32 Freezer-Friendly Christmas Cookies to Make Before Things Get Really Crazy—And You Know They Will

Recipe: Snowflake Sugar Cookies

Nothing says Christmas like a batch of iced snowflake cookies. These are best baked then frozen, but leave the icing until after thawed.

Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies

Add an extra festive note to classic butter cookies with cranberry and orange. Freeze the rectangular roll of the dough before thawing to slice-and-bake later.

Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies

Four ingredients? Even more the reason to whip up and freeze a batch on any autumn afternoon.

Recipe: Pecan Snowball Cookies

Rolled in powdered sugar, snowballs are a cheerful holiday classic. This recipe makes 4 dozen, which makes it perfect for make-ahead food gifts. After defrosting, you might need to re-roll in powdered sugar.

Recipe: Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies

These cookies are airy and crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, like a brownie in cookie form.

Recipe: Molasses Crinkles

Loaded with classic Christmas spices, like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, these cookies are packed with holiday flair.

Recipe: Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Everyone's favorite holiday cookie got a chocolatey makeover—and just like that, it got even better. Freeze now and decorated with royal icing and sprinkles later.

Recipe: Peppermint Pinwheels

For a super-festive cookie tin, swap out red and green food coloring in your batches. Either freeze the dough rolls before slicing and baking later, or choose to freeze the already-baked pinwheels.

Recipe: Toasted Oatmeal Cookies

Make a case for oatmeal over chocolate chips with this toasty recipe. It's a game-changer.

Recipe: Dipped Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

This is the combination you never knew you needed. Leave the chocolate-dipping and pistachio-coating until after you've thawed the frozen shortbread cookies.

Recipe: Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls

You'll never regret making a batch or two of these boozy confections before the holiday season starts.

Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mark our words: Browning the butter is the key step to making the most gift-worthy chocolate chip cookies to dole out this Christmas.

Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies

Cake mix cookies are here to make your life even easier leading up to the holidays, especially this festive red-and-white batch. They'll look merry and bright in your cookie tin or on a cake stand.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate-Ginger-Molasses Cookies

These tasty cookies check off all the boxes for a winning holiday treat: rich, dark chocolate flavor, a slight hint of heat from both crystallized and ground ginger, and the deep smoky sweetness of molasses.

Recipe: Marble Snickerdoodles

Chocolate—it's just the thing to make your classic snickerdoodles a little more dressed up for the occasion.

Fun fact: Southern Living’s Editor-in-Chief Sid Evans makes these two-toned snickerdoodles with his daughter each year.

Recipe: Spritz Cookies

It doesn't get much more nostalgic than spritz cookies. Grab your best helpers to form the dough shape with a cookie press, and leave the sprinkling until after defrosted later.

Recipe: Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread

These shortbread triangles—also cute when shaped with holiday cookie cutters!—are packed with the flavors of the season: cranberry and pecan. Feel free to drizzle with chocolate either before or after freezing; just make sure to let them cool completely before placing them in the freezer.

Recipe: Brown Sugar Cookie Stars

Have you ever seen a batch of Christmas cookies so sparkly? We thought not. Prep the pretty star-shaped sugar cookies in advance and leave the decorating until after pulled out from the freezer.

Recipe: Chewy Ginger Cookies

Don't let the black pepper scare you off. These chewy cookies (with even more kick from fresh ginger and molasses!) look and taste wonderfully nostalgic.

Recipe: Butterscotch-Toasted Oatmeal Cookies

We're partial to butterscotch chips, but you can sub in chocolate chips or cranberries (or go half-and-half) as you'd like. It's your Christmas cookie batch, after all!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate is the foolproof duo we rely on every Christmas. Many remember making these simple and delicious cookies with Grandma.

Recipe: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our Test Kitchen’s secret for keeping cookies crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside? Adding a bit of corn syrup to the batter. This recipe calls for both mini chocolate chips and chopped mint chocolate.

Recipe: Spiced Molasses Drops

Something about the holiday season just makes molasses cookies seem extra warm and inviting. This deeply-spiced cookie recipe combines brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and light molasses.

Recipe: Kitchen Sink Cookies

A cookie that packs all sorts of sweet, salty, and indulgent goodness into every bite? That's somehthing we can get behind. Prepare to wow the crowd.

Recipe: Butterscotch Cookies

Butterscotch chips give way to caramelized, buttery bites of goodness throughout. These are best baked and then frozen.

Recipe: Miss Iona's Shortbread Cookies

Mrs. Iona’s paper doll-shaped shortbread, or her “little men” as she calls them, are buttery with a subtle sweetness. Make sure to be prepared with cookie tins or freezer space—because this recipe makes five dozen mini cookies.

Recipe: No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars

“No-Bake, “Fudgy,” and “Toffee?” Sounds like a Christmas miracle to us. While these are just as easy to make the night before your Christmas occasion, feel free to make and freeze the delicious bars.

Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies

Orange zest and dried cranberries make this cookie recipe a no-brainer come December. Freeze the dough logs for up to a month before baking.

Recipe: Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Cinnamon and sugar make a tasty pair, and no holiday cookie swap is complete without a plate of these all-time favorites.

Recipe: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies

This drop cookie recipe has all of your holiday gift-giving needs covered—it makes five dozen!

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies

Dried tart cherries add a surprising note to classic chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Chef Damaris Phillips shared this sweet recipe with us (the first one she ever wrote!).

Recipe: Sugar-and-Spice Rugelach Cookies

Sugar, spice, and everything nice, hm? This old-school recipe is oozing with holiday cheer.