“I love this recipe because it’s a box-ticker. It’s easy and can be made in batches and stored in the freezer. The texture of the cookie is soft on the inside (almost like a cake) but crunchy on the outside. ‘Burning’ the honey takes away a bit of sweetness and adds another layer of flavour, and the salt really brings out the floral notes in the honey. This cookie is incredible just out of the oven, but just as good a few days later! My tips are to not overwork the dough – creaming the mix too much will cause it to spread when baking. I like to bake any cookies in an egg ring or similar. This helps bake the cookie in a nice shape, and once it’s out of the oven, you can circle the ring around the cookie to create perfectly round edges.” - Rhiann Mead
52 Christmas cookies to get you in the festive spirit
Baking Christmas biscuits for Santa in exchange for his exciting delivery – or just to get in the spirit of adorning the Christmas tree – is an easy way to keep your little ones entertained for hours.
Jammy jewel cookies
Shine bright like a diamond this Christmas with these festive jam treats. Recipe note: Begin this recipe at least 6 hours ahead. You’ll need 9cm and 4cm diamond, square or round cookie cutters. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (cookies will soften a little).
Ginger nut cookies
These sweet ginger cookies can be enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee, but beware, you won't stop at one.
Linzen Christmas cookie wreath
“Apart from apples and cinnamon, there is no better combination than these buttery, hazelnutty cookies paired with a red fruit jam filling. You can make the wreath as a pretty table cookie centrepiece, or just turn all the dough into filled cookies.” – Natalie Paull
Almond and cardamom kipferl
These European crescent cookies make for an edible gift bathed in moonlight.
Pistazienringe (pistachio rings)
Ring in the festive season with these nutty shortbread cookies!
Christmas-spiced red velvet crackle cookies
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Kim Coverdale takes her cue from Santa’s colour scheme to create a vibrant red velvet cookie that's sure to make spirits bright.
Savoury chive and Comté (cheese) Christmas biscuits
Christmas gifting is never hard with versatile hard cheeses. Ellie and Sam Studd share a recipe that takes care of your cheese-loving friends… as well as that cheese in the back of your fridge.
Christmas sprinkle cookies
Need a last-minute gift idea? These easy Christmas cookies are quick to make and super simple to whip up with common pantry staples. Great to make with kids, these festive biscuits need only a few ingredients like butter, flour, eggs, sugar and the zest of one lemon to make a deliciously-crumby treat. Decorate with sprinkles of your choice (although we used red, green and white for Christmas!) and let the fun unfold.
Chewy chocolate and pistachio cookies
Move over chocolate chip, these soft and chewy cookies are studded with dark chocolate and nutty pistachios for a delicious flavour combination that's perfect for all your weekend baking. Plus, these make great edible gifts during the festive season.
Spiced eggnog cookies
You will need a 7cm snowflake cookie cutter and piping bag for this recipe.
Chocolate and dulce de leche cookies (alfajores)
"These biscuits are amazingly buttery and light, but you need to take care when rolling them out. Don’t hesitate to pop the dough back into the fridge or even freezer if it gets too soft." – Lucy Nunes
Hazelnut and Frangelico amaretti (cookies)
Silvia Colloca shares this adults-only Italian choc chip cookie.
Chocolate and eggnog shortbread biscuits
These cute cookies have loads of personality. We've taken traditional shortbread biscuits and spiked them with eggnog and chocolate for a Christmas twist. They are sweetly spiced and will come out in all kinds of patterns, depending on how you fold the dough. There’s no right or wrong way here… just lots of fun!
Occhi di bue (Italian jam cookies)
Silvia Colloca's jammy Italian biscotti are impossible to resist.