Part of all the Christmas chaos and fun is to bake and decorate Christmas cookies. This recipe for German Christmas cookies couldn’t be easier and the cookies are about as light and sweet as they come. If you can manage some self-control, you’ll have a big batch of cookies to decorate for a fun holiday activity with the kiddos. These cookies couldn’t be more simple, which is probably why a recipe like this has stuck around for so many years, it’s time-tested to be delicious.

Powdered sugar is the magic ingredient here. It is so much lighter than granulated sugar and has a subtle sweetness, which makes these cookies so light in texture. And without butter, we’re not getting anywhere! So sugar and butter are two super important ingredients for creating the perfect cookie. For added depth of flavor, we’re not using one but two flavored extracts – vanilla and almond extract and they work in harmony here to add a light and sweet taste to the cookie. To get just the right texture, the dough does need to spend some time in the refrigerator, so this is a make-ahead dough, but rest assured, this batch will make a TON of cookies. So you don’t have to bake them all in one go.

This cookie recipe is pretty darn good on its own, but adding a little sugary decoration never hurt a cookie. Each cookie is like a blank canvas just waiting for some colorful sweet frosting to make the cookie look festive. And did we mention this recipe makes a TON of cookies? You’ll have more than you know what to do with, and definitely plenty of cookies to leave out for Santa. A German Christmas cookie is a holiday recipe that families have made for generations, with the tradition passed along to each new generation as a cookie gift for the Christmas season.