Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (2024)

Love to bake cookies from scratch? Here are the Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes to add to your cookie tray this holiday season.


Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (1)

With December around the corner, that means one thing.

Start getting your ovens ready for the Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes! All of these recipes are from scratch. No premade cookie mix or dough here.

Now small batch Christmas cookies may seem like an oxymoron, but let me explain.

Holiday baking isn’t about making one batch of cookies. It’s about making multiple cookie recipes then creating a cookie tray afterwards.

When I posted my guide on how to make the best Christmas cookie tray, I mentioned how baking small batches of your favorite cookies makes cookie trays more manageable.

So although 1 dozen may not be enough for hosting, making several recipes as a whole is.

And there is no obligation to host with a cookie tray! Make them to eat after your Christmas dinner for two.

If you’re like me where you want to bake gingerbread cookies but don’t want to spend all day chilling, rolling, and cutting, make a half batch then get on with your day.

This list is made up of my favorite small batch cookie recipes. Some are unique Christmas cookies, like cherry snowballs. Others are among the most popular and most traditional, like chocolate chip.

Most recipes make about 1 dozen cookies or less. I do have some snowball cookies that make around 15 or so, but they’re smaller than the average cookie.


Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (2)

Before I get to the recipes, I want to address a few of your cookie troubleshooting questions.

How do you decorate cookies for Christmas?

The most popular way to decorate Christmas cookies is with cookie cutters, but what about those recipes that aren’t cut out cookies?

One way is to decorate with red and green sprinkles. As you can see in the photo above, I amped up my basic peanut butter cookie cup recipe by adding sprinkles while the chocolate was warm.

Another way is to use red and green candies, such as M&Ms and chocolate chips.

A third way is to use Christmas cupcake liners for smaller cookies such as chocolate chip snowballs.

How do you make cookies ahead of time?

One of the best ways to reduce stress for the holiday season is to make your cookies ahead of time.

Most cookies can last about 2-3 weeks at room temperature as long as they’re properly stored in an airtight container.

Another option to making cookies ahead of time is to freeze them for up to three months. There are two ways you can freeze cookies:

  1. Make the dough as directed, scoop into dough balls, then freeze until ready to bake. You’ll still need time to bake and cool before serving, but the majority of the work is already done.
  2. Bake the cookies fully then freeze after they cool completely. Let them thaw for a few hours before serving.

How to mail Christmas cookies

One of the fun parts about baking Christmas cookies is giving them away as gifts. However, not everybody lives in the same town.

One solution is to ship Christmas cookies in the mail, surprising your recipient with a tasty treat. I share my tips for mailing cookies in another post.

What to do with leftover egg whites?

Because a lot of my small batch cookie recipes use egg yolks, that means you’ll have leftover egg whites.

To cut back on food waste this season, here are some recipes using leftover egg whites:

  • Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies – Another cookie option to add to your holiday baking.
  • Small Batch Angel Food Cupcakes – When you need a break from all of the cookies.
  • Angel Food Cake in a Loaf Pan – This recipe uses 6 egg whites if you’re looking to use up a whole bunch at once.
  • Baked Coconut Shrimp – A savory option because you still need to eat dinner.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes

Love to bake cookies from scratch? Here are the Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes to add to your cookie tray this holiday season.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (3)

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield 8 cookies

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy, which everyone will enjoy. Use red and green chocolate chips for a more festive look.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (4)

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield 1 dozen

Soft and chewy with a bit of spice and fresh ginger, these small batch Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies will be Santa’s new favorite Christmas cookie.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (5)

Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield 1 dozen cookies

Add some brightness to your cookie tray with soft Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies.

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Small Batch Snickerdoodles (Without Cream Of Tartar)

Love cinnamon sugar? These Small Batch Snickerdoodles Without Cream Of Tartar are thick, soft, and chewy cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (7)

Yield 9 cookies

Learn how to make soft and chewy Small Batch M&M Cookies for all of your cookie craving needs! Use red and green M&MS for a Christmas touch.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (8)

Small Batch Gingerbread Cookies with Eggless Royal Icing

Yield 9 cookies

Small Batch Gingerbread Cookies made without shortening and decorated with an eggless royal icing.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (9)

Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies

Yield 1 dozen

Change up your typical sugar cookie recipe with Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies! Recipe includes an egg free royal icing.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (10)

Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies

Yield 1 dozen

Soft and chewy Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies with chocolate chips and spices taste like Christmas wrapped up inside a cookie (and won’t break your teeth).

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (11)

Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies

Yield 15 cookies

These Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies are little buttery cookies with a melt in your mouth texture covered in powdered sugar. They are the perfect size for your holiday cookie tray!

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (12)

Lemon Snowball Cookies

Yield 12 cookies

Easy melt-in-your-mouth small batch lemon snowball cookies tossed in powdered sugar. Use mini cupcake liners to add some festive flair.

