'Tis the season to bake up all the cookies you can eat (and then some!). While traditional cookies are always sure to please, the holidays are a great time to try out festive designs, fun flavors and new techniques that go a step beyond the same, old gingerbread. Whether you’re looking for cute cookies to pack and ship or crowd-pleasers to fill your cookie plate, these unique treats will spread plenty of cheer. Though we suggest you try every cookie on this list, start with these festive smashed sugar cookies. The addition of two eggs gives the centers a tender and soft texture, while the crinkled edges get ever so slightly golden and crisp. Top with a simple confectioner's sugar glaze.

Red velvet and cream cheese frosting are a match made in heaven, and here we just changed the usual cake to a cookie for hand-held eating. The dark-red tree shapes get contrast from bright green frosting and are decorated with a gold star on top and colorful nonpareils. This recipe is written for decorations with a classic holiday motif, but feel free to use other candies or sprinkles if you like.

Ina Garten’s Fruitcake Cookies are a festive twist on the classic, packed with dried fruits, nuts and holiday cheer in every buttery bite.

These Maamoul-inspired cookies are filled with sweet dates and bright orange zest, offering a fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth holiday treat.

These gingerbread men are filled with the holiday spirit. You’ll find them hanging around wherever cozy, warm drinks are being served. Try them with hot chocolate or your favorite seasonal coffee.

The combination of white peppermint bark atop a chocolate cookie base equals the ultimate holiday treat. This big-batch recipe is ideal for cookie swaps, festive parties or even wrapping up as gifts. It is also easy enough for baking with the whole family. Instead of forming individual cookies, you break the giant sheet into pieces, just like you would with traditional bark.

Each of these sugar cookies depicts a miniature holiday scene: a bed of freshly fallen snow with a perfect Christmas tree in the middle. The best part of these impressive treats? They come together quickly and easily with store-bought candy, icing and cookies. All you need to do is let your inner artist shine.

With these playful cookies, everyone can join in the reindeer games.

These jolly little Santas will delight everyone at your next holiday gathering. You can bake the cookie bites ahead of time and decorate them at the last minute, so Santa’s strawberry hat stays perky and fresh.

If you love cutesy gingerbread cookies, but not the work it usually takes to make them, then this recipe is for you. These cookies have the same great flavor as the classic cutouts but there’s no need for a rolling pin, cookie cutters, icing or special equipment like piping tips. Instead, just shape the gingerbread people by pressing your fingerprint into the dough as you would with a thumbprint cookie. Then fill the indentations with easy microwave-melted chocolate and top off the holiday treats with festive sprinkle buttons.

Make no mistake — there’s nothing ugly about these cookies! Decorate the sweater-shaped sugar cookies with gel food coloring and shredded coconut to make fun designs.

We packed these cookies with cinnamon, pecans and chocolate toffee chunks for the ultimate snickerdoodle experience — and then added one finishing touch. Inspired by blogger Sarah Kieffer's internet-famous crinkled chocolate chip cookies, we pulled the snickerdoodles out of the oven midway through cooking and banged the baking sheet on the counter, producing a cookie with the best of both worlds — crispy ripples around the edge and a soft, chewy center.

These holiday sugar cookies sparkle like winter snow! Vegan marshmallows don't have gelatin in them and are the key to an ooey gooey center that stays fluffy throughout baking.

Alex loves these cookies because "they have all the flavors of eggnog but don't have eggnog in them." Sandwich the cookies with creamy icing, then top with a drizzle of caramel and spiced sugar.

If you’re looking to win the cookie swap (or bake a fun project with kids), these swirly cookies are sure to do the trick. Dip delightful sugar cookies into colored icing to create the marbled, jewel-like effect.

These cookie sandwiches are packed with holiday cheer, thanks to a hint of molasses and gingerbread spice in the soft, chewy cookies, as well as a generous dose of spiced cookie butter spread in the filling. Plus, there's an extra dusting of sanding sugar to add the perfect sweetness and festive sheen.

