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Christmas Cookie Baking Essentials: Recipes, Tools & Treats
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items A Christmas cookie tray can start with one familiar favourite and a little room to try something new. Here are six baked cookie recipes, four no-bake treats, and practical tools, ingredients and packaging ideas to help you plan a family baking day or...
Sections
5
Classic Christmas Cookies
Easy No-Bake Christmas Treats
Essential Cookie Baking Tools
Decorating, Ingredients & Gift Packaging
Holiday Cookie Video Inspiration
Classic Christmas Cookies
Six baked favourites for a Christmas cookie tray: allow time for dough to chill and cookies to cool before decorating.
Baked recipe. A lovely starting point for a family decorating afternoon: cut-out cookies with an easy glaze icing and plenty of room for your own colours. Roll the dough before chilling, and plan ahead if you're gifting them: the icing needs about 24...
Christmas Sugar Cookies with Easy Icing | Baked
For anyone who wants gingerbread people on the Christmas tray, this King Arthur recipe brings together molasses and warm spices with clear rolling and baking instructions. Chill the dough first; rolling it thinner makes a crisper cookie, while a thic...
Traditional Gingerbread Cookies | Baked
Sometimes a simple buttery cookie is just what the holiday tray needs. King Arthur's shortbread is a useful choice when you want a classic alongside more decorated treats. Follow the recipe's pan preparation and cooling directions so the shortbread h...
Classic Shortbread | Baked
These peanut butter cookies with a chocolate Kiss are a familiar choice for cookie exchanges and family trays. Sally explains how chilling the dough helps it hold its shape, then briefly freezing the finished cookies helps set the chocolate. Contains...
Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms | Baked
A little lemon gives a cookie tray a welcome change from chocolate and spice. These buttery thumbprints can be finished with lemon curd or raspberry jam, so they suit anyone who enjoys a fruity centre. Check the filling and storage directions before ...
Double Lemon Thumbprints | Baked
For the chocolate lovers at your cookie exchange, these cocoa cookies add that snowy, crackled finish without detailed icing work. The dough needs chilling before shaping. Follow Sally's coating instructions rather than skipping straight to the confe...
Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies | Baked
Easy No-Bake Christmas Treats
Four treats for days when the oven is busy. No-bake can still involve stovetop heat and time in the fridge; peppermint bark is candy.
A handy option when the oven is already busy: chocolate, peanut butter and oats come together on the stovetop, then set in the refrigerator. No-bake still means some hot cooking and chilling time, so younger helpers need an adult for the saucepan. Co...
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
These little chocolate-coated treats are a good choice when you want something festive without making cookie dough. Crushed Oreos and cream cheese form the centres, with chocolate and optional decorations outside. Keep them refrigerated, and choose a...
Four-Ingredient Oreo Balls | No-Bake
An advance-prep option for an adults' holiday gathering: these rum balls use Biscoff crumbs, pecans and rum, and benefit from time in the fridge. They contain alcohol and tree nuts, and the alcohol is not baked off. Keep them separate from children's...
Festive Rum Balls | No-Bake, Adults Only
This is candy rather than a cookie, but it adds a festive peppermint crunch to a homemade treat box. Sally uses layers of white and dark chocolate with crushed candy canes. Allow time for the layers to set, and use the chocolate types recommended in ...
Peppermint Bark | No-Bake Candy
Essential Cookie Baking Tools
Start with what you already own, then fill the gaps that would make measuring, mixing, baking and cooling easier.
Two aluminum half-sheet pans let you prepare one batch while another bakes, which is useful when you're making several kinds of Christmas cookies. Check your oven and storage space before choosing full-size pans, and let each pan cool before adding f...
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet Pans, 2-Pack
Parchment makes moving cookies and cleaning up sticky decorating projects a little easier. This roll is useful for lining baking sheets and setting chocolate-dipped treats. Cut it to fit your pan and follow the 425°F limit: parchment isn't the same a...
Reynolds Unbleached Parchment Paper, 45 sq ft
A scoop helps keep drop-cookie portions similar, which makes a busy baking session easier to manage. This medium size has a squeeze release and a soft grip. Match the portion to your recipe: a scoop won't replace rolling out sugar cookies or gingerbr...
OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
A small set can be plenty for an afternoon of decorating: this one includes a gingerbread person, snowflake and Christmas tree. Use it with chilled roll-out dough for holiday trays or family baking. Hand wash and dry the metal cutters well before put...
