402 sugar cookie recipes

Holly Cluster cookies: chewy brown-sugar chocolate chip cookies topped with green marzipan holly leaves and red cinnamon candy berries. Holiday cookie tray showpiece with old-school decorating charm.

Almond Cookies: tender Italian-style cookies built on real almond paste, butter, and almond extract. Pressed flat with a sugared glass for crackled, sparkling tops. Makes 5 dozen.

M&M cookie pizza made with an oatmeal cookie base, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, topped with colorful M&Ms. A giant cookie baked in round cake pans and sliced like pizza.

Finnish butter cookies with almond extract, brushed with egg white and topped with sugar and ground almonds before baking. Delicate, crisp shortbread-style cookies with a nutty sparkle.

Malted milk cookies fold chopped malted milk balls and unsweetened chocolate into a brown-sugar drop cookie for a chocolate cookie with crunchy candy pockets. A diner-style malt shop treat.

Traditional German lebkuchen: honey-and-molasses spice cookies studded with citron and nuts, finished with a brushed sugar glaze. A heritage Christmas cookie that gets better as it ages.

Classic Swedish spritz cookies made with a cookie press from a rich butter dough. Decorate with candied fruits or colored sugar for a festive holiday cookie tin that yields 3-4 dozen.

Buttery sugar diamonds cookies with cinnamon and pecans. Sheet pan bar cookies with a crispy pecan topping that bake until golden at 300°F.

Sandbakelse, traditional Scandinavian butter cookies with cardamom, pressed into mini tart tins and filled with jam. Delicate, sandy-textured holiday cookies dusted with powdered sugar.

Christmas crackers are sweet honey-wheat holiday cookies stamped with cookie cutters and sprinkled with sugar. Makes 45 crispy-edged rectangles for gifting or dipping.

Drop molasses cookies with buttermilk, brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon rest overnight for deep flavor. Soft, cakey cookies with that old-fashioned dark molasses chew.

Thumbprint snowball cookies with walnuts, cinnamon, and lemon zest in the dough, filled with raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. A festive holiday cookie.

Pistachio and white chocolate cookies with brown sugar, butter-flavored shortening, and toasted pistachios. Chewy or crisp by choice, the classic holiday cookie tin upgrade.

Maple pecan balls are buttery brown sugar cookies infused with maple extract and rolled around chopped pecans, each topped with a toasted pecan half. Tender, nutty, and built for holiday tins.

Cherry cookie pizza with a golden sugar cookie crust, sweetened cream cheese layer, and cherry pie filling on top. A fun no-fuss dessert pizza baked on a 12-inch pan.

Crunchy chocolate chip cookies loaded with pecans and crisp rice cereal, flavored with almond extract and brown sugar. Makes 5 dozen crispy-edged treats in 30 minutes.