23 Types of Cookies You Should Know How to Make
From chocolate chip and sugar cookies to biscotti, we have you covered.
Yossy Arefi
In the wonderful world of cookies, everyone has their favorites. Nothing is more nostalgic than a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip treat—but some of us have a soft spot for chewy mounds of oatmeal dough bursting with sweet raisins, while others live and die by the crumbly texture of a buttery shortbread. Whichever type of cookie you gravitate towards, it's important to master a few of the basics so you're prepared whenever a particular occasion (or craving) calls for dessert.
While there are endless recipes out there, we're sharing the 23 types of cookies that everyone should learn how to make—or at least experiment with once or twice! Some are as simple as plopping dough onto a baking sheet, while others, like macarons, require some time, patience, and practice. Keep these recipes handy for when you need a last-minute sweet or just want to whip up a batch of cookies for fun.
Related: 20 Easy Cookie Recipes Anyone Can Make
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bryan Gardner
We could wax poetic about chocolate chip cookies all day long—and we know you could, too. Our favorite iteration is our Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, thanks to a high ratio of brown to white sugar. They're so buttery and studded with the perfect amount of semisweet chocolate chips.
Other Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes to Try:
Sugar Cookies
Buttery and sweet sugar cookies are perfect as is, but you can also add some flair to our Basic Sugar Cookies. Try sprinkling the top of the dough with sprinkles or sanding sugar before baking—or decorate fun shapes with royal icing.
Other Sugar Cookie Recipes to Try:
Related: How to Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough the Right Way
Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies are such a classic. We know some people aren't fans, but we sure are. Take our Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, for instance: We love when juicy raisins burst in your mouth and complement the nutty flavor of the oats. Add chocolate chips to the mix for the cocoa lovers in your life.
Other Oatmeal Cookie Recipes to Try:
Peanut Butter Cookies
Grant Webster
Only six ingredients are needed to make these soft, chewy Easy Peanut Butter Cookies, another classic type of cookie. They're soft and chewy and have the classic crosshatch pattern. Try swapping in crunchy peanut butter or adding chocolate chunks. They are also perfect for sandwiching with chocolate ice cream.
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
They're a Christmas party classic, but we love to eat peanut butter blossoom cookies year-round. Our recipe makes a basic peanut butter cookie; each one gets topped with a chocolate kiss candy while it's still slightly warm. There's a bit of peanut butter and chocolate in every bite.
Snickerdoodles
Soft, buttery, and a fun name to boot! Snickerdoodles take sugar cookies one step further by coating the dough generously in cinnamon sugar. Try a variation on the classic by replacing the cinnamon with citrus zest and adding a tart powdered sugar glaze.
Other Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipes to Try:
Shortbread
The most elemental baking ingredients transform into a shortbread cookie—and we think our classic recipe is pretty perfect. The dough is crumbly in texture and melts in your mouth. Chilling the dough will keep the cookie from spreading too much.
Other Shortbread Recipes to Try:
Related: Here's Why You Should Refrigerate Cookie Dough Before Baking
Drop Cookies
Drop cookies are very versatile–they can be made with chocolate, peanut butter, or even fresh fruit. And they're as simple as a cookie gets. Just drop the cookie dough into mounds on baking sheets and slide them into the oven.
Other Drop Cookie Recipes to Try:
Butter Cookies
This type of cookie falls somewhere between a sugar cookie and shortbread. They're soft and full of buttery flavor. Classic examples are Mexican Wedding Cookies and crescent cookies.
Kitchen Sink Cookies
These Texas-sized treats are filled with all kinds of things, including rolled oats and dried fruit. Our Giant Cowboy Cookies are a riff on Kitchen Sink Cookies and have nuts, chocolate, and coconut. Sandwich them with toasted jumbo marshmallows to instantly upgrade s'mores.
Crackle Cookies
No, they're not just for the holidays. Crackle cookies, sometimes called crinkle cookies, are named for the cracks that appear on the surface—like the ones seen on our Chocolate Crackle Cookies—as they bake and spread. They are rolled in powdered sugar before baking to give them their snow-capped appearance.
Other Crackle Cookie Recipes to Try:
Skillet Cookies
These giant skillet cookies give you the best of both worlds. The center is soft, while the edges are nice and chewy. Slice one, like our Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie, into wedges or top the skillet with a few scoops of ice cream and let everyone dig in.
Other Skillet Cookie Recipes to Try:
Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint cookies are a type of drop cookie; you use your thumb (or the handle end of a wooden spoon) to make an indentation in the center of each circle. They are two-to-three-biters and can be filled with fruit jams, chocolate, or caramel.
Other Thumbprint Cookie Recipes to Try:
Linzer Cookies
Heart shapes are just the beginning. Use any shaped cookie cutter to make these crumbly jam-filled sandwich cookies. The dough for our Linzer Heart Cookies is simple, and you can use whatever jams or preserves you like for the filling.
Biscotti
The word biscotti is derived from Latin for "twice-baked." These cookies are baked partially in a flat loaf form, then sliced and baked again to create a light, airy, and crunchy texture. They are traditionally made with almonds (like the Almond Biscotti here), but feel free to play around with other nuts and fruits to mix in.
Other Biscotti Recipes to Try:
Madeleines
A classic French confection, madeleines have a very cake-like texture. Our recipe is flavored with sugar, honey, and lemon. These treats are best served warm, dusted lightly with powdered sugar.
Black and White Cookies
Yossy Arefi
You'll find these cookies in almost every deli or bodega in New York City. The cookie itself is soft and cakey. Half of each cookie gets coated in a thick layer of vanilla icing, while the other half gets the chocolate treatment. They are pretty big, but can be made bite-sized.
Gingerbread Cookies
These are a must-have during the holidays, but their sweet but subtle molasses and ginger flavor are delicious throughout the colder months of the year. Roll our Basic Gingerbread Cookies thin—then bake and enjoy them with or without royal icing decorations.
Other Gingerbread Cookie Recipes to Try:
No-Bake Cookies
No-bake cookies, like these Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies, are a wonderful thing—they're desserts that don't require oven time. Our recipes use minimal ingredients and generally need to set in the refrigerator instead of baking.
Other No-Bake Cookies to Try:
Pinwheel Cookies
Pinwheel cookies are so fun. Our chewy coconut sugar cookies swirled with chocolate are a tasty riff; they're rolled up like a cinnamon roll with a mixture of melted chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Don't let their festive flair fool you—they're simple to make. A simple layer of cinnamon sugar or a dried fruit compote can also be swirled into the dough.
Stroopwafels
Once you get the technique down, there's nothing easier than sandwiching a spoonful of caramel between two crisp paper-thin waffle cookies, a la Martha's Stroopwafels. The cookies soften a bit as they sit and are perfect for dipping into a cup of coffee.
Macarons
Our foolproof recipe takes the guesswork out of the classic French cookie. Our Basic French Macarons are a stellar example of this light-as-air meringue treat that is made with just five ingredients and can be sandwiched with jam, dulce de leche, or buttercream frosting.
Related: What's the Difference Between Macaroons and Macarons?
Macaroons
Not to be confused with French macarons, macaroons are flourless coconut cookies and a classic Passover treat. Egg whites bind the cookie dough together before baking. We love a classic chocolate drizzle, seen on these Coconut-Chocolate Macaroons, but they can also be studded with dried fruit or used to make jammy sandwich cookies.
