What’s the holiday season without cookies? Traditional batches of Christmas cookies are what makes good tidings go-round, and what keeps your holiday guests fat and happy!

Cookies and the Christmas season go back thousands of years. The German ‘Lebkuchen’ (gingerbread) cookie was probably the first cake/cookie to be traditionally related with Christmas. By 1500, cookies were becoming popular all over Europe, with variations on the Lebkuchen or buttery Spritz Cookies. The Swedish were said to prefer ‘Pepparkakor’ (spicy ginger and black-pepper delights), while Norwegians enjoyed ‘Krumkake’ (thin wafers with lemon and cardamom scents and flavors). Americans stole the term, if not the cookie, for today’s “Crumb Cake.”

And don’t take those cookies straight from the oven to your guests! If the treats look festive and beautiful, take some pictures of your amazing cookies and use it for great photo Christmas cards that you can send out just afterwards!

Here are some delicious ideas for holiday cookies you and your family are sure to enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

For sugar cookies, try this easy recipe: bake the sugar cookies (or pick up two dozen from your favorite local bakery shop); then combine chocolate chips and shortening and toss into the microwave until melted; stir the chocolate until smooth. Then get your kids to dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate. Place on waxed paper and let the kids shake colored sprinkles on top until the chocolate is set. Yum!

Oreo Truffles

One of the sure upcoming holiday favorites is apt to be holiday variations involving the Oreo. Oreo has recently re-branded many of its retail offerings and awareness of its namesake cookie brand is high. Try a holiday variation like Oreo Truffles, which will thrill and delight your guests. A package of Oreo goodness, cream cheese, and some milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Ultimate Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin scents wafting through the kitchen often signify the holiday season is upon us. Not only is pumpkin spices arousing to our taste buds, the pumpkin scent is also arousing to men’s sexual desires, apparently. Something in the scent helps get men ready for amorous activities. So consider a night when the kids are away to bake these delicious ultimate pumpkin cookies. You’ll need pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree worked into all your flour, sugar and baking soda dry goods. Mix that with butter, brown sugar and eggs for the batter, add some white chocolate chips, and you’re ready for a sweet tooth night!

Delicious Cookie recipes

The authors behind MomWhoThink.com, a website for family planning tips, have gathered hundreds of Christmas cookie recipes to share with moms and baking queens all over. You’ll find mouth-watering recipes for traditional favorites like Gingerbread Men cookies, Oatmeal Raisin cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Kisses, Magic Seven Layer Bars, Snickerdoodles, Chocolate Pinwheels, Peanut Butter cookies, Snowball cookies and more.

Holding a Christmas cookie bake-off with your neighborhood friends or church groups is a super fun activity to do good in your community and raise money for charity. Pick a date, gather your group together, pick a charity to benefit and throw a Christmas desert and coffee party. With every gal in your group baking a different delicious recipe for friends and neighbors, you’ll have a wonderful assortment of Christmas cookies to sell. And not only that, you’ll find the real reason for the Christmas season, right there in your heart.