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Cherry Coconut Snowball Cookies

Yield 15 cookies

Melt-in-your-mouth cherry almond snowball cookies with a maraschino cherry surprise in the middle and coconut coating

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Small Batch Eggless Cheesecake Cookies

Yield 8 cookies

Small Batch Cheesecake Cookies are eggless cream cheese cookies rolled in graham cracker crumbs for a nice crunchy texture.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (15)

Small Batch Eggless Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies

Yield 8 cookies

Small Batch Oreo Cheesecake Cookies are eggless chocolate cream cheese cookies rolled in Oreo crumbs for a nice crunchy texture.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (16)

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups (Small Batch)

Yield 8 cookie cups

These Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookie Cups combine both chocolate and peanut butter in one irresistible bite. Decorate with red and green sprinkles for the holiday.

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Peanut Butter Molasses Cookies

Yield 1 dozen

Soft on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, these nutty small batch Peanut Butter Molasses Cookies bring the flavors of the season to your holiday cookie tray.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (18)

Peanut Butter Nutella Crinkles

Yield 1 dozen

Are you Team Peanut Butter or Team Nutella? Now you can have the best of both worlds with these chocolate crinkle cookies made with Nutella and peanut butter!

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (19)

Small Batch Brownie Cookies

Yield 9 cookies

These chewy and fudgy Small Batch Brownie Cookies really do taste like brownies in cookie form and are unbelievably chocolatey thanks to one secret ingredient.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (20)

Small Batch Brown Sugar Cinnamon Coconut Cookies

Yield 9 cookies

Small Batch Brown Sugar Cinnamon Coconut Cookies are spiced coconut cookies that are crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle.

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (21)

Small Batch Soft Orange Cookies

Yield 9 cookies

Delicate and fruity Small Batch Soft Orange Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting using orange marmalade

Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (22)

Soft Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Yield 1 dozen cookies

Hate cutting out sugar cookies? No need to roll and cut dough with Soft Chocolate Sugar Cookies! Decorate with Christmas sprinkles.

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Best Small Batch Christmas Cookie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

These Are the Most Popular Christmas Cookies Across the United States—Peanut Butter Blossoms Topped the List! General Mills collected search data to determine which recipes were the favorites in all 50 states.

What's the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

How many days before Christmas should you make cookies? ›

Aim to make them about two weeks in advance if you keep them at room temperature. Making them one week or a few days in advance is even better if you are going for the freshest possible cookies. Remember that you can always make a new batch if you accidentally keep your cookies out for too long and they become stale.

What is the favorite Christmas cookie survey? ›

Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three.

What is the number one selling cookie in the world? ›

The biggest selling cookie in the world is the Oreo, with total sales in excess of 500 billion since its introduction in the US in 1912. Now a favourite in markets across the world, if every Oreo ever made were to be stacked on top of each other the pile would reach to the Moon and back more than six times.

What is America's favorite holiday cookie? ›

Peanut Butter Blossoms are America's favorite Christmas cookie, based both on total number of pageviews from the U.S. population as a whole, and number of states that ranked it as their top cookie (which is six, by the way).

What Christmas cookies stay fresh the longest? ›

Shortbread and Spritz Cookies

Cookies like shortbread and spritz are great candidates if you want cookies that'll last a while. In the freezer: You can keep shortbread and spritz in the freezer for up to six months.

What is the most loved cookie? ›

  1. Chocolate Chip Cookies. The beloved classic chocolate chip cookie combines rich, chewy dough with melted chocolate goodness. ...
  2. White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies. ...
  3. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. ...
  4. Sugar Cookies. ...
  5. Triple Chocolate Cookies. ...
  6. Cinnamon Sugar Cookies. ...
  7. Gingerbread Cookies. ...
  8. Fortune Cookies.
Sep 11, 2023

What is the most popular cookie to give to Santa? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

How many cookies do you need per person for Christmas? ›

How Many Cookies Each Person Should Make
Number of GuestsQuantity of Cookies Each Guest Brings
Intimate Party5 to 102.5 to 5 dozen each (30-60 cookies)
Medium Party10 to 155 to 7.5 dozen each (60-90 cookies)

How do you keep Christmas cookies from getting hard? ›

Keep Them Sealed

The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here's a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag.

Should you refrigerate Christmas cookies? ›

Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months.

What is America's favorite cookie? ›

America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip cookie is simply tantalizing both in flavor and in texture. The chips of both milk and dark chocolate provide you with a rich and strong flavor while the butter makes the cookies velvety.

What is the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

What is the 1 cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the most searched Christmas cookie on Google? ›

Italian Christmas Cookies grow as top cookie

Zoom in: Italian Christmas Cookies were the top cookie in 13 states, more than double the six states from 2022, Google Trends curator Katie Seaton told Axios. Seaton said the Italian cookies dominated the East Coast both this year and last year.

What is the most popular Christmas cookie in Texas? ›

The most searched holiday cookie in Texas was the classic Italian Christmas Cookie. It was also a top search for 14 other states. Neighboring states had a craving for a different kind of cookie.

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