25 Festive Thanksgiving Cookie Recipes (2024)

Credit: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Skip the traditional pumpkin pie this year in favor of shareable seasonal cookies. Whether you're looking for something festive and fun or simple and subtly autumnal, you're sure to find a new favorite in our collection of Thanksgiving cookie recipes. Packed with warm flavors like cinnamon and pumpkin spice, or even featuring classic flavors like chocolate chip, these shareable cookies are guaranteed to be crowd-pleasers for the big feast.

Pumpkin Pie Cutout Cookies

Pumpkin Pie Cutout Cookies Recipe

Bake the cookies up to five days ahead, and store in an airtight container. To make our wind cookies and leaf cookies, we used round cutters and swirly piping to represent the wind, and various sizes of leaf-shaped cutters for fluttering foliage. For more on decorating cookies, visit southernliving.com/cookietips.

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Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodles Recipe

Snickerdoodles are already a classic cookie, but add chai and they become irresistible. Cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of black pepper intermingle beautifully to create a warm, buttery cookie that tastes like the beloved winter drink. Try dipping them in coffee or tea, or leaving them out with some milk for Santa.

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Cranberry Cookies With Orange Glaze Recipe

Oh, so festive! These cakey cranberry cookies are a perfect holiday snack, dessert, or even breakfast.

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

Molasses Crinkle Cookies Recipe

These soft, chewy, beautifully spiced gingerbread cookies look like they just took a romp in fresh snow—a holiday look that saves you the trouble of having to ice each one. A dual coat of granulated and powdered sugar will help the slightly sticky dough balls hold their shape and get that crinkled texture.

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Fruitcake Cookies Recipe

Ring in the holiday season the right way with these fun Fruitcake Cookies. Chock-full of dried fruit and pecans, these chewy two-bite nibbles won't be relegated to the re-gift pile.

Five-Spice Cookies

Five-Spice Cookies Recipe

Look for five-spice powder on the spice aisle or with the Asian foods in your grocery store. We love the sparkle of sanding sugar used to coat the outside of the cookies; you'll find it in craft stores. Supermarket turbinado works well, too.

Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies

Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Fans of classic cookies will love these updated Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies, accented with dried cranberries and gooey white chocolate.

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodle

Pumpkin Chai Snickerdoodles Recipe

Perfectly crispy on the outside, while light and fluffy on the inside, these festive, fall treats are your new favorite cookie. Rolled in a chai-spiced sugar mixture, these cookies are basically all of your favorite latte flavors mixed up into one perfect cookie. Best served after a dunk in coffee, if we do say so ourselves.

Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies Recipe

These buttery, salty-sweet slice-and-bake cookies will delight the butter-pecan lover in your life. For extra crunch, evenly coat both dough logs with turbinado sugar before slicing them into rounds. The dough can be made up to two days in advance if stored in the refrigerator.

Cranberry-Almond Cookies

Cranberry-Almond Cookies Recipe

Combine tart fresh cranberries and toasted almonds for a fresh twist. You'll love the texture and combination of flavors in these cookies.

Pecan Linzer Cookies

Pecan Linzer Cookies Recipe

Use your favorite jams to vary the flavor and color of these beauties. Perfect for the holiday season or simply serving to a crowd at any seasonal gathering, these wow-worthy cookies are sure to disappear quickly!

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Kahlúa Cookie Dough Bites Recipe

If you're only going to have "a bite" of dessert, this is the bite to have. Easy to make and easy to eat, it's no wonder these little bite-sized treats are the life of the party.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter Recipe

Brown butter takes these rich, seasonal pumpkin chocolate chipcookies to the next level, adding a nutty, fragrant flavor that is absolutely perfect for fall. Canned pumpkin puree lends moistureto these fluffy, cake-liketreats while warm chocolate chips fill every bite. Make these for a Halloween party or a fall dinner party, and be sure to store any leftoversin an airtight container.

Maple-Walnut Spice Cookies

Maple-Walnut Spice Cookies Recipe

Store these frosted cookies between layers of parchment paper or wax paper to keep them from sticking together. You can bake and freeze the cookies up to a month in advance; bring the cookies to room temperature before frosting them.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Acorns

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Acorns Recipe

Creating these chocolate "nuts" couldn't be easier; it's a great assembly-line project for kids (though we can't promise they won't sneak a little chocolate!).

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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Recipe

These chocolate crinkle cookies are rich, super chocolatey, and pretty much perfect in every way. Brown sugar and espresso give these cookies a noticeable depth, while granulated and powdered sugar work together to deliver the perfect crinkly crust. From the chewy, brownie-like center to the crisp, creviced exterior, these cookies will satisfy all of your decadent dessert cravings. Besides, who doesn't love watching as they transform from sugar-coated dough balls into fudgy, crackly, irresistible cookies right before your eyes? These chocolate crinkle cookies might be a holiday favorite, but that doesn't mean we won't be enjoying them year-round.

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Hershey's Kiss Cookies Recipe

Here's a really tasty peanut butter cookie with a delightful milk (or whatever you want!) chocolate nugget smack dab in the center. It's slightly chewy, with a little crunch from the sugar-coating, and a creamy, melty center. These can be eaten warm, but if you're taking them somewhere, wait until the cookies have cooled completely before transporting.

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Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

You've probably heard of olive oil cake, and if you've ever tasted one, you know how much rich character olive oil can bring to a dessert. And that's certainly the case for these anything-but-average chocolate chip cookies. With their crispy edges and perfectly gooey center, they're downright dreamy.

Caramel Popcorn Cookies

Caramel Popcorn Cookies Recipe

Experimenting with unusual ingredients can produce an irresistiblebatch of cookies.In this recipe,caramel andpopcorn pieces create the ultimate combination of saltyandsweet—in cookie form!

Sugardoodle Cookies

Sugardoodle Cookies Recipe

Girl Scout cookies are great, but these cookies are better! Tip: for consistent measurements when rounding and shaping your dough, use a mini ice cream scoop for the perfect size every time.

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Almond Joy Cookies Recipe

Have leftover Halloween candy still lingering by Thanksgiving? Inspired by the favorite almond, coconut, and chocolate candy bar, these loaded Almond Joy Cookies are sure to steal the show on any holiday cookie platter or cookie swap they show up at.

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Easy Macarons Recipe

This simplified method for making classic French Macarons is the perfect recipe for a first-timer to practice with. Just be sure to wait for a day that isn't rainy or humid to embark on this baking adventure, as the delicate cookies need dry air in order to set.

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Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Linzer Cookies Recipe

We gave the classic linzer cookie a makeover with the flavors of a childhood favorite: PB&J. Use a low-sugar strawberry jam for the brightest red color.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Chewy Ginger Cookies Recipe

Fresh ginger and black pepper bring a kick to this classic cookie. Prep tip: Swirl a liquid measuring cup with a thin coat of vegetable oil before measuring molasses for the most accurate (and least sticky) result.

Tiny Cardamom Orange Cookies

Tiny Cardamom Orange Cookies Recipe

Hints of cardamom, orange, sesame, and pistachio provide a final Eastern Mediterranean flourish to the picnic. They're so small, you can eat them by the handful.