20+ European Christmas Cookie Recipes (2024)

ByEdyta

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It’s the Holiday season and what a better way to celebrate it than with a cookie in hand. Europeans have plenty of different ways to make delicious cookies. I hope you’ll enjoy this collection of European Christmas Cookie Recipes and make one, two, or more of them for your holiday.

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Now I’ve lived here in NY for the last 14 years and haven’t had the chance to go back to Poland for Christmas yet (I’m hoping that the next year will be the year). In fact, this collection of European cookies makes me want to go there even more. Sipping mulled wine, all bundled up with a delicious cookie in hand, listening to Chrismas carols and enjoying the season is all I’m dreaming of right now.

To put you in a similar mood, I’ll show you how festive beautiful my hometown Wroclaw is during the Christmas season. 20+ European Christmas Cookie Recipes (2)Photo credit In Your Pocket

Without further ado, here’s my compilation of the most popular European cookies

1. 5 Ingredient Butter Vanilla Holiday Cookies are super easy to make. Butter, sugar, egg, flour, vanilla and just 20 minutes…that’s all you’ll need!Their taste reminds me of the butter vanilla cookies you can find in almost every European market during the Christmas season.

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2. Speculoos, also known as Speculaas orDutch Windmill Cookies, is a holiday cookie that is traditionally made for the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6th) in the Netherlands and Belgium.

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3. Brunkager is a Danish Christmas cookiewith a delicious spiced flavor, and a wonderful crunch. Perfect to add to your cookie plate.

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4. Bulgarian Honey Cookies Medenki Recipe – these soft, spiced cookies, dipped in chocolate will make the perfect sweet treat this holiday season.

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5. These German Marzipan Balls are the easiest Christmas Cookies ever! Vegan, gluten-free and only 2 ingredients needed!

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6. A European spin on a holiday classic! These traditional Polish gingerbread cookies use a sticky sweet substitute instead of the conventional molasses.

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7. Thin and crispy Moravian Molasses cookies. This recipe makes 7-8 dozen 2 1/2″ cookies (or more).

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8. These Pierniczki świąteczne, aka Polish Christmas cookies, are the perfect make-ahead festive treat. They are easy to make, with pantry ingredients and bake in just 8 mins.

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9. These no yeast lemon mini babkas (babeczki) are quick and easy. The recipe for these traditional Polish cakes is from the Wild Honey and Rye cookbook, by Ren Behan.

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10. This krumkake recipe makes light, crispy, delicate, golden wafer cookies that are rolled into a traditional cone shape. These Scandinavian cookies are traditionally flavored with cardamom and vanilla but can be made in many different flavors if you want to experiment.

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11. These simple Danish butter cookies are easy to make with children and brighten up everyone’s holiday.

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12. Medovníky are a deliciously spiced, decorated gingerbread-style cookie flavored with honey, cinnamon, and cloves. These festive cookies are often served at Christmas time in Slovakia and decorated with white icing swirls.

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13. German Pfeffernusse Cookies – A traditional spiced German cookie covered in powdered sugar. The perfect cookie for a Christmas cookie exchange!

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14. Canestrelli is a wonderfully delicious Italian Cookie. It’s an almost shortbread type cookie but with a crunch – fast and easy.

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15. Joulutorttu aretraditional Finnish Christmas Cookies made in the shape of the pinwheel and filled with a delicious prune jam. This recipe makes a big batch of cookies. Bake them for Christmas and freeze any leftovers.

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16. Goro (pronounced go-do) is a thin Norwegian cookie that is cooked on a special goro iron.

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17. Struffoli di Mamma are puffy balls of fried dough which are crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside. These Italian honey balls (aka Cicerchiata) are then drenched in citrus-scented warm honey and decorated with sprinkles.

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18. Danish aebleskiver are a traditional holiday dish in Scandinavian countries, and they’re sold as street food during the busy holiday shopping season.

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19. Pfeffernusse are a popular cookie in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

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20. Melomakarona Traditional Greek Christmas honey spice cookies are made with olive oil, spices and soaked in a honey syrup.

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21. These homemade jammie dodger biscuits are really easy to make and taste delicious. They’re also known as Linzer cookies, a popular Christmas cookie recipe.

