Christmas Cookie Calories, Ranked: From Shortbread to Gingerbread (25 Holiday Cookies)

A Christmas cookie is 18 to 203 calories each, using USDA FoodData Central and USDA's own portion weights. A meringue is the lightest at about 18, a gingerbread man is 129, a sugar cookie 139, shortbread 154, and a frosted sugar cookie 182. A mixed dozen from a cookie exchange tin comes to about 1,456 calories, or 121 a cookie.

Short version: cookies are part of the season, and nobody needs a spreadsheet to enjoy one. This post just gives you real numbers, so the next time someone hands you a tin, you know roughly what's in it. If you're coming from the leftover Halloween bowl, our Halloween candy calories chart has those.

How many calories are in a Christmas cookie?

Here are 25 holiday cookies, ranked from lightest to heaviest. Each one is a USDA FoodData Central entry (Survey, FNDDS) at a portion weight USDA itself publishes for that food, so the size is written next to every number. Sugar and protein are scaled the same way.

Rank	Cookie	USDA size	Calories	Per 100 g	Sugar	Protein
1	Meringue cookie	1 cookie (5 g)	18	350	4.0g	0.3g
2	Snickerdoodle	1 cookie, 2 1/4" across (10 g)	46	464	2.7g	0.5g
3	Pizzelle	1 wafer (13 g)	54	417	0.8g	1.1g
4	Rum ball	1 ball (11 g)	57	514	2.4g	0.6g
5	Pfeffernusse	1 cookie (13 g)	67	514	2.8g	0.7g
6	Rugelach	1 roll-up (23 g)	80	348	10.7g	0.9g
7	Gingersnap	1 small (20 g)	83	416	4.0g	1.1g
8	Russian tea cake / Mexican wedding cookie	1 small (20 g)	93	464	5.5g	1.1g
9	Lebkuchen (German gingerbread)	1 cookie (24 g)	103	430	4.2g	1.3g
10	Coconut macaroon	1 cookie (24 g)	110	460	10.8g	0.7g
11	Fudge	1 piece (30 g)	119	396	22.9g	0.5g
12	Biscotti	1 cookie (32 g)	119	373	9.1g	2.4g
13	Gingerbread man / molasses cookie	1 medium (30 g)	129	430	5.3g	1.7g
14	Chocolate or fudge cookie	1 medium (30 g)	130	433	11.2g	2.0g
15	Oatmeal raisin	1 medium (30 g)	135	450	7.4g	1.9g
16	Sugar cookie or jam thumbprint	1 medium (30 g)	139	464	8.2g	1.6g
17	Peanut butter cookie	1 medium (30 g)	142	473	8.6g	2.7g
18	Chocolate chip (homemade or bakery)	1 medium (30 g)	152	505	12.4g	1.7g
19	Shortbread	1 medium (30 g)	154	514	6.5g	1.6g
20	Almond cookie	1 medium (30 g)	154	514	6.5g	1.6g
21	Peanut butter blossom	30 g cookie + 1 Kiss	165	477	11.2g	3.0g
22	Lemon bar	1 medium bar (38 g)	166	437	16.0g	1.9g
23	Frosted sugar cookie	1 medium (42 g)	182	433	19.3g	1.4g
24	Seven-layer (magic cookie) bar	1 medium bar (38 g)	187	492	12.5g	1.9g
25	Brownie	1 medium (50 g)	203	405	18.3g	2.4g

A few notes on how USDA files these:

• Snickerdoodles, Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies and jam-topped thumbprints all sit inside USDA's "Cookie, butter or sugar" entry. Same dough, different sizes, which is why a small snickerdoodle is 46 and a medium sugar cookie is 139.
• Gingerbread men are listed by USDA under "Cookie, molasses." There is no separate gingerbread man entry, so molasses cookies and gingerbread men share one row.
• The peanut butter blossom is our math: USDA's peanut butter cookie at 30 g (142) plus one Hershey's Kiss (160 calories for 7 pieces on Hershey's label, so about 23 each).

Which Christmas cookies have the fewest calories?

The lightest cookies are either tiny or airy:

1. Meringue, 18. Mostly egg white and sugar, so a cookie weighs 5 g.
2. Snickerdoodle (small), 46. The cinnamon-sugar classic, at USDA's 2 1/4-inch size.
3. Pizzelle, 54. A thin Italian waffle cookie with the lowest sugar on the list, 0.8g.
4. Rum ball, 57. Rich per gram, but one ball is only 11 g.
5. Pfeffernusse, 67. Small, spiced and powdered.

Per 100 g, the picture flips. Shortbread, rum balls, Pfeffernusse and almond cookies all share USDA's top figure of 514 calories per 100 g, while rugelach is the lowest at 348. Size decides the calories far more than the recipe does.

