• Slide 1 of 21: Imagine being greeted, when you come home, by the smell of fresh-baked cookies, cooling in the kitchen on a wire rack. The magic combination of butter, sugar, chocolate, oatmeal or whatever ingredients you want to incorporate will win you admirers among friends and family alike.Making cookies doesn't have to be a chore. Here are 20 easy recipes to get you started. Just remember, no snacking on the dough, no matter how tempting it looks and smells.

  • Slide 2 of 21: A great chocolate chip cookie has lots of, well, chocolate chips, and is chewy and buttery. This ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe from Betty Crocker should do the trick, baking 10 minutes or less, so the centre is soft (never hard!).

  • Slide 3 of 21: Do you love peanut butter and cookies? Then, it's a no-brainer to bring the two together. Kraft promises that this recipe is

  • Slide 4 of 21: Yes, cranberries in oatmeal cookies are good for year-round enjoyment, not just the holidays. The dough for these chewy cranberry cookies can be frozen for later use or cut and baked right away, using chopped pecans for a bit of crunchy interest.

  • Slide 5 of 21: Pecans and chocolate. Brown sugar and vanilla. Need we go on? These pecan chocolate chip cookies should only cook until the centre is set and the edges are brown.

  • Slide 6 of 21:

  • Slide 7 of 21: Even Martha Stewart will let down her hair and offer easy cookie recipes. With these glazed lemon cookies, she suggests zesting the lemons before juicing them.

  • Slide 8 of 21: No flour, no butter – yet these peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are thick and delicious, with strong peanut butter flavour coming through. Rolled oats can be skipped if you want to go gluten-free.

  • Slide 9 of 21: If you have carrots in cake, why not in cookies? This carrot cake oatmeal cookies recipe is almost healthy, with no butter, refined flour or refined sugar. A hint of cinnamon and half cup of pure maple syrup round out the appeal.

  • Slide 10 of 21: Without trans fats or artificial flavours, these whole-grain, low-sugar

  • Slide 11 of 21: These soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies let you feel Christmas-y year-round, without turning into Santa Claus. Cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves give them a spicy zing.

  • Slide 12 of 21: This low-cal version of snickerdoodles, with only a third of the fat of most cookies, has the dough balls rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mix before being flattened and baked.

  • Slide 13 of 21: You can make these coconut macaroons with only five ingredients – shredded coconut, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. These will turn out crispy on the outside and chewy inside.

  • Slide 14 of 21: With this recipe, you make your own chocolate cookies and pair them with store-bought mint chocolate chip ice cream to make sandwiches.

  • Slide 15 of 21: These

  • Slide 16 of 21: Inspired by the classic Italian cookie, these almond biscotti are twice baked for extra crispiness. The biscotti can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

  • Slide 17 of 21: These Italian Pignoli cookies eschew flour for lots of nutty flavour – almond paste and pine nuts. If the dough is too soft to roll out, try refrigerating it a bit first.

  • Slide 18 of 21: The BBC offers this basic three-ingredient recipe, using butter, flour and sugar. Then you can dress it up any way you wish, with spices, like cinnamon or ginger, or white chocolate chips, for example.

  • Slide 19 of 21: You can proclaim your love with heart-shaped frosted cookies. Don't wait until Valentine's Day, you can bake up these light, heart-shaped shortbread cookies with royal icing (using any food colouring you wish) now.

  • Slide 20 of 21: These cookies can be prepared for a summer birthday party or just because you want to spoil your kids. They are adorned with bright delicious Smarties. Get your kids to help with the decoration but make sure they don't eat the ingredients before the cookies are made.

  • Slide 21 of 21: These no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies are simple to prepare, using the stovetop to melt the butter, milk, cocoa, granulated sugar and salt, before mixing in the peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Drop on wax paper, let cool and eat!When you make cookies, always plan to have a few extra if the chef needs a bit of a reward for their work. And if an entire pan of cookies happens to disappear while you wait for family to come home, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

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20 easy cookie recipes

Imagine being greeted, when you come home, by the smell of fresh-baked cookies, cooling in the kitchen on a wire rack. The magic combination of butter, sugar, chocolate, oatmeal or whatever ingredients you want to incorporate will win you admirers among friends and family alike.

