14 Best Cookie Recipes

Hands grabbing for chocolate chip cookies on plate — gchutka/Getty Images

Cookies are really a reward for being alive. Think of the best cookies you've eaten and why you've eaten them. They are a perfect pick-me-up with coffee, are the best lunchbox treats, and enhance any celebration from a child's birthday party to a retirement party. These are my favorite cookies; they'll soon become yours too!

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M&M Cookies

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The best M & M cookies are soft and chewy, with a wonderful brown sugar flavor. The contrast between the chewy cookie and the crisp candies is fabulous. No wonder kids love this cookie so much!
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Grandma's Sugar Cookies

Diana Rattray

These are the best sugar cookies ever. This is my Grandmother Matha's recipe, and the cookies are tender, crisp, and perfectly sweet.
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Applesauce Cookies

The Spruce / Jennifer Perillo

If you're craving a fall cookie recipe, these applesauce cookies are it. They're not cloyingly sweet, nor overly spiced as some fall desserts can be. Although they feature cinnamon, these are light enough to be enjoyed anytime of year. The applesauce lends these cookies a springtime freshness, and their cake-like quality helps them keep for for several days. Best of all, they come together in just 30 minutes.
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My Mom's Oatmeal Cookies

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This is another fabulous old fashioned recipe. The combination of butter and oil makes a really chewy cookie that manages to be tender too. And the flavor can't be beaten. Yum.

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Butterscotch Cookies

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

If the flavor of butterscotch conjures images of all things warm and fuzzy, these butterscotch cookies won't disappoint. They get a modern twist from the addition of butterscotch chips, corn flakes, chopped walnuts, and rolled oats for a sweet-and-crunchy taste sensation that's hard to beat.
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Black and White Cookies

The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

You don't have to visit a New York City bakery to get black and white cookies because they're surprisingly easy to make at home. The cake-like batter includes lemon and vanilla extracts for a delicious base flavor. Once baked, they're topped with the chocolate and vanilla frosting that makes them instantly recognizable.
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Andes Mint Cookies

The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

If you haven't tried Andes Mint cookies, you're in for a real treat. The little chocolate mint candies make adding flavor to a basic cookie dough easy. You'll need two boxes of mints and sneaking one or two while you bake is perfectly acceptable.
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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Buttery macadamia nuts are folded into the batter for these white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and the result is outstanding. Definitely a "gourmet" cookie, it's as much a winner at an elegant party as it is at a potluck.

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Potato Chip Cookies

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

The unbeatable combination of sweet and salty are baked into these potato chip cookies. Terrific on their own, if you want to gild the lily, try dipping one end of the baked cookie into melted chocolate and sprinkle it with crushed potato chips.
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Peanut Blossom Cookies

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This classic cookie recipe is slightly different from all the others out there. You must chill the dough before baking. The cookies are tender and perfect with the chocolate kiss on top.
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Homemade Nilla Wafers

The Spruce / Jessie Sheehan

Everyone loves lightly sweet and crispy Nilla Wafers. The homemade version is even better, and easy to make, too. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk or hot cup of tea.
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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Diana Rattray

This recipe, from my first cookbook Everything Meals for a Month, has been spreading around the world! You must read the first review of this recipe; it brought tears to my eyes! These chewy, tender, crisp cookies are just perfect.

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White Chocolate Cashew Cookies

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These fabulous cookies are soft, but with a fabulous texture. The white chocolate chips and chopped cashews are the perfect addition.
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Classic Snickerdoodles

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These classic cookies are crisp and tender, with a fabulous cinnamon flavor. They're a classic cookie jar and lunch box cookie.