Every December, a handful of cookie recipes take over every feed, every cookie exchange and every kitchen counter — and this year's lineup is better than ever. The winners look spectacular in a photo but stay honest in the kitchen: snowy chocolate crinkles, jewel-red thumbprints, glossy royal-iced sugar cookies and a matcha-green showstopper.
This is the complete Tivano Christmas cookie playbook — 12 full recipes with real quantities and step-by-step methods, written the way they actually work. Bake three for a cookie box, six for an exchange, or all twelve across December weekends. One practical note: most doughs improve with a chill, so make them the day before.
1. Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Prep: 20 minutes + 2 hours chilling · Cook: 11 minutes · Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
130 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
50 g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt
100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar, for rolling
60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar, for rolling
Method
1. Whisk the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until glossy. Fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt to a soft, brownie-like dough.
2. Cover and chill at least 2 hours, or overnight — warm dough loses the crackle.
3. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line two trays with parchment.
4. Scoop tablespoon balls. Roll each first in granulated sugar, then generously in powdered sugar — the double coat is what makes the crackle bold.
5. Bake 10–11 minutes until the tops are cracked and the centers still look slightly soft. Cool on the tray 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
2. Hot Cocoa Cookies with Marshmallow
Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 12 minutes · Serves: 20 cookies
Ingredients
170 g (¾ cup) butter, softened
200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
1 egg + 1 tsp vanilla extract
250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
40 g (⅓ cup) hot cocoa mix (sweetened)
1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
150 g (1 cup) chocolate chips
10 large marshmallows, halved
Method
1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa mix, baking soda and salt; fold into the butter mixture with the chocolate chips.
3. Scoop 2-tablespoon balls onto lined trays, spaced well apart.
4. Bake 9 minutes. Press a marshmallow half, cut-side down, into the center of each cookie.
5. Return to the oven 2–3 minutes until the marshmallows puff. Cool 10 minutes — the centers stay gooey.
3. Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 14 minutes · Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
225 g (1 cup) butter, softened
135 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
1 egg yolk + 1 tsp vanilla extract
280 g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
160 g (½ cup) seedless raspberry jam
Method
1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in the yolk and vanilla.
2. Fold in the flour and salt to a soft dough. Roll into 2.5 cm (1 in) balls and place on lined trays.
3. Press your thumb (or a teaspoon back) into each ball to make a deep well; pinch any cracks back together.
4. Fill each well with about ½ teaspoon of jam — no more, or it bubbles over.
5. Bake 13–14 minutes until the edges are just golden; the jam sets as they cool.
4. Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies
Prep: 15 minutes + 1 hour chilling · Cook: 11 minutes · Serves: 22 cookies
Ingredients
115 g (½ cup) butter, softened
225 g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg + 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 box (about 430 g / 15 oz) yellow cake mix
60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar, for rolling
Red and green sprinkles
Method
1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until completely smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Mix in the cake mix until a very soft dough forms. Chill 1 hour so it can be handled.
3. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Roll tablespoon balls in powdered sugar until thickly coated; press a pinch of sprinkles on top of each.
4. Place on lined trays and bake 10–11 minutes. They should look slightly underdone in the center — that is the gooey part.
5. Cool fully on the tray. They firm up into soft, crackly, cheesecake-like cookies.
5. Classic Gingerbread Cookies
Prep: 25 minutes + 2 hours chilling · Cook: 9 minutes · Serves: 30 cookies
Ingredients
415 g (3⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp nutmeg
170 g (¾ cup) butter, softened
150 g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
1 egg
170 g (½ cup) molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
1. Whisk the flour, soda, salt and spices. In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar; beat in the egg, molasses and vanilla.
2. Combine wet and dry into a firm dough. Divide in two discs, wrap and chill 2 hours or overnight.
3. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Roll one disc on a floured surface to 5 mm (¼ in) thick.
4. Cut out people, stars and trees; place on lined trays. Re-roll scraps once.
5. Bake 8–9 minutes for soft centers, 10 for crisp. Cool completely before decorating with royal icing (recipe 7) or a simple powdered-sugar glaze.
6. Peppermint Bark Cookies
Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 12 minutes · Serves: 18 cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 cup) butter, softened
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg + 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 50 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- 170 g (6 oz) white chocolate, melted
- 60 g (½ cup) crushed candy canes
Method
1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar; beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract.
2. Fold in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Scoop 2-tablespoon balls onto lined trays and flatten slightly.
3. Bake 11–12 minutes. Cool completely — warm cookies melt the topping off.
4. Dip the top of each cookie into melted white chocolate (or spread it), then immediately sprinkle with crushed candy cane.
