Christmas cookies come with a schedule. You need several kinds, baked ahead, that keep well, travel well and look like you meant it. An ordinary cookie book can help with one good batch, but a holiday book should also help with the tray, the tin and the swap.
This guide gives seven books from named authors, editors and two established food brands. Six are about Christmas or holiday cookies, and the seventh is a broader holiday baking book with a cookie-swap chapter, which we flag in its entry. Few books met our rules, so we stopped at seven and did not pad the list.
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Quick verdict: the best Christmas cookie cookbook to start with
For most home bakers, start with Elisabet der Nederlanden’s Holiday Cookies, 50 tested recipes that Publishers Weekly called “this excellent holiday baking book.” For the biggest file of recipes, choose Taste of Home All New Christmas Cookies, with 143 sorted by type of cookie. To host a swap, choose Tracey Zabar’s Cookies for the Holidays.
The other four cover decorating, a whole season of baking, a large editor’s collection and a small cookie countdown to Christmas Eve.
Five Christmas cookie books side by side
Five of the seven, one for each kind of baker. All seven are described in full below.
| Cookbook | Best for | Recipes | Length | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![Holiday Cookies: Showstopping Recipes to Sweeten the Season [A Baking Book]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZwX9mPYyL._SL500_.jpg)
Holiday Cookies, Elisabet der NederlandenBest overall
|
Most home bakers | 50 | 168 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
Taste of Home All New Christmas Cookies, Taste of HomeBest big collection
|
A big December file | 143 | 208 pages, spiral-bound | View on Amazon |
Cookies for the Holidays, Tracey ZabarBest for cookie swaps
|
Hosting a cookie swap | 75 | 240 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
Good Housekeeping Holiday Cookies, Good HousekeepingBest for decorating
|
Decorated cookies | 100 | 144 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
| Counting down to Christmas | 24 | 64 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
Cover images from Amazon. Page counts and formats are from the Amazon listings for the editions linked. Recipe counts are from the publisher’s copy or the title.
Our picks for the best Christmas cookie cookbook, one by one
All seven were in stock, in print and new, and sold by Amazon when we checked. We have not baked from these books; where we describe a strength, we say whose view it is.
1. Holiday Cookies, Elisabet der Nederlanden – 50 Tested Recipes for the Season
This is the one book here with both a person’s name on the cover and a strong trade review we read ourselves. Publishers Weekly’s July 2017 review calls it “this excellent holiday baking book,” and singles out classics such as gingerbread cookies and icebox pinwheel cookies, an Around the World chapter with linzer augen, alfajores, kiffles and speculaas, and cookie-exchange tips.
Der Nederlanden is a professional baker and a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, according to her publisher, Ten Speed Press, and she has managed recipe testing and food styling for more than 30 cookbooks. The publisher describes 50 recipes, each photographed and tested, with confections such as peppermint bark and fudge, gingerbread houses, and decorating and packaging ideas. It also says the recipes can be scaled up or down, which matters for a swap or a gift tin.
The publisher’s page quotes Melissa Clark of the New York Times calling it “painstakingly written and rich in detail for even the seemingly simplest cookie,” and we read that line through the publisher. A few of the 50 are candies and houses rather than cookies, so the cookie count is a little lower than the total.
Why we like it
- Reviewed warmly by Publishers Weekly
- 50 photographed recipes, per the publisher
- Cookies from around the world
- Recipes scale up or down for swaps
Key specifications
| Author | Elisabet der Nederlanden |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ten Speed Press |
| Year | 2017 |
| Pages | 168 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 50 |
| Focus | Holiday cookies, with some confections |
| Best for | Most home bakers |
Why we recommend it
If you want one Christmas cookie book with a clear author, careful recipes and a review you can check, start here. The world cookies chapter also gives a mixed tray more range than the usual sugar cookie and gingersnap.
Skip it if you want the biggest possible file of recipes. Taste of Home has nearly three times as many.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Strong PW review
- Professional baker and recipe tester
- Sold by Amazon.com when we checked
Cons
- 50 recipes, not all cookies
- Published in 2017
2. Taste of Home All New Christmas Cookies, Taste of Home – 143 Cookies, Sorted by Type
If you want the largest file of Christmas cookies on this page, this is it. The title promises 143 recipes, and the chapters follow how a cookie is made: cutout, shaped, drop, slice and bake, piped and pressed, no-bake, and bars and brownies.
