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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
Leaving Christmas cookies for Santa is one of our most beloved holiday traditions. This year, we've got insider information, and we hear that Santa prefers homemade Christmas cookies over store-bought varieties. To make sure he's happy this Christmas, we've got the best cookie recipes for Santa around.
From festive shapes to classics like chocolate chip and red velvet cookies, you'll need to keep an eye on everyone in the house to be sure no one eats Santa's cookies before he arrives. If you leave these cookies out for Santa, we have a feeling he'll deliver everything that's on your list. And remember that cold glass of milk as well.
Chocolate Stocking Cookies
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
Looking for a beautiful cookie without the fuss of royal icing? These chocolatey cookies land somewhere between a sugar cookie and a brownie. They're sure to land you on Santa's good list.
Tie-Dye Glazed Ornament Cookies
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
By using the marbling icing method, you get a gorgeous and unique design on each cookie, without the stress of having to ice it perfectly. These cookies would be a fun holiday activity for the kids to get in on.
Frosted Sugar Cookies
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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
We love sugar cookies for just how customizable they are. They are so much fun to decorate and look beautiful in a gift tin or on a tray on the dessert table. We shaped these cookies into trees, stars, and doves for a pleasant assortment that only needs three different icing colors.
Butter Cookie Wreaths
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
These vibrant green wreaths deserve a spot on Santa's plate this year. An elegantly piped butter cookie, these wreath cookies delight with a slight crunch from the red sprinkles on top.
Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
These cookies will ensure Santa makes a stop at your house this year. Soft chocolate sugar cookies are held together with a creamy and refreshing peppermint filling. With just 30 minutes of hands-on time, you'll achieve two dozen of these mouthwatering bites.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Snowflakes
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
Creamy vanilla buttercream frosting and bright colors make these frosted sugar cookies almost impossible to leave just for Santa. The cookies themselves are soft and tender, which will have you savoring each bite.
Gingerbread Cookies
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Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee; Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
These gingerbread cookies are so much fun to decorate as a family. This might just become a tradition you enjoy around the holidays. Molasses, brown sugar, and all the holiday spices mix to create a warm and tender cookie you'll enjoy eating as much as decorating.
No-Bake Dark Chocolate-Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
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Santa will never know that you just used the microwave and didn't have to turn on the oven to pull these decadent cookies together. Two wafer cookies sandwich together a creamy, peppermint filling. Then, each sandwich gets dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with crushed peppermint for a gorgeous and easy holiday cookie.
Chocolate Thumbprints
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
These sweet little cookies will look perfectly festive on your Christmas china. If you're not into the glaze, pipe some buttercream frosting in the middle instead. If Santa doesn't eat all the cookies in one sitting, don't fear: They can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days.
Merry Mitten Cookies
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
Warm hands and a tummy full of cookies will make Santa's big night one to remember. In this festive, two-toned cookie, just-crisp edges yield buttery, tender interiors everyone will enjoy (if Santa doesn't take them all, that is).
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
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Emily Laurae
These delicious cookies started with a box of cake mix. Besides the cake mix and a couple of pantry staples (eggs, oil, salt), you'll just need some white chocolate chips to pull this easy recipe together.
Cranberry Noel Cookies
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
These buttery cookies are studded with dried cranberries and pecans for a tasty seasonal delight. We think they taste best with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa in hand.
Painted Shortbread Cookies
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Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
If you want a cookie you can get extra artsy with, look no further than these painted shortbread cookies. You'll make a watercolor-like paint out of food coloring and almond extract. This makes a fun Christmastime activity for kids and adults alike.
Melt-Away Peppermint Wreaths
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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
These wreath cookies were our cover star in December of 1985, and they still haven't gone out of style. No cookie cutter is needed, you'll just use your fingers to shape the dough into balls. Plus, you probably have all the ingredients already.
Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies
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You'll just need a few ingredients, mostly pantry staples, to make this one-of-a-kind, creamy, and cheerful cookie. Cream cheese and butter make up the base of this cookie. After chilling overnight, you'll coat the rolled dough in red and green sugar crystals for a classic Christmas look.
Snowflake Sugar Cookies
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These snowflake sugar cookies are what Christmas cookie tin dreams are made of. Grab a set of snowflake cookie cutters that have a multitude of sizes for the best outcome. You'll start by icing the entire cookie then, once it dries, creating unique patterns on each one.
Santa's Kitchen-Sink Cookies
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This recipe makes three dozen cookies, so there will be plenty for the kiddos to enjoy after leaving a few out for Santa. The cookies are stuffed with chocolate, pretzels, and marshmallows, but feel free to get creative.
Chocolate Gingerbread Wreath Cookies
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Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones
Gingerbread and chocolate go hand in hand in these festive wreath-shaped cookies. A quick green-colored royal icing and some round sprinkles give these cookies lots of holiday cheer.
Evergreen Spritz Cookies
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
This spiced-spritz cookie is coated in sprinkles for a glittering set of buttery cookies that will look just gorgeous on a platter. We use green sprinkles but go for the colors you prefer. Yellow, red, and green would really invoke the ambiance of the season.
Pecan Snowball Cookies
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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Santa will like these pecan snowballs much more than the snowballs he sees at home. If you're not a fan of pecans, simply swap them out for sliced almonds or leave them out entirely.
Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
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The holidays call for at least one peanut butter dessert, and we think it should be these easy kiss cookies. Serve with a cold glass of milk to cut through the richness.
Sprinkle Sandwich Cookies
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Sprinkles in the cookies and on the outside of the sandwich make sure there is plenty of holiday cheer in every bite. Imagine how cute these cookies would be as a sweet Christmas gift.
Dark Chocolate Sablés
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Help Santa stay awake with these decadent dark chocolate cookies. With four and a half dozen cookies made in one recipe, we're sure you'll have plenty for Santa.
Molasses Crinkles
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These cookies have all the sweetness of the season. Every bite of these chewy spiced cookies is full of warmth.
Cranberry-Almond Cookies
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Cranberries add a festive flair to these soft drop cookies. Swap the almond extract in the batter with vanilla if you prefer. You can easily make these cookies ahead, in fact, you can freeze them for up to six months in advance. Christmas in July, anyone?
Chocolate-Peppermint Crackle Cookies
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For a classic dessert that brings the chocolate-peppermint flavors you desire during the holiday season, try these easy crackle cookies. You'll just need 15 minutes to prepare the batter and put them on the pan before the oven takes over. They're simple yet so tasty, and we're sure Santa won't be able to get enough of them.
Icebox Cookies
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Greg Dupree, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling
Classic icebox cookies are buttery, chewy, and crisp—and certainly at the top of Santa's list. Use red and green sprinkles for added holiday cheer.
Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies
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Santa will never know that these chocolatey cookies are made without flour. These gluten-free goodies are full of gooey chocolate chips and crunchy pecans for the perfect, indulge-worthy cookie.
All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
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We think Santa appreciates a classic recipe just as much as we do. These chewy chocolate chip cookies pair well with a cold glass of milk. Though we use semi-sweet chips, you could also go for dark chocolate for a little less sweetness.
Sparkling Linzer Cookies
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Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
Spoil Santa with a sandwich cookie classic. Plus, it's easy to put your own creative spin on this Linzer cookie: Simply use a variety of preserves and your favorite sparkling sugar colors.
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