21 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes for the Non-Baker
I’m not a baker so I’ve gathered 21 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes for those who are baking challenged!
Disclaimer: only a few of the recipes are my own 🙂
I don’t know if it’s because I’m not crazy about sweets or that baking requires precision and as a cook, I do things more by taste than by measurement.
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This holiday season, we won’t be home much but if we were I would like to have some holiday cookies for the cookie jar.
The Easiest Christmas Cookies
The easiest recipes to make are no-bake Christmas cookies.
For me, the easiest cookies to make would be melting some white chocolate chips or regular chocolate chips in the microwave and dipping pretzels or oreo cookies into the chocolate, and then topping with some Christmas Sprinkles. White Chocolate thin mints with white chocolate and crushed peppermint candy on the top seem very festive.
There are hundreds of versions of simple cookies, sweets, and savory snacks dipped in chocolate.
Another easy cookie idea is to buy store-bought cookies and add a chocolate ganache on the top or sprinkle store-bought goodies with powdered sugar.
What could be easier?
There are so many no-bake Christmas Treat recipes.
Cookie Swaps or Cookie Exchange
What is a cookie swap? It’s a party in which guests each bring a few dozen cookies to share and swap with their friends. This way, you only bake one recipe and get to enjoy lots of different types. It’s a delicious way to spend an afternoon or an evening, and it’s fun to discover new-to-you cookie recipes, too
Easy Baked Christmas Cookies
For this category, I chose recipes with easy recipes using basic ingredients.
- Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Shortbread Cookie
- Sugar Cookies
- Potato Chip Cookies
- Vanilla Crinkle Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Peppermint Puff Pastry Sticks
- Chocolate Carmel Wafers
- Spritz Cookies – My Mom’s Recipe Below
Spritz Cookies
Equipment
- Kitchen Aid Mixer
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- Mixing Bowls
- Baking Sheet
- cookie press
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 pound butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar (plus a little more)
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°
- Mix the flour, soda and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Blend the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together with mixer.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until well combined.
- Put dough in cookie press and press cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until just slightly golden brown
I have successfully made potato chip cookies and the vanilla crinkle cookies sound wonderful as the ingredients include a cake mix and cool whip. I can handle that!
Potato Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Kitchen Aid Mixer
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 4 sticks butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup crushed up potato chips
- powdered sugar for dusting
- chocolate chips for drizzle
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients
- Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Let cool. Dust with sugar and drizzle with chocolate
The gingerbread cookies are made with Einkorn flour, my favorite flour however the recipe gives you options to use other flours, make it gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free.
I have always wanted to make Gingerbread Men, not just for a delicious Christmas treat but also to hang on my Christmas Tree.
Other Easy Christmas Desserts
Here are some ideas other than baking cookies.
Cookie Dough
There are many recipes out there for raw cookie dough. What a fun treat in a sundae dish with Christmas sprinkles on top.
When we were kids, my brother Scott and I used to sneak butter, flour, sugar, and chocolate chips from the kitchen and meet in one of our bedrooms, mix it all together and eat it. There was no measuring and it always tasted heavenly. We called it Brother/Sister! It probably tasted so good because it was our little secret.
Naked Cake Hack
I recently saw the best naked cake hack by Kara @littlehouseonchestnut Kara bought a grocery store cake and scraped the frosting off, dusted it with powdered sugar, and topped it with sugared cranberries. Genius!
Easiest fudge ever! I have successfully made this recipe as well.
Fudge
Equipment
- Microwave Safe Bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
Instructions
- Combine cocoa and sugar in a bowl, add milk and butter DO NOT STIR
- Cook in microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Remove and stir.
- Add the vanilla and nuts
- Pour into 8" shallow dish and refrigerate until set
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Before Christmas Should You Start Baking Cookies?
There are so many recipes that you are able to freeze so if you have the freezer space you should start with those months in advance so you’re ahead of the baking game. If you plan to keep them at room temperature, make them within two weeks or less, and be sure to store them in cookie tins or air-tight containers.
Why Do People Bake Christmas Cookies?
At a time when most families were not that well off, people started making cookies and sweets as a way to share gifts during the medieval Christmas season. Christmas in many cultures was a time of visiting friends and family. Since it was cold outside and the ground was hard and frozen solid, farming was not an option
What is the Least Favorite Christmas Cookie?
On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29%.
If you are like me and aren’t a very good baker, I hope I’ve given you a few options to try this holiday season.
I’m going to give the Chocolate Carmel Wafers a try!
Peace and Love,
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living large podcast
One the Podcast this week I talk about stress during the holidays. Next week I’m going to have a professional on the show to dig deeper into the subject.
Lynne,
So many great recipes! I cannot wait to try a few. I have never made gingerbread men but I want to make a few this year.
Have a Merry christmas!
Hi Elizabeth – I’ve never made the either but I’m going to give it a try!
I love these ideas. I’m not much of a baker. It’s genius. Merry Christmas, my friend. Hugs and blessings to you.
I’m always baffled by being able to cook but not bake. Probably because I don’t typically measure and baking you have to be precise. 🙂