12 Homemade Cookie Recipes: Chewy, Buttery and Spiced

A good cookie tray can offer more than several versions of chocolate chip. These twelve homemade cookie recipes range from chewy nut-and-chocolate cookies to tender shortbread, jam-filled thumbprints and chocolate sandwich cookies.

Choose by the texture and shaping method you want. There are doughs to scoop, cookies to press with a fork, thumbprints to fill and sandwich cookies to assemble. Molasses, pumpkin and cinnamon offer a different flavour direction from the chocolate recipes.

How to choose your recipe

Start with the cookie’s structure. For a classic scoop-and-bake direction, compare the chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia and pistachio white chocolate recipes. Whipped shortbread puts a tender butter dough first, while raspberry thumbprints add a jam centre. The Oreo-style cookies involve a separate vanilla filling and sandwich assembly. For spice, choose between molasses and ginger, pumpkin and oatmeal, or snickerdoodles rolled in cinnamon sugar. Brown butter chocolate cookies take the chocolate flavour further; the one-bowl sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies offer two other doughs without adding a filling.

Explore the recipes

1. White chocolate and macadamia

White chocolate and macadamias in cookies with chewy centres; compare with the pistachio version for a different nut flavour.

1

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies with Chewy Centers

White chocolate macadamia cookies are soft-centered butter cookies with sweet white chocolate and crunchy, lightly toasted macadamia pieces. Brown sugar and an extra egg yolk keep the middle tender. Chilling the dough before baking controls the spread so the edges set without forcing the centers to become dry.

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2. Jam-filled thumbprints

A tender butter dough shaped with an indentation for raspberry jam.

2

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with a Tender Butter Dough

Raspberry thumbprint cookies are small buttery cookies with a shallow well of thick raspberry jam in the center. The dough is chilled before shaping so the cookies keep a clear rim around the filling. A modest amount of jam and a gentle thumbprint prevent overflow while the base bakes tender and lightly golden.

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3. Whipped shortbread

Whipped shortbread puts the butter dough and tender texture at the centre of the recipe.

3

Whipped Shortbread Cookies That Hold Their Shape

Whipped shortbread cookies are small butter cookies made light by beating butter and powdered sugar before the flour goes in. Cornstarch gives them a delicate, short crumb, while a low oven keeps the tops pale. The important detail is stopping the mixing after the flour is incorporated so the cookies stay tender and hold their fork marks.

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4. Molasses and ginger

Soft molasses cookies flavoured with ginger and cinnamon.

4

Soft Molasses Cookies with Ginger and Cinnamon

Soft molasses cookies are gently spiced drop cookies with crackled sugar tops, tender middles and a rounded molasses flavor. Chilling the dough and stopping the bake while the centers still look soft keeps them chewy rather than crunchy. They suit a holiday cookie tray, an afternoon coffee or a make-ahead freezer batch.

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5. Pumpkin and oatmeal

Pumpkin and oatmeal give these soft cookies a different base from a classic chocolate chip dough.

5

Soft Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon

Pumpkin brings moisture to cookie dough, so these oatmeal cookies are soft rather than crisp or densely chewy. Use a measured half cup of thick purée, chill the dough and flatten the scoops slightly before baking. The edges should set and turn lightly golden while the centres remain tender, with visible oats throughout.

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6. Chocolate sandwich cookies

Chocolate cookies assembled around a vanilla cream filling, for a sandwich-cookie project.

6

Easy Homemade Oreo-Style Cookies with Vanilla Cream Filling

These homemade Oreo-style cookies are dark chocolate sandwich cookies filled with a sweet vanilla cream. They are different from a regular chocolate cookie because the biscuit is rolled thin, baked until firm, cooled completely, then sandwiched with a buttery filling. I make them when I want a fun homemade dessert that works for birthdays, school treats, coffee breaks, or a simple weekend baking project.

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7. Brown butter and chocolate

Brown butter and chocolate provide a different flavour base from the classic chocolate chip cookies.

