Food and Recipes Desserts Cookies Fill Your Cookie Jar with Our Best-Loved Cookies and Bars By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 12, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos Cookies, brownies, and bars are always crowd-pleasers—and make great handmade gifts for friends and family during the holidays or any special occasion. Whenever we have someone to thank, these treats are the best way to show our gratitude. But in that case, you'll want to make a double-batch, because there's no chance that a plate of Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies makes it out of the house without a quick "quality check." These handheld treats will be the hit of any party. We love cookie recipes with a special Southern twist, but still crave classics like chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, or snickerdoodles just as much. Get really creative—not to mention decadent—with brownie and bar recipes that fuse two classic desserts, like Pecan Pie Bars. During the holidays, try our cookie, bar, and brownie spins on favorite holiday flavors like Molasses Crinkles and Pecan Bourbon Balls. With so many recipes to choose from, you can fill your cookie jar year-round. You'll always have an easy answer when somebody asks, "What's for dessert?" 01 of 65 Kitchen Sink Cookies Jennifer Causey Recipe: Kitchen Sink Cookies Go ahead and throw everything in. Well, not quite everything. As the name implies, you throw just about everything but the kitchen sink into these ultra-decadent cookies. They are packed full of chocolate, almonds, corn chips, and oats—that's a lot of deliciousness. 02 of 65 Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter-Fudge Bars The perfect mix of peanut butter and chocolate fudge, these bars are sure to impress. They also prove that your favorite candy can also be your favorite bar. 03 of 65 Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies Victor Protasio Recipe: Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies This recipe gets rave reviews from our readers, who love how simple it is to get rich flavors from such few ingredients. You probably already have everything you need to put a batch of these together sitting in your pantry. So, if you want a great-tasting chocolate cookie recipe that is also gluten-free, this is the perfect dessert. 04 of 65 Easiest Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies If our Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies had any fewer ingredients you would literally be standing at your counter eating peanut butter out of a jar with a spoon. Still, you will impress your guests with these simple, four-ingredient peanut butter cookies. They're also easy to remember because you need one of everything: one cup of peanut butter; one cup of sugar; one egg; and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. And, if you want to spice it up a little, add your favorite chocolate morsels, chopped peanuts, or other delicious embellishments. 05 of 65 Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Ultimate Dark Chocolate Brownies Chocolate brownies missing something? We thought so. This recipe calls for bourbon and espresso for an extra decadent dessert. 06 of 65 Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Crunchy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Swirl Bars Peanut butter and chocolate unite to create a rich, delectable, and memorable bar. White and dark chocolate swirls sit atop a creamy peanut butter base while crisp rice cereal and roasted peanuts add crunch. 07 of 65 Blackberry-Oat Crumble Bars Photo: Helen Norman; Prop Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Food Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns Recipe: Blackberry-Oat Crumble Bars These ooey-gooey treats taste like a twist between blackberry cobbler and a bar cookie. Pack a batch of these tart, fruity bars for your next picnic or barbecue. 08 of 65 Chewy Peanut Bars Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chewy Peanut Bars These microwave-made chocolate-peanut blondies truly surprised us. You'll love their combination of sticky-sweet peanut butter and rich, gooey chocolate. Your guests won't know whether you've whipped it up in the microwave or baked it up in the oven, so take advantage of that often-overlooked kitchen appliance and make this tasty treat. 09 of 65 Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Spiced Pecan Pie Bars Not in the mood for a whole pie? These Spiced Pecan Bars are a delicious alternative. Plus, they're portable, making them easy to bring to your next holiday party. 10 of 65 Brown Butter Snickerdoodles pinterest.com Recipe: Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Rolling these basic sugar cookies in a cinnamon-sugar mixture adds just enough spice and a bit of color. Brown butter makes them an extra-special delight that practically melts in your mouth. 