Our Most Popular Cookie Recipes Ever

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Chocolate chip, sugar cookies, French-style macarons, gingerbread, and peanut butter cookies—when it comes to cookies, our readers love them all. We've been publishing cookie recipes since 1993, and while our editors will tell you each one is delicious in its own right, some have emerged as all-time favorites among our readers. Here, we're sharing the 31 cookies you love most, starting with the Spiced Hot-Chocolate Cookies that you see here.

So, which other cookie recipes do our readers turn to most frequently? Not surprisingly, you'll find plenty of holiday favorites, like gingerbread cookies and spritz cookies, in the mix. After all, what's a celebratory occasion without a sweet treat? We have several types of gingerbread cookies, including a timeless recipe and one made with a touch of chocolate. Fortunately, the holiday season is long enough that you can try your hand at both. We also have recipes for simple cut-out sugar cookies, and while you can definitely enjoy them plain, we say they're not truly finished until they're decorated with royal icing. The beauty of all of our sugar cookie recipes is that you can make the dough in advance and store it in the refrigerator or freezer (for up to three months) until you're ready to bake them.

Then there are the classic cookie recipes, like oatmeal raisin. We have several variations including a better-for-you whole-wheat version, a gluten-free recipe, and one that swaps raisins for other dried fruit, such as cranberries or currants. But our most popular cookie collection wouldn't be complete without a few chocolate chip recipes, and the ones our readers love most are not to be missed. Whether you're team soft and chewy, thin and crispy, or somewhere in between, you'll find your favorite new recipe here.

Ready to bake? We guarantee that you will want to whip up a batch (or two!) of each and every one of our most popular cookie recipes.

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Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Our tried-and-true chocolate chip cookies are favorites among our food editors and you, the reader. Two sticks of softened butter and one cup of light brown sugar ensure that each bite will be rich and super moist.

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Basic Sugar Cookies

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Minh + Wass

No matter the season, this cookie recipe shines. You can cut them into any shape you prefer—shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day or Christmas trees for the holiday season—and decorate them with our dependable Royal Icing.

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French Macarons

Mix-and-Match French Macarons

This gluten-free cookie is about as versatile as they come—tint the almond flour cookie with any color food coloring that you please and add sweet fillings like coconut buttercream or raspberry jam or pistachio Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

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Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

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John Kernick

Our better-for-you cookies start with a combination of whole-wheat and all-purpose frosting and are studded with rolled oats and dried raisins for a touch of texture.

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Glazed Lemon Cookies

glazed lemon cookies
Raymond Hom

You'll find lemon zest and juice in both the dough and glaze for this cookie recipe—they're delightful for a springtime soirée, tea party, or anytime when you want a bright bite.

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Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

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Lennart Weibull

Instead of forming cookie dough into individual balls, this recipe calls for pressing it into a cast-iron skillet and serving it in the form of a family-friendly dessert that can be cut into individual slices.

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Kitchen Sink Cookies

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Loaded with old-fashioned oats, chocolate chips, sweetened coconut, raisins, and chopped walnuts, this cookie recipe offers a little something for everyone.

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Gingerbread Cookies

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Alpha Smoot

As soon as we turn the page on our calendar to December, we're all about gingerbread. This timeless cookie recipe has plenty of holiday spice from a combination of molasses, dark brown sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

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Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies

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Romulo Yanes

In this twist on the classic oatmeal raisin cookie, we added chocolate chips to the flour-free batter and gluten-free old-fashioned oats.

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Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

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Chocolate lovers will adore these double chocolate cookies, which are made with a combination of melted semisweet chocolate and chocolate chunks. No one will be able to resist this fudgy treat.

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Peanut Butter Cookies

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Con Poulos

You only need six ingredients to make these classic peanut butter cookies: creamy peanut butter, flour, butter, light brown sugar, baking powder, and an egg. Use a fork to create the cross-hatch pattern on top of each cookie.

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Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies

chocolate gingerbread cookies
Joseph De Leo

In a delicious departure from the traditional gingerbread cookies, this recipe calls for a combination of Dutch-processed cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate in addition to the usual ingredients, including ground and fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

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Ideal Sugar Cookies

ideal sugar cookies
Alpha Smoot

Looking for a classic sugar cookie recipe? You've come to the right place. This recipe gets its flavor from vanilla extract and a touch of brandy, which really takes it to the next level.

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Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chewy and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dana Gallagher

If you prefer chocolate chip cookies that are crunchy rather than super-soft, this recipe is for you. Our pan-banging method creates a mesmerizing ripple effect and results in thin and crispy cookies every single time.

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Cookie-Press Cookies

cookie press cookies
Bryan Gardner

Make use of a cookie press with this simple recipe for the holiday season that comes together in no time at all.

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Thin and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies

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The difference between thin and crispy cookies and soft and chewy cookies is the proportion of ingredients—this recipe calls for a bit more butter and granulated sugar than you'll find in other recipes, which creates an extra-crunchy cookie.

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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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A classic cookie recipe like oatmeal raisin will never go out of style. Bake a batch just like Grandma did using this popular 30-minute recipe.

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Jam Thumbprint Cookies

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Use your favorite flavor of jam—anything from raspberry to apricot to strawberry—in these humble four-ingredient cookies.

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Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Why are these the ultimate chocolate chip cookies? The texture is just right—not too chewy and not too cakey—and they're jam-packed with two kinds of chocolate chips, resulting in one perfect treat.

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Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

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Sugar, spice, and everything nice! These cookies hit the perfect balance in terms of flavor and texture.

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Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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Antonis Achilleos

Our readers can't get enough of these dark chocolate cookies made with a combination of Dutch-processed cocoa powder and coarsely chopped chocolate.

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Shortbread Cookies

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Four ingredients—all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract—are all it takes to make these classic cookies.

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Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

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VICTOR SCHRAGER

If you're team soft, this chocolate chip cookie recipe is for you. It calls for less butter and brown sugar than you may be used to, which gives it its "cakey" texture.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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Sang An

This crowd-pleasing recipe turns everyone's favorite cookie into sliceable bars. A combination of semisweet and milk chocolate chips brings ooey-gooey, melt-in-your-mouth flavor.

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Coconut Cookies

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An entire package of sweetened shredded coconut is used in this cookie recipe that comes together in one hour. They're more substantial than the usual coconut macaroon, another crowd favorite.

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Old-Fashioned Lemon Sugar Cookies

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The zest and juice of fresh lemons perk up classic sugar cookies and sanding sugar gives a shiny, crunchy finish.

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Basic Vanilla Cookie Dough

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Here's a super versatile yet simple cookie dough that can be used for cutout, spritz, thumbprint, or shaped icebox cookies.

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Chocolate Crackle Cookies

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To create the appearance of a snow-kissed fudgy cookie, this chocolate cookie dough is rolled in confectioners' sugar just before baking.

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Alexis's Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Martha's daughter developed this recipe for super thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies, which are made with three cups of brown sugar for a deep, caramelized flavor.

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Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

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Instead of the usual raisins, we swapped in one cup of dried cranberries in this oatmeal cookie recipe. The result is a slightly more tart—but just as delicious—treat.

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