5 Must-Try Christmas Cookie Recipes!

The Christmas season brings a lot of reasons to be happy; not only only are people kinder and more generous, but they also prepare tasty treats, including the all-time favorite: cookies.

Some, however, like Jane Black, a contributor for the Wall Street Journal, said that while she loves eating cookies, she still thinks that baking them is "a drag."

"What seems at the start like a fun holiday project involves many or all of the following: mixing, chilling, rolling, shaping, baking, rotating, cooling, decorating. What's worse is that sometimes after all that work, the cookies are just meh," she explained.

She had long given up baking the treats until she dug up her grandmother's 1980s recipe that provided some quick, but tasty products, that were enhanced by Ms. Black's research.

We have decided to make you feel less holiday stress with these five, must-try cookie recipes:

Shortbread Three Ways

MarthaStewart.com featured this trio of simple, but sweet, additions of boozy dried fruit, chocolate chunks, and coconut with pecans in their Traditional Christmas Cookies article.

According to the site, these can be baked using three variations, aside from the classic shortbread: 1) coconut-pecan shortbread; 2) chocolate-chunk shortbread; and 3) fruitcake shortbread.

Simply click the links and get baking!

Dark Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Yes, this is not a cookie, but it definitely fits in the category of a treat!

In fact, RealSimple.com featured it in their Easy Holiday and Christmas Cookies article that included all sorts of pastries, which will be included in this report.

Ingredients and directions on how to make them are provided in this recipe.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Another yummy cookie that will surely add extra cheer to the perfect celebration: white chocolate macadamia cookies.

Not only are these treats bursting with flavor, but they can also last as long as 5 days when enclosed in an airtight container, so the little ones can nibble on them a little longer.

For the complete recipe, click here.

Brown Sugar Cookies

Another yummy addition to your holiday meal is the brown sugar cookie, which can be enhanced by a sprinkle of cinnamon powder for a sweet and spicy flavor.

To make these pocket-sized treats, all you need is butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract, kosher salt, ground cinnamon and all-purpose flour.

The four-step recipe can be found here.

Sunny's Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

Nothing says Christmas better than candy cane, and these can be made in just 1 hour and 5 minutes tops.

Featured on the Food Network, Sunny's chocolate chip candy cane cookies can be prepared in about 20 minutes and are cooked for about 45.

Here is the recipe.

Check out the video below, which features how to bake colorful cookies, specially designed for Christmas time.