One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking batch after batch of Christmas cookies. Over the years, our family has perfected a collection of staples that we make every season. Always at the top of our list are our beloved Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies — a long-time favorite — and the soft and buttery Ricotta Cheese Cookies that melt in your mouth.
My go-to lineup also includes the showstopping Crème Brûlée Cookies — complete with a fun, kitchen-torch twist — as well as nostalgic spins on classics like Eggnog Snickerdoodles and Chocolate Chip Cookies with bits of holiday mint. Each recipe brings that special magic to the kitchen, filling our home with warmth, joy, and the irresistible aroma of holiday baking.
Don’t miss my recommendations at the end of this story for the best baking tools to make your holiday cookie-making feel effortless and enjoyable.
Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies
If there’s one smell or taste that immediately transports me to Christmastime, it’s these Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies. Soft brownie-like cookies topped with a swirl of melted Andes mint chocolate — they’re pure holiday magic. Growing up, my mom baked batch after batch every year during the holidays — so irresistible that they never lasted long! She stored overflow batches in boxes on our garage shelves, where they stayed perfectly chilled thanks to those icy Nebraska winters.
Whenever I bring these to a holiday party or event, they’re always a hit, and someone asks for the recipe. People just love them. I hope these cookies bring as much magic to your holidays as they always do to mine!
Recipe: Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies
I can’t get enough of these incredible Eggnog Snickerdoodles. They have all the cozy characteristics of traditional snickerdoodles but are amped up by the taste of eggnog — achieved through the use of a nutmeg (instead of cinnamon) sugar coating, and rum extract in the dough. I’m one who tends to prefer my traditional eggnog booze-free, but the rum extract in this cookie really brings that full eggnog flavor to the fore without overpowering. Rum extract can sometimes be a difficult to find, but many stores carry it, especially during the holidays, and it can be ordered online, too. These cookies have all the festive cheer you could hope for!
Recipe: Eggnog Snickerdoodles
Ricotta Cheese Cookies
Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my mom has baked up a wide assortment of holiday cookies. These Ricotta Cheese Cookies were a must-have every year. They’re one of my dad’s favorites — we got the recipe from his aunt in Ohio — and now it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without them. Ricotta cheese might not be the first ingredient that jumps to mind when baking, but it’s amazing what it can do for cookies. These are incredibly soft, light and buttery, with just the right amount of rich sweetness enhanced by swirls of homemade buttercream frosting.
These cookies are perfect for sharing at parties, gifting to friends, or simply enjoying at home with loved ones. They might just become a favorite in your holiday baking!
Recipe: Ricotta Cheese Cookies
Peanut Butter Temptations
My favorite candy by a long shot is Reese’s peanut butter cups — specifically the miniatures. So it’s no surprise that this recipe for Peanut Butter Temptations is one of my all-time favorites around the holidays. My mom got this recipe from a coworker when I was a kid and has included them in her holiday baking ever since. A mini Reese’s cup is nestled in a cocoon of peanut butter cookie, with a drizzle of semi-sweet chocolate to top things off. It’s a perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter, with a soft cookie texture to round it out.
These come together easily using mini-muffin pans, though you might have to make more than one batch given how quickly everyone will be snatching these up. They’re called “temptations” for a reason!
Recipe: Peanut Butter Temptations
I made these Crème Brûlée Sugar Cookies a few years ago for a Christmas cookie competition and wow did they impress. Imagine a soft and delicious sugar cookie topped not just with frosting, but with crème brûlée instead! These have all the flavor you could dream of and a fun, impressive twist with the burnt sugar topping. If you have a kitchen torch on hand, you can precoat the cookies with sugar and brûlée on demand. Or, use a broiler to get that topping finished ahead of time. Either way, these are unique and sure to please!
Recipe: Crème Brûlée Sugar Cookies
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies have become my absolute go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. After years of trying countless recipes, this one feels like the perfect starting point (I do have some tips, described below). All the classic flavor and texture you want, and plenty of chocolate in every bite. And one of the best parts: this dough doesn’t have to be chilled before baking.
My most important tip for this recipe is to follow the recipe’s ingredient weight measurements wherever listed — use a kitchen scale to measure the flour, sugars, and chocolate chips by weight in grams instead of measuring by volume.
For a fun and delicious holiday twist, swap out ⅓ to ½ of the chocolate chips for chopped Andes Creme de Menthe Thins. The mint flavor works incredibly well in these cookies. If you’re sticking just to chocolate chips though, I’ve found that these Guittard Super Cookie Chocolate Chips are insanely good in this recipe. The chocolate discs create decadent layers that make it impossible to eat just one.
Finally, I recommend portioning the dough with a small cookie scoop (1 tbsp.) — the smaller size seems to work better for this one, and it gets you more cookies to enjoy!
Recipe: Perfect Chocolate Chip CookiesMy baking equipment recommendations
Everything listed here is equipment that I have used and love myself. Of course, other brands and products work well, too. Part of the fun is finding what suits your needs and preferences. These are a great place to start. Happy baking!