Make Ahead Cookie Recipes That Keep Your Christmas Cozy

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Making Christmas cookies is fun, but not when you’re doing it last minute. There’s enough stress during the holiday season, so why not make your cookies ahead?

In this collection, I’ve gathered 20 make ahead cookie recipes that will keep your Christmas cozy. From classics to new favorites, you’ll love being able to grab these cookies and go to Grandma’s house.

Strawberry Jam Cookies (Thumbprints)

Four round thumbprint cookies filled with red strawberry jam are arranged on a white plate, set atop a plaid cloth background.
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These sweet and buttery Strawberry Jam Cookies (Thumbprints) were a staple for me as a child. Every year we would make these for Santa and my mom’s cookie exchange, usually in large batches several weeks before Christmas. These freeze and thaw fantastically, making them the essential make-ahead Christmas cookie.

GET THIS RECIPE: Strawberry Jam Cookies (Thumbprints)

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Hot Cocoa Cookies

A plate of chocolate hot cocoa cookies topped with small marshmallows and sprinkled with graham cracker dust
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Hot Cocoa Cookies are like if a mug of warm chocolatey goodness morphed into a cookie. You can make the dough or the entire cookie far in advance of Christmas and freeze them for up to 3 months. Hot Cocoa Cookies involve only 6 ingredients and 8 minutes of baking, so they’re perfect for beginner bakers.

GET THIS RECIPE: Hot Cocoa Cookies

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Gingerbread Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting

Four Gingerbread Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting are stacked and arranged on a white surface
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Nothing screams Christmas like these Gingerbread Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting. These delicious cookies spice up a gingerbread box mix in a way that is sure to impress your friends and relatives. Gingerbread Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, so they’re great if you have time before the climax of the holiday season.

GET THIS RECIPE: Gingerbread Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting

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Chocolate Kiss Cookies

Two peanut butter cookies, each topped with a chocolate candy kiss, are surrounded by foil-wrapped chocolate kisses on a wooden surface
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Chocolate Kiss Cookies, or peanut butter blossoms as my family calls them, are peanut butter cookies topped with a Hershey’s Kiss. The result is a sugary cookie with a chocolatey peanut butter flavor perfect for the holidays. My family started making these more recently than the thumbprints but we wish we started earlier because they’re so quick and simple.

GET THIS RECIPE: Chocolate Kiss Cookies

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White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Close-up view of Christmas cookies with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries clustered together.
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Bring some classic Christmas cranberries to your holiday cookie spread with these White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. These cookies also have macadamia nuts to add some unique texture. They can be made in 15 minutes and dough can be frozen for three months until you have the time to make the cookies.

GET THIS RECIPE: White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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Turtle Cookies

A group of chocolate cookies covered with chocolate frosting and caramel topped with pecans on a wooden board.
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Turtle Cookies feature a magnificent combination of chocolate, caramel and pecans that you’ll love. The name comes from the cookies shared resemblance they have with turtle shells. Turtle Cookies can be made in 25 minutes and frozen in an airtight container for safe keeping until the holidays roll around.

GET THIS RECIPE: Turtle Cookies

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Fruitcake Cookies

A plate of chewy Christmas Cookies with red and green candied fruit pieces sits on a table next to a red and green cloth napkin
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These Fruitcake Cookies might not be everyone’s favorite but they sure are mine. This recipe is definitely something you can’t knock until you try, with its candied fruit that is sweet and tangy and dough that is chewy. After baking, the cookies will last for a week in an airtight container or three months if frozen.

GET THIS RECIPE: Fruitcake Cookies

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Smores Cookies

A stack of three Christmas Smores cookies with melted chocolate and marshmallows sits on a white napkin.
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Smores Cookies bring the warmth of a campfire to your holiday cookie tray. A bite into this cookie will reveal the marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker flavor you know and love. If you make these ahead of the holidays, they will keep for 3 months when frozen.

GET THIS RECIPE: Smores Cookies

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Italian Pizzelle Cookies

A stack of round, thin Christmas Pizzelle cookies with intricate patterns and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.
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Italian Pizzelle Cookies were a cookie exchange classic for me growing up. The delicate and intricate cookies were always gone very fast in comparison to the other cookies we received. The moms in my very Italian neighborhood could always count on Pizzelles to be a reliable cookie to make large batches of and distribute widely for the holidays.

GET THIS RECIPE: Italian Pizzelle Cookies

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Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies

Several light brown, round peanut butter cookies are arranged on a white surface, with one cookie broken open to show the inside texture of the peanut butter filling.
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Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies are a way to level up the peanut butter cookies you usually make for Christmas. The key to the gooey peanut butter center is freezing the peanut butter before baking. Speaking of freezing, you can preserve these cookies by freezing them in an airtight container until you need them.