7

Easy Brown Butter Chocolate Cookies Loaded with Chocolate

These chocolate cookies are large, buttery, chewy cookies made with brown butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and a serious amount of chopped chocolate. They are different from a classic chocolate chip cookie because the butter is browned first, the dough is chilled, and the cookies are formed into large bakery-style portions. Make them when you want a rich homemade cookie for weekends, holidays, bake sales, lunchboxes, or a simple year-round dessert.

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8. One-bowl sugar cookies

Soft, buttery sugar cookies mixed in one bowl without a mixer.

8

One-Bowl Sugar Cookies (Soft, Buttery, No-Mixer)

These one-bowl sugar cookies are classic vanilla-forward cookies with soft centers and lightly crisp edges, made without a stand mixer and with minimal dishes. They’re ideal when you want a quick, reliable batch for lunchboxes, after-school snacks, bake sales, or a simple dessert any time of year.

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9. Peanut butter criss-cross cookies

Peanut butter cookies made from three ingredients and shaped with the classic fork pattern.

9

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (No Flour, No Butter) — Classic Criss-Cross Style

These 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies are a simple, flourless cookie made from peanut butter, sugar, and an egg. They bake up chewy in the center with crisp edges, and the classic fork criss-cross makes them easy to portion and evenly baked. This is the kind of cookie you make when you want something fast for a weeknight treat, a last-minute bake sale, or a cozy afternoon snack, any time of year.

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10. Pistachio and white chocolate

Pistachios and white chocolate with chewy centres and lightly crisp edges.

10

Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies (Chewy Centers, Crisp Edges, Bakery-Style Finish)

These pistachio white chocolate cookies are thick, chewy cookies loaded with buttery roasted pistachios and creamy white chocolate, finished with a light sprinkle of flaky salt. I make them when I want a “bakery-style” cookie that feels special without complicated steps—perfect year-round, but especially great for weekend baking, gifting, or a cozy night in.

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11. Cinnamon-sugar snickerdoodles

Brown butter cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar, for a spiced option without a filling.

11

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies (Soft & Chewy) — Easy One-Bowl Recipe with Cinnamon Sugar

Brown butter snickerdoodles are classic cinnamon-sugar cookies made extra flavorful by using nutty, toasted browned butter instead of regular melted butter. They’re soft in the center, lightly crisp at the edges, and perfect when you want a cozy cookie that feels bakery-style without being fussy.

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12. Classic chocolate chip

Chocolate chip cookies with melted butter and brown sugar, for a chewy classic without the brown-butter step.

12

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies (Chewy, and Loaded with Chocolate!)

If you’re looking for the ultimate thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges and melty chocolate centers, you’re in the right place. These bakery-style cookies are rich, comforting, and incredibly easy to make at home. Whether you're baking for a crowd or just craving something sweet, these will not disappoint.

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Before you start

• Follow the butter preparation for the chosen dough: the shortbread uses softened butter beaten with powdered sugar, the sugar cookies use melted butter, and the chocolate brown-butter cookies and snickerdoodles brown the butter first.
• Include chilling and cooling when planning the bake. Several recipes list dough refrigeration separately from the preparation time; follow the full instructions rather than the headline time alone.
• For the raspberry thumbprints, use thick jam and keep the indentation shallow enough to leave a sturdy base, as the recipe directs.
• For the chocolate sandwich cookies, roll the dough thin and cool the baked cookies completely before adding the vanilla filling.

Frequently asked questions

Which recipes work for a cookie tray with different textures?

Combine a chewy chocolate chip or nut cookie with whipped shortbread and a filled option such as raspberry thumbprints or chocolate sandwich cookies. These choices bring different doughs and shapes to the tray.

How do the two white chocolate and nut cookies differ?

One combines white chocolate with macadamias; the other pairs it with pistachios. Choose the nut flavour you prefer and follow that recipe’s dough and baking instructions rather than swapping the recipes’ proportions.

For more menu ideas, explore our more dessert recipes.