32 Cookies to Make When Your Pantry Is Bare

32 Cookies to Make When Your Pantry Is Bare

Read Time: 11 mins

32 Cookies to Make When Your Pantry Is Bare1/32 Chocolate Caramel Wafers 8 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 7 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: To keep my holiday cooking quick, I’ve come to rely on fast recipes like this one. The crunchy-chewy tidbits are our youngster’s favorite. 2/32 Shortbread 10 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Shortbread Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 25 min Servings 5 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I live in Missouri, but many of our family recipes come from New Zealand, where

I lived as a youngster

I lived as a youngster. I proudly claim a Down Under heritage! These special-occasion cookies bring back warm and sweet memories of my childhood, and I’m going to make sure they’re passed on to the next generation in my family—no matter where they live. —A. Swenson, Camdenton, Missouri 3/32 Chocolate Almond Drops Test Kitchen Approved Chocolate Almond Drops Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 4 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: So much rich, chocolaty flavor, so little time! My trufflelike cookies are deceptively easy to make and look so elegant on a

party tray

party tray. —Betsy King, Duluth, Minnesota 4/32 Raspberry Coconut Balls 6 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Raspberry Coconut Balls Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings about 4 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: My family loves Hostess Zingers, especially the raspberry flavor coated with coconut, inspiring this treat to make for school bake sales. We can make about four dozen in 30 minutes, and they sell out fast! —Pam Clark, Wheaton, Illinois 5/32 Raspberry Almond Strips 2 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Raspberry Almond Strips Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 35 min

Servings 32 cookies Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Get ready to pour yourself a cup of tea, because you won’t be able to resist sampling one of these cookies. Almonds add taste and texture to the simple strips that are dressed up with raspberry pie filling. —Taste of HomeTest Kitchen 6/32 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies 116 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe photo by Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: It is amazing how much flavor is in these simple 3-ingredient

peanut butter cookies without brown sugar

peanut butter cookies without brown sugar. I make them very often because I always have the ingredients on hand. —Maggie Schimmel, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 7/32 Tender Pecan Logs 9 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Tender Pecan Logs Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 2-1/2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: Folks always ask me to make these tender nutty logs. Not overly sweet, they’re just right with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. —Joyce Beck, Gadsden, Alabama 8/32 Coconut Macaroons 17 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved ERIC KLEINBERG FOR TASTE OF HOME Total Time 30

They never last long!

min Servings 32 cookies Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These chewy cookies are my husband’s favorite, so he requests them often. I like to make the macaroons on cold winter days and keep them in an airtight bowl on the kitchen counter. They never last long! —Peggy Key, Grant, Alabama 9/32 Mexican Wedding Cookies 15 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 45 min Servings about 6 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: As part of a Mexican tradition, I tucked these sugar-dusted Mexican wedding cookies into small

gift boxes for the guests at my sister’s wedding

gift boxes for the guests at my sister’s wedding. Most folks said the cookies never made it home! We bake them around the holidays too. —Sarita Johnston, San Antonio, Texas 10/32 Cranberry Pecan Cookies 18 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Cranberry Pecan Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 20 min Servings 3-1/2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These are so tasty and simple to prepare! Each delightful little cookie is loaded with cranberries, nuts and vanilla, giving them the taste of a treat that’s been slaved over. —Louise Hawkins, Lubbock, Texas 11/32 Sweetheart Cookies 14

A family favorite, they never last beyond December 25! —

Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Sweetheart Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 40 min Servings 2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These rounds filled with fruit preserves were blue-ribbon winners at the county fair two years running. A family favorite, they never last beyond December 25! —Pamela Esposito, Smithville, New Jersey 12/32 Buttery Almond Cookies 5 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 5-1/2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: “My husband loves these cookies,” says Elaine Anderson of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. “They have an old-fashioned flavor that goes

well with a cup of tea

well with a cup of tea. Plus they’re simple to put together.” 13/32 Chocolate Shortbread Cookies 11 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Homemade Chocolate Shortbread Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 1 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: This recipe has been in my files for a long time…probably from when I first learned to bake. Any chocolate lover will like these melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I make them year-round with variations. They’re even richer with a thin coat of icing or as a sandwich cookie with frosting in the middle. —Sarah Bueckert, Austin, Manitoba 14/32

