Food Recipes Desserts Cookies 40 Epic Cookie Recipes From Brown Butter to Chocolate Chunk Bake pastry chef-approved cookies that will star on any dessert spread. By Kim Wehby Kim Wehby Kim Wehby is a copy editor with over a decade of experience in the food and beverage space, including a senior editorial role at Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She's edited and developed content for Food & Wine, Southern Living, and Eating Well. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 4, 2024 Close Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Cookies can bring so much joy with just one bite, and this collection of our best cookie recipes will help you bring joy to special occasions throughout the year. Try our celebratory funfetti cookies or the tea-worthy brown-butter sablés. Savor tried-and-true classics like chocolate chip cookies and thumbprints, and go big with our holiday-geared seasonal cookies. These are our best cookies, from our kitchens to yours. 01 of 40 Lemony Butter Cookies Diana Chistruga Use fresh lemons and high-quality butter to make these light, airy, and perfectly sweet-perfectly citrusy cookies. Get the Recipe 02 of 40 Thai Tea Crinkle Cookies Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling Ali Domrongchai It takes just 10 minutes to prep these aromatic Thai tea-infused crinkle cookies from food and travel writer Alexandra Domrongchai. Get the Recipe 03 of 40 Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Halvah Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster 2022 F&W Best New Chef Warda Bouguettaya brings us these nutty halvah-studded chocolate chip cookies. Use chocolate fèves for wonderfully melty puddles of chocolate in each cookie. Get the Recipe 04 of 40 Vanilla–Brown Butter Sablé Cookies Johhny Miller Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz makes these butter cookies with a spotlight on vanilla. Use a high-quality vanilla extract, or go the extra mile with fresh-scraped vanilla bean seeds. Get the Recipe 05 of 40 Brown Butter and Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley 2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff brings us these earthy, chocolatey slice-and-bake cookies. To make ahead, you can freeze the dough logs for up to two months before you bake them off. Get the Recipe 06 of 40 Double-Chocolate Rye Cookies Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Don't skip the chilling time for these chocolate-rich cookies from Paige Grandjean — it makes the cookies set properly to bake up perfectly in the oven. For more indulgence, serve these with vanilla ice cream sandwiched inside. Get the Recipe 07 of 40 Brown Butter-Cardamom Spitzbuben Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Christine Keely These adorable Bavarian cookies are ready for the holiday table. Flavors of brown butter and citrusy cardamom come through each fragrant bite. Get the Recipe 08 of 40 Chocolate Brownie Cookies Julia Hartbeck James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Belinda Leong captures the virtues of both a brownie and a cookie in one rich and chewy treat with crisp edges and a generous smattering of chocolate chips. Get the Recipe 09 of 40 Chewy, Fudgy Almond Butter and Palm Sugar Cookies Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Writer and editor Scott Mowbray gets inspiration for these almond butter cookies from the salted peanut butter cookies at New York City’s Ovenly bakery. Palm sugar gives a caramelized, tangy flavor, while almond butter makes for a fudgy texture with crisped edges. Get the Recipe 10 of 40 Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely These irresistible cookies from James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Kelly Fields are on our baking lists from October through the New Year — and often much further beyond that. You'll enjoy loads of warm pumpkin spice in each orange blossom- and vanilla-kissed cookie. Get the Recipe 11 of 40 Triple Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies Justin Walker Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate is the name of the game in these decadent, festive cookies from Linda Levinson Friend. Make the pretty, pink peppermint bark in this recipe for the cookie toppers, or use store-bought to save time. Get the Recipe 12 of 40 Brown-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Browned butter gives would-be traditional chocolate chip cookies a deliciously toasty butterscotch flavor. Soft, melty chocolate chunks dot each sweet, salty, chewy cookie. Get the Recipe 13 of 40 Cardamom Shortbread Cookies with Dulce de Leche Peda Filling Andria Lo Blogger and cookbook author Hetal Vasavada brings us this recipe for celebratory cookies. Each Indian milk fudge-filled spiced cookie sandwich is a display of color and detail, decorated with edible flower petals and gold leaf. Get the Recipe 14 of 40 Spiced Banana-Oatmeal Cookies Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver In under an hour, you can enjoy two dozen of these spiced banana cookies from F&W's Chandra Ram. Cinnamon and cardamom take the lead in creating a floral, warm spice profile. Get the Recipe 15 of 40 Marranitos Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley These pig-shaped chewy cookies with a zippy ginger flavor come to us from recipe developer and cookbook author Andrea Nguyen. Robust flavors from molasses and ample fall spices give these cookies a wonderful warmth. Get The Recipe 16 of 40 Giant Chocolate Cookie with Cacao Nibs and Flaky Salt Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, and cacao nibs go into this giant, festive cookie. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt for an elegant garnish, or perhaps decorate it with candied cranberries for a holiday finish. Get the Recipe 17 of 40 Sorrel Thumbprints Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Ramin Ganeshram turns the beloved holiday drink, sorrel, into a bite-size thumbprint cookie made with a hibiscus liqueur and West Indian spices like nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Get the Recipe 18 of 40 Cardamom–Poppy Seed Cookies Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely These crispy-thin cookies come to us from acclaimed photographer and former chef Simon Bajada. Orange zest and poppy seeds complement sweet, floral notes of cardamom. Get the Recipe 19 of 40 Zoë’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Alexandria Juhl Baking pro Zoë Francois' idea of perfect is four-inch, chocolate-packed cookies with golden crisp edges and chewy interiors. Get the Recipe 20 of 40 Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies Bridget Hallinan Southern cook Elizabeth Woodson makes these peanut buttery cookies without any flour. They're nutty, crowd-pleasing cookies that take less than 30 minutes to make. Get the Recipe 21 of 40 Shortbread Cookies Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee F&W's Chandra Ram brings us these classically crumbly, buttery shortbread cookies. Enjoy them any time of the day, any day of the year. Dress them up with white glaze and red and green sprinkles for a holiday-season variation. Get the Recipe 22 of 40 Oatmeal Cookies Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Ali Domrongchai Tina Ujlaki soaks raisins in vanilla to add flavor to these classic cookies that are ready in half an hour. Get the Recipe 23 of 40 Salted Tahini-Chocolate Shortbread Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley F&W's Anna Theoktisto's buttery cookies have a nutty, salty edge not typically found in shortbread cookies. They are wonderfully tender and look beautiful. Get the Recipe 24 of 40 Cake Cookies Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser F&W's Sean Flynn shares his family tradition with this recipe for soft, cake-like cookies with fudgy frosting and chocolate sprinkles. Get the Recipe 25 of 40 Gluten-Free Cacao Nib Meringues Justin Walker Charlie Trotter's meringues contain chocolate, cacao nibs, and cocoa for a rich flavor. These perfectly crisp-chewy cookies are best enjoyed the day of. Get the Recipe 26 of 40 Tortellini Dolci al Forno (Emilian Fruit-Stuffed Christmas Cookies) Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Alicia Lini, a fourth-generation Italian winemaker, brings us these stuffed Christmas cookies with a tender dough and a filling of tart, wintry fruits. Get the Recipe 27 of 40 Alfajores Chilenitos (Chilean Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies) Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Risha Carnes Award-winning baker and cookbook author Bryan Ford sandwiches sweet and silky dulce de leche between shortbread-style cookies for this popular South American treat. Get the Recipe 28 of 40 Chocolate Pretzel Crinkle Cookies Greg DuPree If you love pretzels and want a not-too-sweet cookie, these cookies are for you. Glutino gluten-free pretzels replace flour for the ultimate chewy crinkle texture — and coincidentally make the cookies gluten-free. Get the Recipe 29 of 40 S'mores Linzer Cookies Greg DuPree These Linzer-inspired cookies use graham flour and hazelnut meal and feature marshmallow creme centers with a chocolate drizzle. Get the Recipe 30 of 40 Lemon-Tahini Cookies Gregory DuPree Ideal for a cookie swap, this recipe will yield about 30 not-too-sweet lemony, nutty cookies. You can also freeze the dough up to three weeks in advance — perfect for make-ahead holidays. Get the Recipe 31 of 40 Chocolate Ganache Sandwich Cookies Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely 2021 F&W Best New Chef Paola Velez fills crisp, buttery cookies with rich, fluffy milk chocolate ganache in an hour and a half. Get the Recipe 32 of 40 Triple Ginger Rye Cookies Greg DuPree This cookie recipe features molasses, three forms of ginger, and rye flour, and it yields four dozen cookies — more than enough to bring to the holiday bash. Get the Recipe 33 of 40 Lemon-Buckwheat Shortbread Victor Protasio For a robust, nutty flavor, use freshly milled buckwheat flour in these lemony shortbread cookies from 2017 F&W Best New Chef Nina Compton. Get the Recipe 34 of 40 Toffee-Apricot Oat Cookies Photo by Johnny Autry / Food and Prop Styling by Charlotte Autry Salt-tinged toffee, super-sweet milk chocolate, and tart dried apricots create a balanced melange of rich flavors in these crisp-chewy oat cookies from Nicole Krasinski and Kathleen Kwuan. Get the Recipe 35 of 40 Funfetti Cookies © Abby Hocking These funfetti cookies are full of colorful sprinkles that children and children-at-heart will adore. They're perfect for any festive occasion and can be used as the cookies in your very own ice cream sandwich. Get the Recipe 36 of 40 Negroni Cookies Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Orange-infused sugar goes into the dough of these Negroni-inspired cookies from Angela Garbacz; it's also used to roll the dough balls in before baking. Sparkling sugar gives them a dazzling finishing touch. Get the Recipe 37 of 40 Butterscotch Chocolate Sandwich Cookies © Nicole Franzen A homemade butterscotch fills these chocolate sandwich cookies from former senior test kitchen editor Grace Parisi. Get the Recipe 38 of 40 Cardamom Thumbprints © Chris Court These gem-like cookies can be made in under an hour. They feature a hint of floral, spiced cardamom and are made with a blend of equal parts almond flour and all-purpose flour. Get the Recipe 39 of 40 Spiced Gingerbread Cookies © Christina Holmes Tender, cake-like, and just firm enough to decorate, these sweet-spiced cookies from baker Julianne Jones make a delightful addition to any holiday dessert table. Get the Recipe 40 of 40 Matcha Tea Cake Cookies © CON POULOS These tender, moist cookies feature matcha for a tea-like flavor and greenish tinge. A blend of vanilla and almond extracts adds a complexity of warm, nutty flavors. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit