The 7 Best Christmas Cookbooks, According To Our Editors

Get inspired to make new holiday traditions.

The holidays are a home cook's Olympics. It's the time of year when the kitchen is constantly in use, and you're doing overtime between baking cookies and coming up with appetizers for all the holiday get togethers. You'll dust off the same treasured family recipe cards, but if you're anything like us, you like to try one or two new recipes, too.

Whether you're looking for a new centerpiece for Christmas dinner, or just a big batch cocktail for a crowd, these Christmas cookbooks can help. Some are focused on baking (for those of you looking for new additions to the annual cookie tins), while others provide ideas for all sorts of holiday meals, from breakfast to easy weeknight meals to prepare in the days preceding all the merriment.

Great British Bake Off: Christmas

This cookbook includes more than just show-stopping baked goods. It contains the secrets to a Mary- and Paul-approved mac and cheese, as well as plenty of sweet treats complete with full instructions (unlike the technical challenges on the show). Mary Berry also has her own collection of Christmas recipes worth checking out.

Joy of Cooking

"[This is] not a Christmas cookbook, but I feel like I'm always reaching for the Joy of Cooking especially around the holidays, even if it's for a pie or pie crust that I don't even need a recipe for because I know it by heart at this point. There's just something about having the tattered book next to me that feels nostalgic," says Assistant Homes Editor, Cameron Beall.

Southern Living 2023 Christmas Cookbook

Not to pat ourselves on the back, but our latest collection of Christmas recipes available at Dillard's has everything you need to celebrate the holidays, whether you want to make the Big White Cake on the cover, or you're simply looking for easy weeknight meals in the run up to Christmas. Also, profits from cookbooks sold will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Nigella Christmas: Food Family Friends Festivities

We have Ina Garten in the States, but across The Pond, Nigella Lawson reigns supreme. The esteemed chef and TV personality provides readers with several holiday menus ideas that center around different proteins, like turkey, beef, or even a vegetarian lineup featuring a stuffed, roasted pumpkin. She also includes recipes for edible gifts that you can share with loved ones all season long.

The Cookie Bible

There really isn't a single kind of cookie not covered in this baking tome. From less traditional treats, like Black Tahini Crisps, to classic chocolate chip cookies, legendary baker Rose Levy Beranbaum provides not only well-tested recipes, but expert guidance and tips along the way.

The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook

First published in 2003, 20 years later this classic cookbook is still a go-to for many Southern Living editors. The compilation includes Christmas recipes from Martha's eponymous magazine, and covers everything from eggnog to roast goose.

Dorie's Cookies

Five-time James Beard award-winning author Dorie Greenspan's cookbooks are considered a gold standard among professionals and home cooks alike. We've put two of her books (including this one) in our roundup of The 100 Best Cookbooks of All Time. Southern Living contributor Sheri Castle said that, "This time the inimitable Dorie Greenspan focuses her endless expertise on the beloved cookie. One cannot prepare one of her recipes and not be a better baker for it."

Related: 15 Cookbooks Every Southerner Should Own

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