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Top 10 Christmas Cookies

Treat your family and friends to something sweet. Find the best Christmas cookie recipes for cutouts, gingerbread cookies and more holiday favorites.

Find the Taste of Home team’s essential tools for holiday baking and more.

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Gingerbread Men Cookies

No holiday treat platter would be complete without gingerbread man cookies! This is a tried-and-true recipe I’m happy to share with you. —Mitzi Sentiff, Annapolis, Maryland

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You have to see all of our new Christmas cookies!

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Jeweled Coconut Drops

Red raspberry preserves add a festive flair to these tender coconut cookies. Perfect for potlucks and cookie exchanges, these shaped cookies never last long when I make them for my husband and two sons. —Ellen Marie Byler, Munfordville, Kentucky

Check out our Christmas Cookies Baking Guide!

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Peppermint Meltaways

This recipe for peppermint meltaways is very pretty and festive-looking on a cookie platter. I often cover a plate of these peppermint cookies with red or green plastic wrap and a bright holiday bow in one corner. And yes, they really do melt in your mouth! —Denise Wheeler, Newaygo, Michigan

Swapping treats with friends? Learn how to plan a stress-free Christmas cookie exchange.

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Buttery Spritz Cookies

This tender spritz cookie recipe is very eye-catching on my Christmas cookie tray. The dough is easy to work with, so it's fun to make these spritz cookies into a variety of festive shapes. This is hands down the best spritz cookie recipe ever. —Beverly Launius, Sandwich, Illinois
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Whipped Shortbread

These whipped shortbread Christmas cookies melt in your mouth. Mostly I make them for the holidays, but I’ll also prepare them year-round for wedding showers and ladies’ teas. —Jane Ficiur, Bow Island, Alberta

Fill your kitchen with holiday cheer with this Christmas songs playlist.

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Rum Balls

Rum flavor comes through nicely in these traditional, no-bake rum balls. I like to make a few dozen at a time and give them to my neighbors for Christmas—Audrey Larson, Bloomington, Minnesota

Learn how to buy the perfect baking sheet.

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Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookies

These butter sugar cookies are one of my favorite cookies to bake for Christmas. The dough recipe is versatile, so you can use it for other holidays, too. Children like to help with the cookie decorating. —Cynthia Ettel, Glencoe, Minnesota

Don’t miss our best tips for baking sugar cookies!

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Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies

These are one of my favorite cookies to make for the holidays. I prepare a batch early in the holiday season and freeze them. —Sherry Conley, Noel, Hants County, Nova Scotia
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Scottish Shortbread

My mother, who is of Scottish heritage, passed this shortbread recipe, along with other favorite recipes, on to me. When I entered this treat at our local fair, it won a red ribbon. —Rose Mabee, Selkirk, Manitoba
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Dipped Gingersnaps

I get tremendous satisfaction making and giving time-tested yuletide treats like these dipped gingersnaps. Dipping them in white chocolate makes much-loved gingersnaps even more special. —Laura Kimball, West Jordan, Utah