What sets Christmas cookies apart from everyday cookies? They’re gorgeous, often thanks to Royal Icing. But you don’t need to be an artist to create cookies that look as good as they taste. From simple sugar cookies to spicy gingerbread men these Christmas cookies are ready for their close-up. Use the Recipe Maker to create your own beautiful cutouts.

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Vanilla Cut-Out Cookies

These classic holiday cookies can be cut into any size and shape, and you can change the flavor of the dough (chocolate, anyone?). Of course, the fun part comes after the cookies are baked.

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Lemon-Rosemary Christmas Trees

Rosemary gives these holiday cutout cookies a subtle piny touch, and lemon adds brightness.

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Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies

These German and Swiss-inspired cookies are rich and bittersweet, not only from dark chocolate and cocoa powder, but from espresso powder, which deepens and enriches the other flavors.

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Cardamom-Honey Cutouts

These cookies, with their match-made-in-heaven flavor pairing, are lightly-spiced and tender—the perfect antidote to standard uninspired butter cookie cutouts.

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Almond Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

Rich, buttery shortbread cookies are a natural for holiday gift giving. They’re sturdy, they keep well for a couple of weeks, and everyone loves them. These sweet sandwich cookies feature a peek-a-boo window, so dress them up with festive jams or preserves.
 

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Buttery Cutout Cookies

These buttery cookies flavored with lemon zest are the perfect canvas for sparkly sugar.

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Chocolate Cutout Cookies

A rich, buttery cocoa dough cut into star shapes is the perfect background for piped royal icing, gold dragées, or even gold leaf.

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Gingersnap Snowflakes

No one would mind a few inches of these sweet cookies. They capture the flavor of gingersnaps in a cookie that is rolled out and cut into festive snowflake shapes.

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Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Linzers are a classic Christmas cookie no platter is complete without. Use high-quality raspberry preserves for wonderful color and a stained-glass effect.

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Classic Gingerbread Men Cookies

These irresistible (and adorable) gingerbread cookies are spicy with an intense cinnamon aroma. A mild molasses flavors the cookies and finely grated orange zest adds a layer of complexity.

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Chocolate-Dipped Espresso Shortbread Cookies

Here, a simple shortbread is made luxurious with espresso and semisweet chocolate—flavors in perfect balance which make for a not too sweet, “grown-up” cookie.

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