The Best Christmas Cookies to Make Now & All Year Long

Cookies are synonymous with the holiday season; I look forward to making these favorites every year! While these are definitely full-fat caloric splurges, I’ll share my favorite ingredients that make these a somewhat healthier, somewhat more sustainable indulgence. Here are 5 of the best Christmas cookies, ever (OK the last one is actually not a cookie but it still deserves its spot…)! Dive in!

The Best Christmas Cookies with Chocolate

Nutella-Stuffed Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

There’s a reason I’ve been making these for 10 years now–they’re soooo good! Between the browned butter, the hazelnut stuffing (don’t use Nutella, I have a better one!), and the sea salt dusting, these check all the boxes for what a good cookie should be. Most other cookie recipes just don’t even come close, and they’re not worth the calories. These beauties, however, are definitely worth the calories, and in our opinion, the best Christmas cookies ever! 

The recipe for the Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies is from Ambitious Kitchen, but I think certain ingredients make a huge difference, so here are my suggestions. 

First, use a good butter! I’ve noticed a difference baking these when using different brands of butter (maybe I make these too much…). My favorites are Organic Good & Gather Salted Butter from Target, and Vital Farms. They’re a sustainable, ethical B corp and their butter really is the best-tasting anywhere. Pricy, but so worth it! 

Secondly, use all semisweet or dark chocolate chips, instead of mixing with milk chocolate. And not just any chocolate chips: the best are Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels for their tastiness and purity of ingredients. These are the tastiest chocolate chips ever, because they’re just chocolate. Many chocolate brands have lots of fillers or processed versions of chocolate. Not these. They’re worth the splurge, and they’re free of 14 common allergens, if you’re sensitive.

 

 Lastly, and most importantly, don’t use Nutella. Use Nocciolata, an Italian brand with a cleaner, tastier recipe. Nutella has palm oil (which is often unsustainably harvested), and natural flavor instead of real vanilla extract. Why bother? If you’re going to splurge, splurge on the good stuff, trust me. Try Dairy Free Nocciolata if you’re sensitive to dairy; it’s just as good!

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Chip Cookies

We started making these Death by Chocolate Peppermint Cookies trying to recreate the insanely delicious version from Colleen’s Cookies in St. Louis. The drizzled dark chocolate on top makes these a delicious and decadent choice! You’ll definitely want some milk to go with that!

My main note for this cookie is to get a high quality candy cane and high quality white chocolate. These Organic Candy Canes from Whole Foods are a good choice. They do have natural flavor, which is annoying because shouldn’t it just be vanilla extract and peppermint extract?! But, organic natural flavorings have the strictest requirements out of the “flavorings” bunch, so this is about as good as it gets. Yum Earth has another similar option, too. 

As for white chocolate, it’s not really chocolate at all. So pick one that’s not just sugar, corn oil, and flavorings. Ghirardelli’s White Chocolate Baking Chips is my pick. Or, you could skip the white chocolate and just make some simple icing at home and drizzle it on top. We’ll probably do that this year. Last year’s bag of white chocolate chips did not get eaten! 

The Best Traditional & Unique Christmas Cookies

 

Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies are a classic Christmas tradition. If you need a break from chocolate, these  soft, chewy, flavorful Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies are it! Top those classic crinkles with some powdered sugar and enjoy the spicy treat. But don’t worry, these aren’t too spicy, and they’re not too sweet, either. They’re just right!

My one note for these is to use a high-quality molasses, like Grandma’s Original Molasses.

Christmas Monster Cookies

If you prefer unique over traditional, and like a cookie with a bit of everything, these are for you. If you follow Half-Baked Harvest, you’ve probably seen these Christmas Monster Cookies before. These are a newer addition to our Christmas faves. Filled with chocolate chips, chocolate candies, pretzels, and oats, they’re a chewy Christmas treat. Instead of using regular m&ms, opt for Unreal gems and avoid unnatural food colors and added flavor. We love the Dark Chocolate with Crispy Quinoa Gems, but the Milk Chocolate Gems work, too! They wont’ be red and green, but to me they taste so much better than m&ms! 

A Treat for Christmas Day

Super Soft Christmas Eve Cinnamon Rolls

Making cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve so that they’re ready on Christmas morning is a beloved tradition for many. This isn’t a tradition I grew up with–but my siblings and I did eat cinnamon rolls and we fought over the middle one. Still not over it haha. But a few years ago, I decided I wanted to make some from scratch, and it’s now something we look forward to! 

We’ll be making the Best Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Ever Eat again this year, for sure.

This recipe from Ambitious Kitchen makes 9 full rolls, but I had extra dough so I made tiny bonus rolls and stuffed them into the pan, too. I think a metal pan would do better, but this pyrex pie pan worked in a pinch! After all, the mark of a great cook is being able to improvise with what you have, right? 

For this recipe, dark brown sugar will be super flavorful. Choose one that’s Organic and Fair Trade, like this Dark Brown Sugar from Wholesome. 

I hope you love these recipes, and that maybe one of them will be a new favorite for you. Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

(And don’t forget to check out my post on recycling your Christmas decorations once the season is over). 

Happy Holidays!