20+ European Christmas Cookie Recipes

It’s the Holiday season and what a better way to celebrate it than with a cookie in hand. Europeans have plenty of different ways to make delicious cookies. I hope you’ll enjoy this collection of European Christmas Cookie Recipes and make one, two, or more of them for your holiday. 

Now I’ve lived here in NY for the last 14 years and haven’t had the chance to go back to Poland for Christmas yet (I’m hoping that the next year will be the year). In fact, this collection of European cookies makes me want to go there even more. Sipping mulled wine, all bundled up with a delicious cookie in hand, listening to Chrismas carols and enjoying the season is all I’m dreaming of right now.

To put you in a similar mood, I’ll show you how festive beautiful my hometown Wroclaw is during the Christmas season. Photo credit In Your Pocket

Without further ado, here’s my compilation of the most popular European cookies…

1. 5 Ingredient Butter Vanilla Holiday Cookies are super easy to make. Butter, sugar, egg, flour, vanilla and just 20 minutes…that’s all you’ll need! Their taste reminds me of the butter vanilla cookies you can find in almost every European market during the Christmas season.

2.  Speculoos, also known as Speculaas or Dutch Windmill Cookies, is a holiday cookie that is traditionally made for the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6th) in the Netherlands and Belgium.

3. Brunkager is a Danish Christmas cookie with a delicious spiced flavor, and a wonderful crunch. Perfect to add to your cookie plate.

4. Bulgarian Honey Cookies Medenki Recipe – these soft, spiced cookies, dipped in chocolate will make the perfect sweet treat this holiday season.

5. These German Marzipan Balls are the easiest Christmas Cookies ever! Vegan, gluten-free and only 2 ingredients needed!

6. A European spin on a holiday classic! These traditional Polish gingerbread cookies use a sticky sweet substitute instead of the conventional molasses.

7. Thin and crispy Moravian Molasses cookies.  This recipe makes 7-8 dozen 2 1/2″ cookies (or more).

8. These Pierniczki świąteczne, aka Polish Christmas cookies, are the perfect make-ahead festive treat. They are easy to make, with pantry ingredients and bake in just 8 mins.

9. These no yeast lemon mini babkas (babeczki) are quick and easy. The recipe for these traditional Polish cakes is from the Wild Honey and Rye cookbook, by Ren Behan.

10. This krumkake recipe makes light, crispy, delicate, golden wafer cookies that are rolled into a traditional cone shape. These Scandinavian cookies are traditionally flavored with cardamom and vanilla but can be made in many different flavors if you want to experiment.

11. These simple Danish butter cookies are easy to make with children and brighten up everyone’s holiday.

12. Medovníky are a deliciously spiced, decorated gingerbread-style cookie flavored with honey, cinnamon, and cloves. These festive cookies are often served at Christmas time in Slovakia and decorated with white icing swirls.

13. German Pfeffernusse Cookies – A traditional spiced German cookie covered in powdered sugar. The perfect cookie for a Christmas cookie exchange!

14. Canestrelli is a wonderfully delicious Italian Cookie. It’s an almost shortbread type cookie but with a crunch – fast and easy.

15. Joulutorttu are traditional Finnish Christmas Cookies made in the shape of the pinwheel and filled with a delicious prune jam. This recipe makes a big batch of cookies. Bake them for Christmas and freeze any leftovers.

16. Goro (pronounced go-do) is a thin Norwegian cookie that is cooked on a special goro iron.

17. Struffoli di Mamma are puffy balls of fried dough which are crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside. These Italian honey balls (aka Cicerchiata) are then drenched in citrus-scented warm honey and decorated with sprinkles.

18. Danish aebleskiver are a traditional holiday dish in Scandinavian countries, and they’re sold as street food during the busy holiday shopping season.

19. Pfeffernusse are a popular cookie in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

20. Melomakarona – Traditional Greek Christmas honey spice cookies are made with olive oil, spices and soaked in a honey syrup.

21. These homemade jammie dodger biscuits are really easy to make and taste delicious. They’re also known as Linzer cookies, a popular Christmas cookie recipe.