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The easiest way to bake a whole tray of chocolate Christmas cookies is to make one cocoa powder dough and turn it into five different cookies: peppermint, thumbprints, snowballs, star cut-outs and spiced Mexican chocolate. The dough uses unsweetened cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate, so it is quick to mix, rolls and shapes easily, and bakes in about 10 minutes a batch.
Below is the base recipe, the five variations, a few tried-and-true chocolate classics from our kitchen, and a make-ahead plan so the cookie box is ready before the holidays get busy.
How do you make chocolate Christmas cookies?
Makes: about 36 small cookies · Prep: 20 minutes · Chill: 30 minutes · Bake: 9 to 11 minutes per tray
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (57 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, breaking up any cocoa lumps.
- Cream the butter and sugars for 2 to 3 minutes, until light, then beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients on low speed just until no flour shows.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes so it is easy to shape. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Shape the dough using one of the variations below, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look just slightly soft. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
What are five Christmas cookies you can make from one cocoa dough?
| Cookie | How to shape it | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate peppermint cookies | Add ½ tsp peppermint extract to the dough; roll 1-tbsp balls | Press crushed candy canes on top right after baking |
| Chocolate thumbprints | Roll 1-tbsp balls, press a deep well with your thumb, bake 8 minutes, press the wells again | Fill with raspberry jam or a spoonful of ganache |
| Chocolate snowballs | Roll 2-tsp balls and bake 8 to 9 minutes | Roll in powdered sugar while warm, then again once cool |
| Chocolate star cut-outs | Add 2 tbsp extra flour, chill 1 hour, roll ¼ inch thick between parchment and cut | Dust with sugar or pipe white icing |
| Mexican chocolate cookies | Add 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne to the dry ingredients | Roll in cinnamon sugar before baking |
Bake one variation per tray: smaller cookies like snowballs need a minute or two less than the larger peppermint rounds.
Which chocolate Christmas cookies are classics?
If you only bake one chocolate cookie this season, make it a crinkle. Our chocolate crinkle cookies are rolled in powdered sugar and crack into a snowy pattern as they bake. For something more playful, hot cocoa cookies hide a marshmallow on top like a mug of cocoa, and when the oven is full, no-bake cookies set on the counter in 30 minutes. Our cocoa powder fudge and chocolate truffles round out a cookie box.
What are some tips for baking chocolate Christmas cookies?
- Do not judge by color. Cocoa dough is dark from the start; pull the cookies when the edges are set and the middles look barely soft. They firm up as they cool.
- Chill before shaping. Cold dough spreads less, so cut-outs keep sharp edges and thumbprints keep their wells.
- Sift the cocoa. Cocoa clumps in the bag; sifting gives an even color with no bitter pockets.
- Use natural cocoa with baking soda. This dough rises with baking soda, which needs the acidity of natural (non-alkalized) cocoa and brown sugar. Our guide to baking with cocoa powder explains the rule. Grevista is a one-ingredient natural cocoa from Vietnamese Trinitario cacao, with a fruity note that suits peppermint and jam.
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for the most even results.
How far ahead can you make Christmas cookies?
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 months ahead | Freeze the dough in balls or a flat disk, wrapped well; bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes |
| Up to 1 month ahead | Freeze baked, undecorated cookies in an airtight box |
| Up to 1 week ahead | Bake and store at room temperature in an airtight tin, one variety per tin so textures stay right |
| The day before | Add powdered sugar, icing and candy cane toppings, and fill the thumbprints |
For a gift, pack a mix of shapes in a tin with a jar of homemade hot cocoa mix, and serve the cookies with a pot of Christmas hot chocolate.
If you are deciding which tin to buy for recipes like this one, see our guide to the best cacao powder, which compares options by flavor, processing and published lab testing.
Need a chewy cookie for the tin? Add our double chocolate chip cookies to the mix.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Christmas cookie?
Sugar cookies, gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies are the classics on most American holiday cookie trays; among chocolate cookies, crinkles are the familiar favorite.
Can I make the dough without a mixer?
Yes. Use very soft butter and beat it with the sugars by hand with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the eggs.
Why did my cookies spread flat?
The dough was too warm or the butter too soft. Chill the shaped dough for 15 minutes before baking, and use cool baking sheets for every tray.
Written by the Grevista Editorial Team. Last updated November 2, 2026. How we check facts: Editorial Policy.