Make 10 kinds of festive Christmas cookies from one dough during this Holiday season and share them with your friends and family! The cookies are buttery, lightly crispy, and actually taste delicious.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Tips For The Ingredients
- VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
- Make The Base Dough.
- Make Piped Cookie Dough.
- Make Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- Make 10 Kinds Of Christmas Cookies
- 3 Baking Tips
- 5 Tips For The Variations
- How To Store The Cookies
- FAQ
- More Christmas Cookies Recipes
- 📌 Printable Recipe
- 10 Christmas Cookies From One Dough (Christmas Cookie Box)
Happy Holidays! I hope you are having good ones so far.
One of the exciting activities during the Christmas season is to bake cookies and share the happiness! And today, I am sharing a perfect cookie recipe for that.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Here are the three reasons why I love them so much:
Easy recipe
You can make the shortbread cookie dough in very easy steps. The dough is not sp sticky, so you can easily roll it out or shape it. I love using it for various kinds of cookies, such as cut-out cookies, icing cookies, etc.
Adorable looks
The 10 adorable Christmas cookie designs would make everyone feel so excited just by looking at them. You can also make each cookie without complex steps.
Actually delicious!
The cookies are so buttery, lightly crispy, and not overly sweet. Give the shortbread cookie recipe a try if you are looking for an easy cookie recipe that actually tastes amazing!
Tips For The Ingredients
The base shortbread dough
- Unsalted butter - It's important to use room-temperature butter for all the ingredients to incorporate well.
- Powdered sugar - Check below to learn what difference it makes when using granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract - Use regular vanilla extract. You can omit it if you like.
- All-purpose flour - Use regular all-purpose flour.
- Cornstarch - The cookie feels lighter and crispier when a little bit of cornstarch is mixed in. Alternate it with all-purpose flour when you don't want to use it. You can also use rice flour or almond flour instead.
- Salt - The little bit of saltiness goes well with the buttery cookies.
- food colorings - I recommend using gel food coloring to get the best results - With gel food coloring, the consistency of the buttercream does not get affected too much when added a lot. You can also expect brighter colors with gel food coloring.
For Piped Dough
- The base dough
- Milk - It's added to loosen the dough. Use not-so-cold milk to prevent the dough from getting firmed up.
For Gingerbread Dough
- The base dough
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Clove
- All-purpose flour
- Molasses - I used Grandma's molasses.
Decorating
* You can omit some or change the ingredients to match your tastes!
- Marshmallows (for Santa bear cookies)
- Sprinkles (for Christmas wreath and tree cookies)
- Toasted nuts (for Stollen cookies)
- Dried cranberries (for Stollen and star cookies)
- Powdered sugar (for snowball and jam cookies)
- Granulated sugar (for Stollen cookies)
- White chocolate (for Christmas tree cookies)
- Dark chocolate (for shortbread bar cookies)
- Raspberry jam (for snowball cookies)
- Mini chocolate chips (for mini chocolate chip cookies and Santa bear’s eyes)
- Regular chocolate chip (for Santa Bear’s nose)
- Wrapping Ribbons (for the wreath and present box cookies)
- Red and black gel paste food coloring (for teddy bear Santa)
- Green and brown colorings (for Christmas tree and wreath cookies)
VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
Watch the video tutorial to learn how to make the 10 Christmas cookies visually and deeply understand each step and technique!
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
Make The Base Dough.
Make one batch of my shortbread cookie dough recipe. Follow the same steps in the tutorial. We're going to use this dough to make 10 different cookies.
TIP💡: The most important thing for the dough is to soften the butter completely at room temperature. The ingredients can not combine well when the butter is firm. It also makes the piped cookie dough much firmer.
Make Piped Cookie Dough.
The piped cookie dough is used to make teddy bear Santa cookies and Christmas wreath cookies.
Add whole milk to the base dough to loosen it. Mix well until well combined.
TIP💡: I used a star tip with a 7 mm (0.3 inches) diameter to pipe the dough. The lines look prettier when using a star tip with a simple zigzag since the dough is not that soft. The cookies did not look as pretty when I used a star tip with a fine zigzag.
Make Gingerbread Cookie Dough
Next, let's make gingerbread cookie dough. It's used to make Stollen cookies, present box cookies, and star cookies this time.
Add spices, all-purpose flour, and molasses to the base dough. Mix them until well combined. That's it!
Make 10 Kinds Of Christmas Cookies
Now, let's make each cookie! Follow each step below:
1. Teddy Bear Santa Cookies
Take ⅔ of the piped cookie dough and pipe on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mesh mat.
I used some base dough for the ear and face parts. Take a little bit of the base dough again and mix in red coloring for the Santa hat.
I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes and regular-size chocolate chips for the nose. As an option, draw his mouth with a toothpick using black coloring.
Bake at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the oven and the thickness and size of the cookies. The rest of the cookies will be baked at the same temperature and time.
While baking the teddy bear Santas, cut the surface of marshmallows to get stripes. Attach them to hot cookies as soon as they are out of the oven so that they can melt.
