50 Classic Cookie Recipes Everyone Should Know
Whether you need to whip up something special for the local bake sale or simply want to make your family a sweet treat, these beloved recipes are guaranteed to please.
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Traditional Treats to Fill Your Cookie Jar
It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of peanut butter cookies or shortbread, oatmeal cookies or snickerdoodles, crispy sugar cookies or chewy ones, there’s no denying the simple pleasure of a warm, freshly baked cookie. So, we’ve rounded up all our best ideas, many of them easy enough to bake any night of the week. That way, whenever the craving strikes you can whip up one of these beloved cookies (or cookie bars). Our most-craved confection of all-time? Chocolate chip cookies, of course—and this recipe is our go-to. We use two kinds of sugar: granulated for crunch and brown for chewiness. The cookies store well, too—if they last!
Get the Recipe: Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Copycat Lofthouse Cookies
These sweet, frosted, cake-like cookies taste just like the ones you find in your supermarket bakery, only better.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Lofthouse Cookies
The Best Peanut Butter Blossoms
If you're a peanut butter lover then these chewy cookies with a warm, gooey chocolate center will be sure to satisfy. This recipe makes about 4 dozen, so it's perfect for any holiday or big-batch baking.
Get the Recipe: The Best Peanut Butter Blossoms
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Kardea says, "These cookies are loaded with, you guessed it, everything but the kitchen sink! They've got chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, potato chips and pretzels. You know how I love a salty-sweet combo and I think you will too when you try these."
Get the Recipe: Kardea's Kitchen Sink Cookies
Cool Whip Cookies
You only need four ingredients to make these TikTok-famous crinkle cookies that are soft, chewy, sweet and sure to satisfy a cookie craving. Best of all, you can use your favorite boxed cake mix to make them your own.
Get the Recipe: Cool Whip Cookies
The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Do you like chewy cookies? Or do you prefer cakey ones? Our oatmeal-raisin cookies can be both! For a chewy cookie, bake them right away. For a cakey cookie, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (or overnight works even better) to allow the oatmeal to hydrate. Then bake for a puffy cookie. We used dark brown sugar for added flavor and moisture but our secret ingredient is honey. When baked right away, the honey causes the cookie to spread, keeping it soft and moist. When you let the dough rest, the oatmeal and flour absorb the honey for that classic cakey texture.
Get the Recipe: The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Chewy Sugar Cookies
This version of the sugar cookie has a slightly crispy edge and a super chewy center, thanks to increasing the sugar and baking at a higher temperature. Roll the cookies in colored sugar instead of granulated for a sparkly upgrade.
Get the Recipe: Chewy Sugar Cookies
The Best Peanut Butter Cookies
We wanted a super peanut buttery treat but found that store-bought peanut butter made the cookies a bit gummy when we used more than 1 cup. So we ground roasted peanuts ourselves and added that to the batter for an additional boost of flavor. Honey and melted butter add richness and create a soft and chewy cookie with an irresistible crackled exterior. We topped the dough balls with raw sugar for extra crunch and a hit of sweetness that balances the salt of the peanuts.
Get the Recipe: The Best Peanut Butter Cookies
The Best M&M Cookies
We took our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and increased the brown sugar to make these cookies extra moist and chewy. Then we super-sized them — the better to get in more of our favorite candy-coated chocolates. Save some extra candy for topping each cookie before baking. The result, cookies that look just as good as they taste!
Get the Recipe: The Best M&M Cookies
Coffee Cashew Biscotti
Perfect for dunking (or not!), these crisp cookies have espresso powder baked right into the cookie dough. We like folding in cashews because they’re tender and buttery but feel free to use your favorite nut.
Get the Recipe: Coffee Cashew Biscotti
Peanut Butter-Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
What could be better than an indulgent dessert made from ingredients you have sitting in your pantry — that never needs to go into the oven? These cookies take just minutes of work; the rest of the time is spent waiting for them to harden into the rich, nutty, chocolaty delights that they are.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter-Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Molasses adds sweetness to these cookies and gives chewiness to every bite. Eat at least one warm right off the cooling rack with a tumbler of cold milk.
Get the Recipe: Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
These hearty cookies are serious about texture: each one is loaded with chewy oats, creamy chocolate chips and toasted pecans.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Vanilla Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Buttercream
Fill tender, cake-y vanilla cookies with cocoa buttercream and roll them in rainbow sprinkles to make colorful whoopie pies. It couldn't be easier!
