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  5. 22 Holiday-Shaped Cookies for a Season Full of Kid-Friendly Fun

22 Holiday-Shaped Cookies for a Season Full of Kid-Friendly Fun

marissa wu
By Marissa Wu November 05, 2021
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Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Credit: Joy Howard

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.

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Sparkling Snowflake Shortbread Cookies

Snowflake Shortbread Cookies
Credit: Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas/ Styling: Buffy Hargett/ Food Styling: Rebecca Kracke Gordon

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

snowy tree sugar cookies
Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

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

Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Credit: Joy Howard

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

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Credit: Joy Howard

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

Melted Snowman Cookies
Credit: Micah A. Leal

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

Candy Cane Cookies
Credit: Joy Howard

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

sprinkle stocking cookies
Credit: Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

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

Peace Dove Cookies
Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Peace Dove Cookies

Making these cookies will surely bring peace and goodwill to all the recipients.

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Linzer Tree Cookies

linzer tree cookies
Credit: Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

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

Reindeer Cookies
Credit: Southern Living

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

Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Credit: Zoe Denenberg; Prop Styling: Rachel Mulcahy

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

Cornflake Wreaths
Credit: Southern Living

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

christmas bulb sugar cookies
Credit: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

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

Easy Santa Cookies
Credit: Southern Living

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

Sparkling Snowflake Sugar Cookies
Credit: Iain Bagwell

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

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Credit: Zoe Denenberg; Prop Styling: Rachel Mulcahy

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

Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Linzer Cookies
Credit: Iain Bagwell

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

Spiced Stars with Cookie Butter
Credit: Iain Bagwell

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

Soft Sugar Cookie Trees
Credit: Iain Bagwell

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

Sparkling Ornament Cookies
Credit: Iain Bagwell

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

Classic Gingerbread Cookies image
Credit: Sheri Giblin; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Amy Stone

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

Snow Flurries
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Snow Flurries

Let it snow with a batch of Snow Flurries: butter cookies sandwiching raspberry jam and sprinkled with icing sugar.

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    Everything in This Slideshow

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    1 of 22 Sparkling Snowflake Shortbread Cookies
    2 of 22 Snowy Tree Cookies
    3 of 22 Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies
    4 of 22 Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
    5 of 22 Melted Snowman Cookies
    6 of 22 Candy Cane Cookies
    7 of 22 Sprinkle Stocking Cookies
    8 of 22 Peace Dove Cookies
    9 of 22 Linzer Tree Cookies
    10 of 22 Reindeer Cookies
    11 of 22 Snowflake Sugar Cookies
    12 of 22 Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies
    13 of 22 Christmas Bulb Sugar Cookies
    14 of 22 Easy Santa Cookies
    15 of 22 Sparkling Snowflake Sugar Cookies
    16 of 22 Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
    17 of 22 Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Linzer Cookies
    18 of 22 Spiced Stars with Cookie Butter
    19 of 22 Soft Sugar Cookie Trees
    20 of 22 Sparkling Ornament Cookies
    21 of 22 Classic Gingerbread Cookies
    22 of 22 Snow Flurries

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    22 Holiday-Shaped Cookies for a Season Full of Kid-Friendly Fun
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