10 Slice-And-Bake Cookies For Easy Holiday Baking

Striped Slice-and-Bake Shortbread
Photo: Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

While chestnuts roasting on an open fire sounds nice, Southerners would much rather have homemade cookies baking in the oven. Whether you're heading to a church potluck, bake sale, or cookie decorating party, we love an excuse to break out our tried-and-true recipes. There's just one problem: Many cookie techniques tend to be complicated and time-consuming. With the holiday season comes jam-packed schedules, so most folks don't have extra time to spend in the kitchen. Slice-and-bake cookies are a holiday miracle. Simply mix together your favorite ingredients and freeze the dough in a log-shape in advance of your festive occasion. To help maintain the log shape, place your raw cookie dough into a paper towel roll or other tube-shaped object while it sits in the fridge or freezer. They'll be ready to pop in the oven when the time comes. Slice-and-bake Christmas cookies come in a variety of indulgent flavors. Ginger shortbread, Belgian spice, chocolate-orange swirls, and colorful pinwheel cookies are just a few of our favorites. Read on to find your perfect match.

01 of 10

Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies

Cream Cheese Christmas Cookie
Southern Living

Recipe: Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies

Perfect for a holiday cookie swap, cream cheese Christmas cookies are coated in red and green sugar crystals for a Yuletide flair. These little beauties are showy, yet simple to put together. Don't let their fabulous exterior fool you, these cookies are essentially fool-proof.

02 of 10

Belgian Spice Cookies

Belgian Spice Cookies
Photo: Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Belgian Spice Cookies

These adorably festive slice-and-bake cookies are embellished with a little powdered sugar to create a perfect design. Place a stencil or doily over your baked and cooled cookies and sift a combination of pumpkin pie spice and powdered sugar on top, remove the doily and then you have a cookie that's almost too pretty to eat.

03 of 10

Dark Chocolate Sablés

Dark Chocolate Sablés
Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Sablés

Known for its gentle, crumbly texture, this classic French butter cookie is dipped in melted chocolate for the ultimate holiday confection. We love to give ours a little sprinkle of sea salt or chopped pecans, but peppermint would also be a festive addition.

04 of 10

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
Joy Howard

Recipe: Christmas Pinwheel Cookies

These red-and-green spirals are bound for holiday stardom—and they're easier to pull off than you might think. To get the most vibrant color, use gel food dye rather than liquid drops.

05 of 10

Painted Shortbread Cookies

Painted Shortbread Cookies
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Painted Shortbread Cookies

Royal icing acts as the canvas and almond extract dyed with food coloring is the "paint" for these striking shortbread cookies. Whether you create detailed works of art or use this as a fun and festive activity for the kids, baking up a batch of our Painted Shortbread Cookies is bound to be a tradition you call on year after year. We recommend slicing-and-baking these cookies, but as you can see by our photo, you can cut them out as well. Just be sure to chill your dough ahead of time.

06 of 10

Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies

Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies

This dough is too tempting to resist. It's a decadent combination of tart and sweet flavors. With the bright orange flavor and the zing of cranberries, these treats are the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea.

07 of 10

Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

We love a good pecan recipe during the holiday season and these shortbread cookies are no exception. Top each one of the sweet and salty rounds with a pecan half for a rustic finish.

08 of 10

Striped Slice-and-Bake Shortbread

Striped Slice-and-Bake Shortbread
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones

Recipe: Striped Slice-and-Bake Shortbread

If you love chocolate and vanilla, you will get the best of both worlds in this eye-catching shortbread. Dip each sliced cookie in chocolate and cover in metallic sprinkles for a festive look.

09 of 10

Slice-and-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites

Slice-and-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Slice-and-Bake Sugar Cookie Bites

Decorated with sprinkles, these little gems are too cute not to share. If you are looking for the perfect cookie to give to a friends and neighbors this season, this is the recipe you need.

10 of 10

Cathedral Window Cookies

Cathedral Window Cookies
Zoe Denenberg, Styling: Rachel Mulcahy

Recipe: Cathedral Window Cookies

The cookies are all about the slice and not so much about the baking. However, if you have a house filled with little ones, they will love these colorful marshmallow treats that taste like Christmas magic.

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