12 Creative Christmas Cookie Ideas
Prep time: 45 mins | Cook time: 45 mins | Makes: dozen
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup molasses
- Spices (1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cloves)
Sugar Cookies:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Rocky Road Christmas Cookies :
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup firm brown sugar
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 egg
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
No-Bake Butter Cookies:
- 3/4 cup cookie butter
- 1 1/2 quick oats
- 2 tbsp maple syrup, adjust to taste
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
One of the best ways to enjoy Christmas with the kids this year is with some holiday baking. The truth is, you have all year long to bake some normal chocolate chip cookies. But we all know this time of year calls for some fun, festive, and creative Christmas cookies!
Today, you'll discover how to make them, from the most basic Christmas cookie recipes to elaborate creations. (Gingerbread house? Easy peasy.) With our list of cookie decorating ideas below, even for beginners, you're guaranteed to love Christmas baking with the kids every year.
Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes
Easy Gingerbread Recipe
First things first, it's not Christmas without gingerbread!
If you want to bake Christmas cookies and don't know where to start, we've also covered 4 base cookie recipes that are definitely worth a try this year (and nope, they're not chocolate chip).Â
Whether you're looking to make some cute gingerbread men, or challenge yourself to a gingerbread house, we've listed all you need for your gingerbread ingredients. You can find how to make these holiday cookies the simple, easy way in our steps & ingredients below!
Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are also a must-haves for the holidays. Doesn't it just take you straight back to grandma's house?
If you're looking for a beginner cookie recipe that's perfect for Christmas, these are the way to go. They're delightfully easy to make using only your everyday pantry items such as butter, sugar, egg, flour, and salt!
Following similar steps to the gingerbread, all it takes is combining the dry & wet ingredients separately before mixing them well together, and then spreading it out onto a lined baking tray to pop in the oven.
Read also: 18 Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids (That Aren't Toys)
Rocky Road Christmas Cookies
If you're looking for something a little more festive than chocolate chip, look to Rocky Road Christmas cookies for that added twist!
You can mix away to your heart's delight: Soft chewy dark chocolate? Mixed with nuts and mini marshmallows? Pop in a swirl of peanut butter? No rules apply.Â
It's a fun new idea for your holiday baking, and a treat everyone is bound to love. It's one of those 'melts in your mouth' goodness you won't want to miss out on. Find everything you would need to make a Rocky Road cookie in our ingredients list!
No-Bake Butter Cookies
Last but not least, this is for the last-minute "I need a dessert" champions. Get ready for one surprising tasty treat this Christmas: No-bake butter cookies.
Not only are they super easy to make — no baking or oven-preheating required — but these are also the type of Christmas cookies that will please any guest. All the tools you need are probably a rolling pin & a good pair of hands! In no time, these tasty ingredients will impress just the same as any cookie that comes sliced and baked. Find the full recipe here.
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Now, once you've mastered the 4 base cookie recipes and picked which ones you want to make this Christmas... On to the fun part! Here are 8 more creative ways you can decorate those cookies to really wow your family & friends this year.
Creative Christmas Cookie Decorating Ideas
1. Simple & Traditional Sugar Icing
You can make plenty of patterns even with just the simple & traditional white sugar icing on some gingerbread cookies. You can use either icing or even white chocolate to craft your own patterns.
Perfect for when you want to let your creativity shine and draw away, this is a simple solution that everyone in the house can enjoy & take part in.
2. Colourful Marbled Cookie Icing
With just the right icing, you can also create some stunning & colourful marbled patterns on your holiday cookies! The marbled pattern can easily be achieved with a variety of icing colours and a trusty toothpick to whisk away.
To help you do this, our baking range has a superb range of icing colours for you to choose from. Perfect whether you're making snowflakes, trees, gingerbread and more!
3. Reindeer Brownie Pops
These reindeer brownie pops are also surprisingly easy and make for a fun addition to the table that will perfectly entertain the kids!
