There’s something special about the cookies tucked into old church cookbooks—the ones passed down, swapped at bake sales, and baked every Christmas without fail. These 25 recipes are the kind of treats everyone secretly hopes will show up on the holiday cookie tray. From classic favorites to hidden gems, they’re the cookies you’ll want to bake, share, and keep coming back to year after year.
Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies with Cranberry Sauce
These spiced gingerbread thumbprints feel straight out of a church cookbook, with a tangy cranberry center and a sweet white chocolate drizzle. They’re festive, pretty, and come together with simple, no-fuss steps. Set a plate down at any holiday party and watch them vanish. One bite and you’ll get why they’re the first to disappear at cookie swaps.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies with Cranberry Sauce
Victory Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cooked up in the post-WWII victory years, these chocolate chip cookies were the comfort everyone was craving. The method is simple, the result is soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate in every bite. They’re dangerously good, so tuck a few away before the platter clears.
Get the Recipe: Victory Chocolate Chip Cookies
Quick Pudding Cookies
Pudding Cookies are quick and easy to make. Just mix Bisquick with a packet of instant pudding, scoop onto a tray, and bake until soft and sweet. There are no tricky steps, just cozy cookie comfort. They are perfect for lazy-day cravings, and once people taste them, they will ask you to make them again and again.
Get the Recipe: Quick Pudding Cookies
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Craving something sweet? These 5-ingredient Chocolate Shortbread Cookies are cozy cookies that mix up in minutes and turn out perfectly even if baking isn’t your thing. They’re rich, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth good with coffee or a cold glass of milk. Grandma would absolutely go back for seconds. Save this for the holiday season. No fuss, minimal mess, and those chocolatey bites disappear fast.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
Mashed Potato Cookies
Mashed potatoes in cookies? Sounds quirky, but it totally works. This vintage bake mixes in raisins, nuts, and warm spices for soft, chewy cookies that taste like spice cake in cookie form. They’re easy to whip up and perfect for holiday cookie trays and swaps. Set out a plate at Christmas and even the skeptics come back for seconds.
Get the Recipe: Mashed Potato Cookies
Christmas Snowball Cookies
Snowball Cookies you’ll want to swipe right from the bowl, zero shame. Buttery, nutty, and melt-in-your-mouth, they come together with just five ingredients. Some call them Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes; around here, they’re simply gone.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Snowball Cookies
Traditional Rum Balls
Rum balls are crazy easy with just five simple ingredients. Perfect for parties, holidays, or sneaking one from the fridge when no one’s looking. They disappear way too fast, so get ready to make a second batch sooner than you think. Honestly, once you try them, you’ll want them around all the time!
Get the Recipe: Traditional Rum Balls
Raspeberry Linzer Cookies
Raspberry Linzer Cookies bring old-world charm to the table with tender almond and lemon dough and a bright layer of seedless raspberry jam. Each sandwich cookie shows off a cute cutout window and gets a snowy dusting of powdered sugar. They look bakery fancy, taste nostalgically homemade, and disappear fast at any gathering, so bookmark this recipe now for the holiday season.
Get the Recipe: Raspeberry Linzer Cookies
Old-Fashioned Gingersnaps
Crisp edges, soft middles, and warm spice in every bite make these gingersnaps a classic you’ll find in church cookbooks. Molasses, ginger, and cinnamon come together for that familiar taste of home. Roll the dough in sugar, bake until the tops crack, and watch them disappear.
Get the Recipe: Old-Fashioned Gingersnaps
Lemon Puff Cookies
Craving a sweet treat without the fuss? These Lemon Puff Cookies are light, full of lemony zing, and ready in minutes. They disappear the second they cool. Better than anything you’ll find in the store. Make a double batch and thank yourself later.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Puff Cookies
Soft Sugar Cookies
Cozy and old-school in the best way, these cream cheese sugar cookies make it hard not to swipe the spatula clean. They bake up soft and chewy, perfect for cutting into fun shapes and decorating however you want. You’ll snag one every time you pass the tray, so just plan on a double batch. Even the “not a dessert person” friends usually come back for another.
Get the Recipe: Soft Sugar Cookies
Corn Flake Cookies
No-bake Corn Flake Cookies couldn’t be simpler. Melt chocolate with peanut butter, fold in the flakes, and scoop. They’re crunchy, chocolatey, and dangerously snackable. I always swipe a couple warm from the pan before anyone notices. Put these on your must-make list.
