The 16 best easy Christmas cookies you can make in under an hour

The most delicious, festive cookies to make last minute.

In my family, Christmas cookie making and baking is a whole day affair. We start early, with pounds of butter and sugar at the ready, take a lunch break midday, and end when the light has already gone, packing up our cookie boxes and heading home to rest. But that's not how it has to be! Whether you have an event to go to and want to bring along something small, sweet, and festive, or you're away from home this year and need to bake up some nostalgia, these cookies will be ready to eat in an hour or less. From classic Thumbprint Cookies to Giant Ginger Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms to Pecan Tassies, you'll be surprised by the variety of 16 recipes below!

01 of 16

Thumbprint Cookies

"Don't like jam? You can also fill them with lemon curd, marmalade, melted chocolate, or even some dulce de leche or other caramel filling." —Garrett McCord, Recipe Developer

02 of 16

Walnut Snowball Cookies

"If you want the cookies to be meltingly tender, use cake flour. All-purpose flour has been the standard in these cookies for years and works just fine, though." —Hank Shaw, Recipe Developer

03 of 16

Giant Ginger Cookies

"For ease, you can substitute the ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves for an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice." —Elise Bauer, Founder

04 of 16

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

"When it comes to the peanut butter, feel free to use your favorite. I'm a smooth and creamy guy, but chunky peanut butter is fine, too. I even tested this recipe with an all-natural spread and the cookies turned out great—just be sure to mix the peanut butter thoroughly before adding it to the batter to get rid of any separation." —Aaron Hutcherson, Recipe Developer

05 of 16

3-Ingredient Macaroons

"For this recipe, flaked or shredded coconut both work just fine. Just make sure it’s sweetened—the soft, pliable shreds make for a much nicer texture than the drier, unsweetened kind." —Coco Morante, Recipe Developer

06 of 16

Almond Crescent Cookies

"Make these cookies vegan by using vegan butter." —Garrett McCord, Recipe Developer

07 of 16

Red Velvet Cookies

"I highly recommend using full fat cream cheese and not reduced fat cream cheese for this recipe. Don’t use whipped cream cheese, as the air that’s incorporated into it will throw off the measurements." —Irvin Lin, Recipe Developer

08 of 16

Date Skillet Cookie

"These are quite sweet, but don’t be tempted to reduce the sugar. I tried using only 1/2 cup of sugar and found that the cookies didn’t hold together as well and weren’t as crispy. If you’d like less sweet cookies, use unsweetened coconut flakes." —Sara Bir, Former Senior Editor

09 of 16

Pecan Tassies (Pecan Pie Cookies)

"The real magic here is in the crust. Whereas most tassie recipes have you beat softened butter and cream cheese with flour, I take a pie crust approach, pulsing cold, cubed butter and cream cheese with a blend of flour, sugar, and salt to form the dough. This means the crust is light and flaky." —Kayla Hoang, Recipe Developer

10 of 16

Potato Chip Cookies

"Crushed chips are important to achieve the proper texture, but don’t crush them up too finely. Break up the potato chips into about 1-inch pieces before mixing them into the cookie dough." —Molly Allen, Recipe Developer

11 of 16

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

"I like thick-cut oats in this recipe since they make a more substantial cookie, but it's fine to substitute regular rolled oats if you have trouble finding thick-cut." —Irvin Lin, Recipe Developer

12 of 16

Turtle Cookie Cups

"Any brand of chocolate covered caramel will work as long as it’s similar in size to a Rolo." —Kayla Hoang, Recipe Developer

13 of 16

Marzipan Shortbread Cookies

"You can stamp your cookies on an ungreased baking sheet or on a silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Cookies on an ungreased baking sheet will spread a little bit more, while those cooked on a silicone mat will have more height." —Coco Morante, Recipe Developer

14 of 16

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

"While any instant coffee granule will do, I use and recommend the VIA packets sold at Starbucks. The granules are finely ground, and dissolve easily in the mixture. If you use decaf granules, you won't have to worry about getting a coffee buzz from a cookie." —Elise

15 of 16

Brown Sugar Snickerdoodle Cookies

"If you love crispy, chewy snickerdoodles, press your snickerdoodles to about 1/8 inch thick before baking." —Shuna Lydon, Recipe Developer

16 of 16

Butter Pecan Cookies

"To make the cookies more even in shape, you can bake them in a muffin pan. But you'll still want to flatten the cookies before baking." —Elise