A cookie with a fluffy frosting beard, a cherry-red hat, and candy eyes doesn’t just sit quietly on the tray – it announces itself with jolly cheer.
That’s the charm of easy Santa cookies, the kind of treat that looks like it marched straight out of the North Pole and landed on your holiday table.
They’re whimsical, festive, and simple enough that even a rushed baker can pull them off without breaking a sweat.
In this guide, you’ll find 32 recipes that turn everyday cookies into miniature Santas.
Some use sugar cookies topped with red icing and coconut flakes, others cleverly start with Oreos or peanut butter cookies, decorated until they look like Santa himself.
Frosting becomes a beard, sprinkles double as hats, and a single candy nose transforms the whole face.
Each recipe gives you space to get creative, so no two Santas will ever look exactly alike.
32 Best Santa Cookie Recipes
1. Santa Claus Cut-Out Cookie
2. Holly Jolly Santa Cookies
3. Santa Claus Cookies
4. Santa Face Sugar Cookies
5. Roly-Poly Santa Cookies
6. Santa Sugar Cookies
7. One Santa Cookie (Quick and Easy To Make)
8. Santa Oreo Cookies
9. Santa Cookies
10. Santa Star Cookies
11. Jolly Santa Honey Sugar Cookies
12. Adorable Santa Cookies
13. Easy Santa Cookies
14. Santa Face Cookies
15. Santa’s Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
16. Jolly Santa Cookies
17. Lovely Santa Claus Sugar Cookies
18. Adorable Santa Face Sugar Cookies
19. Anthropologie Inspired Vintage Santa Sugar Cookies
20. Happy Santa Face Sugar Cookies
21. Old-Fashioned Santa Sugar Cookies
22. Triangle Santa Cookies
23. Cute Santa Cookies
24. Delightful Santa Claus Cookies
25. Santa’s Favorite Cookies
26. Santa’s Whiskers Cookies
27. Nutter Butter Santa Claus Cookies
28. Christmas Sugar Cookies
29. Mrs. Claus Christmas Cookies
30. No-Bake Santa Cookies
31. Chai Spiced Santa Cookies With White Chocolate Frosting
32. Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Conclusion
Once the plate is cleared, easy Santa cookies leave behind more than crumbs – they leave behind holiday cheer.
Guests can’t help but laugh at the ones with lopsided hats or overly fluffy beards, and kids beam with pride when their decorated cookie looks just “like Santa.”
They’re not just sweets; they’re tiny bursts of joy baked into every bite.
A little frosting, a splash of red, and some playful decorating turn simple cookies into edible characters that light up the dessert table.
They’re creative, forgiving, and endlessly customizable – qualities that make them perfect for a season already filled with chaos.