The publisher also describes full-color photos, prep and bake timelines, tips for gift-wrapping, shipping and hosting a cookie exchange, and baking tips from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen. The recipes come from a brand built on recipes shared by home cooks, according to the publisher, so expect familiar flavors and not pastry-shop projects.
We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN and no quoted praise in the copy we read, so this pick rests on the publisher’s details. There is no individual author, which some readers will miss.
Why we like it
- 143 recipes, per the title
- Chapters by type of cookie
- Prep and bake timelines
- Cookie exchange and shipping tips
Key specifications
| Author | Taste of Home |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Trusted Media Brands |
| Year | 2023 |
| Pages | 208 |
| Format | Spiral-bound |
| Recipes | 143 |
| Focus | Christmas cookies, bars and brownies |
| Best for | Bakers who want choice |
Why we recommend it
If you bake a few kinds every December and want plenty to choose from, with no single chef’s taste to work around, buy this one. The chapter layout also makes it easy to plan a mixed tray.
Skip it if you want a personal voice or unusual flavors. It is a brand collection, and it reads like one.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Fully on topic
- Large recipe count
- Sorted by cookie type
Cons
- No individual author
- No named review in our sources
3. Cookies for the Holidays, Tracey Zabar – Built for the Cookie Swap
This came out in September 2026, so it is the newest book here and the one with the least track record. Tracey Zabar is part of the family that owns the Zabar’s food emporium in New York City and the author of five dessert cookbooks, according to her publisher.
For more than a decade she has run an annual holiday cookie swap, and the book reflects that. The publisher describes 75 holiday cookie recipes covering chocolate, citrus and nut flavors, seasonal pairings and decorated cookies, with baking and decorating tips and a timeline for hosting a swap.
We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN, and the publisher’s page carries no quoted praise, so this rests on the publisher’s and author’s details. It earns its place because all 75 recipes are holiday cookies, which is rarer than you would expect.
Why we like it
- 75 holiday cookie recipes, per the publisher
- Swap-hosting timeline included
- Author has run a swap for over a decade
- Decorating tips
Key specifications
| Author | Tracey Zabar |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Union Square |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 240 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 75 |
| Focus | Holiday cookies and swaps |
| Best for | Swap hosts |
Why we recommend it
If you host a cookie swap, or would like to start one, this is the only book here built around that event. It also suits anyone who wants a new book for the season.
Skip it if you want a long record of reviews. It is too new for us to point to any.
Pros and cons
Pros
- All holiday cookies
- Swap timeline
- Experienced author
Cons
- New, with no reviews we could read
- Fewer recipes than the brand collections
4. Good Housekeeping Holiday Cookies, Good Housekeeping – Bright Cookies, Mixed Review
This is the book with the most candid review on the page, so read this one carefully. Like Taste of Home, it carries a brand and not a person. Publishers Weekly called it a “colorful but somewhat skimpy collection of treats” and said “frustratingly, many of these recipes require special equipment.” PW’s review, dated October 2024, also faulted missing equipment and pantry lists, and it still concluded that “the range of sweets on offer means this still has plenty of appeal.”
The publisher lists Linzer Stars, Holiday Spritz Cookies, Chocolate Peppermint Cookies and Fruitcake Crisps, along with traditional holiday cookies from around the world. It also covers hosting a swap, wrapping and shipping, and decorating skills such as flooding icing and building gingerbread houses.
The copy says the brand’s food team tests each recipe, and that is the publisher’s claim, not ours. If you plan to decorate, the special equipment PW mentions may be gear you already own or want to buy, so look through the recipes first if you can.
Why we like it
- 100 cookie recipes, per the publisher
- Icing and gingerbread house help
- Reviewed by Publishers Weekly
- Wrapping and shipping tips
Key specifications
| Author | Good Housekeeping |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Hearst Home |
| Year | 2024 |
| Pages | 144 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 100 |
| Focus | Festive and decorated cookies |
| Best for | Decorators |
Why we recommend it
If decorated cookies are the point of your December, this is the one to look at. It is compact and gives the decorating more attention than the general collections seem to.
