Best Christmas Biscuits to Bake: Easy Festive Recipes

Christmas baking is one of those activities that makes the house smell incredible, gives you something to do on a cold December afternoon, and results in biscuits you can eat, gift, or use to bribe people.

Biscuits are easier than cakes, more impressive than bought ones, and kids love making (and eating) them. Plus, homemade Christmas biscuits make brilliant last-minute gifts when you’ve forgotten someone.

This is your complete guide to Christmas biscuits—from classic gingerbread to Scottish shortbread, with recipes, decorating tips, and storage advice.

The Essential Christmas Biscuit: Gingerbread

Why gingerbread is THE Christmas biscuit:

• Smells amazing
• Traditional (been around since medieval times)
• Can be cut into festive shapes
• Kids love decorating them
• Perfect for gifts

Classic Gingerbread Biscuits Recipe

Makes about 20-30 depending on size

Ingredients:

• 350g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 125g butter
• 175g light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp golden syrup

Method:

1. Sift flour, bicarb, and spices into bowl
2. Rub in butter until breadcrumb texture
3. Stir in sugar
4. Beat egg and syrup together
5. Add to flour mix, combine into dough
6. Wrap in cling film, chill for 30 mins
7. Roll out to 5mm thick
8. Cut into shapes
9. Bake at 180°C for 10-12 mins
10. Cool on rack

Decorating:

• Royal icing (icing sugar + egg white + lemon juice)
• Writing icing tubes
• Edible glitter
• Sweets and decorations
• Go wild!

Gingerbread Houses

The ambitious version:

• Use same recipe but roll thicker (8mm)
• Cut out house pieces (walls, roof)
• Bake until firm
• Assemble with royal icing as glue
• Decorate with sweets

Reality check: They’re fiddly, time-consuming, and might collapse. But kids love them.

Cheat’s version: Buy a kit from supermarket. No judgment.

Scottish Shortbread

Simple, buttery, traditional, delicious.

Classic Shortbread Recipe

Makes about 16 fingers

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• 75g caster sugar
• 175g butter (room temperature)
• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar until pale
2. Add flour and salt
3. Mix until dough forms (might need hands)
4. Press into greased tin (about 2cm thick)
5. Prick all over with fork
6. Chill for 30 mins
7. Bake at 160°C for 30-35 mins (pale golden)
8. Cut into fingers while still warm
9. Cool in tin

Traditional shapes:

• Fingers (classic)
• Rounds with fluted edges
• Petticoat tails (triangular wedges)

Variations:

• Add lemon zest
• Dip in chocolate
• Sprinkle with demerara sugar before baking

Christmas Sugar Cookies

The American favourite that’s caught on in Britain.

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Makes about 30

Ingredients:

• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g butter (softened)
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Beat in egg and vanilla
3. Mix flour and baking powder
4. Add to butter mix
5. Combine into dough
6. Chill for 1 hour
7. Roll out, cut shapes
8. Bake at 180°C for 8-10 mins
9. Cool completely before icing

Why they’re brilliant:

• Hold shape well
• Perfect for decorating
• Not too sweet (until you add icing)
• Kids love them

Icing: Use royal icing or shop-bought writing icing. Add food colouring for different colours.

Chocolate Yule Log Biscuits

Festive twist on chocolate biscuits.

Recipe

Makes about 20

Ingredients:

• 200g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 100g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Add egg and vanilla
3. Sift in flour and cocoa
4. Mix into dough
5. Chill 30 mins
6. Roll out, cut into log shapes (rectangles)
7. Use fork to make bark texture
8. Bake at 180°C for 10-12 mins

Decoration:

• Dust with icing sugar (snow effect)
• Pipe chocolate lines (bark effect)
• Add marzipan decorations

Stollen Biscuits

All the flavour of stollen, easier to make.

Quick Stollen Biscuit Recipe

Makes about 24

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• 100g butter
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 50g dried fruit (raisins, cranberries)
• 50g marzipan, chopped into small pieces
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Rub butter into flour
2. Add sugar, spice, zest
3. Mix in fruit and marzipan pieces
4. Add egg, form dough
5. Roll into small balls
6. Flatten slightly
7. Bake at 180°C for 12-15 mins
8. Dust heavily with icing sugar while still warm

Taste: Like stollen but in convenient biscuit form.

Cinnamon Stars (German Zimtsterne)

Traditional German Christmas biscuit, naturally gluten-free.

Recipe

Makes about 30

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 300g icing sugar
• 300g ground almonds
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• Zest of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Whisk egg whites until stiff
2. Gradually add icing sugar
3. Set aside 3 tbsp of this mixture (for topping)
4. Fold almonds, cinnamon, zest into rest
5. Roll out between cling film (sticky!)
6. Cut into stars
7. Brush with reserved egg white mixture
8. Bake at 140°C for 15-20 mins (don’t brown!)