Get the Recipe: Vanilla Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Buttercream
Brownie Mix Cookies
Made from only four ingredients, these cookies are chocolatey, fudgy and pleasing for brownie and cookie lovers alike.
Get the Recipe: Brownie Mix Cookies
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
These cookies are bright with sweet lemony flavor, thanks to plenty of lemon zest, lemon juice and a generous coating of confectioners’ sugar. The key to success with these cookies is chilling the dough before rolling it into balls. This helps slow down the spreading, giving the tops a chance to crinkle and crack during baking. Tossing the chilled dough balls in granulated sugar before coating in confectioners’ sugar also helps the coating adhere, so the cookies are sweet and crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy inside.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Brown Butter Honey Cookies
You can’t go wrong with Trisha’s five-star cookies, which feature honey, brown butter and a pinch of flakey sea salt.
Get the Recipe: Brown Butter Honey Cookies
Linzer Thumbprints
If you’re a fan of a Linzer torte, you’ll love these cookies. If you’ve yet to try this famous Austrian dessert, just imagine shortbread crust spread with sweet fruit jam and covered with a lattice top—irresistible, just like these bite-size versions!
Get the Recipe: Linzer Thumbprints
Chocolate Chunk Mayo Cookies
Mayonnaise in desserts might be divisive, but these cookies could win the case. Mixing mayo into this already decadent cookie takes it from a “must make” to “secret family recipe.” Instead of trying to find the perfect mix of eggs and butter, the mayo comes in and gives the best of both worlds. The cookies are fluffy without being too cakey and gooey-soft without being undercooked. The mayo adds weight without making them heavy or dense. They'll stay moist and flavorful even the next day!
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Mayo Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Peanut butter-lovers, this one’s for you. Ree freezes a creamy peanut butter filling, then stuffs it into gooey chocolate chip cookies just before baking.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
The Best Butter Cookies
Your search is over—this perfect butter cookie will stay in your recipe box for years. It's crisp, yet tender and perfect for tea. Plus, you have the choice to make drop cookies or a slice-and-bake version!
Get the Recipe: The Best Butter Cookies
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
These chocolate cookies are customizable to suit any mood. Try a combination of chocolate and peanut butter chips or throw in walnuts for an added crunch.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Snickerdoodles
The way you measure your flour is key in this iconic cookie recipe. In our test kitchen, we spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. We find this to be a more accurate way to measure than scooping directly into the bag.
Get the Recipe: Snickerdoodles
Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies
The brown sugar is essential in Ree’s recipe — it creates a chewy cookie that’s deeply dark in color. Add in chopped nuts if you’re looking for crunch.
Get the Recipe: Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
These classic cookies have nostalgia written all over them. Kids will have fun rolling the cookies into balls and making prints with a fork to flatten.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Cookies
Bake and Slice Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint cookies just got a lot easier with this bake and slice version. Instead of pressing divots into multiple mounds of cookie dough and filling each with jam, we shaped the dough into a log with a trough and flooded the center in one go. We used raspberry and apricot jam, but it's easy to swap out for whatever you have on hand. Once the cookie logs are baked, let them cool and then slice into strips.
Get the Recipe: Bake and Slice Thumbprint Cookies
Lizzie's Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
The key to the perfectly swirled appearance in these classic treats? When cutting the roll, use a very sharp knife and wipe the blade after each slice to avoid mixing the colors (and to keep the cookies nice and round).
Get the Recipe: Lizzie's Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
The Best Sugar Cookies for Decorating
Our sugar dough is easy to roll and cut into all shapes and sizes. The cookies hold their shape during baking and come out firm and strong, perfect for decorating. We made them with a little less sugar, so feel free to load on the icing and sprinkles. Their buttery crispness will still come through.
Get the Recipe: The Best Sugar Cookies for Decorating
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Just like your favorite packaged treat but butter—because they’re homemade! Better yet, they’re made with just a handful of ingredients, all of which are probably in your pantry right now.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Classic Shortbread
This satisfying shortbread is as easy as it gets. It's simultaneously crisp, crumbly and tender because we've added a little cornstarch to the flour. And granulated sugar gives the cookies their gorgeous golden color.
Get the Recipe: Classic Shortbread
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ina’s 2-for-1 recipe can be used for soft, cakey blondies or thin, crispy cookies. Either way you bake it, you won’t regret it.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Slice-and-Bake Italian Rainbow Cookies
We transformed the classic cakey confection into a fun slice-and-bake cookie. But don't worry, we kept the almond flavor that's well known and loved! A dip in a raspberry-spiked chocolate icing provides extra flavor and visual appeal.