11 of 65 Red Velvet Brownies Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Red Velvet Brownies These red velvet brownies taste as good as they look. They are moist, tasty, rich with cream cheese, and bursting with color. Let these Red Velvet Brownies be the star of your next dinner or get-together. 12 of 65 Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies Zoe Denenberg; Prop Styling: Rachel Mulcahy Recipe: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies We love this recipe for many reasons, but mostly because even an amateur baker can whip up a batch. Shaping with a cookie scoop helps to keep these rich cookies uniform in size. 13 of 65 Cappuccino Swirl Bars Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Cappuccino Swirl Bars Grab one of these coffee bars for a quick jolt in the morning or afternoon pick-me-up. And while they may look fancy, store-bought wafer cookies are the secret to the chocolate crust. 14 of 65 Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Jennifer Causey Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies We'll take your chocolate chip cookies and raise you a dose of brown butter. This twist on the classic is as much of a crowd-pleaser as the original. 15 of 65 Pecan Pralines Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Pecan Pralines You will love this cookie from the moment you speak its name. And what could be more Southern than pecans, except maybe making sure they are in the perfect pralines? The key to these is keeping your eye on the heat. Making pralines is all about warming everything up, then cooling it down just right. For twists on the traditional, you can add chocolate, instant coffee granules, or even bourbon to this to create your own pralines. 16 of 65 Easy Sugar Cookies Zoe Denenberg; Prop Styling: Rachel Mulcahy Recipe: Easy Sugar Cookies This recipe creates cookies that look beautiful and taste delicious. To transform these from everyday to elegant, cut this dough into a variety of your favorite shapes. The dippable glaze will transform them into works of art almost too pretty to eat. But eat them you will, because although they appear enticing, they taste even better, and once you have your first bite of these sweet delights, it may just be difficult to stop. 17 of 65 Molasses Crinkles Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Molasses Crinkles A heavy sugar crust and the peppery bite of ginger make these gingerbread cookies scrumptious. Be sure to use fresh spices; it will make a big difference in how these delicious cookies taste. 18 of 65 Coconut Cheesecake Squares Southern Living Recipe: Coconut Cheesecake Squares These bars get their extra-tropical flavor from coconut milk, lime, and flaked coconut. Who needs a tropical vacation when you have these waiting for you in the kitchen? 19 of 65 Raspberry Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Raspberry Crumble Bars Sweet enough to be dessert, but also perfect as a mid-afternoon snack, these bars will become a staple in your house after just one batch. Plus, these layered fruit bars work well with fresh or frozen raspberries, making them a year-round treat. 20 of 65 Millionaire Shortbread Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Recipe: Millionaire Shortbread Consider this the homemade, way-upgraded version of your favorite candy bar. Each bite delivers a perfect blend of flavor and texture: sweet, salty, crunchy, and creamy. 21 of 65 Best-Ever Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Best-Ever Brownies Test Kitchen Professional Ivy Odom developed this recipe just in time for the holidays, but we have a feeling it'll be in our steady rotation all year round. 22 of 65 Old Fashioned Tea Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Old Fashioned Tea Cake Whether the tea is for two, or just for you, you will love the taste of these tea cakes. Even though they're called cakes, tea cakes are actually easy to make—and easier to eat—old-fashioned cookies made with butter, sugar, buttermilk, flour, and lemon. Think of these as the perfect cookie to pair with afternoon tea, or one you could just as easily enjoy with a glass of lemonade. 23 of 65 Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: Kellie Gerber Kelley Recipe: Fudgy Pecan Bourbon Balls Hardly a Christmas can pass in the South without these traditional ball-shaped, bourbon-flavored pecan cookies ending up on a dessert bar or in a gift box. And nor should it, for these two distinctive flavors combine to bring warmth and smokiness deliciously together. 24 of 65 Spritz Cookies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Spritz Cookies Spritz cookies are holiday classics. To bake truly authentic spritz cookies, you will want to invest in a cookie press. Then you will be sure to get that oh-so-perfect shape. You can even add colored sugar crystals on top for an extra festive flair. 25 of 65 Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Brown Sugar Cookie Stars These sugar cookies are anything but boring. With brown sugar mixed into the dough and sparkly gold decorations, they're definitely not your average sugar cookies. 