Wilton Christmas Metal Cookie Cutters, 3-Piece
If judging dough thickness by eye feels fiddly, removable rings give you a guide as you roll. This pin offers five thickness settings and can also be used without the rings. Choose the setting your recipe calls for, and hand wash the wooden pin.
Joseph Joseph Precision Adjustable Rolling Pin
A hand mixer is useful for creaming butter and sugar when you want electric help without storing a stand mixer. This five-speed model includes standard beaters and a cord that locks to either side. Start slowly with dry ingredients; very stiff dough ...
KitchenAid Ultra Power 5-Speed Hand Mixer, Contour Silver
Separate bowls make it easier to keep flour mixtures, wet ingredients and decorating bits organized. These 1.5-, 3- and 5-quart bowls have non-slip bases and nest for storage. They're a practical option for a small kitchen, but check the material sui...
OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Mixing Bowl Set
For recipes that include gram weights, a scale takes away some of the guesswork from measuring flour. This Escali Primo has a tare function, 1-gram increments and an 11-pound capacity. Set it on a firm, level surface and follow the recipe's weight me...
Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale, Chrome
Cookies need somewhere to cool before the icing comes out. This wire rack allows air underneath, and its handles help with moving it around the kitchen. Check its overall dimensions against your counter and pans; one rack may need to be cleared betwe...
OXO Non-Stick Pro Ceramic Cooling & Baking Rack
The narrow jar spatula is handy for peanut butter, while the small spatula helps scrape bowls and stir smaller portions of icing. This dishwasher-safe pair suits the little jobs around a baking session. For a big bowl of stiff dough, you'll still wan...
OXO 2-Piece Silicone Spatula Set
Even with a scale, cups and spoons are useful for small ingredients and recipes written by volume. This set has etched markings and magnetic handles that keep the pieces together in the drawer. Level dry ingredients carefully, and use a liquid measur...
OXO Stainless Steel Measuring Cups & Spoons Set
Decorating, Ingredients & Gift Packaging
Small finishing touches for colourful cookies and thoughtful homemade gifts. Check allergens and storage needs before sharing.
For bakers ready to try simple outlines and decorative details, this starter set includes six stainless-steel tips, a coupler and a reusable 10-inch bag. It's a manageable way to begin piping. The bag is small, so expect refills; shipping can add not...
Ateco 334 Piping Bag & Tip Decorating Set
A gel colour set gives you options for trees, snowflakes and all the little details on Christmas cookies. These concentrated colours suit icing and fondant; add a small amount at a time. They aren't automatically suitable for colouring melted chocola...
Wilton Gel Icing Colours, 12-Count
A small packet of classic Christmas colours is enough to dress up icing or freshly dipped chocolate without buying a cupboard full of decorations. Add them before the surface sets. These are crunchy nonpareils, so consider texture preferences and rea...
Christmas Red, Green & White Nonpareils, 2 oz
Vanilla is one of those pantry ingredients worth checking before a holiday baking day. This small bottle is useful for sugar cookies, shortbread and other recipes that call for pure vanilla extract. Follow the recipe's amount, and remember the flavou...
McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, 2 fl oz
Set aside enough unwrapped Kisses before starting peanut butter blossoms so you're ready when the cookies come out. This bag contains the classic solid milk chocolates. Check the recipe's candy count rather than assuming one bag covers several batche...
Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate, 9.5 oz
A baking bar is useful when a treat recipe calls for chopped, melted chocolate rather than chips. This bittersweet option suits bakers who prefer a less sweet chocolate layer. Match it to the recipe: peppermint bark also needs white chocolate, which ...
Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Bar, 4 oz
A reusable snowflake tin makes a small batch of homemade treats feel like a gift without much extra wrapping. Check the inside space against your cookies before buying, and separate delicate layers with food-safe paper. Don't assume a decorative tin ...
Wondershop Snowflakes Christmas Tin
For sharing a whole cookie plate, this kit brings together six paper trays, six clear bags, six gift tags and twine. Use the tags for cookie names, allergens and any refrigeration note. It includes twine rather than ribbon; add your own festive ribbo...
Makery Christmas Cookie Tray Gifting Kit
Holiday Cookie Video Inspiration
A free visual companion from Sally's Baking Recipes: follow the current written recipe for quantities and updates.
If seeing the process helps more than reading alone, this free Sally's Baking Recipes video shows chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies coming together. It's a short visual companion to the written recipe. Use the current recipe page for quantities...
Sally's Baking Recipes: No-Bake Cookie Video