How many calories are in shortbread and gingerbread?

These two are the most searched holiday cookies, so here's the detail:

• Shortbread: 154 calories for a medium 30 g cookie, 514 per 100 g. USDA files Pecan Sandies and Girl Scout Trefoils under the same entry.
• Gingerbread man: 129 calories for a medium 30 g cookie, 430 per 100 g, with 5.3g of sugar before icing.
• Gingersnaps: 83 for a small 20 g snap.
• Lebkuchen: 103 for a 24 g cookie. It's the German gingerbread, and USDA lists it with the same values per 100 g as molasses cookies.

So a gingerbread man is about 25 calories lighter than a shortbread round of the same weight, because shortbread is mostly butter.

The cookie exchange tin: what does a mixed dozen add up to?

A cookie exchange usually means bringing home a dozen of everything. Here's a realistic mixed tin, using the per-cookie numbers above:

A classic mixed dozen	Calories
2 frosted sugar cookies	364
2 gingerbread men	258
2 shortbread	308
2 snickerdoodles	92
1 peanut butter blossom	165
1 Russian tea cake	93
1 rum ball	57
1 piece of fudge	119
Total, 12 pieces	1,456

And a lighter tin, same number of pieces:

A lighter dozen	Calories
2 meringues	36
2 pizzelle	108
2 snickerdoodles	92
2 gingersnaps	166
2 Pfeffernusse	134
1 Russian tea cake	93
1 rum ball	57
Total, 12 pieces	686

Same dozen, 770 calories apart. Neither tin is "good" or "bad". The point is that a tin is usually shared and nibbled over days, so knowing the average (121 a cookie in the classic tin, 57 in the lighter one) makes it easy to track what you actually ate.

Smart swaps that keep the fun

None of these are rules. They're just easy trades if you'd like a little more room for the cookies you love most:

• Skip the icing on one: plain sugar cookie instead of frosted saves 43.
• Go small: a small 20 g chocolate chip cookie (101) instead of a medium one (152) saves 51.
• Pick a pizzelle: instead of shortbread saves 100.
• Biscotti with your coffee: instead of a seven-layer bar saves 68.
• Two meringues instead of a brownie: saves 168, and you still get two cookies.
• Bake smaller: the same dough at a smaller size is the easiest swap of all. Our recipe calorie calculator works out your own batch per cookie.

Crumbl, Pillsbury and Lofthouse holiday cookies

Store and bakery cookies, straight from the brands' labels:

Brand cookie	Serving	Calories per cookie	Sugar per cookie
Pillsbury Shape Sugar Cookies (Christmas Tree, Santa, Gingerbread Man)	2 cookies, 110 cal	55	4.5g
Lofthouse Holiday Shortbread Cookies	2 cookies (36 g), 190 cal	95	4.5g
Lofthouse Holiday Boy & Girl Gingerbread Cookies	1 cookie (26 g)	120	8g
Lofthouse Christmas Candy Cane Frosted Sugar Cookies	1 cookie (38 g)	160	16g
Crumbl Snickerdoodle Cookie	whole cookie	590	40g
Crumbl Eggnog Cookie	whole cookie	650	60g
Crumbl Gingerbread Cake Cookie	whole cookie	750	67g
Crumbl Pink Sugar Cookie	whole cookie	760	72g
Crumbl Peppermint Bark Cookie	whole cookie	820	64g

Crumbl rotates its menu weekly, and the week we checked (ending November 1) had no holiday flavors on it yet. The Crumbl numbers come from each flavor's official page, so they apply whenever that flavor is back. A whole Crumbl Gingerbread Cake Cookie is about the same as six USDA gingerbread men, and a quarter of the Peppermint Bark Cookie is 205. Our Crumbl cookie calories guide covers splitting one.

Australian favourites: Anzac biscuits and shortbread

For Australian bakers, here are the figures from the Australian Food Composition Database (FSANZ). It lists per 100 g only, so the per-biscuit column uses a 30 g biscuit, the same weight as USDA's medium cookie. Calories are kJ divided by 4.184.

Biscuit (AFCD)	Per 100 g	Per 30 g biscuit	Sugar per 30 g
Anzac biscuit, commercial	1,940 kJ (464 cal)	582 kJ (139 cal)	9.6g
Anzac biscuit, homemade	1,987 kJ (475 cal)	596 kJ (142 cal)	12.4g
Shortbread, commercial	2,110 kJ (504 cal)	633 kJ (151 cal)	6.1g

An Anzac biscuit sits right next to a US sugar cookie, and Aussie shortbread lands within a few calories of the USDA version. For the rest of a hot Christmas lunch, see Aussie Christmas calories.

