The 16 Best Easy Christmas Cookies You Can Make in Under an Hour

The most delicious, festive cookies to make last minute.

By
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud

Devan Grimsrud is a Berlin-based writer, editor, and recipe developer originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After working in television production with James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern, she relocated to Berlin and became the managing editor at Kitchen Stories, an international digital cooking platform with millions of active users. 

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Published December 20, 2025
Devan Grimsrud

In my family, Christmas cookie making and baking is a whole day affair. We start early, with pounds of butter and sugar at the ready, take a lunch break midday, and end when the light has already gone, packing up our cookie boxes and heading home to rest. But that's not how it has to be! Whether you have an event to go to and want to bring along something small, sweet, and festive, or you're away from home this year and need to bake up some nostalgia, these cookies will be ready to eat in an hour or less. From classic Thumbprint Cookies to Giant Ginger Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms to Pecan Tassies, you'll be surprised by the variety of 16 recipes below!

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  • Thumbprint Cookies

    Pile of classic thumbprint cookies on a platter.
    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

    "Don't like jam? You can also fill them with lemon curd, marmalade, melted chocolate, or even some dulce de leche or other caramel filling." —Garrett McCord, Recipe Developer

  • Walnut Snowball Cookies

    Overhead view of walnut snowball cookies piled on a parchment lined decorative baking pan with the top one cut in half to show the interior.

    Simply Recipes / Cambrea Bakes

    "If you want the cookies to be meltingly tender, use cake flour. All-purpose flour has been the standard in these cookies for years and works just fine, though." —Hank Shaw, Recipe Developer

  • Giant Ginger Cookies

    A plate of ginger cookies arranged neatly
    Elise Bauer

    "For ease, you can substitute the ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves for an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice." —Elise Bauer, Founder

  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

    Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms in a Plate and in the Background, More ona Cooling Rack

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

    "When it comes to the peanut butter, feel free to use your favorite. I'm a smooth and creamy guy, but chunky peanut butter is fine, too. I even tested this recipe with an all-natural spread and the cookies turned out great—just be sure to mix the peanut butter thoroughly before adding it to the batter to get rid of any separation." —Aaron Hutcherson, Recipe Developer

    Continue to 5 of 16 below

  • 3-Ingredient Macaroons

    Overhead view of a blue plate of eight macaroon cookies on a wooden table background

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    "For this recipe, flaked or shredded coconut both work just fine. Just make sure it’s sweetened—the soft, pliable shreds make for a much nicer texture than the drier, unsweetened kind." —Coco Morante, Recipe Developer

  • Almond Crescent Cookies

    Overhead view of almond crescent cookies on a parchment lined decorative baking pan.

    Simply Recipes / Cambrea Bakes

    "Make these cookies vegan by using vegan butter." —Garrett McCord, Recipe Developer

  • Red Velvet Cookies

    Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
    Irvin Lin

    "I highly recommend using full fat cream cheese and not reduced fat cream cheese for this recipe. Don’t use whipped cream cheese, as the air that’s incorporated into it will throw off the measurements." —Irvin Lin, Recipe Developer

  • Date Skillet Cookie

    Date skillet cookies on a baking pan

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

    "These are quite sweet, but don’t be tempted to reduce the sugar. I tried using only 1/2 cup of sugar and found that the cookies didn’t hold together as well and weren’t as crispy. If you’d like less sweet cookies, use unsweetened coconut flakes." —Sara Bir, Former Senior Editor

    Continue to 9 of 16 below

  • Pecan Tassies (Pecan Pie Cookies)

    Two pecan pie cookies or tassies stacked up with a bite taken out of the top one

    Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

    "The real magic here is in the crust. Whereas most tassie recipes have you beat softened butter and cream cheese with flour, I take a pie crust approach, pulsing cold, cubed butter and cream cheese with a blend of flour, sugar, and salt to form the dough. This means the crust is light and flaky." —Kayla Hoang, Recipe Developer

  • Potato Chip Cookies

    Overhead view of potato chip cookies on a cooling rack over parchment paper next to a owl of powdered sugar

    Simply Recipes / Molly Allen

    "Crushed chips are important to achieve the proper texture, but don’t crush them up too finely. Break up the potato chips into about 1-inch pieces before mixing them into the cookie dough." —Molly Allen, Recipe Developer

  • Oatmeal Lace Cookies

    Stack and individual oatmeal lace cookies
    Irvin Lin

    "I like thick-cut oats in this recipe since they make a more substantial cookie, but it's fine to substitute regular rolled oats if you have trouble finding thick-cut." —Irvin Lin, Recipe Developer

  • Turtle Cookie Cups

    Plate with Turtle Cookie Cups with the Top Cookie Cup Cut in Half

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    "Any brand of chocolate covered caramel will work as long as it’s similar in size to a Rolo." —Kayla Hoang, Recipe Developer

    Continue to 13 of 16 below

  • Marzipan Shortbread Cookies

    Overhead view of a plate with marzipan stamped cookies.

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    "You can stamp your cookies on an ungreased baking sheet or on a silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Cookies on an ungreased baking sheet will spread a little bit more, while those cooked on a silicone mat will have more height." —Coco Morante, Recipe Developer

  • White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

    White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
    Elise Bauer

    "While any instant coffee granule will do, I use and recommend the VIA packets sold at Starbucks. The granules are finely ground, and dissolve easily in the mixture. If you use decaf granules, you won't have to worry about getting a coffee buzz from a cookie." —Elise

  • Brown Sugar Snickerdoodle Cookies

    brown sugar snickerdoodles next to a glass of milk

    "If you love crispy, chewy snickerdoodles, press your snickerdoodles to about 1/8 inch thick before baking." —Shuna Lydon, Recipe Developer

  • Butter Pecan Cookies

    Plate of butter pecan cookies
    Elise Bauer

    "To make the cookies more even in shape, you can bake them in a muffin pan. But you'll still want to flatten the cookies before baking." —Elise

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