Food and Recipes Desserts Cookies 16 Classic Christmas Cookies Full of Vintage Charm By Zoe Denenberg Zoe Denenberg As a professional baker, Zoe Denenberg has spent the past two years traveling across the country—from Alabama to Hawai'i—working in farm-focused pastry kitchens. She has written about food, travel, and culture for Southern Living since 2019. See more of Zoe's work at https://zoedenenberg.wixsite.com/portfolio and follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 7, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall The holiday season is packed full of nostalgia. Most of our holiday activities center around traditions that we've practiced for ages—whether that means going to the Christmas tree farm the day after Thanksgiving, stewing up a big batch of Nana's slow-cooker hot cocoa, or hanging our cherished pass-down ornaments on the tree. If you're in the spirit to channel the Christmases of your childhood, the kitchen is the best place to start. While some vintage Christmas recipes may not be worth reviving—we probably will not be baking a big batch of fruit cake this year—you really can't go wrong with vintage Christmas cookies.We've collected some of our favorite cookie recipes from years past to help you capture the merriment of Grandma's kitchen. From Pinwheel Cookies to Old-Fashioned Divinities, these vintage treats have been around for ages, and they're not going out of style any time soon. Package these cute cookies in vintage cookie tins and deliver them to friends, family, neighbors, or any other loved ones to share the festive spirit. 01 of 16 Spritz Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Spritz Cookies Originating in Germany and Scandinavia in the 16th century, these simple cookie-press creations will be your kids' new favorite cookie. 02 of 16 Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Buttermilk-Pecan Pralines Making homemade Pecan Pralines may take a few tries, but once you get it right, you'll be making these candies every season. 03 of 16 Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread Hector Sanchez Recipe: Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread Packed full of pecans and pops of cranberry, then drizzled with a thick sheen of chocolate, these substantial bites of shortbread will be a hit at any cookie swap. 04 of 16 Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies Laura Bush's recipe for Cowboy Cookies first rose to prominence in the 2000 presidential bake-off, and they've since been a staple in kitchens around the country. 05 of 16 Seven-Layer Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Seven-Layer Cookies This 1966 reader recipe features melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, flaked coconut, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, and chopped pecans. So yes, they are the cookies of our dreams. 06 of 16 Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: Kellie Gerber Kelley Recipe: Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Rolled in crunchy pecans, these decadent Bourbon Balls complete any Southern dessert spread. 07 of 16 Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies You grew up baking these cookies with Grandma, and they're not going out of style any time soon. 08 of 16 Barbara Bush's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Barbara Bush's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies If this chocolate chip cookie recipe is good enough for Barbara Bush, it's certainly good enough for us. 09 of 16 Pecan Tassies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pecan Tassies These little cups of pecan-pie goodness will have all your guests singing their praises. 10 of 16 Pecan Snowball Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pecan Snowball Cookies Packed with 2 cups of finely chopped pecans, these cookies are so decadently nutty and utterly Southern. 11 of 16 Easiest Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Southern Living Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies These Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies have been there for us through many last-minute bake-sales and cookie swaps. 12 of 16 Dark Chocolate-Ginger-Molasses Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Dark Chocolate-Ginger-Molasses Cookies Rolling these deeply chocolatey, nicely spiced cookies in two coats of granulated sugar helps them develop that succulent, melt-in-your-mouth sugar crust. 13 of 16 Peppermint Divinity Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Peppermint Divinity Who said candy-making has to be difficult? We've reimagined the classic divinity candy with peppermint instead of nuts, but it's still got all the nostalgia. 14 of 16 Pecan Sandies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pecan Sandies Although traditional Pecan Sandies may be the size of a half-dollar, you can make them as large as you want to satisfy your cravings. 15 of 16 Cheesecake Cookies Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Cheesecake Cookies Extra-fluffy on the inside and topped with a glossy maraschino cherry, these cookies deliver all the flavor of cheesecake in a bite-sized portion. 16 of 16 Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Brown sugar lends a deeper, nuttier flavor to this twist on the classic sugar cookie. Plus, the decoration for these shining star cookies couldn't be simpler. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit