Decorated Christmas cookies are the heart of holiday baking—colorful, fun, and perfect for gifting or sharing at festive gatherings.

These 15 Christmas cookies recipes are designed especially for decorating with royal icing, sprinkles, edible glitter, chocolate drizzles, and candy toppings.

Whether you’re hosting a cookie-decorating party or creating beautiful treats for your family, these recipes offer the perfect canvas.

✅ 1. Royal Icing Sugar Cookies

Soft, buttery cut-out sugar cookies that hold their shape—ideal for intricate royal icing designs.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp almond extract

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

2. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract.

3. Mix dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.

4. Roll to ¼-inch thickness, cut shapes.

5. Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes.

6. Cool completely before decorating with royal icing.

✅ 2. Frosted Soft Vanilla Cookies

Thick, soft cookies topped with creamy frosting and festive sprinkles.

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups flour

• ½ cup butter

• ½ cup shortening

• 1 ½ cups sugar

• 3 eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Pinch of salt

• Frosting + sprinkles

Instructions

1. Beat butter, shortening, and sugar.

2. Add eggs and vanilla.

3. Mix in dry ingredients.

4. Drop spoonfuls on tray and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.

5. Frost and add sprinkles once cooled.

✅ 3. Gingerbread Cookies

Classic spiced gingerbread cookies perfect for decorating with white icing and candies.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour

• ¾ cup butter

• ¾ cup brown sugar

• ½ cup molasses

• 2 eggs

• Ginger, cinnamon, cloves

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar; add molasses and eggs.

2. Add dry ingredients.

3. Chill dough 1 hour.

4. Roll, cut shapes, bake at 350°F for 9–11 minutes.

5. Decorate when cooled.

✅ 4. Red Velvet Cut-Out Cookies

Vibrant red cookies that look stunning with white or green icing designs.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups flour

• ⅓ cup cocoa

• ¾ cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• Red food coloring

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar.

2. Add egg and food coloring.

3. Mix dry ingredients; combine.

4. Roll and cut shapes.

5. Bake 8–10 minutes.

✅ 5. Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Deep chocolate cookies with a smooth surface ideal for white, gold, or colorful icing.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• 1 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Prepare dough and chill.

2. Roll, cut shapes.

3. Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes.

4. Decorate with contrasting icing.

✅ 6. Snowflake Royal Icing Cookies

Delicate snowflake-shaped cookies decorated with precise piping and edible glitter.

Ingredients

• Sugar cookie dough

• Royal icing

Instructions

1. Cut snowflake shapes.

2. Bake and cool.

3. Flood with icing and pipe fine details.

✅ 7. Stained Glass Ornament Cookies

Sugar cookies filled with melted candy to mimic colorful stained glass windows.

Ingredients

• Sugar cookie dough

• Crushed hard candies

Instructions

1. Cut cookies with smaller cutouts inside.

2. Fill centers with crushed candy.

3. Bake until candy melts.

4. Cool completely to harden.

✅ 8. Melted Snowman Cookies

Fun cookies with melting marshmallow snowmen, perfect for kids to decorate.

Ingredients

• Sugar cookies

• Marshmallows

• White icing

• Icing pens

Instructions

1. Bake round cookies.

2. Place slightly melted marshmallow on top.

3. Pipe icing puddle and snowman details.

✅ 9. Christmas Tree Sprinkle Cookies

Green Christmas tree cookies decorated with sprinkles, stars, and edible pearls.

Ingredients

• Sugar cookie dough

• Green icing

• Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Cut tree shapes and bake.

2. Pipe green icing.

3. Decorate with candy ornaments.

✅ 10. Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread

Buttery shortbread dipped in chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes or gold sprinkles.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour

• 1 cup butter

• ½ cup sugar

• Melted chocolate

Instructions

1. Shape dough and bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.

2. Dip cooled cookies in chocolate.

3. Add festive toppings.

✅ 11. Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate crinkle cookies infused with peppermint and coated in powdered sugar—beautiful cracked snow effect.

Ingredients

• Cocoa powder

• Sugar

• Eggs

• Peppermint extract

• Flour

• Powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Prepare chocolate dough; chill.

2. Roll in powdered sugar.

3. Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.

✅ 12. Christmas Thumbprint Cookies

Classic thumbprints filled with festive red and green jam, decorated with icing drizzle.

Ingredients

• Flour

• Butter

• Sugar

• Egg yolk

• Jam

Instructions

1. Form dough balls and press thumbprint.

2. Fill with jam.

3. Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.

4. Add icing drizzle.

✅ 13. Linzer Christmas Cookies

Beautiful sandwich cookies with cutout tops revealing raspberry jam filling.

Ingredients

• Flour

• Butter

• Sugar

• Egg

• Jam

Instructions

1. Bake top and bottom layers separately.

2. Fill with jam.

3. Dust with powdered sugar.

✅ 14. Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Soft cookies topped with striped peppermint kisses—festive and colorful.

Ingredients

• Flour

• Sugar

• Butter

• Egg

• Candy cane kisses

Instructions

1. Bake small round cookies.

2. Press kiss candy on top while warm.

✅ 15. Holiday M&M Cookies

Chewy cookies packed with red and green M&Ms, perfect for decorating with icing borders.

Ingredients

• Flour

• Butter

• Sugar

• Brown sugar

• Eggs

• M&Ms

• Optional icing

Instructions

1. Mix dough and fold in M&Ms.

2. Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.

3. Add decorative icing after cooling.