10 Asian-Inspired Cookie Recipes for a Unique Christmas Cookie Tin

Looking for unique holiday cookies to break up the usual sugar overload? Try these cookie recipes that incorporate Asian flavors, including matcha, black sesame, red bean, yuzu, and ube!

I know we all love the classics (who can resist a perfect chocolate chip cookie?), but there is a LOT of sugar that goes around the holidays and sometimes you just need to switch things up. The good news about using more Asian desserts is that they’re often (seemingly) less sweet than their American counterparts. So browse through my list of creative cookie flavors and see if one becomes your next favorite Christmas cookie!

1. Honolulu Cookie Company Copycat Recipe

Okay, I guess these are more Hawaiian-inspired rather than Asian, but there are certainly Asian flavors in Honolulu. And who doesn’t want to spend Christmas in Hawai’i? Well, now you can bring a little bit of the islands to you, without the shipping costs. These Honolulu Cookie Co. copycat cookies are my most popular cookie recipe!

2. Matcha Crinkle Cookies

These matcha crinkle cookies went viral on Tiktok and for good reason. They’re super easy, super delicious, and super beautiful to look at. The vibrant green color is 100% natural from matcha powder. It’s perfect for Christmas, right?

3. Matcha Checkerboard Cookies

Here is another matcha cookie with a really eye catching design. These matcha checkerboard cookies are a lot easier to make than they look and make a great addition to a Christmas cookie platter.

4. Black Sesame Cookies

If you’re tired of the red, green, and overly sweet treats, give these black sesame cookies a try. They’ve got a nutty flavor that won’t send you into a sugar high. Plus, their natural gray color creates a striking contrast to all the icing you normally see at Christmastime.

5. Yuzu Thumbprint Cookies

Let’s cut through the sugar with some tart citrus! Thumbprint cookies usually get filled with jam, but for a little twist, I use my homemade yuzu curd. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus that’s like a more potent lemon. Citrus lovers only!

6. Kinako Cookies

Have you tried kinako before? It’s a roasted soybean powder that tastes almost like peanut butter. Used as an ingredient in many Japanese sweet treats, it’s so good! If you give these kinako cookies a try, you can even roll them out and use Christmas cookie cutters. They’d taste really great with white icing as well.

7. Ube Crinkle Cookies

If you made an entire Christmas cookie platter of crinkle cookies, I don’t think anyone would complain. These vibrant purple crinkles get their flavor from the root vegetable ube!

8. Red Bean Crinkle Cookies

Another crinkle cookie to add to your platter! Now you have red, purple, and green. Or you can do just red and green to keep it Christmas-y. The red bean flavor is very mild but a fun twist.

9. Purple Sweet Potato Linzer Cookies

Who doesn’t love a good sandwich cookie? And who doesn’t love it even MORE when there are purple sweet potatoes in the middle?! Yummmm

10. Matcha Latte but in a Cookie

Finishing off my list with these matcha latte cookies. They’re cakey and soft with a strong matcha flavor that pairs perfectly with my whipped cream frosting.

More Asian Baking Ideas:

Looking for some cakes or bars to round out your holiday desserts? Check these Asian bakes out:

• Matcha chiffon cake
• Mochi brownies
• Yuzu pie bars
• Mini matcha cupcakes
• Black sesame layer cake