Cookies we left out (and why)

We only used foods with a real USDA or FSANZ entry. These popular cookies have no generic one, so they are not ranked:

• French macarons (USDA only has the coconut macaroon, which is ranked).
• Spritz and Linzer cookies.
• Peppermint bark as a homemade candy. Crumbl's Peppermint Bark Cookie is in the brand table.

If you bake one of these, the recipe calorie calculator handles it from your own ingredients.

How to track Christmas cookies in Nouri

Cookies are a perfect case for typing what you ate, because you already know. When I used MyFitnessPal, the numbers were fine. The problem was that adding a normal dinner took several minutes, so on busy days I just didn't. Searching "gingerbread" and scrolling through 40 entries for one cookie is that same problem with sprinkles on top.

In Nouri you type it like a text: "two gingerbread men and a frosted sugar cookie from the cookie exchange." Calories and macros come back right away, with the reasoning and a confidence rating for each item, so you can see it counted two gingerbread men and one iced cookie as separate things. Was one a big bakery cookie? Add "large" and it recalculates.

There are four equal ways to get there: type it, say it, snap a photo, or use Siri. A photo of the tin works too. Nouri turns the picture into a sentence first, so you can change "three cookies" to "two shortbread and a rum ball" before anything is counted. Hands covered in flour? From the lock screen, "Hey Siri, track food in Nouri" and one sentence does it. Nouri is iPhone (iOS only), and you can try it free. Nouri scored 92.1/100 in our 100-meal accuracy benchmark (MyFitnessPal 77.0).

Do Christmas cookies matter for your week?

Mostly, they matter a lot less than they feel like they do. One cookie is 18 to 203 calories. What adds up is the tin on the counter: one shortbread and one gingerbread man every afternoon is 283 calories a day, which you'd only notice by looking at the week.

That's where a weekly view helps. The Nouri Report arrives Sunday evening when you've tracked 4 or more days, sets your average calories and macros against your targets, and gives you one clear focus for the week ahead. A single cookie barely shows up. Most calorie apps give you numbers. Nouri gives you answers.

The cookies sit next to everything else December brings, from advent calendar calories to Christmas dinner calories. If you had a big day, the overate calculator shows how small it looks across a week. And if food and numbers have ever felt stressful, please skip the counting and work with a doctor or registered dietitian instead. Cookies are meant to be fun.

FAQ

How many calories are in a Christmas sugar cookie?

A medium 30 g sugar cookie is about 139 calories on USDA data. A frosted one at USDA's 42 g medium size is about 182, and a Pillsbury Shape sugar cookie is 55 on its label.

How many calories are in a gingerbread man cookie?

About 129 calories for a medium 30 g cookie, using USDA's molasses cookie entry, which is where USDA files gingerbread men. A Lofthouse Holiday Boy & Girl Gingerbread cookie is 120 on its label.

How many calories in a piece of shortbread?

About 154 calories for a medium 30 g piece, or 514 per 100 g, on USDA data. Australian commercial shortbread is about 151 calories (633 kJ) for 30 g.

How many calories are in a snickerdoodle?

USDA's snickerdoodle size, a 2 1/4-inch cookie (10 g), is about 46 calories. A whole Crumbl Snickerdoodle Cookie is 590.

How many calories in a peanut butter blossom?

About 165: a 30 g peanut butter cookie at 142 calories plus one Hershey's Kiss at about 23. The Kiss adds 2.6g of sugar.

How many calories are in a Russian tea cake?

About 93 for a small 20 g cookie. USDA lists Russian tea cakes and Mexican wedding cookies under its butter or sugar cookie entry, at 464 calories per 100 g.

How many calories are in a rum ball?

About 57 calories for one 11 g ball on USDA data. Bourbon balls share the same entry.

What is the lowest calorie Christmas cookie?

A meringue cookie, at about 18 calories for a 5 g cookie. Pizzelle (54) and small snickerdoodles (46) are next.

How many calories are in a cookie exchange tin?

A classic mixed dozen in our example came to 1,456 calories, about 121 a cookie. A lighter dozen of meringues, pizzelle, gingersnaps and Pfeffernusse came to 686.

How many calories are in an Anzac biscuit?

A 30 g commercial Anzac biscuit is about 139 calories (582 kJ) on the Australian Food Composition Database, and a homemade one about 142 (596 kJ).

How many calories are in a Crumbl holiday cookie?

On Crumbl's flavor pages, a whole Eggnog Cookie is 650, a Gingerbread Cake Cookie 750, and a Peppermint Bark Cookie 820. Crumbl rotates flavors weekly, so check which ones are on this week.

What is the easiest way to track Christmas cookie calories?

