132 vanilla cookie recipes

Whoopie pies sandwich two soft chocolate cake-cookies around a fluffy vanilla cream filling. Maine and Pennsylvania Dutch dessert with a cult following.

Cheesecake cookie bars with a whole wheat walnut crust and honey-sweetened cream cheese filling flavored with lemon, vanilla, and fresh nutmeg. Cut into squares.

No-bake rum balls made with crushed vanilla wafers, pecans, cocoa, powdered sugar, and real rum. A classic Christmas cookie tin staple rolled in powdered sugar.

French meringue strips with a buttery shortbread base topped with vanilla meringue, cinnamon sugar, and chopped almonds. Elegant bar cookies that yield 8 dozen.

Chocolate domino cookies made with cocoa powder, cut into rectangles, and decorated with vanilla buttercream dots and lines. A fun baking project for kids.

Irish cream balls combine crushed vanilla wafers, toasted pecans, cocoa, and Irish cream liqueur into no-bake boozy bites rolled in powdered sugar. The grown-up holiday cookie tray staple.

Rainbow sprinkle cookies from cake mix, ready in 30 minutes with vanilla frosting and festive toppings. Kid-friendly baking for birthdays, celebrations, or just because.

Mini pumpkin pie cookie cups with a cream cheese pastry shell, spiced pumpkin filling with rum and vanilla, and a crunchy pecan-brown sugar topping.

Classic almond biscotti are twice-baked Italian cookies made with whole-wheat and white flour, turbinado sugar, eggs, vanilla, and toasted almonds. Crisp, dunkable, and made for coffee.

Hello Dollies are layered magic cookie bars with vanilla wafer crust, pecans, coconut, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk baked until gooey and golden.

Fat-free banana split pie with cinnamon cookie crust, sugar-free vanilla pudding, crushed pineapple, and fresh strawberries. Layered no-bake dessert that captures the sundae shop in a slim slice.

Ground almonds and cinnamon fold into stiff meringue to create these chewy Italian amaretti cookies where lemon zest and vanilla cut through the sweetness with bright, aromatic notes.

Soft ginger cream cookies spiced with ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, sweetened with molasses, and topped with vanilla or orange frosting. This big-batch recipe makes 6 dozen.

Traditional New Mexican biscochitos made with lard, egg yolks, anise, and vanilla. Rolled, cut into shapes, and baked until tender. New Mexico's official state cookie and a holiday staple.

Linzer pastry dough with a full pound of butter, egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla. A rich, tender Austrian dough for jam-filled cookies, tarts, and meringue-topped pastries.

Soft banana sour cream bars baked in a jelly roll pan with ripe bananas, butter, and vanilla. A tender sheet pan cookie bar that makes a generous batch for sharing.