Kids will love making their own Christmas trees or reindeer faces on either brownies or any cake & cookie. All you need is just some pops of colourful toppings like salted pretzels, dollops of cream, edible red and green sprinkles, and you're practically there.
4. Christmas Tree Cookie Tower
It's also a wonderful idea to build your own Christmas Tree Tower. Using anything from sugar cookies to gingerbread, all you need to do is cut your cookies into star shapes (try our star cookie cutter set!) and pipe some icing or frosting on top of each stack. Then, pile them up neatly in a pyramid shape to make one dazzling Christmas tree!
You can either make giant ones or small mini ones as a fun baking activity with the kids. They're super easy to assemble, and to eventually eat away and enjoy. Pop on some extra sprinkles or M&Ms for the fun of it, too.
5. Handwritten Icing Calligraphy
Want to make your Christmas cookies extra special? Write your own holiday greetings and special messages!
These are excellent to customise and personalise your baked treats. What you do is take your trusted piping bag, and make sure you snip away a very small portion of its tip. Soft icing will be best in this case. When in doubt, you can practice it on a small plate first and next thing you know, you're a cookie decorating star with those one-of-a-kind icing handwritings.
6. Decorative Christmas Cookie Shapes
There are plenty of decorative shapes to try once you find the right cookie cutters. It's so simple yet works wonders for any type of cake or cookie you're making.
One foolproof way to make the kids happy in any holiday season is letting cut and craft their own Christmas cookies. So if you're up for making a fun time in the kitchen, get a hold of Wilton's Holiday Grippy Cutter Sets, designed with cushioned tops and deep plastic sides to keep your little ones' hands safe!
7. Christmas Chocolate Village
Another creative idea? Try building a Christmas village!
Suitable for either chocolates or cookies, you can carve out shapes for miniature homes, gingerbread people, and more with some mini moulds to create your own dessert world! You can use some of our mini moulds from Sweet Themes that feature candy canes, gingerbread boys, pine trees...Â
Otherwise, get a hold of Wilton's 3D Christmas Tree cookie cutter to make mini standing trees. The possibilities are endless when it comes to making a town of your own!
8. Gingerbread House
Last but definitely not least, who can say no to a Gingerbread House challenge?
Making a gingerbread house would definitely be an unforgettable holiday experience for the entire family. With the right amount of icing, gingerbread, and teamwork, you can create a stunning house that will wow everyone in the household this festive season.Â
We know that making might take a good chunk of the day, but the final reward and the Christmas memories it leaves to the kids would be so worth it.
Once you have a kit like our Gingerbread House 10 Piece Set, and you'll be good to go!
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Base cookie recipes credit to Wilton Cakes
Photos & videos by Nicole Michalou
Method
Gingerbread Cookies
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Preheat oven to 190ºC. While waiting, combine in a large mixing bowl: flour, baking soda, salt and spices (ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves).
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In a large saucepan, melt the shortening and let it cool slightly. Stir in sugar, molasses, and egg. Mix well. Add 2 cups of flour mixture into the saucepan and mix well.
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Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the dry ingredients by hand. Add additional flour if necessary to make the dough firm.
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Roll out the dough on the lightly floured surface until it reaches your desired thickness (approx. 0.5 cm is recommended). Use cookie cutters to cut out cookie shapes from the dough!
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Bake on ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned on edges — about 10-15 minutes. Once done, pull from the oven and cool them on a cookie sheet on top of a cooling rack for 3 minutes. Then, remove the cookie sheet and cool completely on the rack.
FAQs
What is the best icing for gingerbread?
Royal icing is a popular option thanks to its hard-drying finish and the ability to choose what consistency icing you'd like. Otherwise, buttercream is also a good option if you prefer frosting!
Can I store cookie dough?
If you're not using your dough right away, you can always cover them in cling wrap and refrigerate! We recommend keeping them only for up to 4 days.
