The words “holiday baking” conjure visions of serene kitchens dusted with a tasteful snowfall of powdered sugar—but anyone who’s ever baked with kids knows the truth: It’s chaos in an apron. December is already packed with shopping, school concerts, and the annual scramble to locate the one ornament that definitely wasn’t broken last year. Add a few enthusiastic junior sous-chefs, and suddenly your countertops are a Jackson Pollock of frosting, your cookie cutters are in the heating vent, and someone is definitely eating raw dough.
But that’s also the magic of it. Baking Christmas cookies with kids turns even the busiest weekend into a sugar-coated memory factory. These recipes are forgiving, festive, and built for joy more than perfection—ideal for little hands, short attention spans, and big creative swings. Whether you’re rolling, cutting, sprinkling, or strategically redirecting the cinnamon shaker, these eight cookie recipes make holiday baking fun, delicious, and delightfully unruly.
01 of 08
Photograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Natalie Holt
Rolled sugar cookies have a texture like no other. They’re light and crisp if they’re baked till golden brown, but amazingly soft and tender when left a little pale. Most of all, they’re beautiful, a chance to showcase your kid’s favorite cookie cutters.
Get Recipe: Rolled Sugar Cookie Cutouts
02 of 08
Photographs: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Team
These easy homemade gingerbread cookies come together fast—no dough chilling required—which is essential when you’re baking with impatient, sugar-charged helpers.
Get Recipe: Gingerbread Cookies
03 of 08
Carrie Vasios
Call them sprinkles, jimmies, or shots—these rainbow specks make everything better. They add sweetness, crunch, and a burst of color kids can’t resist. Your only real challenge here is keeping the kids from inhaling the sprinkles one tiny (but shockingly powerful!) fistful at a time.
Get Recipe: Vanilla Sprinkle Cookies
04 of 08
Vicky Wasik
These snickerdoodles get their soft, chewy magic from a mix of butter and solid coconut oil, plus a cinnamon-sugar coating your kids will happily help with… and possibly eat straight.
Get Recipe: New-Fashioned Snickerdoodles
05 of 08
Serious Eats / Niedle Creative
Somewhere between a classic thumbprint cookie and a peanut butter blossom, these PB&J thumbprints are lightly sweet, tender, and perfect for little hands to help fill with jam.
Get Recipe: Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
06 of 08
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Julia Levy, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Just four ingredients and one bowl stand between you and classic chocolate crinkle cookies—ideal for kid bakers who love a dramatic before-and-after transformation. I make these every Christmas Eve with my kids to leave out for Santa, and highly recommend adopting the tradition.
Get Recipe: 4-Ingredient Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
07 of 08
Photograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video.
Thick, chubby, and totally unapologetic, these Lofthouse-style cookies are a kid favorite—especially once the frosting comes out and the sprinkle avalanche begins.
Get Recipe: Lofthouse-Style Frosted Sugar Cookies
08 of 08
Vicky Wasik
Easy? Sold. These chewy, crisp-edged chocolate chip cookies use chopped bar chocolate for richer flavor—and kids love watching those big melty pools appear.
Get Recipe: Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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