12 cookie recipes to sweeten your holidays

A special thanks to Drexel University’s Department of Food & Hospitality Management for baking these recipes for The Inquirer. Particular thanks to Anne Fraser-Jones, Grace Mailey, Zack Burger, Olivia Stewart, Maxel Kurniawan Suhenda, Victoria Sanchez-Galarza, Brenda Rodriguez-Leonardo, Rebekah Pelkington, Emily Wolfe, Isabella Gigliotti, Caleb Lederman, Vritika Narra, Zae’Onah Howell, and Rosemary Trout.

Some of these recipes call for ingredients that can be hard to find. You can of course order them on Amazon, but if you’d like to shop local, The Inquirer found a great selection of hard-to-find ingredients and baking equipment in the Reading Terminal Market (at Head Nut and The Herbiary) and Fante’s Kitchen Shop in the Italian Market.

While many home bakers use measuring cups and spoons to whip up a batch of cookies, professional bakers almost always measure out ingredients by weight using a scale. We have included measurements both by weight and volume. Use whatever you feel comfortable with.

If you have not yet invested in a home scale, there's a compelling reason to do so: It makes cleanup easier. When measuring out something sticky like maple syrup or honey, you can simply put the bowl it's destined for on the scale, zero out its weight, then add the ingredient directly to the bowl. No mess involved. 

These classic sandwich cookies look fancy, but they’re actually “super-easy,” says baker Abby Dahan, who’s currently the executive pastry chef for Samuel’s in Center City. She recommends using Bonne Maman preserves as a shortcut for the filling. While some cookie doughs benefit from chilling, this one rolls out easiest immediately after mixing. If possible, use a fluted cookie cutter for the top cookies.

226 grams (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

120 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar

1 extra-large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

226 grams (1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour

120 grams (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) almond flour

4 grams (1 teaspoon) salt

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on low speed until fully combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly, scraping as needed. Add the dry ingredients on low speed and mix until well combined. The dough will be soft and pliable.

Place the dough between two large sheets of parchment paper, then roll it out to slightly under ¼-inch thickness. Place in the freezer until firm enough to cut. When cold but pliable, cut into 1 or 1½-inch circles. Transfer to a lined sheet pan. Cut a window in half of the cookies using a smaller cookie cutter or the small end of a piping tip.

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until very gently brown on the perimeter, about 11 to 13 minutes; rotate the tray halfway through baking. The cookies should be mostly blonde. Cool completely before filling.

Using a spoon or a piping bag, fill the cookies with jam, marmalade, or lemon curd.

Baker Loc Pham grew up in Vietnam, where the French pastry tradition emphasizes butter over sugar. When he moved to the United States he eschewed frosted treats in favor of Walker’s Shortbread, which “wasn’t overly sweet. It’s really buttery.”
That’s what inspired Pham’s own shortbread, which you can buy in New Jersey at Brown Dog Cafe in Audubon and Severino Pasta in Westmont; or in Philadelphia at Knockbox Cafe, Lombard Cafe, Forin Cafe, and The Ground Coffee Plants and Gifts.

452 grams (4 sticks) butter, room temperature

210 grams (1 cup) dark brown sugar

13 grams (2 heaping teaspoons) sea salt

555 grams (4⅔ cups) all-purpose flour

350 grams (3½ cups) pecans, toasted and crushed

156 grams (½ cup) maple syrup

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and salt together until smooth and well combined, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the flour and mix on low-speed, scraping the bowl and paddle as needed. Mix until a very soft dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, shape into a flat disk, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and knead until pliable. Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness and prick all over with a fork or a dough docker. Using a pastry cutter or knife and ruler, cut the dough into 1-by-3-inch rectangles. Transfer the shortbreads to a lined sheet pan, spacing them ½ inch apart, then chill for an hour.

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 18 minutes until deep brown, rotating the pan halfway through. Cool completely.

When ready to garnish, bring the maple syrup to a boil, then remove from heat. Brush the cooled shortbreads with the syrup, then sprinkle with the pecans.

This butter cookie from Mighty Bread’s Chris DiPiazza reads like a sugar cookie. Bread flour makes for perfect cutouts that take to royal icing beautifully. There’s no leavener in this recipe, which means the cookies won’t spread much, so feel free to crowd the sheet pan before it heads to the oven.