Making cookies doesn't have to be a chore. Here are 20 easy recipes to get you started. Just remember, no snacking on the dough, no matter how tempting it looks and smells.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Let the chips fall where they may

A great chocolate chip cookie has lots of, well, chocolate chips, and is chewy and buttery. This ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe from Betty Crocker should do the trick, baking 10 minutes or less, so the centre is soft (never hard!).

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

You don't mind that they stick to the roof of your mouth

Do you love peanut butter and cookies? Then, it's a no-brainer to bring the two together. Kraft promises that this recipe is "super-easy," with three ingredients only: peanut butter, sugar and one egg.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

It's not Christmas but you can still use cranberries

Yes, cranberries in oatmeal cookies are good for year-round enjoyment, not just the holidays. The dough for these chewy cranberry cookies can be frozen for later use or cut and baked right away, using chopped pecans for a bit of crunchy interest.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Nuts to you

Pecans and chocolate. Brown sugar and vanilla. Need we go on? These pecan chocolate chip cookies should only cook until the centre is set and the edges are brown.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Sugar. Cookies. What could be simpler?

"Sugar cookies": the name says it all. This recipe yields two cookie sheets of giant sugar cookie goodness, with 1.5 cups of sugar and the addition of sour cream to give the treat that unexpected little something.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

This recipe is no lemon

Even Martha Stewart will let down her hair and offer easy cookie recipes. With these glazed lemon cookies, she suggests zesting the lemons before juicing them.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

No flour power

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

You eat carrot cake, don't you?

If you have carrots in cake, why not in cookies? This carrot cake oatmeal cookies recipe is almost healthy, with no butter, refined flour or refined sugar. A hint of cinnamon and half cup of pure maple syrup round out the appeal.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Healthy Oreos

Without trans fats or artificial flavours, these whole-grain, low-sugar "healthy Oreos" are good alternatives to your favourite chocolate sandwich cookie. Spelt flour and Dutch cocoa are used for the outer layers, and the creamy middle is composed of vanilla extract, coconut butter and "sugar-free powdered sugar."

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Hurry up with the cookies, molasses

These soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies let you feel Christmas-y year-round, without turning into Santa Claus. Cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves give them a spicy zing.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Who knew doodles could laugh?

This low-cal version of snickerdoodles, with only a third of the fat of most cookies, has the dough balls rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mix before being flattened and baked.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Make room for coconut macaroons

You can make these coconut macaroons with only five ingredients – shredded coconut, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. These will turn out crispy on the outside and chewy inside.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

In summer some like it cold – and minty!

With this recipe, you make your own chocolate cookies and pair them with store-bought mint chocolate chip ice cream to make sandwiches.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

When you're in a jam

These "jam thumbprints" combine sugar cookies with apricot or strawberry jam. You use your thumb to create a depression in the dough balls – hence the name.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

The Italian Job

Inspired by the classic Italian cookie, these almond biscotti are twice baked for extra crispiness. The biscotti can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Pining for nuts and almond paste

These Italian Pignoli cookies eschew flour for lots of nutty flavour – almond paste and pine nuts. If the dough is too soft to roll out, try refrigerating it a bit first.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Get your cookie basics right

The BBC offers this basic three-ingredient recipe, using butter, flour and sugar. Then you can dress it up any way you wish, with spices, like cinnamon or ginger, or white chocolate chips, for example.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

The best way to show your love

You can proclaim your love with heart-shaped frosted cookies. Don't wait until Valentine's Day, you can bake up these light, heart-shaped shortbread cookies with royal icing (using any food colouring you wish) now.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

The Smartie cookie move

These cookies can be prepared for a summer birthday party or just because you want to spoil your kids. They are adorned with bright delicious Smarties. Get your kids to help with the decoration but make sure they don't eat the ingredients before the cookies are made.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

No-bake cookies

These no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies are simple to prepare, using the stovetop to melt the butter, milk, cocoa, granulated sugar and salt, before mixing in the peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Drop on wax paper, let cool and eat!

When you make cookies, always plan to have a few extra if the chef needs a bit of a reward for their work. And if an entire pan of cookies happens to disappear while you wait for family to come home, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

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