I’m sharing how to make 10 easy Christmas cookies from one cookie dough for a Christmas cookie box, holiday parties, or gifting. These shortbread-based cookies are buttery, lightly crisp, and perfect for the season.
10 Christmas Cookies from 1 Dough
Happy Holidays! If you’re preparing cookies for a Christmas cookie box, party, or gifts, this guide shows how to make ten different festive cookies using a single shortbread base. The dough is easy to work with, holds its shape well, and yields buttery, lightly crisp cookies.
Whether you pack them in a cookie box, place them on a platter, or wrap them in gift bags, these cookies make a cheerful seasonal treat. Follow the steps below to make the base dough, convert portions into piped and gingerbread variations, and shape ten different cookies.
Let’s get started.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
These cookies are popular because they are:
Easy to make
The shortbread-based dough is not overly sticky, so it’s simple to roll, pipe, and cut. It works well for cut-out cookies, piped shapes, and decorated treats.
Adorable and festive
The shapes and decorations make a charming presentation for gifts and gatherings.
Buttery and delicious
The cookies are buttery, lightly crisp, and balanced in sweetness—great if you want a simple dough that tastes outstanding.
VIDEO: Watch How To Make the Christmas Cookie Box!
For a full step-by-step demonstration of each cookie and decorating technique, watch the video embedded below.
Tips for the Ingredients
The base shortbread dough
- Unsalted butter – Use room-temperature butter so it blends smoothly with other ingredients.
- Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar gives a finer crumb; granulated sugar yields a different texture and flavor.
- Vanilla extract – Adds depth; optional but recommended.
- All-purpose flour – The main structure of the dough.
- Cornstarch – A small amount makes the cookies tender and crisp. You can swap it with rice or almond flour if preferred.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances butter flavor.
- Food colorings – Gel colors work best for vibrant hues without thinning the dough.
For piped dough
- The base dough
- Milk – A small amount of not-too-cold milk loosens the dough for piping without making it firm when chilled.
For gingerbread dough
- The base dough
- Cinnamon, ginger, clove – For warm spice flavor.
- All-purpose flour – To adjust texture after adding molasses and spices.
- Molasses – Adds color, moisture, and classic gingerbread taste.
Decorating
Use or omit these depending on the cookie you make:
- Marshmallows (for Teddy Bear Santa)
- Sprinkles (for wreaths and trees)
- Toasted nuts and dried cranberries (for Stollen)
- Powdered and granulated sugar (for Stollen, snowballs, jam cookies)
- White or dark chocolate for dipping
- Raspberry jam for Linzer-style jam cookies
- Mini and regular chocolate chips for faces and chip cookies
- Food colorings (red, green, brown, black) for accents
- Wrapping ribbons to decorate wreaths and present cookies
Make the Cookie Dough
1. Make the base dough
Prepare one batch of the shortbread cookie dough (this recipe uses a shortbread base). We’ll divide and flavor portions to make all ten cookie types.
Aya’s Quick Tip💡
Soften butter to room temperature in advance. Firm butter makes it harder to blend ingredients and can make piped dough too firm to pipe smoothly.
2. Make piped cookie dough
Add a small amount of milk to a portion of the base dough to loosen it for piping. Mix until smooth. This dough is used for the Teddy Bear Santa and Christmas wreath cookies.
3. Make gingerbread cookie dough
To another portion of the base dough, add cinnamon, ginger, a pinch of clove, a small amount of extra flour, and molasses. Mix until combined. This becomes the gingerbread dough used for Stollen, present-box, and star cookies.
With the doughs ready, proceed to shape each cookie type below.
Make the 10 Christmas Cookies
1. Teddy Bear Santa Cookies
Pipe about two-thirds of the piped dough to form the face shape. Use some plain base dough for ears and facial details. Tint a small portion of base dough red for a Santa hat. Use mini chocolate chips for eyes and regular chocolate chips for a nose. Optionally draw the mouth with black food coloring on a toothpick. While the cookies bake, slice marshmallows into thin strips and attach to the hot cookies so they melt and stick. Dust marshmallows with cornstarch if they stick to the knife.
