This holiday season, four-ingredient Christmas cookie recipes are on the menu! Spend less time baking and more time eating.
1/31
Shortbread Cookie
From the Recipe Creator:
With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire
You’ll need only sugar, butter and flour to make these sophisticated, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies. They’re the perfect accompaniment to coffee or tea, not to mention a winner at the cookie swap.
2/31
Colorful Candy Bar Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
No one will guess these sweet treats with the candy bar center start with store-bought dough. Roll them in colored sugar or just dip the tops for even faster assembly. Instead of using miniature candy bars for the centers, you can also slice regular-sized Snickers candy bars into 1-inch pieces. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Quick, the guests are arriving and we’re almost out of cookies! No problem: Store-bought sugar cookie dough and mini Snickers candy bars join forces for a shortcut recipe you can make in less than an hour.
3/31
Peppermint Puff Pastry Sticks
From the Recipe Creator:
I wanted to impress my husband's family with something you'd expect to find in a European bakery, and these chocolaty treats are what I came up with. The flaky pastry melts in your mouth. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon
The next time you’re at the grocery store, stock up on frozen puff pastry. These cookies are ready in 30 minutes, but they’ll disappear even faster.
4/31
Festive Meringue Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
These festive treats sparkle not only during the holidays but for other occasions year-round. Use colored sugar or food coloring to change things up. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
If you’ve ever seen those whimsical little meringue cookies at the bakery and wondered how they’re made, you’re about to find out. You’ll need an electric mixer or hand mixer and a pastry bag to pull it off.
5/31
Christmas Wreath Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
Cornflakes take the place of traditional rice cereal in these sweet no-bake Christmas wreath cookies. Dressed up with green food coloring and red candies, they’re a pretty addition to cookie platters and dessert buffets. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
This festive twist on Rice Krispies treats will add holiday cheer to the dessert table. To make them ahead, place the wreaths in a resealable freezer-proof bag with waxed paper between the layers of cookies. Press out the air, seal the bag and place it in another bag before popping them in the freezer for up to a month.
6/31
3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
Customize this easy recipe by adding vanilla or almond extract. You could even mix in sprinkles or miniature chocolate chips. For a fun look, dip the tops in tononpareils before baking. —Molly Allen, Hood River, Oregon
Keep this easy, three-ingredient sugar cookie recipe on hand for holiday cookie decorating. Add vanilla extract, almond extract or peppermint extract to create a variety of festive cookie flavors.
7/31
Brown Sugar Shortbread
From the Recipe Creator:
These rich buttery cookies have just three ingredients! They're a snap to make for a last-minute gift or when guests will be arriving on short notice. For the best results, gradually stir the flour into the dough. —Shirley Gardiner, Clearwater, Manitoba
Butter, brown sugar and flour are all you need to create this flaky, classic shortbread recipe. Best of all, you can freeze them wrapped in parchment in an airtight container for up to three months.
8/31
Spearmint Thins
From the Recipe Creator:
No time to bake cookies from scratch? Create a tasty treat in little more than half an hour by doctoring butter-flavored crackers with vanilla chips and mint candies. —Kathleen Felton, Fairfax, Iowa
Wait, don’t throw out those broken candy canes! Crush them to top these deliciously minty cookies. Best of all, these cookies are no-bake, so you won’t even have to turn on the oven.
9/31
Cream Cheese Dainties
From the Recipe Creator:
Cream cheese makes these tender treats melt in your mouth. —Lynne Stewart, Julian, Pennsylvania
We love a classic cookie, but these delightful little pockets will add something new to your dessert spread. And thanks to store-bought cream cheese and preserves, they practically make themselves.
10/31
Mint Sandwich Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
Canned frosting, peppermint extract and chocolate candy coating quickly turn crackers into these wonderful little no-bake cookies. My children and I like to assemble them for parties and holidays. I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do. —Melissa Thompson, Anderson, Ohio
These minty sandwich cookies have a secret: They’re actually butter crackers with frosting sandwiched in between. Dunk them in a melted candy coating and your guests will think the finished product is store-bought.
11/31
Cherry Snowball Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
These simple cookies have a delicate buttery flavor complemented by the cherry surprise in the center. They've become a holiday favorite for my family. —Joy Schuster, Glentana, Montana
Your guests don’t have to know that these sugar-dusted cookies took you only 35 minutes to prep and bake. Best of all, each one has a maraschino cherry hidden inside.
12/31
Palmier Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
It takes just two ingredients to make these impressive but easy-to-do French pastries, which are often called palm leaves. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
While these classic French cookies might look daunting, they’re easy to make with a shortcut: puff pastry dough. Just unroll the puff pastry, dust it with granulated sugar, roll it back up, slice and bake.