TIP💡: Apply cornstarch on marshmallows if they stick to the knife too much.
2. Christmas Wreath Cookies
Mix in green coloring to the remaining piped cookie dough. I also added brown coloring to make it a little bit warmer green. Pipe small circles.
Attach any sprinkles you like as an option.
After baking them, tie them with pretty ribbons to make them look very festive!
3. Christmas Stollen Cookies
Toast some nuts in the oven until lightly golden brown. The nuts feel too chewy in the cookies when they are not toasted.
Dice them and dry cranberries together. Add them to ¼ - ⅓ of the gingerbread dough. Mix until combined and shape it to make it look like Stollen. (Stollen is a very traditional Christmas bread.)
Chill it in the freezer completely and attach granulated sugar all over the surface. Then, cover it with powdered sugar.
Slice it while it's frozen.
TIP💡: The powdered sugar gets attached more evenly and beautifully when you coat the dough with granulated sugar first.
4. Present Box Cookies
Roll out the remaining gingerbread dough. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it with a small square cookie cutter. You can also add some patterns on the surface using cookie cutters.
Tie the cookies with ribbons to make them look like present boxes.
5. Star Cookies
Cut the rest of the gingerbread dough with a small star cookie cutter. You can collect the remaining dough and repeat the process. Make some patterns using a knife and attach pieces of dried cranberries on top.
6. Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
The rest of the cookies (6 - 10) are all from the remaining base dough.
To make the chocolate chip cookies, press small dough balls by hand and flatten them. Attach mini chocolate chips on top.
7. Snowball Cookies (Russian Tea Cakes)
I like to form balls in different sizes so that, hopefully, I can use the small ones to fill the blank space in a cookie box. Once the baked cookies cool down, coat them with powdered sugar all over the surface.
8. Jam Cookies (Linzer Cookies)
Roll out some of the base dough. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it with a circle cookie cutter. Cut out half of them with a tiny star cookie cutter.
Squeeze jam on half of the baked cookies. Dust powdered sugar on the other half and place them on the jam to sandwich them.
9. Shortbread Cookies
Roll out some of the base dough into a thicker rectangle. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it into a classic shortbread bar shape. Poke the surface with a fork.
I used dark chocolate to coat the cookies.
10. Christmas Tree Cookies
Color the remaining base dough with green and brown colorings. Roll it out. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it out with a Christmas tree cookie cutter. (If you have gingerbread dough left, you can use it as the trunk!) Attach your favorite sprinkles.
I melted some white chocolate and coated it on the cookies.
3 Baking Tips
1. Rest the shaped dough in the fridge before baking.
If you have time, chill the cookie dough before baking to rest it - Resting the dough helps to create a little bit more beautiful-looking cookies.
2. Group smaller and bigger cookies.
I recommend baking small and bigger cookies separately to avoid overbaking or underbaking some of the cookies.
3. Avoid baking them too long.
You can bake the cookies until the edges are lightly golden brown. Be careful not to bake them too long, especially for the colored cookies.
And that is it!
Now, enjoy the festive and delicious Christmas cookies with your family and friends. I hope you'll make wonderful memories with them.
Merry Christmas,
Aya xx
5 Tips For The Variations
1. How To Share Them
Share the Christmas cookies in many ways, such as:
- In Christmas cookie boxes
- In gift bags
- On a large platter
- On plates
- In Christmas jars
How did you enjoy them? Share it with us in the comment section below! I always love hearing how you enjoyed recipes to create special memories.😌
2. Make different types of cookies.
You can make different types of Christmas cookies using the same base dough! Here are some ideas:
- Icing cookies
- Thumbprint cookies
- Gingerbread men cookies
- Candy canes cookies
- Sprinkle cookies
- Easy Santa cookies
- Slice and bake cookies
3. Make more batches.
One batch of the recipe makes this many cookies, as shown below in the image. I would say it makes roughly about 40 2-inch cookies. You can make a half batch, two batches, or triple batches, as you like!
4. Make fewer types of cookies.
There is no need to make all the 10 different types of cookies! Make fewer kinds if you don't have time - a few kinds, 5 kinds... your choice!
5. Different ways of decorating the cookies.
Here are some other ways to decorate Christmas cookies:
- Royal icing
- Chocolate drizzles
- Candy canes
- M&m's
- Colorful sprinkles
- Pretzels
How To Store The Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container. You can store them for about a week at room temperature or about 10 days in the fridge. Add a silica gel in the airtight container if you have to keep the cookies crispy even in a humid environment.
FAQ
Yes! You can change the size as you like. Adjust the baking time accordingly.
Yes! Use the cookie dough recipe that can hold its shape in the oven. It does not work well with the dough, and it spreads a lot when heated.
Wrap it with plastic wrap, and store the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 4 - 5 days.
More Christmas Cookies Recipes
If you loved this recipe, also try other delicious Christmas cookie recipes!
📌 Printable Recipe
💬 If you loved the Christmas cookie recipe, please share your feedback! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Also, if you have a question about the tutorial, leave it in the comment section below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!
