Sheet Pan Christmas Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a HUGE fan of sheet pan recipes, especially desserts! You may remember my Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies that went viral on social media and inspired me to create my 4-in-1 Sheet Pan Cookies. Well now I’m back with these Sheet Pan Christmas Cookies!
Here we have another 4-in-1 cookie recipe, this time with the ultimate festive Christmas vibes. This recipe is PERFECT for holiday baking because you get so many cookies out of it, and in several different flavors!
Much like my other sheet pan cookies, these Sheet Pan Christmas Cookies are so simple and straightforward to make. I love that you bake them all on one pan – so no scooping or measuring out cookie dough.
You don’t need a mixer for this recipe (yay!). AND it calls for melted butter, so there’s no waiting around for your butter to get to room temperature!
The other secret to what makes these Sheet Pan Christmas Cookies SO easy is that you start with a base cookie dough that you use for all 4 of the variations. Then you’ll separate the dough into four servings and simply add in the ingredients for each of the different cookies.
Then voila! Four different types of cookies from essentially ONE recipe, and all made in 1 pan! 🎉
I seriously love these Sheet Pan Christmas Cookies so much. I foresee my family making a LOT of batches of these this Christmas season!!
Speaking of Christmas… These cookies are the latest in my 2024 Holiday Cookie Series! If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend taking a peek. Some of the others I’ve shared this year are my Pumpkin Pie Cookies, my classic Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies, and my ADORABLE Holiday Sugar Cookie Bites!
Happy holiday baking, everyone!! ❤️💚
Why This Recipe Works
- No mixer required!
- With this recipe, there is a cookie for everyone! And, all the options are festive, fun and absolutely perfect for Christmastime!
- This recipe is so convenient! Instead of scooping and portioning out individual cookies and baking them in batches, you can spread the dough in one even layer on a sheet pan. This saves time and effort, making it easier to whip up a large batch of cookies in one go.
- No chill time required! And this recipe uses melted butter, so no waiting for butter to soften either!
- These cookies have an ultra chewy texture, thanks to their uniform thickness and the way they bake on the sheet pan. The edges become slightly crisp while the center remains soft and chewy, creating a perfect balance of textures in every bite.
- They are easy to serve, transport, and share with friends, family, or guests. Whether you prefer squares, rectangles, or irregular pieces, sheet pan cookies are simple to portion out and enjoy.
Ingredient Notes
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
The ingredients for the cookie dough base are the same as my 4-in-1 Sheet Pan Cookies!
- Butter: Use melted, unsalted butter and let it cool slightly before using. If you have to use salted butter, simply omit the added salt later on in the ingredients.
- Sugars: We’ll use both granulated sugar and brown sugar for these cookies. The brown sugar can be either dark or light (I tested with both).
- Eggs & Egg Yolk: Use 2 large eggs and 1 additional large egg yolk for this recipe. The extra egg yolk provides extra moisture and structure to the cookies. (Note: When I was making & photographing these cookies, I only had small eggs on hand so I used 2 small eggs and 2 additional small egg yolks. So when you see 4 egg yolks in the pictures of this post – that’s why!)
- All Purpose Flour: Make sure you’re using the spoon & level method to measure your flour, otherwise you might end up with way more than you need (which can dry out the cookies). It’s important to be mindful not to over-mix the dough once the flour is added to avoid developing too much gluten, which can result in a tougher cookie.
- Milk: Just a bit of milk in the cookie dough batter helps keep these cookies moist and hydrates the starches in the flour.
- Cornstarch: I found adding cornstarch into this dough helps create an even more soft and chewy sheet pan cookie!
- Other Ingredients: vanilla extract, kosher salt, baking soda, baking powder
You’ll divide the dough into 4 equal portions and add these additional ingredients to make the 4 Christmas-inspired cookies!
- Gingerbread: Spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) and molasses
- White Chocolate Cranberry: Dried cranberries and white chocolate chips (make sure to have extra to garnish after the dough bakes)
- Festive M&M: Red & green M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus more for garnish after baking)
- Chocolate Peppermint: Dutch process cocoa powder, Ghirardelli’s Peppermint Bark squares, espresso powder, peppermint extract, and flaky sea salt
Check Out My Favorite OXO Sheet Pan!
High quality sheet pan, easy to clean, consistent pan for baking, and does not warp! Can’t recommend it enough.
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
All it takes is 1 bowl!