GET THIS RECIPE: Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies

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Sugar Sprinkle Cookies

A plate of Christmas cookies topped with red, green, and white sprinkles, arranged on a white dish for a cozy Christmas treat.
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My neighbor who’s like a second grandma to us bakes these Sugar Sprinkle Cookies every year. They’re extremely easy to pack into a tin of other cookies and to transport wherever you need to. Whoever you choose to serve these to will love their vanilla funfetti flavor.

GET THIS RECIPE: Sugar Sprinkle Cookies

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Brownie Crinkle Cookies

A tray of chocolate brownie crinkle cookies dusted with powdered sugar with a metal sieve containing powdered sugar resting on top.
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Brownie Crinkle Cookies are like if brownies and cookies had a baby. They aren’t at all difficult to make as they involve brownie mix and only 4 other ingredients.

GET THIS RECIPE: Brownie Crinkle Cookies

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Christmas Peppermint Cookies

A plate of round Christmas Cookies with white chocolate chips and red peppermint pieces, garnished with peppermint candies, on a white dish.
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Christmas Peppermint Cookies feature peppermint, vanilla and white chocolate for a simple yet flavorful cookie. These can be made far in advance as they can freeze for up to four months. These cookies will stand out amongst the array of chocolate and fruit cookies.

GET THIS RECIPE: Christmas Peppermint Cookies

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Four round chocolate Oreo truffles on a white plate, two coated in dark chocolate and two in white chocolate, each decorated with white icing or chocolate crumbs.
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These Oreo Cookie Balls are simply pure gold. They are rich and indulgent, perfect for any chocolate and Oreo lovers. These were another cookie exchange classic growing up that extremely easy to make as they are a no-bake recipe.

GET THIS RECIPE: Oreo Cookie Balls

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Swirled Cookies

Five pink and yellow swirl Christmas cookies with red sprinkles sit on a wooden board next to a cooling rack and scattered red rose petals.
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These Swirled Cookies are a deliciously fun nod to holiday patterns such as peppermint. You can use whatever colors you want to adapt them to different holidays. The dough can be frozen then baked directly out of the freezer, no thawing needed.

GET THIS RECIPE: Swirled Cookies

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Snickers Cookies

Five Snickers chocolate pecan cookies rest on parchment paper, with one cookie partially broken to show the interior texture
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Have you ever looked at a Snickers bar and wished you could have it as a cookie? Well even if you haven’t, you and your family will love these Snickers Cookies for the holidays. The flavors of a Snickers bar are spread across this cookie, which can survive in the freezer for up to a year.

GET THIS RECIPE: Snickers Cookies

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Oreos Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies with pieces of chocolate sandwich Oreo cookies on top are arranged on a wooden surface. Whole sandwich cookies sit in the background.
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If you’ve ever desired a chocolate chip cookie with a bit more oomph, these Oreos Chocolate Chip Cookies are for you. These cookies have a chewy base that is complimented by the crunch from the Oreos. To keep fresh for the holidays, store these in an airtight container with a piece of bread.

GET THIS RECIPE: Oreos Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Grinch Sugar Cookies

Five green Grinch Christmas sugar cookies topped with powdered sugar and a small red heart decoration, arranged on a red and white checkered surface.
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Grinch Sugar Cookies are Grinch-green cookies that feature a small heart just like the Grinch’s. The dough features cream cheese and vanilla and they are topped with powdered sugar for a cookie that is as sweet as the Grinch is by the end of his story. This is another cookie dough that can be frozen then baked whenever you’re ready.

GET THIS RECIPE: Grinch Sugar Cookies

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Chocolate No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Three no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies are placed on a white wooden surface, showing a textured mixture of oats and chocolate.
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These Chocolate No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are kind of like if you transformed your favorite chocolate peanut butter cereal into a holiday cookie. Wherever you bring these, people will love channeling their inner Santa by dipping them into a glass of milk. You can create these cookies in 16 minutes and store them until the holidays roll around, making them perfect make-ahead cookies.

GET THIS RECIPE: Chocolate No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

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Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

A chocolate cookie with chocolate chips and Andes Candies pieces sits on a white square tile, perfect for Cozy Christmas gatherings, with other cookies visible nearby.
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If you enjoy Thin Mints, Andes Candies, or regular chocolate chip cookies, you’ll like these Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies can be made around Halloween then frozen for up to two months for Christmas.

GET THIS RECIPE: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Meet Christina

Woman in red blouse slicing lemons in a kitchen setting.

Hi there, it’s nice to meet you!  I’m a recipe developer, author, TV contributor and recipe hoarder that shares tried and true recipes anyone can make.  It Is a Keeper started in 2010 as a hobby that quickly grew.  Spending time in the kitchen has always made me happy – whether I’m making an old favorite that I know by heart or trying a new recipe. You can learn more about me here. 

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