564 sugar cookie recipes

Delicate butter cookies studded with ground pistachios, shaped into little fingers, and dusted with powdered sugar for melt-in-your-mouth holiday treats.

Soft drop cookies sweetened with honey instead of sugar, packed with plump raisins and a hint of warm nutmeg. Done in 30 minutes.

Buttery German almond crescents dusted with powdered sugar, made with ground almonds and double extracts for a melt-in-your-mouth holiday cookie.

Mediterranean almond cookies made with ground almonds, egg whites, and candied cherries. Low-temperature baked treats dusted with powdered sugar and optional rosewater.

Crunchy drop cookies loaded with crushed corn cereal and raisins or chocolate chips. Brown sugar keeps them chewy inside with crisp golden edges.

Old-fashioned lace cookies with pecans, brown sugar, and corn syrup, rolled into delicate cylinders while still warm. Shatteringly crisp and caramel-sweet.

London strips: layered cookie bars with a buttery shortbread base, strawberry jam filling, and a bourbon-walnut meringue topping dusted with powdered sugar.

Teem gok: deep-fried wonton cookies filled with dried fruit, coconut, almonds, and brown sugar. Crispy Chinese dessert wontons golden-fried in minutes.

Classic Italian amaretti cookies made with just egg whites, sugar, ground almonds, and almond extract. Crisp outside, chewy inside, and naturally gluten-free.

Bachelor buttons: traditional English shortbread-style cookies made with butter, flour, sugar, and a hint of nutmeg. Tender, pale, walnut-sized teatime classics.

Pastry cheesecake crust with butter, sugar, egg, and flour. A sturdier, cookie-like base for springform cheesecakes when graham crumbs feel too crumbly.

Holiday Unbeatables are chewy, no-butter cookies made with egg whites, powdered sugar, walnuts, and candied cherries. Naturally gluten-light with a crisp edge and soft, meringue-like center.

Brown sugar chocolate chip cookies made with butter-flavored shortening for extra chewy centers and crisp edges. Choose your bake time for chewy or crunchy results. Makes 3 dozen with optional pecans.

Homemade teething cookies with just three ingredients: eggs, sugar, and flour. Baked hard in a doughnut shape for little hands to grip and gnaw on safely.

Cream cheese rugelach filled with cinnamon sugar, walnuts, and raisins rolled into flaky crescent pastries. A classic Jewish bakery cookie with a tender, buttery dough.

The 2nd place winner in the Chicago Tribune's 1996 Annual Holiday Cookie Contest, a simple brown-sugar shortbread from Sandra Petrille of Naperville, Illinois.