25 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes

Ready for holiday baking? Find our best Christmas cookies below! They include easy recipes for sugar cookies, spice cookies, cut outs, and more.

I’ll be baking Christmas cookies on repeat for the next few weeks! They’re one of my favorite parts of the holiday season—sweet, festive, and perfect for making with family and sharing as a gift. If you ask me, there’s no better way to spread holiday cheer. In case you’re ready for holiday baking too, I’ve rounded up my best easy Christmas cookie recipes below. They include traditional Christmas cookies like gingerbread as well as fun shortbread variations, classic chocolate chip cookies, and more. They’re all great for holiday parties, cookie tins, and baking with loved ones (kids included!). I hope…

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Pignoli Cookies

Learn how to make pignoli cookies! These Italian pine nut cookies are chewy, nutty, and full of rich almond flavor. They're perfect for the holidays!

These pignoli cookies are a new addition to my holiday cookie lineup, and I already can’t get enough of them. A toasty, crunchy pine nut crust surrounds the chewy cookies, which are bursting with almond flavor (my favorite at Christmastime). They’re easy to make with 7 ingredients, but I think they’d be the star of any holiday cookie plate. I first tried pignoli cookies on a trip to Italy years ago, and I re-discovered them more recently at a bakery near our cottage in Michigan. I bought so many over the last few summers that I knew I had to…

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Christmas Sugar Cookies

I make these Christmas sugar cookies for the holidays every year! Cut into festive shapes, they're perfect for decorating with icing and sprinkles.

Let’s make Christmas sugar cookies! My family loves breaking out our cookie cutters to bake these cookies for the holidays every year. They’re classic cut-out sugar cookies, with crisp edges, soft middles, and a warm, buttery flavor from vanilla and almond extract. Made with a simple 8-ingredient dough, they hold their shape in the oven, which means that you can cut them into all kinds of holiday shapes. While you could enjoy these Christmas sugar cookies plain, we think half the fun of making them is decorating them. Top them with icing, plus sprinkles, colored sugar, and/or candies for a festive…

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Spritz Cookies

This spritz cookie recipe has been in my family for years! Buttery, tender, and decorated with sprinkles, they're our favorite Christmas cookies.

This spritz cookie recipe comes straight from my mom’s recipe box! My family has been making it every Christmas for over 40 years—my first kitchen memory is of baking these spritz cookies with my mom and sister for the holidays. Made with a 6-ingredient dough, these spritz cookies are buttery, tender, and scented with almond extract, not unlike sugar cookies or shortbread. What sets them apart from other cookies is how they’re made. Spritz cookies get their festive shapes from a cookie press. Their name comes from the German word spritzen, which means “to squirt,” which describes how the dough…

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Creamy Potato Soup

Warm up on a cold day with this easy potato soup! Thick, creamy, and loaded with toppings like green onions and cheese, it's the ultimate comfort food.

winter / soups

This potato soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food for a cold day! It’s like a loaded baked potato in soup form—the thick, creamy, savory soup is piled high with toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions or chives. Jack loves it so much that he can polish off half the pot in a single night. Luckily, this potato soup comes together in one pot with simple ingredients, so it’ll be easy to keep in our rotation this winter. It’s one of those recipes that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. You start with humble…

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Stuffed Mushrooms

This stuffed mushrooms recipe is a delicious, easy party appetizer that you can make ahead! The filling is a crispy, savory mixture of breadcrumbs, garlic, herbs, and Parmesan cheese.

stuffed mushrooms
appetizers / holiday:

This stuffed mushrooms recipe is one of my favorite party appetizers, especially for the holidays. I stuff tender mushroom caps with a crispy, garlicky mixture of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sun-dried tomatoes add savory flavor, pine nuts add crunch, and parsley freshens everything up. Grab two while you’re at the snack table—these bite-sized apps disappear fast. Another reason to love these stuffed mushrooms: they’re easy to make! They come together with 10 simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of hands-on prep. Better yet, you can make them ahead. I love assembling them the day before and popping them in the oven just…