Get the Recipe: Corn Flake Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Crazy about peanut butter? These cookies never miss. Soft, chewy, and stirred up with everyday staples. They’ve got that cozy, throwback charm, just like the ones Grandma made while you “tested” the dough. Bake a batch for after-school snacks, late-night nibbling, or any easy-baking mood.
Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter Cookies
Toffee Cookies
Love buttery toffee? These cookies deliver the perfect fix. They come out of the oven with golden crisp edges, soft chewy centers, and a flavor that keeps everyone coming back for more. Even Grandma can’t resist sneaking a few before they cool. They’re gone in a flash, so baking a double batch is always a smart move.
Get the Recipe: Toffee Cookies
Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars
These Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars are dangerous in the best way. If mint desserts are your thing, you’ll get soft, buttery squares topped with fluffy frosting and a blizzard of crushed peppermint. They mix up fast and vanish even faster. I took a pan to one party and now the requests don’t stop. Blink and the pan is empty before it even cools.
Get the Recipe: Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars
Melting Moments Cookies
Melting Moments Cookies are tender, buttery little bites that vanish in a hurry. Whip up a batch in minutes and sneak one whenever the craving hits. Want to have some fun? Stir in sprinkles or chopped candy for a pop of color. They’re so simple and so good, it’s like the pan clears itself.
Get the Recipe: Melting Moments Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies
Old-school pumpkin cookies never miss. Soft, loaded with pumpkin, and cozy with warm spices. Stir, scoop, bake, done. Bake a pan for an easy treat or box them up to share. Heads up, they have a habit of disappearing.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Cookies
Rocky Road Cookies
Rocky Road is always the first to disappear, packed with gooey marshmallows, crunchy walnuts, and loads of chocolate in every bite. They’re messy in the best way and impossible to resist. Take a pan to movie night or a potluck and you’ll be asked to make them again.
Get the Recipe: Rocky Road Cookies
Cake Mix Cookies
Short on time but craving something sweet? These cake mix cookies are Grandma’s favorite shortcut with only five ingredients. They’re simple, delicious, and yes, the dough is hard to resist. Bake a tray and watch them vanish. You’ll want to keep the mix on standby.
Get the Recipe: Cake Mix Cookies
Quick Oatmeal Cookies
Craving a little something? Stir up a batch of Grandma’s oatmeal cookies. They’re quick, cozy, and always satisfying. The dough is so tasty you’ll sneak a spoonful before the trays hit the oven. That nostalgic, old-school flavor makes the plate vanish in a hurry. They’re truly that good. Save this recipe for the holiday season because you’ll come back to it again and again.
Get the Recipe: Quick Oatmeal Cookies
Lacy Oatmeal Cookies
Old-school oatmeal cookies that never go out of style. The edges turn crisp, the centers stay soft and chewy, and they practically melt the second you bite in. Stir them together in minutes; eating them takes no effort at all. The real challenge is stopping once you start. Hide a couple for yourself before the platter looks suspiciously light.
Get the Recipe: Lacy Oatmeal Cookies
German Pfeffernusse Cookies
Warm spices, honey, and a hint of anise make these German Pfeffernüsse the cookie home bakers need on repeat this fall. The church-cookbook recipe bakes crisp, then mellows into a soft, cozy bite. It’s the little taste that completes the season.
Get the Recipe: German Pfeffernusse Cookies
Monster Cookies
Meet the throwback “everything” cookie packed with chewy oats, creamy peanut butter, and glossy pools of melted chocolate, all sprinkled with mini M&M confetti. They bake up bakery-big with crisp edges and soft, tender centers, and they’re gone as soon as they’re cool enough to grab. I press a few extra candies on top before baking for a brighter pop of color.
Get the Recipe: Monster Cookies
Christmas Butter Cookies: Southern Holiday Funfetti Bites
Turn this Christmas butter cookie dough into festive little bites, perfect for sharing, gifting, or savoring all season. They’re buttery, tender, and look right at home on every cookie tray or tucked into pretty tins. Make a double batch so you’ve got extras for last-minute treats and neighbor drop-offs.
Get the Recipe: Christmas Butter Cookies: Southern Holiday Funfetti Bites
No Bake Penguin Cookies
I’m all about these no-bake penguin cookies because I can whip up something holiday-cute without even turning on the oven. They’re perfect when I’m juggling winter to-dos but still need a dessert for a potluck, a big game watch party, or a holiday cookie exchange. Kids can help assemble them, and they always get smiles the second they hit the table.
Get the Recipe: No Bake Penguin Cookies