10 Best Recipes to Fill Your Holiday Cookie Tin

A well-filled holiday cookie tin works the way a good playlist does. Every cookie brings a different mood, a different texture, and its own little moment of sweetness. The trick is choosing recipes that travel well, hold their shape, and offer enough variety to keep each layer interesting. What this really means is leaning on sturdy shortbreads, bright citrus cookies, soft spice-forward classics, and a few eye-catching picks that make the whole tin feel festive. When you mix flavors, colors, and textures with intention, the collection feels thoughtful instead of crowded.

1. Thumbprint Cookies

There is something instantly nostalgic about thumbprint cookies, even if you did not grow up with them. At their core, they are a simple butter cookie enriched with egg yolk for tenderness and just enough sugar to hold their shape without spreading too much. The dough is rolled into small balls, then pressed with a thumb or the back of a spoon to create a shallow well. That indentation is filled before or after baking with jam, lemon curd, chocolate, or caramel, depending on the recipe. Because the base is a sturdy shortbread-style dough, thumbprints travel well and keep their texture for several days in a tin.

2. Snowball Cookies

Snowball cookies earn their place in a holiday tin because they practically define the word crumbly. Often called Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies, they are made from a rich mixture of butter, flour, powdered sugar, and finely chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, or almonds. There is no egg in the classic version, which is why the texture is so short and tender. Once baked, the still-warm cookies are rolled in powdered sugar, then rolled again after cooling so the coating adheres and forms an even layer. This double coating is what gives them their opaque, snowy appearance.

3. Red Velvet Cookies

Red velvet cookies take the familiar flavor profile of red velvet cake and pack it into a compact, tin-friendly form. The dough usually combines cocoa powder with buttermilk or an acidic component and a touch of vinegar, which interact with the leavening to produce a tender crumb and the signature tang. Red food coloring gives the deep color people expect when they see the name. Many recipes fold in white chocolate chips or a cream cheese swirl to echo the cream cheese frosting used on the cake. Unlike delicate drop cookies, red velvet versions are often slightly thick and chewy, which helps them stay moist over several days.

4. Santa’s Kitchen Sink Cookies

Kitchen sink cookies, sometimes branded with festive names around the holidays, lean on the idea that almost anything sweet and crunchy can be folded into a sturdy base dough. Typically, that base is a standard chocolate chip cookie dough with a slightly higher flour and mix-in ratio so the cookies do not spread too thin. Add-ins might include chocolate chunks, chopped candy bars, pretzels, toffee bits, nuts, and seasonal items like crushed peppermint or colored sprinkles. The goal is contrast in every bite, not precision. Because the dough is robust, these cookies bake up thick with lots of texture and hold their shape well in a tin.

5. Stained Glass Cookies

Stained glass cookies bring a decorative element that makes a tin feel gift-worthy without requiring decoration skills. They start with a basic rolled sugar cookie dough that can hold sharp edges when cut with holiday shapes. Before baking, centers are cut out and filled with crushed hard candies, often fruit-flavored. In the oven, the candies melt into a translucent pane that cools into a glass-like window. The key is using a dough that does not puff excessively, so the edges remain clean around the candy centers. Parchment or silicone baking mats are important, since melted candy will bond firmly to bare metal.

6. Cranberry Orange Butter Cookies

Cranberry orange butter cookies are a straightforward way to introduce bright, citrusy flavors into a holiday mix. These are often slice-and-bake cookies, formed by rolling a soft, buttery dough studded with finely chopped dried cranberries and orange zest into logs, then chilling and slicing. The high butter content gives a tender, short texture, while the cranberries add chew and pockets of tartness. Orange zest provides aroma and a clear citrus note without additional moisture that would affect structure. Because the dough is formed ahead and baked later, this style works well for staging batches over several days.

7. Spritz Cookies

Spritz cookies earn their spot in holiday tins by combining a simple formula with high visual payoff. Made from a soft butter dough, similar to a light shortbread but with egg for structure, they are pressed through a cookie press into distinct shapes directly onto the baking sheet. Traditional designs include stars, rosettes, and wreaths. The dough must be the right consistency, soft enough to press yet firm enough to hold details once baked. Because they are small and thin, spritz cookies bake quickly and cool fast, which is ideal for producing large quantities. Light decorations such as colored sugar or small sprinkles can be added before baking to adhere to the surface.

8. Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate shortbread delivers a deeper flavor while keeping the durability that makes shortbread a top choice for gifting. Classic shortbread uses a high proportion of butter to flour with sugar and salt, relying on that fat to create a crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture. When cocoa powder is added, it brings chocolate flavor without much extra moisture, which is essential to preserving the structure. Some recipes incorporate finely chopped chocolate or cocoa nibs for added intensity. The dough is typically pressed into a pan and sliced, or rolled and cut into shapes, then baked at a moderate temperature to avoid scorching the cocoa. Because there are no leaveners, the cookies do not puff or spread, resulting in clean, sharp edges.

9. Poppy Seed Chocolate Rugelach Pinwheels

Rugelach pinwheels with poppy seeds and chocolate bring a pastry-like element to a cookie assortment. Traditional rugelach dough is rich and tender, made from flour, butter, and often cream cheese or sour cream, which contributes tang and a soft, layered crumb. For pinwheel versions, the dough is rolled thin, spread with a filling of poppy seed paste, chocolate, and sometimes sugar or nuts, then rolled up and sliced into spirals. Baking sets the dough and filling together, giving a flaky outside and moist, flavorful center. Poppy seeds add a nutty, slightly earthy character and distinct crunch, while chocolate provides sweetness and aroma.

10. Zimtsterne

Zimtsterne, or cinnamon stars, are a classic German Christmas cookie that stands out because they are naturally gluten-free and heavily spiced. The dough is primarily made from finely ground nuts, usually almonds, mixed with sugar, egg whites, and a high dose of cinnamon. It is rolled out and cut into star shapes, which are then topped with a meringue-like glaze made from more egg white and sugar. During baking, the glaze sets into a crisp, snowy layer while the interior stays chewy. Because there is no wheat flour, the texture is closer to a firm macaroon than a brittle cookie.