452 grams (4 sticks) butter

283 grams (1⅓ cups plus 1 tablespoon) white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

566 grams (4½ cups) bread flour

With a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until light in color, about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl and paddle often. Add the eggs slowly, scraping after each addition. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add the bread flour gradually and mix until absorbed and the dough holds its shape. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

When ready to bake, roll the dough to roughly ¼-inch thickness, then cut into shapes with cookie cutters.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12 minutes. Completely cool, then decorate.

50 grams egg whites (from 2 large eggs)

250 grams (2 cups plus 1 tablespoon) powdered sugar

Combine the egg whites and sugar in a bowl. With a hand or stand mixer, beat on low speed until the powdered sugar is dissolved. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy. If needed, add a little water to reach the desired consistency for decorating. Add color with any food-safe dye.

Jezabel Careaga plans to add these glazed alfajores to the menu at her West Philly cafe. She prefers fruity membrillo as the filling for this regional variation from the Argentinean province of Córdoba, but you could use apricot or fig jam, or even dulce de leche in a pinch. You can buy the dried flower petals to decorate the alfajores at spice shops like the Herbiary in Reading Terminal Market.

113 grams (1 stick) butter, room temperature

113 grams (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) granulated sugar

70 grams (3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) honey

Zest of 1 lemon

2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

276 grams (2⅓ cups) all-purpose flour

180 grams (1½ cups) cornstarch

6 grams (1½ teaspoons) baking powder

Filling of choice (membrillo, apricot or fig jam, dulce de leche)

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, honey, and lemon zest and mix for 4 to 6 minutes, until creamy. Add the egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Mix on medium for another 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.

Add the dry ingredients to the mixer gradually, in three parts over 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough comes together. Do not overmix. The dough will be crumbly like pie dough.

Place the dough on a countertop lined with parchment paper. Knead until it becomes soft and smooth, then cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough to less than ¼-inch thickness, then cut cookies at 1¾-inch circles. Place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan with ¼ inch of space in between.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9 to 11 minutes, until the cookies have risen, appear cooked all the way through, and are lightly browned. Cool completely before assembling.

Prepare your filling. If using membrillo, roughly chop it, then combine it with a little water over low heat, stirring until it reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency but not too runny. Cool to room temperature or freeze before assembling.

When ready to assemble, pipe or spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto half the cookies, using the height of the cookie as a guideline for the amount of filling; they should be roughly the same. Sandwich with another cookie, pressing down to level off the filling. Use a knife or an offset spatula to smooth the filling’s edge so it’s even. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours or until the filling sets.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and lemon juice until smooth.

Using a fork and an offset spatula, dip the alfajores into the glaze one at a time, covering the sandwich completely. Make more glaze as needed.

Place glazed cookies on parchment paper. Sprinkle with dried flower petals, if using. Let the alfajores sit at room temperature until fully dry.

Invest in a high-quality butter for these light, nutty cookies from Isgro. Because it has a scoopable, drop-cookie batter, it’s perfect to make with the kiddos — unlike most other treats from Isgro. “Italian cookies are all hand-cut and chilled and delicately rolled out,” says fourth-generation baker A.J. Isgro. “I wanted to keep it simple for folks at home.”

452 grams (4 sticks) AA grade butter, room temperature

298 grams (2½ cups) confectioners’ sugar

367 grams (3 cups plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

Pinch baking soda

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

228 grams (2¼ cups) pecans, roughly chopped

With a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium for 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.

Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix on low until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and pecan pieces. Mix on low for 1 minute until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.

Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, drop heaping scoops of dough onto a lined sheet pan.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 12 minutes, until the edges are browned and middle is spongy.

Don’t hesitate to get the butter deep brown for these ginger snaps from Sprinkled Sweetness baker-owner Tatiana Wingate. It gives them nuttiness and depth. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies at the end, or if you prefer, use it as icing for the top or filling for sandwich cookies.

170 grams (1½ sticks) butter

100 grams (½ cup) white sugar

1 large egg

240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Sanding sugar or white sugar for sprinkling

Make the brown butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until the butter turns brown and smells nutty. Transfer to a bowl, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let cool before proceeding.

