Food and Recipes Desserts Cookies 20 Holiday-Shaped Cookies for a Season Full of Kid-Friendly Fun By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is an Editorial Fellow and Southern transplant by way of San Francisco, Boston, and Paris, France. She writes about anything and everything as it pertains to the South, but mostly home, food, and the occasional garden stories. Recipe reviews are a particular pleasure, as well as discovering the latest home trends.When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new Southern Living recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil.Marissa graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and a minor in French Studies. She still can't follow a football conversation but hopes her cheese straws make up for it. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 21, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: 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 a 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. 01 of 20 Sparkling Snowflake Shortbread Cookies 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. 02 of 20 Christmas Pinwheel Cookies 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. 03 of 20 Snowy Tree Cookies 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. 04 of 20 Melted Snowman Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Melted Snowman Cookies They might be a little saggy, but thankfully, appearances aren't indicators of taste. 05 of 20 Candy Cane Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Candy Cane Cookies Thanks to a dose of peppermint extract, these cookies hint at the classic red-and-white candy that signals the coming of the Christmas season. Kids will enjoy an afternoon making these cookies and dunking them in a cup of cocoa. 06 of 20 Sprinkle Stocking Cookies 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. 07 of 20 Peace Dove Cookies 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. 08 of 20 Linzer Tree Cookies 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. 09 of 20 Reindeer Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Reindeer Cookies Rudolph is pulling into town. Kids will have a blast assembling these Reindeer Cookies—and snacking along the way. 10 of 20 Snowflake Sugar Cookies 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. 11 of 20 Cornflake Wreath Christmas Cookies 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. 12 of 20 Five-Ingredient Sugar Cookies Hector Sanchez Recipe: Five-Ingredients Sugar Cookies Only a handful of ingredients makes these tender cookies easy, and a simple icing technique makes them elegant. 13 of 20 Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Star cookies look extra twinkly with royal icing and fancy gold sprinkles 14 of 20 Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell Recipe: Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies Whether served on their own or used as a garnish as shown here on our Chocolate-Gingerbread-Toffee Cake, pretty, spiced gingerbread cookies are a must-have at Christmas. 15 of 20 Spritz Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Spritz Cookies Want a quick way to make dozens of shaped cookies? Grab a spritz press and knock out dozens of festive wreaths, Christmas trees, and flowers in no time. 16 of 20 Chocolate-Marshmallow Linzer Heart cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Chocolate-Marshmallow Linzer Hearts Christmas is all about love, so who says heart-shaped cookies are reserved for Valentines's Day? Pretty pink makes a nice color change-up too. 17 of 20 Holiday Present and Star Shortbread Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Holiday Present and Star Shortbread Cookies These charming gift and star cut-outs are perfect for parties, hostess gifts, and Santa. 18 of 20 Chocolate Gingerbread Wreath Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Chocolate Gingerbread Wreath Cookies Chocolate and spice make a perfect flavor combination in these cheerful cookies. 19 of 20 Apple Pie Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Apple Pie Cookies These tender-crusted mini apple pies will be the hit of your cookie tray. 20 of 20 Chocolate-Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies 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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