Skip it if you want a book that spells out your shopping and equipment before you start. PW faulted it on exactly that.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Decorating skills
- Colorful, per PW
- International cookies
Cons
- PW calls it somewhat skimpy
- Special equipment on many recipes, says PW
5. Baking for the Holidays, Sarah Kieffer – Cozy Winter Baking
Readers of our cookie cookbook guide will know Sarah Kieffer from 100 Cookies. This is a different book, and it is broader: more than 50 recipes for seasonal brunches, cookie swaps, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve gatherings, plus edible gifts.
Publishers Weekly’s July 2021 review is warm and short on doubts: “Avid holiday bakers should put this on their wish list.” The publisher’s sample recipes include Triple Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Meyer Lemon-White Chocolate Scones and Pumpkin Pie with Candied Pepita Streusel, which shows the range.
That range is also the caveat, and it is the one book on this page that is not mainly about cookies. Not every recipe is a cookie, and we did not find how many are. Buy it for the whole season, with the cookie swap as one chapter of a longer winter.
Why we like it
- More than 50 recipes, per the publisher
- Reviewed warmly by Publishers Weekly
- Author of 100 Cookies
- Edible gifts included
Key specifications
| Author | Sarah Kieffer |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Chronicle Books |
| Year | 2021 |
| Pages | 224 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 50+ |
| Focus | Winter treats, including cookie swaps |
| Best for | Bakers who want more than cookies |
Why we recommend it
If you bake through the whole holiday season and not just one cookie weekend, this is the broader book to add, and it has one of the two warm reviews we read for this page.
Skip it if you want a book of only cookies. Brunch and pie share these pages.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Warm PW review
- Trusted cookie author
- Seasonal range
Cons
- Not all cookies
- Fewer recipes than others here
6. Holiday Cookies, Brian Hart Hoffman – Over 100 Merry Recipes
This comes from The Bake Feed series, with Brian Hart Hoffman credited as editor. The publisher’s description is short: over 100 recipes in categories, called a festive celebration of cut, iced and sandwiched cookies, with thumbprints, sandwich cookies, holiday twists for cookie swaps and chocolate desserts.
That is about all we could confirm. The listing page we read gives no biography and no praise, and we found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN, so this pick rests on the title, the listing and the short publisher copy.
It makes the list because it is fully on topic and in stock new. Unlike Kieffer’s broader book above, the title suggests cookies from start to finish. It shares its main title with our top pick, so check the author name when you order.
Why we like it
- Over 100 recipes, per the publisher
- Cut, iced and sandwiched cookies
- Cookie swap ideas
- Hardcover format
Key specifications
| Author | Brian Hart Hoffman (editor) |
|---|---|
| Publisher | 83 Press |
| Year | 2022 |
| Pages | 256 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | Over 100 |
| Focus | Cut, iced and sandwiched cookies |
| Best for | Bakers who like variety |
Why we recommend it
If you want a large cookie-only book and like an editor’s collection, this is the alternative to the Taste of Home title, with a person’s name on it.
Skip it if you want to know a lot about a book before you buy it. There is little information to go on.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Fully on topic
- Over 100 recipes
- Sturdy format
Cons
- Very little publisher detail
- Smaller press
- No named review in our sources
7. Cookie Advent Cookbook, Barbara Grunes and Virginia Van Vynckt – A Cookie a Day to Christmas Eve
This is the smallest book here, and it is built around one idea. Its publisher, Chronicle Books, says it was inspired by the Cookie Advent the company holds every December, with one holiday cookie recipe for each day from December 1 through Christmas Eve, for 24 in all.
The publisher calls the recipes simple and says beginner and experienced bakers alike will enjoy them, with decorated cookies that mix familiar and global Christmas treats with some new ones. Grunes and Van Vynckt also co-wrote Very Merry Cookie Party, a Chronicle book on hosting a Christmas cookie exchange, per its Amazon listing; that one showed only a few copies left, so it is not a pick.
We found no Publishers Weekly review at this ISBN and no quoted praise in the copy we read, so this rests on the publisher’s details. At 64 pages, it is a gift and a family project more than a reference book.