Type or say the cookies the way you'd tell a friend, like "two gingerbread men and a shortbread," and Nouri returns the calories and macros right away with the reasoning shown. Then let the Sunday Nouri Report show the whole week, not one cookie.

Bake the cookies, swap the tins, and enjoy the season. If you want the number, track it in Nouri in one sentence. For the rest of December, see how to not gain weight during the holidays, and for the drinks that come with the cookies, Starbucks drink calories.

Sources

USDA FoodData Central, Survey (FNDDS), per-100 g values and USDA portion weights (checked Nov 1, 2026):

• Cookie, meringue (FDC 2707941): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707941/nutrients
• Cookie, butter or sugar, incl. snickerdoodles, Russian tea cakes, wedding cookies, jelly topped (FDC 2707970): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707970/nutrients
• Cookie, Pizzelle (FDC 2707958): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707958/nutrients
• Cookie, rum ball, no bake (FDC 2707962): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707962/nutrients
• Cookie, Pfeffernusse (FDC 2707957): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707957/nutrients
• Cookie, rugelach (FDC 2707984): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707984/nutrients
• Cookie, gingersnaps (FDC 2707932): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707932/nutrients
• Cookie, Lebkuchen (FDC 2707943): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707943/nutrients
• Cookie, macaroon (FDC 2707936): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707936/nutrients
• Chocolate candy, fudge (FDC 2710340): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2710340/nutrients
• Cookie, biscotti (FDC 2707902): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707902/nutrients
• Cookie, molasses, incl. gingerbread man (FDC 2707942): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707942/nutrients
• Cookie, chocolate or fudge (FDC 2707915): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707915/nutrients
• Cookie, oatmeal, with raisins (FDC 2707946): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707946/nutrients
• Cookie, peanut butter (FDC 2707952): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707952/nutrients
• Cookie, chocolate chip, made from home recipe or purchased at a bakery (FDC 2707910): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707910/nutrients
• Cookie, shortbread (FDC 2707964): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707964/nutrients
• Cookie, almond (FDC 2707900): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707900/nutrients
• Cookie, lemon bar (FDC 2707935): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707935/nutrients
• Cookie, butter or sugar, with icing or filling other than chocolate (FDC 2707979): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707979/nutrients
• Cookie bar, with chocolate, nuts, and graham crackers (FDC 2707926): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707926/nutrients
• Cookie, brownie, without icing (FDC 2707904): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707904/nutrients

Manufacturer label data published through USDA FoodData Central, Branded Foods (checked Nov 1, 2026):

• Lofthouse Christmas Candy Cane Frosted Sugar Cookies (FDC 2776390): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2776390/nutrients
• Lofthouse Holiday Boy & Girl Gingerbread Cookies (FDC 2776327): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2776327/nutrients
• Lofthouse Holiday Shortbread Cookies (FDC 2776284): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2776284/nutrients

Australian Food Composition Database, Release 3, FSANZ (checked Nov 1, 2026): Biscuit, sweet, Anzac style, commercial (F001164); Biscuit, sweet, Anzac style, homemade from basic ingredients (F001165); Biscuit, sweet, shortbread style, commercial (F001244): https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/food-nutrient-databases/afcd

Brand pages (checked Nov 1, 2026):

• Pillsbury Shape Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie Dough: https://www.pillsbury.com/products/cookies/holiday-shape-cookies/christmas-tree
• Pillsbury Shape Santa Sugar Cookie Dough: https://www.pillsbury.com/products/cookies/holiday-shape-cookies/pillsbury-ready-to-bake-santa-shape-sugar-cookie-dough
• Pillsbury Shape Gingerbread Man Sugar Cookie Dough: https://www.pillsbury.com/products/cookies/holiday-shape-cookies/pillsbury-gingerbread-man-shape-sugar-cookie-dough-20-count
• Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate (7 pieces, 32 g, 160 cal): https://www.hersheyland.com/products/hersheys-kisses-milk-chocolate-candy-10-8-oz-pack.html
• Crumbl Snickerdoodle Cookie: https://crumblcookies.com/profiles/snickerdoodle-cookie
• Crumbl Eggnog Cookie: https://crumblcookies.com/profiles/eggnog-cookie
• Crumbl Gingerbread Cake Cookie: https://crumblcookies.com/profiles/gingerbread-cake-cookie
• Crumbl Pink Sugar Cookie: https://crumblcookies.com/profiles/pink-sugar-cookie
• Crumbl Peppermint Bark Cookie: https://crumblcookies.com/profiles/peppermint-bark-cookie
• Crumbl weekly menu (no holiday flavors the week we checked): https://crumblcookies.com/

Per-cookie values are USDA's per-100 g figures times the stated USDA portion weight. Tin totals and swaps are our arithmetic from those values. Recipes and sizes vary, so your own cookies may differ.