These cookies turn gingerbread on its head—literally. Flipping gingerbread men upside down provides the perfect shape to decorate the cookies to look like reindeer. Leave some out for Santa and his reindeer and they will most certainly be impressed.

Thanks to the help of a muffin tin, these peppermint-spiked sugar cookies are perfectly round every single time. They're also easy enough for everyone in the family to pitch in to help. Frozen peppermint patties are stuffed in the middle to ramp up the flavor and provide a hidden surprise with the first bite. No need to decorate after baking — the sprinkles go right on top before going into the oven so that once they are cool, they are ready to go.

Deck your holiday table with edible Christmas lights! Blogger Beth Klosterboer of hungryhappenings.com came up with the bright idea: You just form cookie balls (made from crushed Oreos and cream cheese) into the shape of bulbs, then cover them in melted candy melts and coarse sugar. The finishing touch: silver bases made of Tootsie Rolls and coated with luster dust, and a wire of licorice lace!

Santa's iconic red coat, fluffy white trim and black belt cookies are sure to bring out joyful belly laughs.

Make your cookie platter vertical (and extra-impressive!) with this 3D Christmas tree forest. Chilling the dough after it has been cut helps the shapes stay sharp during baking.

This holiday decorating project is a delicious brain teaser. "Where is the Santa?" you'll ask yourself as you pipe decorative circles and triangles over the giant sugar cookie. But then, you will suddenly see them — eight Kris Kringles! Separate the cookie into wedges for serving, or present the entire cookie and let your guests find Santa for themselves.

Bring the holiday cheer with this peppermint bar cookie! Featuring a thin layer of white chocolate bark on top, this minty cookie is simple to make and yields more than enough for any cookie swap.

These dessert ravioli feature a graham cracker dough stuffed with a chocolate and cream cheese filling.

"This is my favorite holiday cookie because it blends two of my favorite cookies," Geoffrey says. "Soft chocolate chip cookies and spicy gingerbread — the best of both worlds."

Put an eye-catching spin on classic spritz cookies with plenty of lime zest and a few drops of green food coloring.

The spicy-rich flavors of eggnog (including nutmeg, cream and rum) add a new holiday twist to a classic cookie shape, and the striped chocolate candies on top make them even more festive.

These cute cookies are sure to be a hit at any holiday party. For an easier project, Jeff uses store-bought cookie mix and royal icing.

Cookie butter is made from ground Biscoff cookies, which have a lovely spicy flavor that is reminiscent of a mild gingerbread cookie. Beating some cookie butter directly into a chocolate chip cookie base for this recipe keeps the cookies soft and chewy, while also adding just enough spice to make them unique.

Sweet, tart, chocolatey and chewy — all in one cookie! We love the combination of homemade pineapple jam and bittersweet chocolate in these gluten-free macaroon thumbprints. They're perfect for your next cookie swap!

Coffee lovers will appreciate this thumbprint cookie made with ground coffee beans, coated in crunchy turbinado sugar and filled with a rich homemade milk jam.

Aarti Sequeira adds subtle spice to ginger cookies with a touch of garam masala.

Mix ground tea leaves with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and cloves to infuse meringue drops with a subtle, spicy flavor.

Once you add five-spice powder to your snickerdoodles, you’ll never look back. Roll each cookie in red sanding sugar for a merry and bright pop of color!

Apple cider and warm spices pack these cookies with cozy flavor. Serve with warm apple cider for a double dose of comfort.

Upgrade your snickerdoodles with orange zest and a few tablespoons of molasses. You’ll have a chewy, tasty cookie that’s full of flavor and smells wonderful while baking.

Coconut and passionfruit are a perfect flavor match when it comes to desserts. They join forces in these sandwich cookies, spiked with allspice and a little bit of rum to make them just right for the holidays.

Get all the flavors of tiramisu in one tasty bite with these tasty treats. Espresso-spiked chocolate cookies sandwich a mascarpone and coffee liqueur filling, with a dusting of powdered sugar for the perfect finishing touch.