Why we like it
- 24 Christmas cookie recipes, per the publisher
- One for each day of Advent
- Pitched at beginners and experienced bakers
- Small hardcover that suits a gift
Key specifications
| Author | Barbara Grunes and Virginia Van Vynckt |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Chronicle Books |
| Year | 2016 |
| Pages | 64 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 24 |
| Focus | Decorated Christmas cookies, one per day |
| Best for | Families and gift buyers |
Why we recommend it
If you want a December tradition with children, or a small gift for a baker who already owns a big cookie book, this one fits. A recipe a day is a gentler pace than a single marathon weekend.
Skip it if you want range. With 24 recipes, it is the shortest book on the page.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Fully on topic
- Fun countdown format
- Established publisher
Cons
- Only 24 recipes
- No named review in our sources
How to choose a Christmas cookie book
Five questions will narrow this list quickly.
- Do you want only cookies? Taste of Home, Zabar, Hoffman and the Cookie Advent Cookbook stay close to cookies, and der Nederlanden adds a few candies and gingerbread houses. Kieffer covers much more of the season.
- Are you decorating? Good Housekeeping covers flooding icing and gingerbread houses. Good cookie cutters make the shapes worth decorating.
- Will you bake for a swap? Zabar gives a timeline, and der Nederlanden, Taste of Home and Good Housekeeping all include exchange tips, while Kieffer has a cookie-swap chapter. Doubling matters here, so read the yields before you pick a recipe.
- Will the cookies travel? Taste of Home and Good Housekeeping both cover wrapping or shipping, and der Nederlanden covers packaging, per their publishers.
- What tools do you already own? PW warns that the Good Housekeeping book asks for special equipment. A cookie press is what you need for spritz, and a cookie scoop keeps drop cookies even.
How we chose these Christmas cookie books
We searched Amazon’s book listings first and kept print editions, plain in stock with a new lead offer, from named authors and two established food brands. We left out every title on our best cookie cookbook page, so Dorie’s Cookies, 100 Cookies and Sally’s Cookie Addiction are not repeated here. Author, year, format and page count come from the Amazon listing. Recipe counts and descriptions come from the publisher’s copy, in some cases as carried by booksellers, unless we credit someone else.
Here is what stands behind each pick. Der Nederlanden’s Holiday Cookies, Good Housekeeping Holiday Cookies and Baking for the Holidays have Publishers Weekly reviews that we read ourselves, and der Nederlanden also has a New York Times line that we read only as quoted by her publisher. The other four rest on the publisher’s and author’s details, and we found no Publishers Weekly review at those ISBNs, which does not mean none exists anywhere.
We also left out The Christmas Cookie Cookbook from Cider Mill Press, which was in stock but credits only the publisher as author. Two of our picks carry a brand and not a person, and we say so in each entry. We also dropped two books that are mostly about other things: A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook, which spreads across candies, cakes, cocktails and family dishes, and The Secret History of Christmas Baking, which is history first. Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rose’s Christmas Cookies was not yet back in stock when we checked.
Christmas cookie cookbook questions, answered
Which holiday baking book has the most cookies?
Taste of Home All New Christmas Cookies, with 143 by its title. Bars and brownies are in that total. Hoffman’s Holiday Cookies is next, with over 100.
What is the best Christmas cookie book overall?
Elisabet der Nederlanden’s Holiday Cookies. It has a named professional baker, 50 tested recipes per its publisher, and a Publishers Weekly review that calls it excellent. If you also want brunch, pie and gifts for the rest of the season, add Kieffer’s Baking for the Holidays.
Which book is best for a cookie swap?
Cookies for the Holidays, because its author has run a swap for over a decade and includes a hosting timeline.
Is the Good Housekeeping book worth buying after a mixed review?
For decorating, it may be. PW found appeal in its range but disliked its gaps on equipment and pantry lists. Check the recipes before you commit, if you can.
Are these Mexican Christmas cookies?
No. These books lean toward North American and European traditions. For the food of a Mexican holiday table, read our guide to Mexican Christmas food.
Which Christmas cookie cookbook should you buy first?
Buy Elisabet der Nederlanden’s Holiday Cookies first. Choose Taste of Home All New Christmas Cookies if you want the widest cookie choice, Cookies for the Holidays for a swap, Good Housekeeping Holiday Cookies for decorating, Baking for the Holidays for the whole season and the Cookie Advent Cookbook as a small gift. If you want a cookie book for the other eleven months, go to our best cookie cookbook guide.
And if you would rather let someone else cook tonight, see the menu or call to order.