10 Easy Christmas Cookies for Once-a-Year Bakers

By Noel Christmas
November 19, 2020
Credit: Laurie

Everyone goes cookie-crazy at Christmas. Speaking personally (but not complaining) I'm surrounded by cut-out cookies with more icing detail than a painting, or gingerbread men that seem more like realistic life-models than treats. What's a non-baker like me to do if I want to get in on the fun? How about this: Just make some simple cookies that taste good and don't require a design degree — or professional baking skills — to make. Here are 10 of my favorite easy Christmas cookies that once-a-year bakers like me can make.

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Christmas Wreaths

Credit: Cheryl Marie
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These colorful wreaths are made with cornflakes and melted marshmallows tinted green with food dye and decorated with cinnamon candies. You can make one big wreath or individual bite-size wreaths. So easy, so cute!

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Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

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It's totally okay to, you know, just bake a good cookie. Let's face it, these cookies are called the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies for a reason. And that reason is people eat them immediately after looking at them.

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Peanut Blossoms II

Credit: Erica Tuley
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You want a little decoration, but not too much? Then this is for you. It's an easy cookie with the easiest "decoration" possible. Just remember, the chocolate goes on the fully-baked cookie. Not on the raw dough. Don't ask me how I know this. Watch the video to see how this all works out.

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4 of 10

Pretzel Turtles

Credit: France C
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Ooh! These have THREE different parts to the "cookie." But you don't have to make any of them! It's just a matter of placing one thing on top of another, popping them into a warm oven for a few minutes, then placing one more thing on top. There's really no better use of snacks than this.

5 of 10

Melted Snowman Cookies

Credit: The Gruntled Gourmand
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The great thing about these? They've got "melted" right in the title, so they look festive even if they look, well, melted! Plus, these are prime candidates for dressing up ready-made sugar cookies or refrigerated dough from the grocery store.

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No Bake Cookies III

Credit: KGora
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If you're as serious about not being a baker as I am, then these are for you. No oven, no problem.

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7 of 10

Saltine Toffee Cookies

Credit: Lena's Nova Scotia
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If you can boil water, you can make these cookies. In this case, you're boiling butter and brown sugar to make a caramel (just make sure it's at a full boil before you start the 3-minute timer). Watch the video to see what comes next. It's very easy, and everyone will think you do this for a living.

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3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

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No kidding. Three ingredients is all it takes to make these popular cookies. You COULD add one more ingredient just to dress them up the way Buckwheat Queen did: She rolled the cookie balls in a little extra sugar and pressed a peanut half into the top before baking.

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Cinnamon Palmiers

Credit: emendy613
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Sure, they look like they came from a fancy French bakery, but all you have to do is spread cinnamon sugar on refrigerated puff pastry and roll up the two sides until they meet in the middle. Slice, bake, and ooh la la.

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Reindeer Cookies

Credit: Laurie
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So, you want a good cookie, and you'd like people to feel a little festive when they see them? Then these Reindeer Cookies are what you need. Quick and easy holiday cheer!

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By Noel Christmas