Dessert, Cookie Recipes

Scotcheroos: classic no-bake peanut butter rice crispy bars topped with melted chocolate and butterscotch chips. The chewy Midwest church-basement bar that disappears in minutes.

Chocolate cookies rolled in chopped walnuts with melted mint wafers pressed on top mid-bake: two-tone mint-chocolate treats perfect after dinner with coffee.

Old-fashioned molasses cookies made with lard and sour cream for a tender, flaky texture butter can't match. Spiced with cinnamon and ginger, chilled overnight, then rolled thick and soft.

Butter-almond cookies shaped and colored into tiny fruit miniatures like strawberries, bananas, pears, and oranges. A showstopper holiday cookie project using simple dough with food coloring and clever shaping techniques.

Almond Butter Disks: piped European-style almond cookies flavored with dark rum and lemon zest, sandwiched with raspberry-kirsch glaze. Patisserie elegance, makes 18 sandwiches.

Almond Coconut Twinkles: simple buttery drop cookies flavored with almond and vanilla extract and studded with flaked coconut. A short list of pantry ingredients, makes 30 cookies.

Middle Eastern fried pastries filled with spiced almond-cinnamon filling and dipped in sugar syrup. Crispy finger-shaped cookies that freeze beautifully.

Chewy coconut cookies loaded with toasted almonds and sweet dates bake low and slow until golden-bottomed with crisp edges for 4 dozen treats.

Almond-raisin biscotti, twice-baked until crisp, with toasted almonds, plump raisins and bright orange in two forms. A coffee-dunking Italian cookie made airy by folding in whipped egg whites.

Alphabet cookies shaped by hand from a simple butter cookie dough rolled into ropes. A fun baking project for kids that doubles as a tasty learning activity.

Mexican wedding cookies (polvorones): tender almond shortbread balls baked low and slow, then rolled twice in powdered sugar for that signature snowy coating. Melt-in-your-mouth holiday classics.

Slice and bake sugar cookies that freeze in logs for up to six months. Vanilla and lemon extracts give the classic bakery-cookie flavor. Slice from frozen, bake straight away, no thaw needed.

Old-fashioned ginger snaps with molasses, butter, and ground ginger. A crispy, spicy cookie recipe that makes six dozen thin, snappy cookies.

These Italian Baci di Dama cookies pair ground almonds and candied orange peel with a melted chocolate filling. Crisp, nutty, and citrus-bright, they're irresistible with espresso.

Brown sugar cookie dough with butter, egg yolk, vanilla, and brandy. A versatile piped or spooned wafer cookie base that bakes thin, crispy, and golden in under 10 minutes.

Lowcountry benne seed cookies (Charleston style) with toasted sesame seeds, brown sugar, and butter. A thin, crispy Southern Christmas cookie with West African roots.