Get the Recipe: Slice-and-Bake Italian Rainbow Cookies
3-Ingredient Cookie Butter Cookies
Cookie butter is a creamy nut-free spread that's usually made from spiced Belgian cookies called speculoos. It's sold in jars in the peanut butter aisle. Here, we mix it with oats and eggs to make possibly the quickest, tastiest and most satisfying three-ingredient cookie ever.
Get the Recipe: 3-Ingredient Cookie Butter Cookies
Danish Butter Cookies
These staple cookies, often sold in a decorative blue tin at the grocery store, are similar to sweetened, crispy shortbread but with an unbelievable vanilla-almond flavor. Our homemade version is even better—soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, with a fresher, lighter and more delicate taste than the industrial made treats. You can serve them plain, or jazz them up with melted chocolate and sprinkles or a maraschino cherry in the middle.
Get the Recipe: Danish Butter Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is such an easy chocolate chip cookie. No special equipment, no creaming — a perfect cookie to do with kids. We love how versatile this dough is, too. It makes an awesome base for rocky road bars.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oat Milk and Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
We've raised the classic snack combination — cookies and milk — to a whole new level using humble oats. No-churn oat milk ice cream is sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies — no dunking needed!
Get the Recipe: Oat Milk and Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ree’s peanut butter cup cookies couldn’t be more convenient. She uses store-bought cookie dough and peanut butter cups for a rich, gooey dessert that’s ready in minutes.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
We skipped the white sugar and went all in with dark brown sugar, which gives our cookies the ideal chewiness and perfect level of sweetness. Paired with the right amount of semisweet chocolate chips, this treat is a definite winner. The recipe makes a lot of cookies, but in our opinion, this is never a problem!
Get the Recipe: The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Maple Walnut Shortbread Bars
Maple and walnut are a winning combination in these buttery bars.
Get the Recipe: Maple Walnut Shortbread Bars
Brownie Cookies
Ree’s brownie cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream. She uses melted chocolate and cocoa powder for a rich, fudgy dessert that she calls “unmistakably chocolatey.”
Get the Recipe: Brownie Cookies
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Claire’s cookies only require a few ingredients but the last one, sea salt, is key as it gives them their addictive salty finish. Since the cookies are flourless, they're very tender, so let them cool awhile on the pan before moving them.
Get the Recipe: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Fortune Cookies
You may think of fortune cookies as a takeout favorite, but they’re easy and fun to make at home. Molly uses the lid of a Mason jar to get the right size for her batter, then quickly folds the cookies and hangs them over the edge of a bowl to nail the classic fortune cookie shape.
Get the Recipe: Fortune Cookies
S'mores Cookie Crumble Bars
The classic campfire treat meets chewy chocolate chip cookies in these crowd-friendly bars. To make the most of the marshmallow crème, coat your measuring cup and spoon with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil before measuring.
Get the Recipe: S'mores Cookie Crumble Bars
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
The classic chocolate chip cookie gets a seasonal upgrade with this recipe. Pumpkin puree and warm spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, add a cozy depth to these delicious treats.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Coconut Macaroons
Macaroons are super-easy coconut cookies that are traditionally made for Passover, because they don't contain any flour, but Ina serves these delicious treats all year round.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Macaroons
Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
What’s Ina’s trick for a great oatmeal cookie? Salt. She uses it to draw out the subtle nuttiness of the oats, then adds toasted pecans to further enhance the flavor.
Get the Recipe: Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
Coconut Madeleines
Ina’s dainty madeleines are delicate and delicious. She laces her cookies with shredded coconut for a subtle, sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with a mug of afternoon tea.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Madeleines
Double Chocolate Sable Cookies
Sable in French means "sandy" — these are a classic French cookie, made out of crumbly chocolate shortbread. To keep them nice and sandy, be extra careful not to overmix the dough. The hint of salt brightens the flavor and underlines the chocolate
Get the Recipe: Double Chocolate Sable Cookies (France)
Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
A cookie’s texture is defined by sugar — that’s why this recipe only calls for fine, granulated sugar. It yields a crisp, crunchy cookie that’s lighter in color than other variations.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies
If you think chocolate belongs with mint, this is the cookie recipe for you. Molly uses fresh mint to make a buttercream filling, which she sandwiches between two chocolate cookies for a delicious and decadent treat.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies
