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Preheat your ovens and roll out the parchment paper: It’s cookie-baking season. We are rich in cookie recipes from top pastry chefs, from around the world, and from our own families. Whether you’re looking for holiday cookie decorating tips for sugar cookies you’re making to give away or inspiration for a new recipe to serve at your annual holiday party or cookie swap, we have beloved stalwarts alongside creative new takes. They’re all worth your time, so let’s get baking.
Thumbprint Cookies with White Chocolate–Espresso Ganache
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
James Beard Award–winning pastry chef and cookbook author Claudia Fleming pairs sandy walnut thumbprints with whipped white chocolate ganache steeped in espresso for a festive bite that melts on the tongue.
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali
Legendary baker and cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum’s classic Christmas sugar cookies showcase her signature precision. Vanilla and optional lemon zest lend gentle aromatic depth to the buttery base, which holds its texture beautifully for up to a month — ideal for decorating or gifting.
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Carson Downing / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Props Styling by Breanna Ghazali
This rich chocolate shortbread from 1996 F&W Best New Chef Maria Helm Sinskey starts with a soft, buttery dough made with Dutch-process cocoa. Once baked, the cookies are firm, delicately crumbly, and ideal for simple finishes like a dusting of powdered sugar.
Mandelbrot
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Prolific food writer and television host Joan Nathan’s buttery slice-and-bake mandelbrot are studded with nuts and dried fruit and scented with a hint of whiskey, then baked twice for a pleasantly crumbly texture.
Tortellini Dolci al Forno (Emilian Fruit-Stuffed Christmas Cookies)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Sweet-tart cherry preserves, saba, and candied citron are tucked into a flaky 00-flour dough from fourth-generation winemaker Alicia Lini, who shares this classic recipe from Emilia-Romagna. It yields lightly puffed, golden cookies that are finished with a snowy dusting of powdered sugar.
Thumbprint Molasses Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser
Spice-forward molasses dough meets jam-filled thumbprints, yielding jewel-toned centers and soft, wintry chew. Chilling both the dough and the shaped cookies manages their spread; turbinado sugar adds crunch.
Triple Chocolate–Peppermint Cookies
Homemade peppermint bark tops these super-fudgy cookies made with plenty of cocoa powder, crushed chocolate wafers, and chocolate chips. They just may be the first to disappear off your holiday cookie platter.
Marranitos
Linda Xiao / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
These soft, chewy marranitos — also known as puerquitos or cochinitos — feature warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and allspice enriched with molasses for depth. Beloved in Mexican panaderías, they’re comforting, lightly sweet cookies cut into delightful pig shapes.
Zimtsterne (German Cinnamon Star Cookies)
Eva Kolenko
These gluten-free almond-flour stars are topped with a glossy meringue that dries into a crisp, snow-white cap over a soft, chewy base. Bake low and slow to keep the meringue pale and delicate.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies
Flourless and irresistibly nutty, these quick cookies use peanut butter, sugar, and an egg for a classic crosshatched crowd-pleaser; chopped peanuts and mini chips are optional but welcome.
Spritz Cookies with Citrus Buttercream
Food & Wine / Eva Kolenko
From baker and cookbook author Zoë François, these press-through spritz cookies are brightened with zesty buttercream. Refrigerating the cookies helps them keep their shape in the oven.
Brown Butter–Cardamom Spitzbuben
Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
These traditional Bavarian Christmas cookies from F&W deputy editor Melanie Hansche get a tantalizing revision with the addition of brown butter and the robust, citrusy flavor of freshly ground cardamom. Paired with your favorite jam, the finished cookies will stop your guests in their snowy tracks.
Hot Buttered Rum Biscotti
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Sweetened browned butter, rum, and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice come together for this holiday cookie interpretation of a buttered rum cocktail. They’re perfect with a warm drink.
Kaak Warqa
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
These delicate Tunisian ring-shaped cookies are made from a supple, kneaded dough wrapped around a lightly sweetened almond paste scented with rosewater and almond extract. The recipe, from artist Rafram Chaddad Boaz, is time-intensive but richly rewarding.
Spiced Ginger Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Props Styling Natalie Ghazali
These deeply golden ginger cookies balance crisp texture with warm, aromatic spice thanks to a blend of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and freshly ground white pepper. Adapted from Chicago pastry chef Elissa Narrow, the dough is enriched with honey for subtle sweetness and rolled in turbinado sugar for a crunchy finish.
Thai Tea Crinkle Cookies
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling Ali Domrongchai
These crinkle cookies from food writer Alexandra Domrongchai highlight the sweet, gently spiced flavor of instant Thai tea powder, with cardamom adding an extra aromatic lift. Chilling the dough helps the flavors deepen and ensures clean, crackled tops once baked.
Cardamom Shortbread Cookies with Dulce de Leche Peda Filling
Cookbook author Hetal Vasavada’s cardamom-spiced sandwich cookies are filled with store-bought dulce de leche and adorned with edible flower petals and gold leaf for a treat that’s as gorgeous as it is delicious.
Italian Rainbow Cookies
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
Also known as rainbow cookies, Neapolitan cookies, or tricolore cookies, these bright, festive cookies carry a gentle almond note that complements their bittersweet chocolate finish and generous layers of raspberry jam.
Chinese Almond Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
These classic Lunar New Year cookies balance a delicate, sandy crumb with rich almond flavor. Each lightly sweet disk is brushed with egg wash and topped with a toasted almond, yielding a crisp golden cookie meant to symbolize prosperity.
Cranberry Moscow Mule Gingersnaps
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Tender rather than crisp, these cookies get their bright heat from a trio of ginger: freshly grated, ground, and a touch of syrup. Lime zest runs through the dough, while dried cranberries soaked in vodka echo the signature flavors that inspired the name of the cookie.
Alfajores Chilenitos (Chilean Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Risha Carnes
Tender, lemon-scented cookies sandwich rich manjar (Chilean dulce de leche) in this festive treat from baker and cookbook author Bryan Ford. Dust with powdered sugar for a wintry finish.
Cacao Nib Meringues
Made from just five ingredients — including chopped bittersweet chocolate, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder — these intensely flavored meringues are crisp and delicate on the outside with soft, chewy, marshmallow-like centers.
Chocolate Ganache Sandwich Cookies
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Crisp, buttery cookies are filled with a rich, fluffy milk chocolate ganache made softer by the use of butter instead of the usual heavy cream. Lines of melted dark chocolate on top give them an artful look.
Gramercy Tavern Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cedric Angeles
Browned butter lends nutty depth to these giant cookies studded with white, milk, and dark chocolate from Karen DeMasco, the iconic New York City restaurant’s executive pastry chef.
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 adds an extra layer of earthiness to these crumbly chocolate shortbread cookies with dark rye flour. This holiday cookie recipe yields two logs of dough that can be made ahead for slice-and-bake cookies.
Snickerdoodle Sugar Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Carson Downing / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Joseph Wanek
The Food & Wine Test Kitchen recipe developers roll these festively spiced cookie logs in demerara sugar before baking for an extra-crisp crust.
Cake Cookies
Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser
F&W Senior Editorial Director Sean Flynn says his grandmother’s cake cookies are a staple at celebrations in his home. They’re also a piece of cake to make.
Spritz Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Alexandria Juhl
These classic spritz cookies, a longtime specialty of Edna Lewis, showcase a simple, buttery dough scented with vanilla and almond. Refrigerating the shaped cookies overnight helps them hold their form, but the recipe is wonderfully forgiving either way.
Dried Cranberry and Chocolate Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Carson Downing / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
Cookbook author Sally Sampson adds cranberries and rolled oats to buttery chocolate chip cookie dough for this chocolate chip–oatmeal cookie hybrid.
Shortbread Cookies
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee
Classically crumbly, buttery shortbread cookies can be enjoyed any time of day, any day of the year. Dress them up with white glaze and red and green sprinkles for a holiday variation.
Milk Punch Cornmeal Cookies
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Pro baker Cheryl Day gives this cookie dough a light, sandy texture and a sweet, buttery flavor with almond flour and cornmeal. A blanket of bourbon-spiked white chocolate ganache gives the cookies their festive, wintry appeal.
Chewy, Fudgy Almond Butter and Palm Sugar Cookies
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Caramel-rich and almost chocolaty, these four-ingredient cookies from Scott Mowbray lean on Indonesian gula jawa for deep, complex sweetness and a naturally gluten-free chew.
Chewy Sugar Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Jacob Fox / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Lexi Juhl
These classic sugar cookies deliver crispy edges, chewy centers, and just a hint of nutmeg in a half hour.
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Letting the dough rest overnight to better hydrate the flour is the secret to the tender texture of these sugar cookies that are flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond extract.
Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food styling by Christina Daley / Prop styling by Torie Cox
These oversized chocolate chip cookies use the pan-banging method to create dramatic ripples with crisp, lacy edges and soft, gooey centers.
Spiced Gingerbread Cookies
Food & Wine / Photo by Fred Hardy Jr. / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling
Made wonderfully zingy with a touch of black pepper, these gingerbread cookies from baker Julianne Jones have a tender and cakey texture, yet they’re sturdy enough to decorate.
Matcha-Butter Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Matcha imparts an earthy flavor and verdant hue to these crisp cookies perfect for holiday shapes like Christmas trees, wreaths, and holly. A drizzle of melted white chocolate boosts the sweetness and gives them a festive finish.
Linzer Cookies with Spiced Jam
John Kernick
Top Chef winner Kevin Sbraga adds anise and coriander to the raspberry jam that he spreads between these hazelnut cookies, which are also spiced with cinnamon and cloves.
Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian “Snow White” Cookies)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
In Indonesia, Putri Salju (“Snow White” or “Snow Princess”) cookies are traditionally made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews and are popular during the holidays. League of Kitchens cooking instructor Shandra Woworuntu omits the nuts and adds fragrant pandan instead, which gives the cookies a pretty green color.
Roll-and-Cut Sugar Cookies
Quentin Bacon
A staple of every good holiday cookie assortment, sugar cookies can be as plain or fancy as you please. Sprinkle the cut shapes with sugar, decorate the baked cookies with royal icing, or sandwich them together with jam.
Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies
Ditte Isager
A hybrid of spicy gingerbread and chocolate, these cookies from Brooklyn’s Baked are made from a supple dough that’s a dream to work with. Cut them into an assortment of fanciful shapes and decorate them as you please.
Alfajores de Maizena (Argentine Cornflour Sandwich Cookies with Coconut)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
One of the most popular cookies in Argentina, these soft and tender alfajores are sandwiched with extra-thick dulce de leche and rolled in shredded coconut.
Salted Caramel Squares
Lucy Schaeffer
Bar cookies are a great way to mix up your holiday platter. Here, tender, salt-flecked caramel sits atop a dense, buttery crust for Los Angeles pastry chef Zoe Nathan’s salty-sweet treats.
Kourampiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies)
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
The simple flavors of butter, sugar, almonds, and vanilla shine in these crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth Greek holiday cookies.
Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Quentin Bacon
Warmly spiced cookies are sandwiched together with chocolate and sprinkled with hazelnuts to cover all the bases of holiday flavor.