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20+ European Christmas Cookie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

Based on this data from General Mills, Peanut Butter Blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in the country; it's the most-visited cookie recipe in seven states, which means it's the most common favorite cookie in the U.S. That's a pretty high honor!

What is the least favorite Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

How many cookies does Santa eat each Christmas Eve? ›

More From Delish: Ho, Ho, Ho!

(If we're talking about just the U.S., it's approximated that of the 100 million households, about 1 million are serving sweets to St. Nick.) According to An Idea, If Santa takes two bites of each cookie served around the world, he consumes roughly 336,150,386 cookies.

How many Christmas cookies does the average person eat? ›

Hidden or not, during the holiday season, respondents will eat an average of 26 cookies — whether store-bought or homemade — 25 pieces of candy or chocolate and 12 slices of pie.

What is the number one selling cookie in the world? ›

The best-selling cookie in the world is none other than the Oreo. This iconic sandwich cookie has been delighting consumers since its introduction in 1912. With its classic combination of two chocolate wafers and a sweet, creamy filling, the Oreo has become a beloved treat for people of all ages.

What is America's favorite holiday cookie? ›

#1 Iced Sugar Cookie

The Iced Sugar Cookie takes the top spot, stealing the show as the most favorite Christmas cookie with classic sweetness and festive decorations. Simple, delicious, and a canvas for creativity- it's the “go-to” for holiday bakers.

What Christmas cookies stay fresh the longest? ›

Cookies like shortbread and spritz are great candidates if you want cookies that'll last a while. In the freezer: You can keep shortbread and spritz in the freezer for up to six months.

What is Santa Claus's favorite cookie? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

Who is the rarest cookie to get? ›

We nominate Mystic Flour Cookie as the rarest cookies in CRK at the moment, together with Special cookies (Sonic, Tails and the BTS Cookies, which have only been available for a short period) that are also very rare, and it's virtually impossible to obtain them at the moment since they could only be obtained via the ...

What is Santa's favorite meal? ›

Santa loves his white milk and cookies, but after stopping at every child's home, give Santa Claus some flavored milk for a tasty surprise. Or switch out the milk for some holiday eggnog! Put your own twist on holiday traditions this year with your family.

Why are cookies and milk left out for Santa? ›

An Act of Gratitude and Generosity

Offering milk and cookies is an expression of gratitude. The treat shows appreciation to Santa for the gifts he leaves behind on Christmas Eve. It also signifies generosity, as you are sharing something with Santa, a quality often encouraged during the festive season.

Why didn't Shirley Temple believe in Santa Claus? ›

Temple stopped believing in Santa Claus at age 6 — and her fame had something to do with it. “Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph,” she once said.

What's the most eaten cookie? ›

However, it's the chocolate chip cookie that's the most popular in the U.S. and around the world. How much do youknow about chocolate chip cookies? Fun Facts about Chocolate Chip Cookies: They were created by accident Much like the discovery of penicillin, the chocolate chip cookie was created by a happy accident.

Why do people make so many Christmas cookies? ›

The practice of putting out cookies for Santa began in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when parents were trying to instill a sense of thankfulness in their children. Leaving goodies, perhaps in a sweet cookie jar, continues to be a way of sharing the holiday bounty.

How long are Christmas cookies safe to eat? ›

Information. Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months. Moist bars, such as cheesecake and lemon bars, can be refrigerated for seven days.

What is the most popular cookie for Santa? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

What is the #1 cookie in the United States? ›

1 Chocolate Chip Cookie (No Further Description Necessary)

America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip cookie is simply tantalizing both in flavor and in texture.

What is the most popular Christmas cookie in Texas? ›

The most searched holiday cookie in Texas was the classic Italian Christmas Cookie. It was also a top search for 14 other states. Neighboring states had a craving for a different kind of cookie.

What was the first cookie associated with Christmas? ›

Gingerbread has existed in some form since sugars and spices were brought back to Europe, from soldiers in the Crusades. However, it was not until Queen Victoria and Prince Albert included it with a variety of other German Christmas traditions that the gingerbread cookies became primarily associated with Christmas.

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