22 Holiday-Shaped Cookies for a Season Full of Kid-Friendly Fun
Making cookies for Santa is a rite of passage for many kids and their parents. After all, who doesn't want to win some last-minute points on the "good" list right at the present drop? You could settle for a classic chocolate chip cookie—Santa won't say no to that—but how about taking it a step further with some easy holiday-shaped sugar cookies? We can bet Saint Nick will appreciate one in his likeness, or that of a sparkling snowflake, and they're sure to stand out in the crowd of cookies he's bound to consume on Christmas Eve. Our kid-friendly cookie recipes come in myriad of holiday shapes, including Snow Flurries, reindeer, candy canes, and even 3D Christmas trees. Plus, they're easy to assemble and don't require advanced piping skills to make them look spectacular. The kids will have so much fun, they might want to eat all the cookies themselves.
Sparkling Snowflake Shortbread Cookies
Recipe: Sparkling Snowflake Shortbread Cookies
These easy cookies require just six ingredients, including pre-made frosting. Be sure to stock up on snowflake cookie cutters in varying sizes.
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Snowy Tree Cookies
Recipe: Snowy Tree Cookies
It's time to put your star-shaped cookie cutter collection to good use. You'll need them in six sizes to build these fun, 3D trees.
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Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Recipe: Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Put a spin on the traditional gingerbread with this chocolate version. When icing, use plastic bags with the corner snipped off for easy piping and clean up.
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Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Recipe: Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
No cookie cutters required. Just dye your dough and roll into a log, slice, and bake. Add sprinkles if you (or the kids) so desire.
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Melted Snowman Cookies
Recipe: Melted Snowman Cookies
They might be a little saggy, but thankfully, appearances aren't indicators of taste.
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Candy Cane Cookies
Recipe: Candy Cane Cookies
Thanks to a dose of peppermint extract, these cookies hint at the classic red-and-white candy that signal the coming of the Christmas season. Kids will enjoy an afternoon making these cookies and dunking them in a cup of cocoa.
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Sprinkle Stocking Cookies
Recipe: Sprinkle Stocking Cookies
What's almost as fun as a stocking stuffed with gifts? Stockings you can eat, of course. Let the kids choose the sprinkles and personalize their own to eat.
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Peace Dove Cookies
Recipe: Peace Dove Cookies
Making these cookies will surely bring peace and goodwill to all the recipients.
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Linzer Tree Cookies
Recipe: Linzer Tree Cookies
Let the kids cut the cookies into shapes and poke the holes before baking—but you may want to save the sugar dusting task for yourself.
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Reindeer Cookies
Recipe: Reindeer Cookies
Rudolph is pulling into town. Kids will have a blast assembling these Reindeer Cookies—and snacking along the way.
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Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Recipe: Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Delicate, just like the real thing. Despite their appearance, they're not as difficult as they look. All you'll need is a batch of our Easy Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing to make these jolly cookies.
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Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies
Recipe: Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies
You may not want the kids to deck the halls with these wreaths, but they are delicious nonetheless.
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Christmas Bulb Sugar Cookies
Recipe: Christmas Bulb Sugar Cookies
These Christmas Bulb Sugar Cookies are a great party activity. Provide different colors of icing and a variety of sprinkles, and the kids will be begging to hang them up on the real tree.
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Easy Santa Cookies
Recipe: Easy Santa Cookies
If you're still looking for the perfect cookies to offer Santa, we think these will do the trick.
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Sparkling Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Recipe: Sparkling Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Create a winter wonderland with the help of some white and blue sparkling sugar.
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Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Recipe: Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
These are simple, pretty cookies that older kids will enjoy decorating. You can also try different colors, like green, pink, and yellow.
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Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Linzer Cookies
Recipe: Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Linzer Cookies
Elevate the classic school lunch to something elegant and merry with these linzer cookies.
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Spiced Stars with Cookie Butter
Recipe: Spiced Stars with Cookie Butter
Who doesn't love a dollop of creamy cookie butter? Paired with these spiced sugar cookies, they're an irresistible treat.
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Soft Sugar Cookie Trees
Recipe: Soft Sugar Cookie Trees
If your crew favors thick, chewy sugar cookies over the crisp ones, then you need to put this recipe at the top of your list and pull out all those cookie cutters.
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Sparkling Ornament Cookies
Recipe: Sparkling Ornament Cookies
The key to these glittering cookies? Lots of toppings. Stock up on sprinkles, sugar pearls, and dragées to your heart's content.
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Classic Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe: Classic Gingerbread Cookies
We can't omit the gingerbread man. This year, take your house decorating up a notch with our simple recipe. It'll taste a whole lot better, and you can enlist the kids to cut out the gingerbread people.
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Snow Flurries
Recipe: Snow Flurries
Let it snow with a batch of Snow Flurries: butter cookies sandwiching raspberry jam and sprinkled with icing sugar.