Christmas Cookie Recipes

Looking for Christmas cookie recipes using ingredients usually only found or used during the holidays? Here is a selection of Christmas cookie recipes that can be easily created at home.

Christmas Mincemeat Drop Cookies

Use your favorite brand of old-fashioned or vegetarian mincemeat or use your own homemade recipe.

3/4 cup butter flavor shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp warm water
1 cup minemeat
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs a little at a time, scraping with each addition. Mix the flour, salt and baking soda together. Add in about half of the dry ingredients to the egg and shortening mixture. Mix the mincemeat with the warm water. Add the mincemeat mixture to the batter. Stir the bottom well. Add in the rest of the flour, and stir the bottom and scrape the sides well. Add in the nuts last and again scrape the sides and bottom. Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet, or use a silicone sheet. Bake until lightly browned, and transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Christmas Chocolate Frosted Cookies

These drop cookies are frosted with a chocolate frosting.

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
2 squares chocolate, melted
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup currants
3/4 cup buttermilk (no substitutions)
1 square chocolate, melted
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp heavy cream, warmed until hot, plus additional if needed
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, and scrape the bottom and sides. Add in the vanilla extract. Stir in the melted chocolate and mix until no streaks are left and the mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Mix the flour, salt and soda together, and add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Scrape the sides and bottom well, and add in the nuts and currants. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned. Cool cookies. For frosting, mix the 1 square of chocolate, powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth, adding in additional cream if necessary.

Christmas Figgy Chocolate Balls

These are no bake Christmas cookies using dried fruits, nuts and flavored with molasses. Dip in chocolate and serve with other Christmas cookies.

Melted chocolate, as needed for dipping
3/4 cup chopped dried figs
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped dried prunes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown raisins, chopped
3 tsp molasses
1/8 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients together until incorporated. Form the mixture into balls and place them all on a sheet pan. When all the balls have been formed, dip the figgy balls into the melted chocolate, or roll them. Let harden and serve. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.