The Best Cookie Cookbooks for Holiday Swaps

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Nothing says “the holidays” quite like a cookie swap. This year, instead of relying on your grandmother’s shortbread, explore a whole new world of baked treats that will wow your friends and coworkers. We’re talking chocolate chunk cookies made with olive oil, gluten-free “monster” cookies, and even a peanut butter cookie that changed one chef’s life (see below). In the books that follow, you’ll find cookies of all shapes, sizes, colors, and cultures—something for every sort of cookie baker, cookie eater, and cookie lover.

Snacking Bakes, by Yossy Arefi

In 2020, Yossy Arefi published a book called Snacking Cakes that focused on one-bowl cake recipes for everyday cake cravings. Her new book, Snacking Bakes, takes that idea and zooms out to the rest of the baked goods world. Here, Arefi shares 22 easy recipes for cookies of all kinds. Looking for something vegan? Try the Banana Brownie Cookies. In search of gluten-free goodness? Go for the Monster Cookies made with oats, peanut butter, and M&M’s. Need a cookie that’s both vegan and gluten-free? The Almond Thumbprints will save the day. If you’re not worried about dietary restrictions, the rest of the recipes cover textures and flavors galore. From Malted Sugar Cookies to Coconut Apricot Oat Cookies, the best thing about all of Arefi’s cookies is that you can make, bake, and eat them all in one swoop. “All of these recipes make about 20 cookies, give or take a few,” Arefi writes, “and you can bake them all right away, no dough chilling or multiple batches necessary.”

The Cookie That Changed My Life, by Nancy Silverton with Carolynn Carreño

If a cookie changed Nancy Silverton’s life, chances are it can change yours, too—or at least taste really, really good. In her latest cookbook, the Los Angeles–based chef shares the recipe for what she calls “that peanut butter cookie that lighted me in a dark hour,” as well as 29 other cookies that are equally as transformative. Silverton has five variations of slice-and-bake butter cookies (cinnamon walnut! toasted sesame!), as well as new takes on old classics, like Iced Animal Crackers. Chocolate lovers should try the Alaska Cookies with Chocolate Chunks, Dulce de Leche, and Marshmallows, while the Spiced Graham Crackers—made with cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon—are the ideal accompaniment to morning coffee, afternoon tea, or anytime hot chocolate. There’s so much to learn from Silverton—the book makes for a great holiday gift in and of itself.

More Than Cake, by Natasha Pickowicz

Pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz has become known for two primary things: one, bringing communities together via bake sales in support of abortion rights, and two, her showstopping cakes. In her debut cookbook, More Than Cake, Pickowicz does exactly as the title promises, sharing recipes for all kinds of sweet treats. In a section called “Never-Ending Cookies,” her inventive cookies are just as beautiful as her cakes—but easier to make. Her take on classic chocolate chippers involves brown butter, buckwheat, and chocolate chunks. Her linzers are unexpectedly tart, made with ground coffee, toasted hazelnuts, and kumquat preserves. Pickowicz even has a recipe for Black Sesame Fortune Cookies. You can DIY the fortunes, which makes for a super-cute way to personalize holiday gifts.

Life Is What You Bake It, by Vallery Lomas

Lawyer-turned-baker Vallery Lomas showcases recipes from every stage of her life. For instance, her Gingerbread Cookies—cakey in texture, with a kick from black pepper—are adapted from a recipe she made on The Great American Baking Show, which she won in 2018. Her Chocolate Mint Moon Pies, with their marshmallow cream filling, evoke memories of Mardi Gras and Lomas’s upbringing in Louisiana. These recipes stand the test of time; they’re the perfect balance of nostalgic and new. Our favorite? The Olive Oil-Chocolate Chunk Cookies, sprinkled with flaky salt on top. If you’re in the mood to be daring, bring a batch of Thicky-Thick Peanut Butter Brownies to your cookie swap. Expect the platter to be licked clean.

Stuffed, by Heather Mubarak

Blogger Heather Mubarak, known on social media as Browned Butter Blondie, wrote what might as well be the cookie swap handbook. Stuffed is all about sandwich cookies. There are 65 mix-and-match recipes, letting the baker pick and choose cookies and fillings. The imagination within this book lends itself to so much baking fun, whether you stick to the oldies but goodies with Homemade Milanos, or opt for a cold ’n’ crazy cookie with the Root Beer Popcorn Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches. Mubarak also has an entire section dedicated to “Cocktail Cookies,” otherwise known as savory sandwich cookies. From Rosemary Pine Nut Sablés with Whipped Goat Cheese to Cornbread Cookies with Honey Mascarpone, these umami-filled baked goods will seriously upgrade the old cheese plate.

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