13/31
Chocolate Caramel Wafers
From the Recipe Creator:
To keep my holiday cooking quick, I've come to rely on fast recipes like this one. The crunchy-chewy tidbits are our youngster's favorite. —Susan Laubach, Vida, Montana
Holiday recipes don’t have to be complicated and time-consuming, and this cookie recipe proves it. Just drizzle some melted caramel on some store-bought vanilla wafers, top each cookie with a chocolate square and add nuts if you wish.
14/31
Meringue Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
These sweet little swirls are light as can be. They're all you need after a big, special dinner. —Jenni Sharp, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Light and airy with that unmistakable crunch, meringue cookies are a must on any dessert tray. This basic recipe will get you started, but you can add a few drops of food coloring or dip them into melted chocolate to shake things up.
15/31
Homemade Butterfinger Bites
From the Recipe Creator:
Bent on using up a stash of leftover candy corn, I decided to experiment. Turns out, if you melt it, mix it with peanut butter and coat the balls with chocolate, you get a softer, denser version of a Butterfinger bite. Who knew? They’re delicious! —Melissa Hansen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
If you’re like me, you still have a bag of leftover candy corn in the pantry from Halloween. Put it to good use in this four-ingredient recipe that can be made entirely in the microwave.
16/31
Scottish Shortbread
From the Recipe Creator:
My mother, who is of Scottish heritage, passed this shortbread recipe, along with other favorite recipes, on to me. When I entered this treat at our local fair, it won a red ribbon. —Rose Mabee, Selkirk, Manitoba
What makes this shortbread recipe Scottish? A traditional Scottish recipe uses only four ingredients: Sugar, butter, flour and salt (with some recipes omitting the salt). Unlike other shortbread recipes, this version doesn’t contain any leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder.
17/31
Cool Whip Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
Looking for a quick and easy cookie recipe? With just four ingredients, chocolaty Cool Whip cookies may just be the easiest recipe of them all! The dough is very sticky—chilling it briefly before scooping makes it easier to work with. —Nancy Mock, Southbridge, Massachusetts
Cool Whip and a boxed chocolate cake mix team up to create the ultimate shortcut recipe. Our editors recommend using a cookie scoop to make this sticky dough easier to work with and to get more uniform cookies.
18/31
Coconut Macaroons
From the Recipe Creator:
These chewy cookies are my husband's favorite, so he requests them often. I like to make the macaroons on cold winter days and keep them in an airtight bowl on the kitchen counter. They never last long! —Peggy Key, Grant, Alabama
If you’re a coconut fan (or know someone who is), this chewy macaroon recipe needs to be a part of your holiday spread. To freeze, bake the cookies and let them cool completely, then separate them with layers of parchment and place them in an airtight container. Before serving, allow the macarons to return to room temperature.
19/31
Devil’s Food Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
Most people don’t realize that these cookies are low in fat. You actually get more than two dozen of the treats from a cake mix and just four other common ingredients. —Melanie Van Den Brink, Rock Rapids, Iowa
These devil’s food cookies are made with the help of—you guessed it—store-bought devil’s food cake mix. To bring out the flavor of the chocolate, swap in strongly brewed coffee for the water in the recipe.
20/31
Lemon Snowflakes
From the Recipe Creator:
You’ll need just four ingredients to make these delightful lemon snowflake cookies. Confectioners’ sugar highlights the cracked tops to give them their snowflake appearance. —Linda Barry, Dianna, Texas
While this recipe calls for store-bought whipped topping, you can make your own whipped cream from scratch. However, our editors warn that it is not a one-to-one substitution and it might affect the texture of the cookies. Find out more about how to replace whipped topping in a recipe.
21/31
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
It is amazing how much flavor is in these simple three-ingredient peanut butter cookies without brown sugar. I make them very often because I always have the ingredients on hand. —Maggie Schimmel, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
There’s nothing like the taste of peanut butter cookies right out of the oven. Luckily, you can make them in just 30 minutes with three ingredients. Don’t forget to create the classic score marks with a fork before you bake them.
22/31
Chocolate Peanut Butter Grahams
From the Recipe Creator:
Because so many people seem to love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, I came up with this no-bake cookie recipe. —Geraldine Sliwa, Elgin, Illinois
If you’re like me, you always have a half-full and forgotten box of graham crackers in the pantry. Spread them with peanut butter and dip them in melted candy coating for a tasty cookie your guests won’t believe you made yourself.
23/31
Grossmutter’s Peppernuts
From the Recipe Creator:
Before Christmas, my grandmother would bake peppernuts and store them until the big day. When we came home from school, the whole house would smell like anise and we knew the holiday season was about to begin. —Marilyn Kutzli, Clinton, Iowa
This year, add peppernuts, a traditional Mennonite Christmas cookie, to your dessert table. Anise extract is the secret to their festive spiced flavor.