With a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg and the seeds from the vanilla bean (or paste), and mix until incorporated.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, drop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto a lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart. There should be 18 cookies. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges have browned. The cookies should have crispy edges and a soft center. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before drizzling.

4 ounces (½ block) cream cheese

56 grams (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened

85 grams (¾ cup) powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

Pinch of salt (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar, honey, cream, and vanilla, and mix just until combined. Avoid overmixing. Taste and add salt if desired. If the drizzle is too thick, mix in 1 tablespoon of cream at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Add more powdered sugar to thicken.

Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Eat immediately or let the glaze set for 30 minutes before serving.

These chewy chocolate crinkle cookies are both vegan and gluten-free, as are all the treats at High Fidelity Bakery in West Passyunk. Owner Brady Hatin enjoys the challenge of adapting traditional sweets. The goal, he says, is to replicate them so closely that customers won’t know they’re missing wheat, dairy, or eggs. These crinkle cookies meet that standard. “Our family is split as to whether to make them peppermint or not, but the addition of mini chocolate chips is something we all can agree on.”

18 grams (3 tablespoons) flaxseed meal

85 grams (6 tablespoons) warm water

56 grams (½ stick) 56 grams (½ stick) vegan butter, (such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks) room temperature 

150 grams (¾ cup) white sugar, plus 50 grams (¼ cup) for coating

148 grams (1 cup) gluten-free flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour)

40 grams (½ cup) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla (or peppermint) extract

45 grams (¼ cup) mini chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips)

30 grams (¼ cup) powdered sugar, for coating

In a small bowl, whisk the flaxseed meal and water. (This is an egg replacer.) Set aside.

With a hand or stand mixer, cream the vegan butter and sugar until smooth. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients, then mix on low until fully incorporated. Add the flaxseed meal egg replacer, extract, and mini chocolate chips, mixing on low after each addition, fully incorporating each ingredient. If the dough is too dry, add one tablespoon of liquid (nondairy milk, water) at a time until it comes together. Avoid overmixing.

Cover the dough or seal in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours up to overnight.

When ready to bake, use a spoon or small cookie scoop to drop 1½-tablespoon portions of dough onto a lined sheet pan. After all the cookies have been scooped, roll the portions first in white granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar, coating them very generously. Return the dough balls to the pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Do not press the cookies down.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 11 minutes, until the cookies have almost doubled in diameter and the surfaces have cracked. Let cool slightly before transferring the cookies to a wire rack. Cool for 15 minutes.

This recipe was whittled down from a 70-pound yield to just 4 pounds by fourth-generation baker Aaron Haegele from his family recipe. It’s been made at the bakery every holiday season since 1930. It calls for a full pound and a half of honey, so choose carefully: It will inform the color and flavor of the cookies. You can find baker’s ammonia and anise oil at Fante’s Kitchen Shop in the Italian Market. Pastry flour is a softer, lower-protein flour; if you can’t find it, substitute a mix of cake flour and all-purpose flour.

½ teaspoon baker’s ammonia

6 ounces cold water

1½ pounds (2 cups) honey

1½ ounces (3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoon) all-purpose shortening

1 large egg, plus egg whites for washing

1 tablespoon salt

1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 drop anise oil

1 pound, 2 ounces. (4½ cups) cake flour

1 pound (4¼ cups) pastry flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

Dissolve the ammonia in the water. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the water, honey, shortening, egg, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and anise oil. Mix on medium-low for about 2 minutes, until combined. The shortening may not incorporate; don’t worry.

Add the pastry flour, cake flour, and baking soda. Mix on medium-low until combined, then continue mixing for another 1 to 2 minutes. The dough should be soft and tacky to the touch. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 48 hours. The dough will last for several days and can be baked in smaller batches.

When ready to bake, lightly flour a work surface. Knead a portion of the dough until smooth and pliable, then roll it to ¼-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread people. Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet, spacing them 1½ inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Whisk the egg whites until lightly foamy. Using a pastry brush, brush the gingerbread cookies men with the egg wash. Set the remaining egg wash aside.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on the bottom and middle racks. Bake until the cookies have risen completely and are firm to the touch in the center of each cookie, 12 to 15 minutes. The bottoms should be lightly browned and lift easily from the lined pan.