10 Christmas Cookies From One Dough (Christmas Cookie Box)
Equipment
- Spatula
- Parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Baking tray
- Fork
- Piping bag with a star tip
- Knife
Ingredients
The base dough
- 226 g Unsalted butter
- 90 g Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 290 g All-purpose flour
- 25 g Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Some Gel paste food colorings
Piped cookie dough
- 200 g The base dough
- 10 g Milk
Gingerbread cookie dough
- 100 g The base dough
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ginger
- a pinch Clove
- 8 g All-purpose flour
- 15 g Molasses
Decorating
- Some Marshmallows for Santa bear cookies
- Some Sprinkles for Christmas wreath and tree cookies
- Some Toasted nuts for Stollen cookies
- Some Dried cranberries for Stollen and star cookies
- Some Powdered sugar for snowball and jam cookies
- Some Granulated sugar for Stollen cookies
- Some White chocolate for Christmas tree cookies
- Some Dark chocolate for shortbread bar cookies
- Some Raspberry jam for snowball cookies
- Some Mini chocolate chips for mini chocolate chip cookies and Santa bear’s eyes
- Some Regular chocolate chip for Santa bear’s nose
- Some Wrapping Ribbons for wreath and present box cookies
- Some Red gel paste food coloring for Santa bear’s hat
- Some Green and brown colorings for Christmas tree and wreath cookies
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
- Make the base cookie dough - Make one batch of my shortbread cookie dough recipe. Follow the same steps in the tutorial. We're going to use this dough to make 10 cookies.226 g Unsalted butter, 90 g Powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 290 g All-purpose flour, 25 g Cornstarch, ½ teaspoon Salt
- Make piped cookie dough for teddy bear Santa cookies and Christmas wreath cookies - Add whole milk to the base dough to loosen it. Mix well until well combined. I used a star tip with a 7 mm (0.3 inches) diameter to pipe the dough.
- Make gingerbread cookie dough for Stollen cookies, present box cookies, and star cookies - Add spices, all-purpose flour, and molasses to the base dough. Mix them until well combined. That's it!
Make 10 Kinds Of Christmas Cookies.
- Teddy Bear Santa Cookies - Take ⅔ of the piped cookie dough and pipe on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mesh mat. I used some base dough for the ear and face parts. Take a little bit of the base dough again and min in red coloring for the Santa hat. I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes and regular-size chocolate chips for the nose. As an option, draw his mouth with a toothpick using black coloring. Bake at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the oven and the thickness and size of the cookies. (The rest of the cookies will be baked at the same temperature and time.) While baking the teddy bear Santas, cut the surface of marshmallows to get stripes for hat's fluffs. Attach them to hot cookies as soon as they are out of the oven so that they can melt.
- Christmas Wreath Cookies - Mix in green coloring to the remaining piped cookie dough. I also added brown coloring to make it a little bit warmer green. Pipe small circles. Attach any sprinkles you like as an option. After baking them, tie them with ribbons to make them look very festive!
- Christmas Stollen Cookies - Toast some nuts in the oven until lightly golden brown. Dice them and dry cranberries together. Add them to about ⅓ of the gingerbread dough. Mix until combined and shape it to make it look like Stollen. Chill it in the freezer completely and attach granulated sugar all over the surface. Then, cover it with powdered sugar. Slice it while it's frozen.
- Present Box Cookies - Roll out the remaining gingerbread dough. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it with a small square cookie cutter. You can also add some patterns on the surface using cookie cutters. Tie the cookies with ribbons to make them look like present boxes.
- Star Cookies - Cut the rest of the gingerbread dough with a small star cookie cutter. You can collect the remaining dough and repeat the process. Make some patterns using a knife and attach pieces of dried cranberries on top.
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies - The rest of the cookies (6 - 10) are all from the remaining base dough. To make the chocolate chip cookies, press small dough balls by hand and flatten them. Attach mini chocolate chips on top.
- Snowball Cookies (Russian Tea Cakes) - I like to form balls in different sizes so that, hopefully, I can use the small ones to fill the blank space in a cookie box. Once the baked cookies cool down, coat them with powdered sugar all over the surface.
- Jam Cookies (Linzer Cookies) - Roll out some of the base dough. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it with a circle cookie cutter. Cut out half of them with a tiny star cookie cutter. Squeeze jam on half of the baked cookies. Dust powdered sugar on the other half and place them on the jam to sandwich them.
- Shortbread Cookies - Roll out some of the base dough into a thicker rectangle. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it into a classic shortbread bar shape. Poke the surface with a fork. I used dark chocolate to coat the shortbread cookies.
- Christmas Tree Cookies - Color the remaining base dough with green and brown colorings. Roll it out. Chill it in the fridge if needed. Cut it out with a Christmas tree cookie cutter. (If you have gingerbread dough left, you can use it as the trunk!) Attach your favorite sprinkles. I melted some white chocolate and coated it on the Christmas tree cookies.
Video
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