24/31
Raspberry Almond Strips
From the Recipe Creator:
Get ready to pour yourself a cup of tea, because you won’t be able to resist sampling one of these cookies. Almonds add taste and texture to the simple strips that are dressed up with raspberry pie filling. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
My family loves playing board games during the holidays, and there’s no better snack to accompany the fun. Pair them with a warm cup of tea or coffee.
25/31
Gluten-Free Almond Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
My friend loved these gluten-free almond cookies so much that she had to ask for the recipe! Quick and easy, they taste as good as the decadent treats I make using puff pastry and almond paste. Everyone loves them! —Sherri Cox, Lucasville, Ohio
Believe it or not, these crunchy cookies contain no flour. Instead, egg whites, sugar, almond paste and salt create the airy dessert.
26/31
Chocolate Butterscotch Haystacks
From the Recipe Creator:
My grandmother used to make this haystacks recipe to give to my cousin Vonnie and me when our parents didn't want us to have any more sweets. —Christine Schwester, Divide, Colorado
When you’re making multiple holiday cookies at once, it’s a good idea to have a few no-bake options that don’t monopolize the oven. This haystack recipe requires no baking, only refrigeration, and features only three ingredients: semisweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and chow mein noodles.
27/31
No-Bake Cookie Butter Blossoms
From the Recipe Creator:
Chewy and sweet, these easy treats mix Rice Krispies, cookie spread and chocolate kisses in an unforgettable spin on an old favorite. —Jessie Sarrazin, Livingston, Montana
These sweet bite-sized treats are ready in minutes with only a few ingredients. Best of all, there’s no baking required, so you can satisfy your sweet tooth right away.
28/31
Easy Mint Thins
From the Recipe Creator:
My friends often try to guess the ingredients, but I never tell them how simple these cookies are to make. They taste just like the Girl Scout cookie, and they're perfect for Christmas and bake sales. —Jennifer Setser, Morgantown, Indiana
Add a pop of color to your cookie spread with these candy-coated Ritz crackers. You can decorate them with sprinkles, crushed spearmint candies or green colored sugar.
29/31
Almond Butter Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
These four-ingredient almond butter cookies come together very quickly and are a nice change from the more traditional peanut butter cookies. They can be made with any kind of nut butter you like. —Heather Chambers, Largo, Florida
You’ve had peanut butter cookies, but have you ever tried almond butter cookies? Whether you make your almond butter or pick up a jar from the grocery store, this favorite cookie still includes only four ingredients: almond butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract.
30/31
Texas Tumbleweeds
From the Recipe Creator:
Tumbleweeds blow across the roads in some parts of Texas, and I think these cute stacks look like them. I've been making these sweets with my sister for years. —Karen Lemay, Seabrook, Texas
A little bit sweet, a little bit salty and a lot crunchy. You’ll need only 20 minutes to whip up this clever dessert, and it’s no-bake, so there’s no oven time required.
31/31
Hazelnut Dream Cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
I sampled these goodies at a Bible study and knew from the first bite that I had to have the recipe. To my surprise, the rich cookies require just four ingredients. —Julie Peterson, Crofton, Maryland
We’ve never met a Nutella dessert we didn’t like. It’s no surprise that we’re wild about these four-ingredient cookies. Just combine flour, an egg, chopped hazelnuts and, of course, Nutella, in a large bowl, then drop onto a baking sheet and bake. They’ll be ready in 10 minutes or less!
Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes with Few Ingredients FAQ
What are easy Christmas cookie recipes to make with few ingredients?
Shortbread cookies are some of the easiest Christmas cookies to make. In fact, you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen: butter, sugar and flour. Just cream the butter and sugar, add the flour, roll out the dough, cut the cookies and bake. You can keep them in the freezer until guests arrive, then thaw them completely when you’re ready to eat.
What are some simple Christmas cookies for beginners?
Every baker should master a classic sugar cookie recipe. Luckily, sugar cookies are a breeze to make, even for beginners! You’ll need unsalted butter, sugar and flour for the basic cookie. Once you have the quick and easy version down, spice things up with cinnamon, vanilla or almond extract, or crushed candy canes. You can also experiment with a variety of holiday-themed cookie cutters, as well as different toppings like sprinkles and royal icing.
Can I make Christmas cookies without butter?
If you’ve run out of butter or you have dairy-free guests coming, you can definitely still make simple Christmas cookies with minimal ingredients. Vegetable oil, margarine, shortening, vegan butter or even mayonnaise will work in a pinch. Keep in mind, however, that most substitutes aren’t a direct one-to-one swap. For example, if you’re using olive oil instead of butter, you’ll need to use only 3/4 cup oil to replace a cup of butter. Consult this guide to our favorite butter alternatives for more suggestions.