5. Leave 20 minutes for the chocolate to set into that classic bark snap.
7. Decorated Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Prep: 30 minutes + 1 hour chilling · Cook: 9 minutes · Serves: 28 cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 cup) butter, softened
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg + 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 360 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt
- Royal icing: 240 g (2 cups) powdered sugar, 2 tbsp meringue powder, 4–5 tbsp water, gel food coloring
Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar; beat in the egg and vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Chill the dough 1 hour.
2. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Roll to 5 mm (¼ in), cut festive shapes and bake 8–9 minutes, until the edges are set but not browned. Cool completely.
3. Whisk the icing ingredients to a consistency that ribbons for 10 seconds before melting back — that is flood consistency. Tint small bowls as needed.
4. Pipe an outline around each cookie, then flood the center and nudge the icing to the edges with a toothpick.
5. Add sprinkles or details while wet. Dry at least 6 hours (overnight is safest) before stacking.
8. Holiday Snickerdoodles
Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 10 minutes · Serves: 26 cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 cup) butter, softened
- 300 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs + 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 340 g (2¾ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- Rolling mix: 50 g (¼ cup) sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon + red and green colored sugars
Method
1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in the eggs and vanilla.
2. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt; fold into the butter mixture.
3. Roll tablespoon balls in the cinnamon-sugar mix — half the batch in red sugar, half in green.
4. Place on lined trays and bake 9–10 minutes until puffed with crackly tops.
5. They sink slightly as they cool — that soft, chewy middle is exactly right.
9. Raspberry Linzer Cookies
Prep: 30 minutes + 1 hour chilling · Cook: 11 minutes · Serves: 16 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 cup) butter, softened
- 135 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg + 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp almond extract
- 300 g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 100 g (1 cup) almond flour
- ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt
- 160 g (½ cup) seedless raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar; beat in the egg and both extracts. Fold in the flours, cinnamon and salt. Chill 1 hour.
2. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Roll to 4 mm (⅛ in) and cut 5 cm (2 in) rounds.
3. Cut a small star or circle from the center of half the rounds — those are the tops.
4. Bake all rounds 10–11 minutes until pale golden at the edges. Cool completely.
5. Dust the tops generously with powdered sugar. Spread jam on the bottoms and sandwich gently.
10. Pecan Pie Crescent Cookies
Prep: 25 minutes · Cook: 13 minutes · Serves: 30 cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 cup) butter, softened
- 200 g (7 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- Filling: 100 g (1 cup) finely chopped pecans, 100 g (½ cup) brown sugar, 2 tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp cinnamon
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Method
1. Beat the butter and cream cheese; fold in the flour and salt to a soft dough. Divide into 3 discs and chill 1 hour.
2. Stir all the filling ingredients together.
3. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Roll one disc into a 25 cm (10 in) circle on a sugared surface. Spread with a third of the filling.
4. Cut the circle into 10 wedges. Roll each wedge up from the wide edge to form a crescent; place point-down on lined trays.
5. Bake 12–13 minutes until lightly golden. Cool, then dust heavily with powdered sugar.
11. White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 11 minutes · Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 170 g (¾ cup) butter, softened
- 150 g (¾ cup) brown sugar + 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg + 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
- 170 g (1 cup) white chocolate chips
- 120 g (1 cup) dried cranberries
- Zest of 1 orange
Method
1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Cream the butter and both sugars; beat in the egg, vanilla and orange zest.
2. Whisk the flour, soda and salt; fold in with the white chocolate chips and cranberries.
3. Scoop 2-tablespoon balls onto lined trays.
4. Bake 10–11 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers look just set.
5. Cool 5 minutes on the tray.
12. Matcha Christmas Tree Cookies
Prep: 25 minutes + 30 minutes chilling · Cook: 10 minutes · Serves: 20 cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g (1 cup) butter, softened
- 135 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 280 g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp culinary-grade matcha powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100 g (3.5 oz) white chocolate, melted, for decorating
- Tiny sprinkles or edible stars
Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar; beat in the yolk and vanilla. Sift in the flour, matcha and salt; fold to a green dough. Chill 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F. Roll to 5 mm (¼ in) and cut Christmas tree shapes.
3. Bake 9–10 minutes — pull them while still vivid green; browning dulls the color.
4. Cool completely, then pipe or drizzle melted white chocolate in zigzag garlands down each tree.
5. Add a sprinkle star on top before the chocolate sets.
The Bottom Line
Twelve cookies, one December. If you bake only three, make the crinkles, the gingerbread (not Christmas without it) and the matcha trees. Chill your doughs, coat your crinkles twice, and let royal icing dry overnight before stacking. Which one goes in your cookie box this year? Tell us in the comments — and save this post for December.
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