215 sugar cookie recipes

Delicate, paper-thin cookies infused with toasted saffron, ground almonds, and a whisper of lemon. Sugar-sprinkled and crisp at the edges, this recipe yields 100 elegant bites.

Chocolate walnut meringue cookies rolled and cut into rounds from a fondant-like dough of powdered sugar, cocoa, egg whites, and ground nuts. Crisp, chewy, and gluten-free.

Pecan crisps made with butter, brown sugar, and vanilla, rolled thin and topped with a pecan half. A simple kneaded dough yields tender, nutty cookies with lightly browned edges.

Egg shortbread cookies with a tender, crumbly texture from butter, sugar, and a whole egg. Blind-baked with pie weights for an even, golden result. Simple 5-ingredient recipe.

Rugelach roll flaky cream cheese dough around apricot preserves, cinnamon-brown-sugar, walnuts, and raisins into bite-sized crescents. A classic Jewish bakery cookie for Hanukkah and Christmas alike.

Fat-free oatmeal cookies sweetened with mashed banana, applesauce, and brown sugar. No butter, no oil. Whole wheat flour and oats give them satisfying chew. Vegan-friendly with optional raisins and sesame.

Three-ingredient meringue cookies loaded with chopped pecans and brown sugar. These featherlight kisses bake in just 5 minutes and make 30 bite-sized treats from a single egg white.

Maple pecan crisps with brown sugar, vanilla, and maple extract baked thin until golden and snappy. An egg white wash and minced pecans give each cookie a glossy, nutty crunch.

Mexican wedding cookies (polvorones) made with butter, finely chopped pecans, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon, rolled in powdered sugar while still warm. Tender, crumbly, and melt-in-your-mouth.

The ultimate chocolate chip cookie with brown sugar, butter-flavored shortening, and pecans. Choose your style: bake 8 minutes for soft and chewy or 13 minutes for golden and crisp.

Kolachkes are Polish-American cream cheese cookies: a tender butter-and-cream-cheese dough wrapped around fruit jam, walnut, or sweet cheese filling. Rolled in powdered sugar instead of flour.

Whipped shortbread cookies that practically melt on the tongue. Beaten with cornstarch and powdered sugar for a cloud-light, almost feathery crumb. Top with a candied cherry or pecan half.

Microwave meringues made with just egg white and powdered sugar in under 15 minutes. No oven needed. These two-ingredient meringue cookies puff up light and crisp in 90 seconds flat.

Chewy walnut squares made with brown sugar, one egg, and just half a cup of flour. A no-butter bar cookie that stays soft in the center with a crackly top.

Old-school chocolate chip cookies built on shortening and brown sugar for crisp edges and chewy middles, studded with semi-sweet chips and toasted pecans. A throwback recipe from the original Crisco era.

Praline macaroons from Mississippi: chewy meringue cookies built on whipped egg whites, brown sugar, and toasted pecans, each one crowned with a whole pecan half. Crisp shell, soft center, pure Southern bakery counter.