In past years I’ve shared my ambitious holiday cookie list — the hopeful assortment that might make it out of the kitchen. Sometimes everything gets baked, sometimes only a few. Most years I manage a good portion. Holiday baking is deeply nostalgic for me. I’ll happily play the same song on repeat all day just for the rush of memories it brings.
For now I still have the time and space to spend a day or two straight baking: blasting music, pretending Mother Lovett is hollering behind me while she runs into things, offering me suspicious frozen fudge wrapped in foil dated “1989,” and insisting I try buttercream left over from last Easter. Those chaotic, cozy moments are exactly why holiday baking matters.
The first four cookies below are pure Mother Lovett territory.
- Mother Lovett’s Thumbprint Cookies: colorful and pretty — not my absolute favorite, but a classic staple.
- Peanut Butter Blossoms: my all-time holiday favorite — though I skip the Hershey’s Kiss. I know, weird.
- Butterball Cookies: quick and easy. My mom and Mother Lovett loved them, and they always make the tray.
- Orange Cookies: I’m picky about fruit desserts, but orange cookies are an exception I happily accept.
More cookies that earn prime real estate on my holiday tray:
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies: a newer addition but already a favorite.
- Hot Cocoa Cookies: I always need a few intensely chocolatey cookies for myself.
- Cut-Out Sugar Cookies: I usually look up the best recipe the day before and then decorate like a four-year-old.
- Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies: I may not make this exact one every year, but brown butter belongs on the tray.
- Peppermint Double Chocolate Chip Cookies: chocolate and mint have to be part of the mix.
- Fluffy Snickerdoodles: after last year I can’t skip these; they’re a must.
- Soft Gingersnap Cookies: probably my favorite non-chocolate cookie. I make several batches each season.
Other festive treats you’ll find on my cookie plates:
- Cookie Dough Truffles: fun, different, and they dress up the plate.
- Oreo Balls: the classic no-bake favorite.
- Red Velvet Cake Balls: a red velvet cake base mixed with cream cheese frosting and dipped in chocolate — Mr. How Sweet’s top pick.
- 4-Layer Cookies and Cream Bark: a huge hit last year, so it returns.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bark: I plan to add crushed cookies for extra texture.
- Cake Batter Chocolate Bark: my all-time favorite bark — I can’t resist it.
- Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels & Oreos: dressed up with sprinkles, they’re pretty and addictive on a cookie tray.
No matter where we go during the holidays, a cookie tray follows. It’s festive, charming, and only outranked by a bottle of something strong when it comes to holiday essentials.
I also have several new recipes in development that I’ll share over the next few days and weeks. Depending on pantry space and appetite, they’ll likely join the rotation.
Every year someone asks about gingerbread. Honestly, I don’t love gingerbread enough to replace other favorites on the list. Maria’s soft gingersnaps (mentioned above) are far superior to any gingerbread I’ve tasted. Shortbread is another cookie that rarely grabs me — it’s a little too plain for my taste. I prefer to ramp things up with chocolate, peanut butter, and everything delightfully over-the-top. That’s the point of my holiday tray.
Now seriously — if you could just come live with me, we’d bake non-stop.
What treats are you baking this year? Tell me your favorites.