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cookie decorating

9 Christmas Cookies Perfect for a Holiday Cookie Swap

What’s not to love about Christmas time – the stocking hung on the chimney, the carols playing on Pandora, and most of all – The Christmas Cookies!

Whether you are hosting a holiday cookie swap or just baking with the family, we have nine holiday cookie recipes for you to try. They are family favorites in our houses and I’m sure they will be in yours as well!

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lemon cookies on plate in front of nutcracker

Holiday Baking Time

It’s that time again to get in the kitchen and start baking Christmas cookies. Whether it’s for a Christmas party, a homemade gift, or a sweet something for Santa’s cookie plate, cookies are the perfect bite-sized treat.

Every year, we serve up a variety of delicious cookies; from spiced German Lebkuchen to sugary Lemon Snowballs. Every now and then, we also take part on holiday cookie exchanges.

Today, I’m sharing some of our family’s favorite cookie recipes. The first few were my grandmother’s and then I have others we’ve really liked and go back to year after year.

Christmas Cookies

My father’s mother made these same three Christmas cookies every year and the entire family LOVED them. She had a tin full of each type in the freezer ready for us, grandkids, whenever we came to visit. Making these cookies today, brings back memories from my childhood. Good food should always have good memories tied to them.

twisted sugar cookies on a plate

German Sour Cream Twists

These are shaped yeast dough cookies with sour cream and coating in sugar. They take more time than the others, but they are flaky and delicious.

German lebkucken cookies on plate and wooden board

German Lebkuchen (spice cookies)

This spiced cookies are a holiday staple for many families of German or Dutch descent. Typically they are cut into circles or squares and topped with sliced almonds and a sugar glaze. The cookie itself is like a soft, thin ner version of a gingerbread.

Kringla shaped cookies in a tin
Kringla Cookies

Norwegian Kringla Cookies

These soft shaped cookies are my personal favorite. You bake them until they just start to turn golden along the edges. They practically melt in your mouth. I’m told this cookie is very popular in the Midwest especially around Illinois and Minnesota.

Spicy Double Dark Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies #NewTraditions #ad

Spicy Double Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Most people love a snickerdoodle. Yet this recipe adds a double dose of chocolate and a bit of spice for something even better. This cookie is a dark chocolate dream that if perfect for holiday gifts for teachers, neighborhoods, or friends.

Chocolate Covered Cookie Butter Sandwiches- Christmas cookies

Chocolate Covered Cookie Butter Sandwiches

These take Trader Joe’s cookie butter sandwiches between salty butter crackers, and dipped in creamy milk chocolate. They are so simple. That’s good because they disappear quickly. Make a few extra batches of these for any cookie swap.

Lemon Snow Drop cookies

Lemon Snowballs

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Raisin Cookies

Mandel Braite Biscotti

Mandel Braite Biscotti

For the holidays, give homemade cookies and breads to friends and neighbors. It’s a special way to share the holiday spirit.

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Written by:
Nicky Omohundro
Published on:
December 12, 2015
Thoughts:
1 Comment

Categories: RecipesTags: baking, desserts

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About Nicky Omohundro

Nicky Omohundro is a full time travel writer, licensed travel advisor, content creator, and podcaster based in Oklahoma City. She founded LittleFamilyAdventure.com in 2013 with a “no child left inside” philosophy. The site now has about 1,000 articles on family travel with teens, outdoor adventure, and globally inspired recipes, and its content is syndicated to MSN. Her newer site, ExploreMoreGetaways.com, serves solo women travelers 45 and up.

Nicky is a USA Today 10Best Family Travel Expert and serves on the 10Best Readers’ Choice Award committee. She is a member of SATW, NATJA, OWAA, and ATTA, and she plans trips for clients as a licensed advisor with Fora Travel. With Heide Brandes, she cohosts Untethered & Wanderwise, a podcast for women 45 and up who are using travel to navigate new chapters of life.

She brings more than 15 years of content creation experience across culinary, outdoor recreation, and travel. Raised by a Dutch mother and an outdoorsy American father, she writes with a cross cultural lens. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas A&M University and is now an empty nester and mom of three young adults.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. blankWordle Archive

    April 22, 2025 at 5:20 am

    These cookie recipes sound amazing! I love how the article ties in family memories, like the author’s grandmother’s cookies. German Sour Cream Twists sound intricate, and I’m curious if they’re as tricky to make as they sound. Have any of you tried making Lebkuchen? Do you have a family-favorite cookie recipe to share?

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Hello, my name is Nicky, founder of Little Family Adventure. I'm a vivacious mother of three young adults who wants to assist you in having "No Child Left Inside." I'm out exploring the world with them (and sometimes going without) to provide you with fresh food ideas, travel destinations, and family-friendly activities.

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