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51 Thanksgiving Side Dishes

These Thanksgiving sides include classics like stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, plus seasonal veggies and salad recipes. They'll be the highlight of your holiday menu!

side dishes / thanksgiving

These Thanksgiving side dishes feature everything you need to plan a crowd-pleasing holiday dinner! Of course, you’ll find traditional Thanksgiving recipes like sweet potato casserole, dinner rolls, and cranberry sauce, but I’ve got plenty of fresh, seasonal menu inspiration in here too. Wow your guests with roasted root vegetables with crispy sage or a lemony shaved Brussels sprout salad. At the end of the meal, everyone will still be talking about the sides—not the pumpkin pie or roast turkey. I hope this collection of side dishes helps you create a Thanksgiving menu you love! Our Best Classic Thanksgiving Sides Easy…

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15 Best Thanksgiving Cocktails

Our best Thanksgiving cocktails! Find simple classics like an Old Fashioned as well as fun, festive fall drinks. You and your guests will love them!

I love adding a few Thanksgiving cocktails to my holiday menu each year. Sometimes, I stick with the classics, serving up warming mulled wine or dry martinis. Other years, I lean into the season, making signature Thanksgiving drinks that are packed with fall flavors—think cranberry margaritas or apple cider sangria. Either way, they put the perfect festive finishing touch on the meal. I’ve rounded up my best Thanksgiving cocktail recipes below. Check them out if you’re looking for drink ideas for your celebration. I hope you find some you (and your guests) love! Our Best Thanksgiving Cocktails

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Green Bean Casserole

This green bean casserole is a from-scratch take on the classic Campbell's recipe. It features fresh green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce with crispy french-fried onions on top.

thanksgiving / side dishes

In this green bean casserole recipe, tender green beans are tossed in a creamy homemade mushroom sauce, then baked with french-fried onions on top. It has the same basic components as the Campbell’s casserole I ate at Thanksgiving growing up—green beans, creamy sauce, crispy onions—but it’s fresher and more flavorful by far. My whole family went back for seconds the first time I served it to them. I hope yours does too! Green Bean Casserole Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe: Green beans, of course! I like this recipe best with fresh green beans, especially haricots verts,…

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20 Best Thanksgiving Desserts

Our best Thanksgiving desserts! Ranging from classic pies to non-pie ideas like cakes and bars, these delicious recipes will wow your holiday guests.

Have you chosen your Thanksgiving desserts yet? I’m still deciding. I might go the classic pie route, or I might go pie-free, creating a Thanksgiving dessert table with fall crisps, festive cakes, or even a show-stopping pumpkin tiramisu. In case you’re on the fence too, I’ve rounded up our best Thanksgiving dessert ideas below. You’ll find recipes for traditional holiday pies like pumpkin and apple, plus plenty of non-pie Thanksgiving desserts. Pick one direction, or make a mix of both. No matter which you choose, these Thanksgiving desserts will be a hit! Classic Thanksgiving Desserts Thanksgiving Desserts That Aren’t Pie

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Cranberry Orange Bread

This cranberry bread recipe is packed with fresh cranberries and topped with a zesty orange glaze. It's a perfect easy treat for the holiday season!

I love keeping this cranberry orange bread around the house during the holidays. Packed with tart, juicy cranberries, this loaf is perfectly moist and tender. Orange juice and zest give it a lovely bright flavor, and a simple orange glaze takes it over the top. This cranberry orange bread is sweet enough to pass as dessert, but it’s not so sweet that you can’t enjoy it with an afternoon coffee or for breakfast with holiday guests. Easy to make with 10 basic ingredients, this recipe will be on repeat in my kitchen this season. I hope it will be in yours…

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Fresh, easy
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Jeanine Donofrio in her kitchen

I'm Jeanine, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and founder of Love & Lemons, a trusted recipe resource for millions of home cooks. I create fresh, easy, and delicious vegetarian recipes that celebrate seasonal ingredients and flavors.

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