20+ Easy Christmas Cookies for Holiday Trays and Sharing
Your Christmas cookie tray can be pretty and full of variety without requiring hours of intricate decorating. This collection of easy Christmas cookies includes cake mix favorites, buttery shortbread, decorated sugar cookies, and cookie bars, plus a few treats for something different. Whether you’re looking for Christmas cookie exchange recipes or choosing a couple of things to bake with your family, you’ll find plenty of inspiration here.
Christmas M&M Cake Mix Cookies
Chocolate cake mix, chocolate chips, and red and green M&Ms make these cookies an especially festive choice for chocolate lovers. With a one-bowl dough and no required chilling, they’re a handy option when you want easy Christmas cookies without a separate decorating project.
Mitten Cutout Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
These mitten-shaped sugar cookies bring a cozy winter touch to your holiday baking. Red and green royal icing with white details makes them a pretty addition to a Christmas cookie tray, and you can keep the designs simple or spend a little extra time decorating.
Christmas Oreo Cookies
Chopped Oreos and red and green M&Ms give these soft cookies plenty of crunch, chocolate, and Christmas color. They’re fun Christmas cookies to add to your list when you want something festive without piping icing or rolling out dough.
Christmas M&M Shortbread Bites
These buttery shortbread bites add a smaller treat to an assortment of larger cookies. The dough is pressed into a pan, chilled, and baked, giving you colorful little squares with red and green M&Ms tucked throughout.
Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Green royal icing, white accents, and sprinkles turn these tree-shaped cookies into little edible Christmas decorations. They’re a lovely choice when you want to include a classic cutout cookie, with plenty of room to make each tree your own.
Chocolate Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies
Chocolate and peppermint bring a familiar holiday flavor combination to these cake mix Christmas cookies. Add them to your baking plans when you want a minty option alongside vanilla sugar cookies and candy-filled favorites.
Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
If scooping individual cookies feels like one task too many, these Christmas M&M cookie bars are a welcome alternative. Chocolate chips, red and green candies, and sprinkles fill a single pan of cookie dough that you can slice into shareable squares after cooling.
Snowflake Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Snowflake cookies bring a wintry change of pace to a tray full of red and green treats. Royal icing and sanding sugar give you a pretty finish, whether you choose simple decorations or add a few more details to each snowflake.
Frosted Chocolate Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
Chocolate cake mix cookies get dressed up with vanilla buttercream and Christmas sprinkles in this recipe. They’re a good middle ground when you want simple Christmas cookies with a decorated finish, since a swirl or spread of frosting does most of the work.
Christmas Brookies
Can’t decide between brownies and cookies? These Christmas brookies combine a boxed brownie base with a cookie layer filled with festive M&Ms and sprinkles. Let the pan cool completely before slicing it into squares for your holiday dessert platter.
Grinch Frosted Sugar Cookies
Give your Christmas cookie collection a playful twist with Grinch-inspired frosted sugar cookies. They’re a fun pick for a Christmas movie night or a holiday platter that could use a little extra personality.
Christmas Cake Mix Whoopie Pies
These red and green whoopie pies tuck creamy vanilla filling between soft, cake-like rounds. A white cake mix gives you a shortcut for the batter, while the sandwich-style presentation adds something different to your Christmas cookie assortment.
Green Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookies
Green-tinted sugar cookie dough makes these cookies festive before you even add the frosting. Finish them with vanilla buttercream and Christmas sprinkles for a colorful treat that doesn’t depend on detailed royal icing designs.
Frosted Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Red velvet cookies topped with cream cheese frosting bring a rich red color to your holiday baking. Starting with cake mix keeps the cookie dough straightforward, leaving you to finish each cooled cookie with a layer of frosting.
Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookies
Sometimes the best Christmas cookies for your plans are the ones you can decorate with a simple spread of frosting and a handful of sprinkles. These soft sugar cookies use vanilla buttercream for a festive finish that’s easy to personalize with your favorite holiday colors.
Caramel-Stuffed Snickerdoodles
A soft caramel candy tucked inside each cookie gives these cinnamon-sugar favorites a sweet surprise. They take an extra stuffing step, but they’re a delicious option when you want your holiday cookie selection to include something beyond the usual flavors.
Homemade Pistachio Biscotti
Pistachio biscotti add a crisp option alongside softer frosted and cake mix cookies. Serve them with coffee or tea for a cozy holiday afternoon, or include them in a varied assortment for a biscotti-loving friend.
White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
White chocolate and cranberry make a lovely holiday pairing, especially when you want a break from peppermint and candy toppings. These oatmeal cookies add another flavor and texture to your collection of Christmas cookie exchange recipes.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Brown butter, chocolate chips, and pecans give these cookies a place on your Christmas tray without needing seasonal decorations. They’re a good choice when you want a familiar chocolate chip cookie with a little extra flavor.
Mini M&M Cookie Cups
These little cookie cups bake in a mini muffin pan and combine chocolate chips with mini M&Ms. Their small size makes them easy to arrange alongside other Christmas cookies, and you can choose red and green candies for a more seasonal variation.
Churro Cookie Cups
Cinnamon-sugar cookie cups with a creamy cream cheese filling offer something a little different to finish your collection. They’re a lovely option for a holiday dessert platter when you want a small filled treat alongside the more traditional cookies.
Choose a couple of easy Christmas cookies with different flavors, then add a decorated favorite if you have time. Whether you go with cake mix cookies, buttery shortbread, or cinnamon-sugar treats, a small homemade assortment can make the season feel extra sweet.