Result: Chewy, almondy, properly festive.

Quick & Easy: No-Bake Christmas Biscuits

Chocolate Cornflake Cakes

Kids’ favourite, zero skill required.

Ingredients:

• 200g chocolate
• 50g butter
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 100g cornflakes

Method:

1. Melt chocolate, butter, syrup
2. Add cornflakes
3. Mix gently
4. Spoon into cake cases
5. Chill until set

Make festive: Add green food colouring, top with red sweets (holly effect).

Chocolate Orange Truffles

Technically not biscuits but close enough.

Ingredients:

• 200g crushed digestives
• 100g chocolate
• 50g butter
• Zest of 1 orange
• Cocoa powder for coating

Method:

1. Melt chocolate and butter
2. Mix with crushed biscuits and zest
3. Form into balls
4. Roll in cocoa powder
5. Chill

Perfect for: Gifts, last-minute Christmas treats, eating secretly at midnight.

Decorating Christmas Biscuits

Royal Icing

The professional option.

Ingredients:

• 500g icing sugar
• 2-3 egg whites
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Whisk egg whites lightly
2. Add icing sugar gradually
3. Add lemon juice
4. Beat until thick and glossy

Piping consistency: Should hold peaks
Flooding consistency: Add water until runny

Easy Alternatives

Shop-bought options:

• Writing icing tubes (easiest)
• Ready-made royal icing
• Icing sugar + water (basic but works)

Decorations

Edible:

• Silver balls
• Edible glitter
• Sprinkles
• Sweets
• Chocolate chips
• Dried fruit

Non-edible:

• Ribbon (for hanging)
• String
• Gift tags

Making Biscuits with Kids

Age-appropriate tasks:

Ages 3-5:

• Mixing ingredients (supervised)
• Cutting out shapes
• Adding decorations

Ages 6-10:

• Measuring (with help)
• Rolling dough
• Cutting shapes independently
• Creative decorating

Ages 11+:

• Following recipe mostly independently
• Using oven (supervised)
• More complex decorating

Tips for success:

• Accept mess (it’s part of it)
• Let them be creative (wonky is fine)
• Don’t stress about perfection
• Take photos (memories matter more than perfect biscuits)

Storage & Gifting

Storing Biscuits

Short-term (up to 1 week):

• Airtight container or tin
• Layer with greaseproof paper
• Room temperature

Longer term (up to 1 month):

• Freeze in airtight container
• Defrost thoroughly before serving

Don’t store together:

• Different flavours (they’ll taste similar)
• Soft and crispy (soft ones go hard, hard ones go soft)

Gifting Biscuits

Packaging ideas:

• Cellophane bags with ribbon
• Tins (charity shops have loads cheap)
• Boxes lined with tissue paper
• Mason jars

Make it special:

• Add gift tags with biscuit name
• Include storage instructions
• Mention allergens
• Add “Made with love” labels

Perfect for:

• Teachers
• Neighbours
• Colleagues
• Forgotten relatives
• Anyone really

Common Baking Problems

Biscuits spread too much:

• Dough too warm (chill longer)
• Not enough flour
• Oven not hot enough

Biscuits too hard:

• Overbaked
• Too much flour
• Next time, bake less time

Biscuits too soft:

• Underbaked
• Too much butter
• Bake longer or reduce butter next time

Shapes don’t hold:

• Dough too warm
• Need to chill longer
• Use less baking powder

Time-Saving Tips

Make ahead:

• Freeze dough (up to 3 months)
• Bake from frozen (add 2-3 mins)
• Decorate closer to gifting/eating

Batch cooking:

• Double recipes
• Use multiple trays
• Rotate in oven

Shortcuts:

• Shop-bought decorations
• Ready-made icing
• Cookie cutters instead of free-hand shaping

The Bottom Line

Christmas biscuits are one of those activities that’s as much about the making as the eating. Yes, shop-bought biscuits are easier. But there’s something lovely about spending an afternoon baking, decorating, and making your house smell like Christmas.

Plus, homemade biscuits make brilliant gifts, and nobody needs to know how easy they actually are to make.

So stick the oven on, get the biscuit cutters out, and accept that there will be flour everywhere. That’s part of the experience.

And if they’re not perfect? Who cares. They’ll taste delicious anyway.

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Related Guides:

• Back to Complete Christmas Food Guide
• Mince Pies: Everything You Need to Know
• Christmas Pudding: History & Recipes

What’s your essential Christmas biscuit? Gingerbread, shortbread, or something else? Share your favourite recipes in the comments!