103 vanilla cookie recipes

Classic Italian pizzelle cookies made with butter, eggs, vanilla, and a shot of whiskey for depth. Crisp, thin waffle cookies pressed on a pizzelle iron. Makes 16 dozen.

Nut refrigerator cookies (icebox cookies) with brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and chopped nuts. Slice-and-bake dough that chills overnight and yields crisp, buttery cookies with caramel notes.

Chocolate sweetheart sandwich cookies with cocoa dough puffed and crackled, filled with vanilla buttercream. Homemade Oreo-style cookies with a rich, creamy center.

Tender almond crescent cookies with oats and vanilla, showered in powdered sugar. This recipe makes four dozen, so there's plenty for the cookie exchange.

Hoernchen are German almond crescent cookies made with ground almonds, butter, and vanilla, dipped in colored sugar or sprinkles for a festive holiday cookie.

Loaded oatmeal cookies with whole wheat flour, coconut, pecans, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Vanilla pudding mix is the secret to extra-soft cookies.

Pumpkin raisin cookies with canned pumpkin, cinnamon, and raisins, topped with a simple butter-vanilla frosting. Soft, cakey fall cookies that stay moist for days.

Chocolate pizzelle cookies made with cocoa powder, melted butter, and vanilla, pressed on a pizzelle iron. An Italian waffle cookie with a rich chocolate twist.

Pizzelles press a buttery vanilla dough between hot iron grids for thin, crispy Italian waffle cookies with intricate snowflake patterns. Classic Christmas and wedding cookie.

Classic peanut butter crisscross cookies with brown sugar and vanilla. The iconic fork-pressed cookie with a crumbly, nutty bite that bakes in just 10 minutes.

Oatmeal peanut butter drop cookies with plumped raisins, cinnamon, and vanilla. A hearty, old-fashioned cookie packed with oats and peanut butter flavor. Makes 3 dozen.

Chocolate thumbprint cookies rolled in chopped nuts, filled with sweet vanilla cream, and crowned with a chocolate kiss pressed into the center. A holiday cookie tray classic with three textures in every bite.

Lemon cats' paw cookies piped from almond dough with lemon zest and vanilla, sandwiched and dipped in dark chocolate. An elegant bakery-style cookie worth the effort.

Soft iced pumpkin cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, and raisins topped with a vanilla cream icing. Cake-like fall cookies that smell like autumn in every bite.

Flourless chewy oatmeal cookies made with just 7 ingredients: oats, butter, two sugars, an egg, vanilla, and salt. Naturally gluten-free with crispy edges and a soft, chewy center.

Buttery drop cookies loaded with oats, vanilla milk chips, flaked coconut, and macadamia nuts. Sour cream keeps them soft and chewy. Makes 5 dozen for the holiday cookie swap.