The flaky pastry melts in your mouth

Peppermint Puff Pastry Sticks 5 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Peppermint Puff Pastry Sticks Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 3 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I wanted to impress my husband’s family with something you’d expect to find in a European bakery, and these chocolaty treats are what I came up with. The flaky pastry melts in your mouth. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon 15/32 Shortbread Cookie 38 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Shortbread Cookie Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 40 min Servings 16 cookies Go to Recipe From the Recipe

Creator: With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire 16/32 Pumpkin-Spice Sugar Cookies 2 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Total Time 35 min Servings 4 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: I’ve been making these quick and easy cookies for over 20 years. They’re the first to go at our annual church bake sale.—Paula Marchesi, Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania 17/32 Chocolate Amaretti 8 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Chocolate Amaretti Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 35 min Servings 2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These

classic almond paste cookies are like ones you’d find in an Italian bakery

classic almond paste cookies are like ones you’d find in an Italian bakery. My husband and children are always excited when I include these goodies in my holiday baking lineup. —Kathy Long, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin 18/32 Palmier Cookies 9 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved ELLIE CROWLEY FOR TASTE OF HOME Total Time 35 min Servings 2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: It takes just two ingredients to make these impressive but easy-to-do French pastries, which are often called palm leaves. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 19/32 Brownie Mix Cookies 68 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved SARAH TRAMONTE

Mostly I make them for the

FOR TASTE OF HOME Total Time 25 min Servings 3 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These chocolate chips and brownie mix cookies pack a rich chocolate taste while remaining simple to make. Rolling the dough in powdered sugar gives them their inviting crackled appearance. —Ellen Govertsen, Wheaton, Illinois 20/32 Whipped Shortbread Cookies 225 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved Whipped Shortbread Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 1 hour 10 min Servings 8 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These whipped shortbread cookies melt in your mouth. Mostly I make them for the

The shortcut holiday recipe is almost too simple to believe!

holidays, but I’ll also prepare them year-round for wedding showers and afternoon teas. —Jane Ficiur, Bow Island, Alberta 21/32 Dipped Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies 13 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Taste of Home Total Time 25 min Servings 15 sandwich cookies Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: You’ll love to give tins of these chocolate-coated cookies to your lucky friends. The shortcut holiday recipe is almost too simple to believe! Here’s how to make peanut butter cookies without eggs. —Jackie Howell, Gordo, Alabama 22/32 Colorful Candy Bar Cookies 93 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Colorful Candy Bar Cookies Recipe photo by

Roll them in colored sugar or just dip the tops for even faster assembly

Taste of Home Total Time 45 min Servings about 3 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: No one will guess these sweet treats with the candy bar center start with store-bought dough. Roll them in colored sugar or just dip the tops for even faster assembly. Instead of using miniature candy bars for the centers, you can also slice regular-size Snickers candy bars into 1-inch pieces. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen 23/32 Mimosa Butter Cookies 4 Reviews Contest Winner Test Kitchen Approved JIM WIELAND FOR TASTE OF HOME Total Time 40 min Servings about 3 dozen Go to

💡 Frequently Asked Questions

Tammie Merrill, Wake Forest, North Carolina

31/32 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies 9 Reviews Test Kitchen Approved Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe photo by Taste of Home Total Time 30 min Servings 3-1/2 dozen Go to Recipe From the Recipe Creator: These tempting fudgy cookies need only five ingredients—what could be easier?

Answer coming soon. We are working on detailed responses to this common question.

⭐ Expert Tips

  • Include seasonal or trendy variations to keep your meals exciting.

  • Highlight prep shortcuts or time-saving techniques for busy cooks.

  • Consider dietary restrictions and include substitution suggestions.

✅ Key Takeaways

  • These dinner ideas are perfect for impressing guests or enjoying special occasions.

  • Choose recipes that match your skill level and available kitchen tools.

  • Presentation and taste both contribute to a memorable dining experience.

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