36 Chocolate Holiday Cookies You'll Want To Bake Year Round

There’s no denying that the best part of the holiday season is all the cookies! Whether you’re whipping up an assortment of holiday bars and barks to pack and ship to someone special or are baking a batch of easy-to-make cookies to fill Santa’s plate, a homemade treat is the perfect way to spread some Yuletide cheer. You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to holiday baking (nut and spice cookies, fruity cookies, sugar cookies and more) but no holiday cookie plate is complete without at least one type of chocolate cookie. We’ve rounded up lots to choose from but can’t get enough of Bobby’s recipe. With bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, semisweet chocolate and even white chocolate they’re truly a chocolate lover's dream!

These soft and crackly cookies are a staple in Italian bakeries. The espresso powder is there to complement and elevate the chocolate — it's subtle but totally worth it. For a variation, try spiking these with 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.

These truffle-stuffed cookie cups are bursting with hazelnut flavor because the nuts are not only in the truffles themselves, but also in the dough. Make sure that the muffin tin you use is a good nonstick one, because the cookies might be hard to remove otherwise.

These crowd-pleasing cookies might be gluten-free, but you’d never know it! Crisp and buttery, these little bites will satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth with the classic combination of almond and chocolate.

Alton rolls two doughs together, chocolate and peppermint, to make a festive slice-and-bake cookie.

Katie Lee's pillowy, creamy cookie sandwiches prove that chocolate and mint were made for each other. Roll the edges in crushed candy canes to make these extra festive for the holidays.

These rich, chewy cookies channel all the indulgent flavor of German chocolate cake with gooey coconut-pecan topping and a chocolatey base that’s pure holiday magic.

Give your classic gingerbread a fudgy twist by incorporating rich, dark cocoa powder.

Instead of mixing the chocolate chips into the cookie dough, push two squares into each spoonful of dough once it is on the baking sheet, just before it goes into the oven. That way everyone gets equal amounts of chocolate!

Double the chocolate, double the fun, right? Well, here the fun (and the flavor) have been amped up with toasty-sweet halva swirled right into the batter. Topped off with some flaky sea salt, these cookies are all-around magic.

Slice-and-bake cookies are a must during the holidays, especially since you can keep the log of dough in the fridge or freezer, ready to bake at a moments notice.

These chocolate chunk cookies by Rachael Ray are packed with coffee liqueur and melty chocolate for a grown-up treat that’s perfect for holiday indulgence.

These bite-sized buttery, nutty cookies coated generously in confectioners' sugar are a holiday classic. This version is loaded with chopped chocolate and cocoa because we can’t resist that chocolate-hazelnut combo.

Katie Lee's addictive cookies (inspired by her great-aunt's favorite holiday treat for guests) require just four ingredients — which you likely already have in your pantry. And because you don't need the oven to make them, you can whip these nostalgic bites up while a different batch of cookies is baking.

This soft sandwich cookie brings Alex back to her childhood: "We didn't have much chocolate over the holidays, so I always find a recipe like this refreshing during my holiday season. The little touches — the lemon zest and cinnamon — are holiday flavors to me," she says.

This cream-cheese-and-chocolate-layered cookie is a winner. Add it to your holiday spread for a treat that everyone will enjoy.

Bobby's ideal chocolate chip cookie is crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside — and appropriate any time of the year, especially on a holiday cookie platter. These fit the bill perfectly.

Sunny starts with a basic cookie recipe and then adds in cocoa powder, chocolate chips, coconut and pecans to give it the German chocolate cake twist. It's a simple treat that's ready in just 30 minutes.

Alton asks, "Can a mere five ingredients truly deliver holiday bliss? Answer: If the ingredients are chocolate, coconut, macadamia nuts, condensed milk and almond extract...yes! Park a tin or two of these jewels under the tree and make someone's year."

Stir chewy currants and bittersweet chocolate chips into a chocolate cookie dough for a truly great dessert.

Ron's chewy chocolate cookies are completely flour-free. Folding chocolate into a meringue base means your freshly baked cookies will have a shiny crust but will still be gooey inside.

Indulge your love of chai with these scrumptious cookies. A tea syrup gives them all the flavor you're craving.

The best way to satisfy your sweet tooth? Add dried cherries and chocolate chunks to your cookies!

Not a fan of chewy, gooey chocolate chip cookies? Valerie’s recipe calls for perfectly thin and crispy — with a hint of peppermint for the holidays.

Ree’s candy coated chocolate cookie is perfectly dunkable in milk or hot cocoa!

Tyler knows a perfect chocolate truffle can turn a holiday dessert into something much more special. "It’s that little bite of chocolate where you can truly appreciate the mouth-feel and flavors that make truffles a unique and special holiday treat."