2. Christmas Wreath Cookies
Tint the remaining piped dough green (add a touch of brown for an earthy tone if desired). Pipe small star-tip rings or small circles to form wreaths. Decorate with sprinkles as ornaments, and after baking tie a ribbon around each to finish the look.
3. Christmas Stollen Cookies
Toast nuts until lightly golden, then dice and mix with dried cranberries. Fold into about a third of the gingerbread dough and shape into a stollen-like loaf. Freeze completely, roll in granulated sugar, then coat with powdered sugar. Slice while frozen.
4. Present Box Cookies
Roll out gingerbread dough and chill if soft. Cut squares and add surface patterns with small cutters or a knife. After baking, tie ribbons to resemble gift boxes.
5. Star Cookies
Cut stars from rolled gingerbread, use leftover dough to repeat, and add simple incised patterns. Press a dried cranberry into the center before baking for a festive accent.
6. Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Use leftover base dough: roll small balls, flatten slightly, and press mini chocolate chips on top before baking.
7. Snowball Cookies (Russian Tea Cakes)
Form dough balls in various sizes (handy for filling gaps in boxes). Once cooled, roll them in powdered sugar to create the classic snowball finish.
8. Jam Cookies (Linzer Cookies)
Roll out base dough and chill if soft. Cut rounds and cut small openings (like stars) in half of them. After baking, spread raspberry jam on whole rounds, dust the cut rounds with powdered sugar, and sandwich together.
9. Shortbread Cookies
Roll base dough into a rectangle, chill if needed, and cut into small rectangles. Dock the surface with a fork for a classic shortbread look. Optionally dip one end in melted dark chocolate after baking.
10. Christmas Tree Cookies
Color remaining base dough green with a touch of brown for depth. Roll, chill, and cut tree shapes. Use a piece of gingerbread as the trunk if available. Decorate with sprinkles and optionally dip in white chocolate.
Bake the Cookies
Bake at 350ºF (176ºC) for 10–15 minutes, depending on cookie size and thickness. Remove when edges are lightly golden.
3 Tips for Baking
1. Chill shaped dough before baking
Chilling improves shape retention and appearance.
2. Group small and large cookies
Bake smaller cookies separately from larger ones to avoid uneven baking.
3. Don’t overbake
Pull cookies when edges are just golden, especially colored cookies that can darken quickly.
Enjoy your batch! One batch yields roughly the quantity shown in the photos—about 40 two-inch cookies depending on shapes and sizes.
A plate of assorted cookies with milk is always a crowd-pleaser.
Box them up or bag them to share with friends and family.
Merry Christmas,
Aya xx
How to Store the Cookies
Store baked cookies in an airtight container. They keep about a week at room temperature or around 10 days in the refrigerator. In humid climates, add a food-safe silica packet to help keep them crisp.
5 Tips for Variations
1. Ways to share
Present cookies in cookie boxes, gift bags, jars, on platters, or plates for gatherings.
2. Make different types from the same dough
You can adapt the base dough for many cookie styles: icing cookies, thumbprints, gingerbread men, candy cane shapes, sprinkle cookies, Santa cookies, or slice-and-bake styles.
3. Scale up as needed
One batch makes roughly 40 small cookies. Make half, double, or triple batches depending on how many you need.
4. Make fewer varieties
There’s no need to make all ten types—choose a few favorites if time is limited.
5. Decorating ideas
Try royal icing, chocolate drizzles, crushed candy canes, M&M’s, colorful sprinkles, or pretzels to vary the look and texture.
FAQ
Yes. Adjust baking time to match the cookie size and thickness.
Yes. Choose a dough that holds its shape during baking; very soft or high-spread doughs won’t work well for piped or cut shapes.
Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for up to 4–5 days.
More Christmas Cookies Recipes
If you enjoyed this guide, try other festive cookie recipes for variety and inspiration.
Did you try the recipe?
Share your feedback in the comment section below—I’d love to hear how these cookies made your holidays special.
Thank you! – Aya
10 Christmas Cookies from 1 Dough! – Christmas Cookie Box
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