While the cookies are still hot, brush them again with egg wash. Let cool and decorate as desired.

These flaky, rolled-pastry cookies are based on a family recipe shared by Rosemary Trout, assistant professor of culinary arts and food science in Drexel’s Department of Food & Hospitality Management. The walnut filling here is flexible: Swap in a different nut in the filling recipe, or use apricot preserves or another type of jam.

8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese, room temperature

226 grams (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour

Powdered sugar, for dusting

282 grams (2½ cups) finely chopped walnuts

28 grams (2 tablespoons) butter

170 grams (¾ cup) whole milk

150 grams (¾ cup) sugar

Pinch salt

With a hand or stand mixer, mix softened butter and cream cheese until combined. Add the flour and mix until well incorporated. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the filling ingredients. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a large square less than ¼-inch thick — it’s best if you can almost see through the dough. Cut the edges to make the perimeter even. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares. Using a spoon, drop a tablespoon of filling onto the center of each square, then fold two ends of the pastry around the filling diagonally. Gently roll the pastry until sealed.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on a lined sheet pan for 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly brown at the edges. Let cool, then dust with powdered sugar.

Pumpkin-spice lattes have made way for pumpkin-flavored everything — good and bad. Pumpkin cookies, which are trending on Instagram and TikTok, fall in the good category. Made with pumpkin puree and warm spices, these chewy cookies will be on the holiday cooking rotation way beyond Thanksgiving. Recipe adapted from In Bloom Bakery.

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

50 grams (¼ cup) white sugar

113 grams (½ cup) canned pumpkin puree

210 grams (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

169 grams (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

210 grams (1 cup) light brown sugar, packed

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Make the pumpkin spice: In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.

Remove excess moisture from the pumpkin puree: Spread the puree on a plate and lightly press with a paper towel to absorb the excess liquid. Repeat the step at least four times. The pumpkin should reduce to about ¼ cup. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin spice, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

With a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and mix on medium-low to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low just until combined.

With a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions, then roll smooth. If the dough is too sticky, chill for 10 minutes, then proceed.

Roll the dough balls in the spiced sugar, then place on a lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 14 minutes: Remove the cookies at 12 minutes for chewy centers and 14 minutes for a crispier cookie. The centers will be puffy. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Another TikTok-famous confection, this cookie gets bright-green hue from matcha, or green tea powder. The matcha’s earthy flavor balances out the sweetness white chocolate chips. If you don’t love white chocolate, substitute semisweet chocolate chips instead. Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

169 grams (1½ sticks) cup unsalted butter, melted

105 grams (½ cup) packed brown sugar

100 grams (½ cup) white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon green tea powder (matcha)

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

255 grams (1½ cups) white chocolate chips

With a hand or a stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars. Beat in vanilla extract, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, matcha, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until the dough is just blended. Use a wooden spoon to fold in the chocolate chips. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, drop heaping tablespoons of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet, spacing them 2 to 3 inches apart.

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Cookie lovers have a soft spot for Crumbl, a cookie shop founded in Utah in 2017. Since then, the brand has expanded all over the country and developed a massive social media following, inspiring dozens of copycat recipes in the process. This red velvet cookie with white chocolate chips is one of the most popular — and the color combo is perfect for the holidays. Adapted from Cooking with Karli.

340 grams (3 sticks) butter, room temperature

315 grams (1½ cups) brown sugar

100 grams (½ cup) white sugar

2 large eggs

1½ tablespoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon molasses

480 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour

40 grams (½ cup) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon espresso powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons red food coloring

340 grams (2 cups) white chocolate chips

With a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs, vanilla, and molasses and mix until creamy and light in color. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the dough, mixing each addition until thoroughly combined. The dough will be soft. Mix in the food coloring, then fold in the chocolate chips.

For large, Crumbl-style cookies, measure out ½-cup portions of dough. Roll each ball smooth and place on a lined sheet pan, 6 cookies per pan. Slightly flatten the dough balls.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies have spread slightly and cracked a bit. Let cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.