Divide into 4
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, I just eyeball it but you can weigh it out if you want to be exact. Then, add the flavors and mix-ins. (Everything is listed in the recipe card below).
Spread out & bake!
I like to under-bake these slightly so they stay soft & chewy, keeping in mind there is carry over baking since the cookies cool on the sheet pan. 🤗
Cool & serve!
I like to serve the cookies right off the sheet pan, and everyone can snag their favorite flavor to enjoy!
Success Tips
- Don’t over-mix the dough: It’s really important not over-mix the cookie dough because over-mixing causes too much gluten to be produced which can result in tougher cookies.
- Use nonstick spray: Even if you have a nonstick sheet pan, I still recommend spraying with some nonstick spray. This makes it easy to clean up and really ensures the cookies won’t stick!
- Watch closely while baking: Keep a close eye on them while they’re in the oven. Baking times can vary depending on your oven, start checking for doneness a couple minutes before the recommended time.
- Underbake a bit! With these sheet pan cookies, we aren’t moving them over to a cooling rack like a normal batch of cookies. Because of this, I recommend to under-bake them just a tad so they won’t become dry as they cool on the sheet pan after baking.
- Cool before cutting: It’s also key to let the cookies cool a bit because they will be goopy or greasy if sliced into straight away.
FAQs
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think substituting the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour should work fine. If you try it, I’d love if you’d leave a comment below with how it went for you!
Can I use parchment paper on my sheet pan instead of non-stick spray?
It might require a little extra patience to spread the dough with parchment paper underneath, but otherwise it should work!
What if I don’t like one of the 4 flavor options?
That’s no biggie! You could substitute any of the flavors mentioned in my 4-in-1 Sheet Pan Cookie recipe, or you could double one of the other Christmas flavors and do half of the sheet in 1 flavor.
Storage
- Store at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 5 days, if they last that long!
- Freeze in a freezer-safe bag or air-tight container for up for 3 months.
shop this post
OXO Non-Stick Half Sheet 13 x 18 Inch
Buy Now →
Buy Now → 
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, dark or light (packed)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- 2 Tbsp. whole milk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
Gingerbread
- 1 pinch ginger
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 pinch cloves
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 tbsp. molasses
White Chocolate Cranberry
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (plus more to garnish after baking)
- ¼ cup white chocolate (plus more to garnish after baking)
Festive M&M
- ⅓ cup red & green M&Ms (plus more to garnish after baking)
- 2 tbsp. semi sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Peppermint
- 1 ½ tbsp. Dutch process cocoa
- ~8 Ghirardelli’s Peppermint Bark Squares
- ¼ tsp. espresso powder
- ¼ tsp. peppermint extract
- flaky sea salt
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a standard half sheet pan with nonstick spray (13×18) and set aside.
- Add the melted butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl.1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, dark or light, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Whisk together until smooth. Be sure to break up any clumps of brown sugar.
- Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 2 Tbsp. whole milk, 1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients.
- Fold until mostly combined. Do not over mix the cookie dough in this step.3 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. baking powder
- Divide the base cookie dough batter into 4 equal sections and place in 4 medium sized bowls. You can use a food scale to weigh each portion of so they are more accurate if you'd like, each quadrant will be ~10-11 oz. each.
- Add additional mix-ins to each bowl and mix just until combined.
- Place each cookie portion onto a quadrant of your sheet pan.
- Using a rubber spatula, flatten each section down evenly. Do the best you can, it doesn't have to be perfect. The cookie dough should fill the entire sheet pan and they cookie doughs will be touching.
- Bake for ~18-20 minutes, do not over bake. Slightly underbake because there will be carry over cooking as it cools on sheet pan. It will look puffy at first, but settles as it cools. You can gently tap it on the counter if it’s really fluffy so it settles, if needed. Add more chocolate chips or chunks on if desired.
- Cool completely, then cut into squares. Serve and ENJOY! Store at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 5 days, if they last that long!
Video
Notes
- Make sure not to over-mix the dough once you add the all purpose flour in.
- Remove the pan from the oven when the cookies seem slightly underbaked. They’ll continue to bake on the warm pan as they cool.
- Store at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 5 days, if they last that long!
- Freeze in a freezer safe bag or air tight container for up for 3 months.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Question
If you only want to make two of the cookie recipes, is that possible
Hello! Do you mean just flavor the cookie dough 2 different flavors instead of all 4? Of course! 🙂