the bottom or use sanding sugar to give them a frosty look.
13. Elf Hat Cookies
Shape the dough into curved triangles.
Decorate with green icing and red accents. Add a small golden candy for the bell tip.
These pair beautifully with Santa hat cookies in holiday platters.
14. Hot Cocoa Mug Cookies
Cut cookies into mug shapes, flood with colored icing, and add whipped “cream” using thick white icing.
Top with mini marshmallows or chocolate drizzle.
A dusting of cocoa powder gives them a realistic touch.
15. Holly Berry Cookies
Use leaf-shaped cutters and decorate with deep green icing.
Add three small red icing berries or red candies at the base.
These cookies work beautifully as accents in mixed cookie boxes.
16. Penguin Cookies
Use oval or round cookies and add black, white, and orange icing details to form an adorable penguin.
Add earmuffs or scarves for extra cuteness.
Perfect for winter-themed or children’s cookie platters.
17. Christmas Present Box Cookies
Make square cookies and decorate them like wrapped gifts.
Add ribbon stripes, bows, polka dots, or plaid patterns.
Using metallic gold or silver icing gives them a luxury touch that stands out on cookie trays.
