Unique Holiday Cookie Recipes

Peppernuts (or Pfeffernusse Cookies) are a traditional German cookie often made in Mennonite communities in the US. They are a highly addictive, tiny, crunchy cookie filled with warming spices and are perfect for gift giving during the holidays!

Kolaczki cookies are a traditional Polish cream cheese cookie. The cookie dough almost mimics a pastry and is filled with a variety of fillings such as apricot, prune, cherry, almond, poppy seed, and more! 

You can easily make butter spritz cookies without a cookie press with this one easy technique! Spritz cookies are such a holiday favorite and are such an easy Christmas cookie to make!

These brown sugar snickerdoodles are incredibly chewy and slightly crisp on the outside. I love adding the addition of rosemary to make them a little fancier, however it can be left out if you prefer.

Salted caramel pecan shortbread bars (or pecan diamonds) combine a classic buttery shortbread crust with a thick salted caramel pecan topping. They are chewy and decadent and beautiful in a holiday cookie tin.

These chocolate peppermint whoopie pies start with a rich chocolate cookie and are filled with a buttercream frosting with a hint of peppermint. Top the cookies with a bit of peppermint candy for a festive holiday look! 

Caramel apple oatmeal cookies are a celebration of holiday flavors! Shredded fresh apple is added to an oatmeal cookie with chewy pieces of caramel mixed throughout! 

This is arguably the best ultimate chocolate chip cookies ever! The cookies are thick, and slightly crisp on the outside and incredibly chewy on the inside and made with brown butter and a good hit of flaky salt! 

These cookies are packed with brown butter, old fashioned rolled oats, and raisins soaked in bourbon.

These beautiful hazelnut linzer cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday table. The cookies are crispy, lightly spiced, and filled with jam. Dust the tops with powdered sugar for a stunning finish with a pop of color in the center. 

These soft and fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies are made with butter instead of oil, like many recipes call for. This gives these cookies more flavor and helps keep the cookies nice and thick. 

Intensely dark chocolate butterscotch cookies with espresso are chewy and soft and the perfect mid afternoon pick-me-up. Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa powder gives these their intense dark chocolate flavor, however dutch processed cocoa powder could be used in its place.

Thumbprint cookies are a classic holiday tradition, but this pistachio version is certainly kicked up a notch! Paired with Black Current Jam (or any other tart jam your prefer), this unique take on the classic holiday cookie will be sure to impress!

These pecan snowball cookies (also known as Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes) are incredibly buttery and easy to make. Snowball cookies are perfect for Christmas cookie tins and one batch makes plenty to share!

These crispy gingersnap cookies honor the “snap” part of the name. They’re thin and crispy and pair fresh ginger with ground ginger for an extra punch of flavor! 

Soft sour cream sugar cookies are a holiday must have with our family! This sugar cookie Christmas tree is made with these cookies because they hold their shape well and do not spread during cooking. The cookies stay pale in color after baking and are very soft and tender.

These spicy chocolate cookies (aka Mexican hot chocolate cookies) have a hint of cayenne and cinnamon and are rich and chewy! The spiciness is not overpowering, rather it pops in a bit at the end and makes for a really unique cookie experience! 

Thick and chewy white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies with orange zest. The cookies get slightly crisp on the outside and stay super soft and chewy on the inside. 

This recipe for super easy gingerbread cookies without molasses can be made completely from start to finish in less than 30 minutes! This slightly milder version of the classic cookie requires few ingredients and is a no-chill dough!

Thick and chewy oatmeal scotchies are one of my favorite kinds of cookie! This is my recipe for the best oatmeal scotchies and they turn out just slightly crispy on the outside and really chewy and gooey in the middle. Use dark brown sugar for the most chew!

These buttery shortbread thumbprint cookies are flavored with almond, filled with cherry jam, and drizzled with a simple icing. Add these festive cookies into your holiday cookie tin! 

Don’t even ask me how to pronounce their traditional name, but I know that these Polish Honey & Rye Cookies are delicious all the same! Rye flour is made from a grain that is closely related to wheat, but it has more of a rich and earthy flavor to it. Paired with honey and spices, these unique cookies taste slightly reminiscent of gingerbread.

These cranberry orange biscotti are a holiday take on the classic Italian cookie. These biscotti are crisp and flavorful and are perfect for gifting because they keep well for an extended period of time.