Christmas Cookie Recipes from Around the World

Note: This post was originally published on December 12, 2016 and updated on November 24, 2020.

If you haven't noticed yet, baking is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. {Ok, fine, it's my FAVORITE part right after baby Jesus, spending time with family and all the other obvious stuff.} The mixing, the rising, the smells wafting from the oven, the wrapping, the giving, and of course, the eating! It's not Christmas until there are cookies to show for it!

It's such an amazing thought to me that while I'm baking up a storm in my little corner of the world, other people all over the globe are doing the very same thing in preparation for their holiday celebrations. We may not all share the same traditions or speak the same language, but we all have our own recipes that capture the essence of Christmas in our homes. There's something special about the little things that unify us no matter where we're from, and food is definitely one of those things.

In honor of this "baking brotherhood", I've compiled a list of some of the most delectable Christmas cookies from around the world shared by other bloggers far and wide! It's like a Christmas Cookie Exchange you can attend in your pj's! {I've actually hosted one of those before. ha!}

I hope you'll browse this collection and enjoy the stunning photos and mouthwatering flavor combinations as much as I did. But most of all, I hope you'll choose a few of your favorites and then get into your kitchen and bake some up for your family and friends. Who knows, it may become part of your Christmas traditions!

A huge thank you to my blogging friends who have let me share their beautiful work in this post. Please click over to their blogs for the recipes.

Italian Christmas Cookies

• Lemon-Ricotta Cookies: These easy ricotta cookies are made with olive oil instead of butter! Whole milk ricotta cheese makes them fluffy in the center and crispy on the bottom. Finished with a decadent lemon glaze and a sprinkle of poppy seeds, they're as beautiful as they are delicious

• Cuccidati - Sicilian Fig Cookies: These traditional Sicilian Christmas cookies are composed of a sweet cookie dough stuffed with dried figs, dried dates, raisins, walnuts, chocolate, apricot jam, honey, and spices. A mouthwatering Italian twist on a Fig Newton!

• Neapolitan Cookies (aka. Tricolor Cookies or Italian Rainbow Cookies): A personal favorite! These colorful Italian cookies are made up of sweet and fragrant almond cake with raspberry jam sandwiched between each layer. Coated with chocolate and cut into bite-sized pieces, I guarantee you won't be able to stop at just one!

• Italian Wedding Cookies: Flavorful ground walnuts and hazelnuts give surprisingly deep and rich flavor to these melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Coated in fluffy powdered sugar, they're a perfectly sweet treat to serve with a cup of coffee or tea. 

German Christmas Cookies

• Lebkuchen - German Christmas Cookies: An authentic German holiday recipe, these popular cookies are bursting with warm spices. Soft and flavorful, they make a wonderful cookie for gifting! 

• German Hazelnut Cookies: They may not contain many ingredients, but don't let that fool you. Hazelnut flour (ground hazelnuts) gives these lovely, crumbly cookies a complex, nutty flavor that will make it hard to keep your hand out of the cookie jar! 

• German Marzipan Balls: These vegan, gluten-free "cookies" are as easy to make as they come; made with just two ingredients, these are a great last minute bite for holiday dessert platters and gift-giving. 

• Zimsterne (Cinnamon Stars): Made with sugar, ground almonds and egg whites, these unique German Christmas cookies puff up like a meringue during baking with an irresistible chewy flavor. Cinnamon gives them a hint of warm holiday spice that makes them ideal for this time of year. Pierce them with a tiny hole and turn them into an edible ornament! 

France

• Sables (French Christmas Cookies): Translated to "sandy", these French cookies are buttery and crisp with a crumbly shortbread-like texture. Whether served plain or decorated, they make a wonderful addition to any Christmas cookie table.

Denmark

• Brunkager (Danish Christmas Cookies): Brown sugar and spices give these traditional Danish cookies their name sake as "brunkager" literally means "brown cookie." While the color may seem plain, the deeply spiced flavor and crunch from sliced almonds makes them anything but boring to eat!

• Pebber Nodder: These tiny bites are jam-packed with warm holiday flavors! Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg make every bit heavenly. Luckily, each batch makes 100 Pebber Nodder, making it an ideal recipe to make and share with friends, loved ones and neighbors! 

Finland

• Piparkakku (Traditional Finnish Christmas Cookies): The Finnish version of gingerbread cookies, Piparkakku get their distinct color and sweetness from dark syrup or "Tumma Siirappi" which can be purchased online or in specialty stores. Alternatively, golden syrup can be used as a substitute as shown in this recipe. 

Romania

• Walnut Crescent Cookies: You will want to keep an eye on these crumbly Romanian cookies in order to ensure that they keep their soft, distinctly melt-in-your-mouth texture. Ground walnuts give them a fantastic mouthfeel and nutty flavor. Finished off with a dusting of powdered sugar they're sure to bring holiday cheer.

Hungary

• Hungarian Kifli Cookies: Cream cheese keeps the dough moist and tender in these Hungarian Christmas cookies filled with a wonderful ground walnut mixture. Roll them out in powdered sugar to keep them from becoming tough from extra flour! 

Czech Republic

• Czech Kolachke Cookies: If jammy cookies are your thing, you will love these traditionalCzech Kolachke cookies. They can be filled with jam, cheese or nuts for a treat that everyone will tresure! Finished off with a dusting of powdered sugar for a snowy appearance, they look perfectly wintery and inviting.

Serbia

• Vanilice (Serbian Christmas Cookies): Vanilice (pronounced VAH-ny-ly-TSEH) are a traditional Serbian Christmas cookie made up of two vanilla and walnut cookies sandwiching a dollop of jam. While rosehip jam or apricot are the two most commonly used traditionally, you can use your preferred jam in these addictive cookies!  

India

• Cashew & Condensed Milk Biscuits: Also known as Nankhatai, these egg-free Indian style shortbread cookies have a light, crumbly texture. While not a "Christmas cookie" they most certainly would make an excellent and unique addition to a holiday spread!

• Kal Kal (Indian Christmas Cookies): Crisp on the outside and cake-like on the inside, these hand-rolled, deep-fried cookies really provide something different for a Christmas cookie platter! Bursting with cardamom flavor, these cookies are a tradition specific to Christians in India during Christmastime.

United Kingdom

• British Christmas Pudding Cookies: Made to look like traditional English Christmas puddings, these sweet treats are a fun cookie to decorate for the holiday season! 

• Singing Lily Cookies: Chorley cake? Singing Lily? An Eccles Cake? A currant cake? Apparently there are many names for these British cookies, but no matter what you call them, they'll be a welcome addition to the holidays! Pie crust envelopes a sugary currant filling for a sweet bite that is memorable!

Scotland

• Scottish Lemon Sugar Shortbread Cookies: Sugar-infused with lemon rind gives these shortbread cookies a zesty pop of flavor. A lovely cookie to serve with afternoon tea.  

Argentina

• Alfajores (Argentinian Dulce de Leche Cookies): Considered the "National cookie of Argentina", these popular cookies are comprised of two light and crumbly cookies sandwiching a rich dollop of dulce de leche (milk caramel). Sweet, buttery and absolutely indulgent!

Venezuela

• Polvorosas (Venezuelan Walnut Snowball Cookies): Walnut oil is the secret ingredient that makes these vegan cookies stand out with their rich flavor and "powdery", crumbly texture! 

Do you have any favorite cookies from around the world? Share them in the comments below!