Opening my grandmother’s handwritten recipe box each December feels like unwrapping a precious gift. These four Christmas cookie recipes—her Spritz Cookies, Classic Christmas Cookies, Christmas Sugar Cookies, and Thumbprint Cookies—represent decades of holiday baking tradition. I still remember standing on a step stool in her kitchen, carefully placing colored sugar on freshly baked cookies while she told stories about her own grandmother’s Christmas baking. Now, making these same recipes with my own children, I realize I’m not just baking cookies—I’m preserving family history, one batch at a time.
Why Grandma’s Christmas Cookies Are Special
These traditional Christmas cookies represent four distinct styles that together create a complete holiday cookie collection. Each recipe offers something unique: the delicate, buttery crispness of spritz cookies, the colorful festivity of classic Christmas cookies with their sanding sugar, the endless decorating possibilities of sugar cookies, and the jewel-like elegance of thumbprint cookies filled with jam.
What makes these Christmas cookie recipes particularly valuable is that they’ve been tested and perfected through generations. These aren’t trendy recipes that might disappoint—they’re time-tested formulas that consistently produce beautiful, delicious results year after year.
Understanding Traditional Holiday Baking
Traditional Christmas cookies follow certain principles that ensure success. Most use butter rather than shortening for flavor, include real vanilla extract for depth, and require proper chilling or resting times that develop both flavor and texture. Understanding these principles helps you achieve results that match your holiday baking memories.
The variety in these four recipes means you’ll develop different baking skills. Spritz cookies teach you about dough consistency for pressing, Christmas cookies require proper rolling and cutting, sugar cookies introduce you to decorative icing, and thumbprint cookies combine technique with creativity.
Essential Ingredients for Christmas Cookie Collection
For Spritz Cookies (Section 1):
- 1 cup salted sweet cream butter
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp clear vanilla flavoring
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 8 oz bag red candy melts
- 8 oz bag green candy melts
- Nonpareil sprinkles
For Classic Christmas Cookies (Section 2):
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- Red and green sanding sugar
For Christmas Sugar Cookies (Section 3):
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter
- 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white
- ½ cup butter-flavored shortening
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1+3 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream
For Thumbprint Cookies (Section 4):
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup jam (various flavors)
These ingredients create four distinct cookie varieties that together form a traditional holiday cookie platter.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Spritz Cookies
Preparing the Spritz Dough
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. This creates air pockets that make the cookies tender rather than dense.
Add the egg, vanilla flavoring, and almond extract, beating until fully incorporated. The extracts provide depth of flavor that makes these cookies taste special rather than plain.
Gradually add the flour, mixing on low speed just until combined. The dough should be soft but not sticky, and hold its shape when pressed through a cookie press.
Pressing and Baking Spritz Cookies
Fill your cookie press with dough according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Choose festive shapes like trees, stars, or wreaths for the holidays.
Press cookies directly onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Spritz cookies don’t spread much during baking, so closer spacing is fine.
Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges just barely begin to turn golden. Don’t overbake—these cookies should remain pale for the best texture.
Decorating Spritz Cookies
Once cookies are completely cool, melt the candy melts according to package directions. Dip half of each cookie in either red or green melted candy, or drizzle the candy over the tops.
Immediately sprinkle with nonpareil sprinkles before the candy sets. The festive colors make these cookies perfect for holiday gift plates.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Classic Christmas Cookies
Making the Cookie Dough
Cream the softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy. The cream cheese adds tanginess and tender texture.
Add the sugar and beat until light and creamy. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, mixing just until combined.
Rolling and Cutting
Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour—this makes the dough much easier to roll and cut.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Decorating Before Baking
Before baking, sprinkle the cookies with colored sanding sugar—red and green for traditional Christmas colors. Press the sugar gently into the dough so it adheres.
Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until edges are set but cookies remain pale. They’ll firm up as they cool.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Christmas Sugar Cookies
Preparing Sugar Cookie Dough
This recipe uses both cake flour and all-purpose flour for the perfect texture—tender yet sturdy enough for decorating.
Cream butter and shortening together until fluffy. The combination provides both flavor (from butter) and structure (from shortening).
Add sugars and beat well. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients separately, then add gradually to wet ingredients.
Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight. This develops flavor and makes rolling easier.
Rolling and Baking Sugar Cookies
Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut into festive shapes like trees, stars, candy canes, and stockings.
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. These cookies should NOT brown—remove them when they’re set but still pale.
Cool completely on wire racks before decorating. Warm cookies will cause icing to melt and run.
Making and Applying Royal Icing
Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream, beating until smooth and spreadable.
Divide icing into portions and tint with food coloring. Use piping bags or spreaders to decorate cookies creatively.
Allow icing to dry completely before stacking cookies—usually 2-4 hours depending on humidity.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Thumbprint Cookies
Creating Thumbprint Dough
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. This makes it easier to handle and helps cookies hold their shape.
Forming and Baking Thumbprints
Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheets and press your thumb into the center of each ball, creating a deep well.
Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. If the indentations puff up during baking, re-press them immediately after removing from oven.
Cool completely before filling.
Filling Thumbprint Cookies
Fill each indentation with about ½ teaspoon of jam. Use multiple flavors—raspberry, apricot, and strawberry create a beautiful, colorful variety.
The jam should be at room temperature for easiest spooning. Warm jam will be too runny, while cold jam is hard to work with.
Nutritional Information
Per cookie (varies by type):
- Spritz Cookie: Calories: 85, Fat: 4g, Carbs: 11g, Protein: 1g
- Classic Christmas Cookie: Calories: 95, Fat: 4.5g, Carbs: 12g, Protein: 1g
- Sugar Cookie: Calories: 110, Fat: 6g, Carbs: 13g, Protein: 1g
- Thumbprint Cookie: Calories: 90, Fat: 5g, Carbs: 11g, Protein: 1g
Tips for Perfect Holiday Cookies
Room temperature butter is crucial for proper creaming. Plan ahead and leave butter out for 1-2 hours before baking. It should be soft enough to leave an indent when pressed but still hold its shape.
Don’t overmix cookie dough once flour is added. Overmixing develops gluten, leading to tough rather than tender cookies. Mix just until ingredients are combined.
Proper oven temperature is essential. Use an oven thermometer to verify accuracy—even 25°F off can significantly affect results. Most holiday cookies bake best at 350-375°F.
Storage and Make-Ahead Options
Store different cookie types in separate containers to prevent flavor transfer and maintain proper textures. Most cookies keep at room temperature for 1 week when properly stored.
Unbaked dough for all four varieties freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place in freezer bags. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before using.
Baked, undecorated cookies freeze well for up to 2 months. Decorate after thawing for the freshest appearance and best results.
Creating a Beautiful Cookie Platter
Arrange these four cookie varieties on a large platter for stunning visual variety. The different colors, shapes, and textures create an appealing display that invites sampling.
Group similar colors together for a cohesive look, or alternate varieties for more visual interest. Use decorative doilies or parchment paper as a base for an elegant presentation.
Add fresh greenery like small pine sprigs or rosemary between cookie groupings for natural holiday decoration. Just ensure the greenery doesn’t touch the cookies directly.
Perfect Occasions for Christmas Cookies
These holiday cookies are ideal for:
- Christmas cookie exchanges
- Holiday gift giving
- Santa’s cookies on Christmas Eve
- Office holiday parties
- Caroling refreshments
- Family baking traditions
- New Year’s celebrations
My Personal Cooking Tip
Here’s my secret for the most beautiful Christmas cookies from Grandma’s recipes: before starting any baking session, I make sure all my ingredients are at proper temperature and measured out—what French bakers call “mise en place.” This prevents mid-recipe scrambling and ensures better results. For the spritz cookies, I’ve learned that slightly under-baking them keeps them tender—take them out when they’re barely starting to color at the edges. For the decorated cookies, I use gel food coloring instead of liquid in my icings because it creates more vibrant colors without thinning the icing. Here’s Grandma’s biggest secret that she shared with me: always make a test cookie first. Bake one cookie from each batch to check spreading, color, and doneness before committing your whole sheet of cookies to the oven. This one cookie might get overbaked or underbaked, but it saves the rest of the batch. Finally, when making multiple varieties, I bake the most delicate cookies (spritz) first while my energy is highest, saving sturdier varieties for later when I might be getting tired. This ensures your most temperamental cookies get your best attention!
