• Chefs shared some key tips and tricks to make the best holiday cookies every time.
• You can make multiple types of cookies from one batch of dough.
• Using high-quality tools can make your baking process easier and save you some time.

Whether baking for yourself or as a gift for family and friends, you may find that sometimes your oven can be your worst enemy when you're baking cookies.

To make your winter baking a breeze, Business Insider spoke with chefs to get their best tips and tricks for making holiday cookies.

The key is to rest the dough and let cookies set

Michael Wallace, culinary director at Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces, told BI that home bakers need to allocate time to let the dough and finished treats sit.

"First thing I like to tell people is the importance of resting the dough," Wallace said. "I like to let it rest for at least two hours before baking."

"Next would be to allow the cookies to cool after baking for five minutes before transferring from the baking sheet," he said. "This allows the cookie to 'set up.'"

Wallace also said that unless you're using gluten-free flour, be cautious of overmixing your dough.

You should freeze your dough before baking 

Chef Tricia Brennan Nally told BI that you should prioritize letting your dough firm up in the freezer or fridge. 

"Scoop and freeze your dough before baking," Nally said. "Chilled dough is always best, but it's difficult to scoop when it's cold."

Adequate chilling time can vary depending on the dough you're using and the cookies you're trying to make, so do your research and allocate that waiting period ahead of baking.

Remember that less can be more

Nally added that it may be worth your time to focus on nailing one type of cookie rather than tackling a bunch of varieties at once. 

"I'm also a fan of quality over quantity," Nally said. "I'd rather give people one or two or the same kind of cookie — or any pastry — and have them be really good than give them 10 subpar cookies."

If you've already made different batches of dough, you can always place them in the freezer to bake at a later date.

You can make different kinds of cookies using the same dough

Nally also recommends baking different cookie varieties with the same dough to keep things fresh.

"Try making multiple kinds of cookies with the same dough base, like a sugar or shortbread dough that can be turned into thumbprint cookies, sandwich cookies, rolled for cutouts, etc.," Nally said. 

In addition to mixing up cookie shapes, you can also vary the way you decorate and plate your holiday treats.

Having good tools can sometimes make a difference

As a chef myself, I'll share a few parting words.

Always be sure to chill your dough before rolling it out – particularly if it is sugar-cookie dough. It needs time to firm up so that cookie cutters are able to create the sharpest lines.

I'd also recommend purchasing a bench knife, which will help you slice dough, cut butter into flour, and more — having the right tools in the kitchen can make all the difference.

Other items I'd recommend you stock up on are different size cookie scoops, a small offset spatula, and a Silpat baking mat.

This story was originally published in December 2018 and most recently updated on December 19, 2024.

• When it comes to holiday baking, you don't need to spend time or money on complicated recipes.
• Many festive desserts like peanut-butter balls and chocolate bark only call for a few ingredients.
• Homemade chocolate fudge is also easy to make and give away as a gift.

Holiday baking is a fun activity around Thanksgiving, but you don't have to spend a lot of money or make complicated desserts to have a sweet treat around the holidays. 

From peanut-butter balls and rich chocolate fudge to peppermint bark, these festive desserts only require a few ingredients to make, and you might already have all of the ingredients lying around.

Here are 10 festive holiday desserts that only need five ingredients or fewer. 

You can make sugar cookies with only three basic ingredients.

These three-ingredient sugar cookies by BellyFull take 15 minutes to whip up and use things that you probably already have in your kitchen: unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and all-purpose flour.

However, if you want to make your sugar cookies even more special, you can also use a few extra ingredients like vanilla, a quick and easy icing like this one from Betty Crocker, and festive red, green, or blue sprinkles.

Peanut brittle is a sweet and salty snack you can make with just five ingredients.

This recipe by SweetPhi uses baking soda, sugar, light corn syrup, dry roasted peanuts, and flaky sea salt to create a rich holiday treat. You won't even need a candy thermometer to make this dessert — just a saucepan, measuring spoons, and parchment paper.

Chocolate bark is one of the easiest holiday desserts, and you can customize it with any toppings.

To make sweet-and-spicy chocolate bark, you'll need hazelnuts, two bars of dark chocolate, dried cranberries, sea salt, and cayenne pepper.

One of the best parts about making chocolate bark is that not only can you customize the toppings, but you also don't even need to bake it. Melt the chocolate, add your toppings, and stick it in the fridge until it is hardened and ready to break apart.

You can also make a festive white chocolate and peppermint bark.

If you enjoy peppermint mochas, you'll love this four-ingredient dessert. To make white-chocolate peppermint bark, you'll need candy canes or hard peppermint candies, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and peppermint extract.

It's perfect for making with kids and keeps up to three weeks in the refrigerator, meaning you can enjoy it all holiday season long. 

Peanut-butter cookies aren't just a crowd-pleasing dessert, they're also easy to make.

The Stay at Home Chef's recipe for five-ingredient peanut-butter cookies is gluten-free and includes creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, one egg, and vanilla extract. 

Peanut-butter balls also only require a few ingredients.

Whether you're a peanut-butter fanatic or simply an inexperienced baker, this easy recipe by Kitchen Fun calls for four ingredients that you might already have in your pantry: creamy peanut butter, powdered sugar, butter, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Make the peanut-butter dough, dip the balls into the melted chocolate, and refrigerate them until the chocolate has hardened. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also top the balls with festive-colored sprinkles or nuts for added flavor and texture.

Making homemade chocolate truffles might sound intimidating, but this recipe couldn't be easier.

Gimme Some Oven's recipe for five-ingredient whiskey dark chocolate truffles uses dark chocolate, heavy cream, butter, sea salt, and your choice of whiskey.

Be warned: These sweet treats aren't intended for kids. Since the truffles aren't baked, none of the alcohol gets a chance to "burn off."

If chocolate or peanut butter isn't your thing, these tart lemon bars only require five ingredients.

To make Gimme Some Oven's lemon bars, you'll need all-purpose flour, butter, powdered sugar, eggs, and lemons. Or, if you're looking to make life even easier, you can buy store-bought lemon curd.

Chocolate-covered strawberries are always a hit and only require two ingredients.

Dip your strawberries into melted semisweet chocolate, set the strawberries down onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and wait until the chocolate has set.

To make your chocolate-covered strawberries even more show-stopping, you can also melt some white chocolate and drizzle it over the top of the strawberries before setting them aside to harden.

Chocolate fudge is perfect for setting out at a holiday party or can be given as a gift.

Taste of Home's recipe for five-ingredient chocolate fudge relies on pantry staples: butter, semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract.

It only takes 10 minutes to prepare, meaning you can have a sweet treat ready to serve faster than you can say "mistletoe."