Got a cookie swap on the calendar? These cookie exchange recipes are here for you! I’m a cookie girl through and through, and these are the tried-and-true cookie recipes I reach for at Christmas time. These cookies travel well, hold their shape in a tin and look adorable on a cookie tray, with no fussy decorating and no crumbled mess by the time you get there!
The best cookies for a cookie exchange are sturdy ones that pack well, like my Hershey Kiss Cookies, Holiday Spritz Cookies, Snowball Christmas Cookies and Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies. Below you’ll find all 20 of my favorites: 12 Christmas cookies first, then 8 classic cookies everyone grabs first, plus my tips for baking ahead and packing them up for your holiday cookie exchange.
What You’ll Learn
20 easy cookie exchange recipes, from Christmas classics to peanut butter favorites.
Which cookies travel best in a tin or on a cookie tray.
Which cookies you can bake ahead and freeze.
How many cookies to bring and what to serve at a cookie exchange party.
Christmas Cookies for Your Cookie Exchange
The cookies my readers make most are at the top. Plus, each one looks right at home in a holiday cookie tin. Happy baking!
1
Cocoa Powder Cookies
Dessert
These soft chocolate cookies use cocoa powder and a handful of chocolate chips, so they’re rich and chocolatey in every bite. Anything chocolate is my weakness, so a batch of these is dangerous in my kitchen. They keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container, and you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
White cake mix, cream cheese and butter make these the easiest Christmas cookies on the list. Roll them in powdered sugar, add a few sprinkles, and they look like you fussed. Trust me, nobody can eat just one!
Soft peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar with a chocolate kiss pressed right in the middle. Pressing in the kisses is the fun part, so grab a helper. They’re a classic on every holiday cookie tray, and they store well in an airtight container and travel great to a cookie swap.
Buttery shortbread cookies with almond extract and a dot of raspberry jam in each one, finished with a little almond glaze. Shortbread and almond are two of my all-time favorite things, so these are pretty much my dream cookie, and they look so pretty on a cookie tray.
My mom was a hair stylist, and a plate of these cookies was an annual gift from one of her clients. Chocolate chips, cherries and nuts hold up beautifully when you’re carrying cookies to a party.
These buttery little cookies come right out of a cookie press in fun holiday shapes, with colored sugar on top. They’re easy to package, so I love filling a small holiday tin with them for friends and family.
Made with real melted chocolate, these get that crackly powdered sugar coating with a fudgy center. The dough needs a few hours to chill, so plan ahead on baking day.
Real maple syrup gives these soft cookies a warm, cozy flavor under a creamy icing. Add festive sprinkles, and they look beautiful on a Christmas cookie tray.
No oven needed. Sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter coat crunchy cornflakes, and they set up while they cool. Layer them with wax paper in an airtight container, and they keep for up to 4 days.
These old-fashioned buttery cookies get a nutty flavor from pecans and melt in your mouth under a snowy coat of powdered sugar. They travel well for cookie exchanges, and you can make them ahead and freeze them. My husband skips anything with nuts, so these are all mine.
I’ve loved gingersnaps forever, and these soft, bakery-style cookies are my favorite Christmas cookies, with ginger, cinnamon and cloves for warm spices in every bite. One batch makes about 3 dozen, so there’s plenty for the swap and some for home too.
Almond paste does the heavy lifting in these chewy Italian-style cookies, with a little orange zest and sliced almonds on top. I love anything almond, which is exactly why these are the newest cookie on my blog. They add something extra special to a cookie tray.
Not every cookie on the tray has to be fancy. In fact, these everyday cookie recipes are usually the first to disappear.
13
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dessert
This is my most popular cookie recipe, and if I could only bake one cookie for the rest of my life, it might be this one. Melted butter and brown sugar give these chocolate chip cookies chewy centers and crisp edges. My tip: store them in an airtight container with a slice of white bread to keep them soft.
Instant coffee and cinnamon give these cookies their cozy flavor. My husband loves a simple sweet with his evening coffee, and these are just right for that, or for a holiday cookie tray.
Sugar, butter, milk, peanut butter and quick oats come together on the stovetop with no baking at all. I make these for parties and cookie tins, and they set up right on the counter.
Just peanut butter, sugar and an egg make these soft peanut butter cookies with the classic fork pattern, and they’re ready in about 15 minutes, so they’re my busy-mom lifesaver when I forget about the swap until the last minute.
One batch makes about 5 dozen of these classic peanut butter cookies, which is great for a big cookie exchange. They look a little underdone when they come out, but they finish setting as they cool.
Raisins aren’t usually my thing, but oatmeal raisin cookies are my dad’s favorite, so I always bake these with him in mind. They’re soft and chewy with cinnamon, and the baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months.
Can’t decide which cookie to bring? Peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips and M&M’s all in one cookie, and one batch makes about 5 dozen. Use red and green M&M’s, and they look right at home on a Christmas cookie tray.
One bite and I’m a little girl at the church fellowship hall table again. Cocoa, peanut butter and quick oats come together on the stovetop, and they set up with no baking. Pack them in layers with waxed paper.
Pick a sturdy cookie. Firm cookies like spritz, shortbread, snowballs and molasses cookies travel better than delicate or frosted ones. Also, they look nice stacked in a tin.
Bake ahead. For example, several of these freeze well, like Cocoa Powder Cookies, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Snowball Christmas Cookies, so you can get them done before the busy week of the swap.
Freeze the dough. You can scoop the dough for Cocoa Powder Cookies, Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies into balls, freeze them on a tray until firm, then move them to a freezer bag. My Best Chocolate Chip Cookie dough freezes well too. Just let it thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as usual.
Pack with wax paper. Let the cookies cool completely, then layer them in an airtight container with wax paper between each layer, so soft cookies and no-bakes don’t stick together.
Bake a few extra. First, make sure you have enough for every guest. Then, save a few to keep at home.
Cookie Exchange Recipes FAQs
What is a good cookie to make for a cookie exchange?
A good cookie exchange cookie holds its shape, keeps well at room temperature for a few days and makes a big batch. For example, Hershey Kiss Cookies, Holiday Spritz Cookies and Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies all check those boxes.
How many cookies should I bring to a cookie exchange?
It depends on your host and how many people are coming, so ask first. Luckily, most of the recipes on this list make 3 to 5 dozen, which covers most swaps.
Which cookie exchange recipes are nut-free?
These recipes don’t use nuts or peanut butter: Cocoa Powder Cookies, Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Soft Maple Sugar Cookies, Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies, Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cinnamon Coffee Cookies and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. If you’re baking for someone with a nut allergy, still check the labels on chocolate chips and other packaged ingredients.
What should I serve at a Christmas cookie exchange party?
I hope these cookie exchange recipes make your holiday baking a little easier and a lot more fun! Then, pick your favorite cookie recipe from each section, and you’ll have the best box at the swap.
Looking for more? Next, browse all my easy dessert recipes, and save this list to Pinterest so it’s ready for your next cookie exchange.
