35 Easy 4-Ingredient Christmas Cookie Recipes

From the Recipe Creator: With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire

From the Recipe Creator: No one will guess these sweet treats with the candy bar center start with store-bought dough. Roll them in colored sugar or just dip the tops for even faster assembly. Instead of using miniature candy bars for the centers, you can also slice regular-size Snickers candy bars into 1-inch pieces. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: I wanted to impress my husband's family with something you'd expect to find in a European bakery, and these chocolaty treats are what I came up with. The flaky pastry melts in your mouth. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon

From the Recipe Creator: Cornflakes take the place of traditional rice cereal in these sweet, no-bake Christmas wreath cookies. Dressed up with green food coloring and red candies, they’re a pretty addition to cookie platters and dessert buffets. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: Customize this easy recipe by adding vanilla or almond extract. You could even mix in sprinkles or miniature chocolate chips. For a fun look, dip the tops in tononpareils before baking. —Molly Allen, Hood River, Oregon

From the Recipe Creator: These rich buttery cookies have just three ingredients! They're a snap to make for a last-minute gift or when guests will be arriving on short notice. For best results, gradually stir the flour into the dough. -Shirley Gardiner Clearwater, Manitoba

From the Recipe Creator: No time to bake cookies from scratch? Create a tasty treat in little more than half an hour by doctoring butter-flavored crackers with vanilla chips and mint candies.—Kathleen Felton, Fairfax, Iowa

From the Recipe Creator: Cream cheese makes these tender treats melt in your mouth. —Lynne Stewart, Julian, Pennsylvania

From the Recipe Creator: These crisp and buttery cookies are based on a favorite Scottish shortbread recipe. They're just the right amount of sweet—and fun to decorate! —Peggy Goodrich, Enid, Oklahoma

From the Recipe Creator: Canned frosting, peppermint extract and chocolate candy coating quickly turn crackers into these wonderful little no-bake cookies. My children and I like to assemble them for parties and holidays. I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do. —Melissa Thompson, Anderson, Ohio

From the Recipe Creator: I tuck a rich chocolate surprise into each of these cute bites. Candied cherries add a colorful finishing touch. —Gloria McBride, Payson, Utah

From the Recipe Creator: It takes just two ingredients to make these impressive but easy-to-do French pastries, which are often called palm leaves. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: To keep my holiday cooking quick, I’ve come to rely on fast recipes like this one. The crunchy-chewy tidbits are our youngster’s favorite. —Susan Laubach, Vida, Montana

From the Recipe Creator: These sweet little swirls are light as can be. They're all you need after a big, special dinner. —Jenni Sharp, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Bent on using up a stash of leftover candy corn, I decided to experiment. Turns out, if you melt it, mix it with peanut butter and coat the balls with chocolate, you get a softer, denser version of a Butterfinger bite. Who knew? They’re delicious! —Melissa Hansen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Scottish settlers first came to this area over 150 years ago. My mother herself was Scottish, and—as with most of my favorite recipes—she passed this on to me. I make a triple batch of it each year at Christmas to enjoy and to give as gifts. —Rose Mabee, Selkirk, Manitoba

From the Recipe Creator: Looking for a quick and easy cookie recipe? With just four ingredients, chocolaty Cool Whip cookies may just be the easiest recipe of them all! The dough is very sticky—chilling it briefly before scooping makes it easier to work with. —Nancy Mock, Southbridge, Massachusetts

From the Recipe Creator: These chewy cookies are my husband's favorite, so he requests them often. I like to make the macaroons on cold winter days and keep them in an airtight bowl on the kitchen counter. They never last long! —Peggy Key, Grant, Alabama

From the Recipe Creator: Most people don’t realize that these cookies are low in fat. You actually get more than two dozen of the treats from a cake mix and just four other common ingredients. —Melanie Van Den Brink of Rock Rapids, Iowa

From the Recipe Creator: You’ll need just four ingredients to make these delightful lemon snowflake cookies. Confectioners’ sugar highlights the cracked tops to give them their snowflake appearance. —Linda Barry, Dianna, Texas

From the Recipe Creator: It is amazing how much flavor is in these simple 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies without brown sugar. I make them very often because I always have the ingredients on hand. —Maggie Schimmel, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Because so many people seem to love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, I came up with this no-bake cookie recipe.—Geraldine Sliwa, Elgin, Illinois

From the Recipe Creator: These sandwich cookies taste rich and buttery and have a lovely lemon filling. The recipe has been in our family since the 1950s, when my mother got it from a French friend in her club. —Phyllis Dietz, Westland, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: Before Christmas, my grandmother would bake peppernuts and store them until the big day. When we came home from school, the whole house would smell like anise and we knew the holiday season was about to begin. —Marilyn Kutzli, Clinton, Iowa

From the Recipe Creator: Get ready to pour yourself a cup of tea, because you won’t be able to resist sampling one of these cookies. Almonds add taste and texture to the simple strips that are dressed up with raspberry pie filling. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: My friend loved these gluten-free almond cookies so much, she had to ask for the recipe! Quick and easy, they taste as good as the decadent treats I make using puff pastry and almond paste. Everyone loves them! —Sherri Cox, Lucasville, Ohio

From the Recipe Creator: My grandmother used to make this haystacks recipe to give to my cousin Vonnie and me when our parents didn't want us to have any more sweets. —Christine Schwester, Divide, Colorado

From the Recipe Creator: My grandson approves of these lemony sandwich cookies made with crackers and prepared frosting. Decorate them with whatever sprinkles you'd like. —Nancy Foust, Stoneboro, Pennsylvania

From the Recipe Creator: Chewy and sweet, these easy treats mix Rice Krispies, cookie spread and chocolate kisses in an unforgettable spin on an old favorite. —Jessie Sarrazin, Livingston, Montana

From the Recipe Creator: Pretty pastel cookies are a fun way to brighten any special occasion. Replace the vanilla with a different extract for a change of flavor. —Laurie Herr, Westford, Vermont

From the Recipe Creator: My friends often try to guess the ingredients, but I never tell them how simple they are to make. They taste just like the Girl Scout cookie, and they're perfect for Christmas and bake sales. —Jennifer Setser, Morgantown, Indiana

From the Recipe Creator: These four-ingredient almond butter cookies come together very quickly, and are a nice change from the more traditional peanut butter cookies. They could be made with any kind of nut butter you like. —Heather Chambers, Largo, Florida

From the Recipe Creator: Tumbleweeds blow across the roads in some parts of Texas, and I think these cute stacks look like them. I've been making these sweets with my sister for years. —Karen Lemay, Seabrook, Texas

From the Recipe Creator: I sampled these goodies at a Bible study and knew from the first bite that I had to have the recipe. To my surprise, the rich cookies require just four ingredients. —Julie Peterson, Crofton, Maryland