26 of 65 Cheesecake Cookies Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Cheesecake Cookies Sure, cheesecake can be delicious, but baking one from scratch can be a whole day's work. Opt for these simplified (yet just as elegant) Cheesecake Cookies instead. 27 of 65 Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies As with most things in Texas, Bush's Cowboy Cookies are enormous and stuffed with lots of mix-ins like oats, coconut, pecans, and of course, chocolate chips. 28 of 65 Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies These fragrant, cranberry-orange cookies make a great holiday gift. Pro-tip: so the dough has plenty of time to chill, make the dough the night before and bake the cookies the next day. 29 of 65 Macaroon Sandwich Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Macaroon Sandwich Cookies Although this kosher recipe is meant for Passover, the winning combination of coconut and strawberry jam makes these an anytime treat. 30 of 65 Daffodil Cookies Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Daffodil Cookies These fresh, floral, iced cookies are perfect for spring. The best part? You don't even need a special cookie cutter to make the flower shapes. 31 of 65 Butter Cookies Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Butter Cookies Go back to basics with these sweet butter cookies that belong at any celebration. Bonus, the dough that comes together quickly thanks to a list of pantry-staple ingredients—no grocery run necessary. 32 of 65 Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies Slice n' bakes never looked so good. For extra crunch, evenly coat both dough logs with turbinado sugar before slicing them into rounds. 33 of 65 Pecan Sandies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pecan Sandies Southerners will sneak pecans into just about anything, including our cookies. The key to these cookies is toasting the pecans to draw out all of their nutty flavor. 34 of 65 Magic Cookie Bars Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis Recipe: Magic Cookie Bars This recipe takes the best parts of a cookie and a bar and combines them in one delightful dessert so delicious, people will think you're magic. 35 of 65 Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Blueberry-Lemon Crunch Bars Blueberry and lemon is one of our favorite warm-weather combinations, and these bars are simply bursting with fruity flavor. 36 of 65 Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies These easy, delicious cookies are ready for the oven in a matter of minutes. The most difficult part of this recipe will be unwrapping the chocolate kisses—especially since you may be tempted to eat some as you go. 37 of 65 Seven-Layer Cookies Southern Living Recipe: Seven-Layer Cookies These vintage cookies pack seven layers of heaven into one little bar. Fun fact: this was the first bar cookie recipe ever featured in Southern Living Magazine. 38 of 65 Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars Complete with a stunning fruit swirl, these bars are the ultimate patriotic treat. Although, they're so good, you'll be making them all summer long, not just on the Fourth of July. 39 of 65 No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars Iain Bagwell Recipe: No-Bake Fudgy Toffee Bars For those days when you just can't bear to turn on your oven, but you still want your chocolate fix. 40 of 65 Cream Cheese Brownies Micah A. Leal Recipe: Cream Cheese Brownies These brownies may look fancy, but they only take 25 minutes of active time. Cream cheese adds a touch of tang to balance out the sweetness. 41 of 65 Texas Sheet Cake Cookies Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Recipe: Texas Sheet Cake Cookies The famous cake takes the form of a cookie topped with its signature frosting. We use boxed cake mix to make these cookies as easy as can be. 42 of 65 Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars Bright lemon curd and a rich cheesecake mixture combine to create Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars. Why Meyer lemons? They're a little sweeter, less acidic, and come with a heady floral aroma and flavor. 43 of 65 Birthday Cake Cookies Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Recipe: Birthday Cake Cookies These nostalgic cookies will take you straight back to childhood. Change the sprinkles to fit any occasion. 44 of 65 Blueberry Breakfast Bars Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Blueberry Breakfast Bars With jammy centers and toasty tops, these bars make a great afternoon snack—and maybe a breakfast bite, too. 45 of 65 Red Velvet Cake Crinkle Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Crinkle Cookies If you love this Southern classic, then you'll appreciate its cookie counterpart, too. They're rich, cakey, slightly fudgy—kids and adults will go crazy for them. 46 of 65 Triple-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Triple-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Add these to your holiday cookie arsenal and you're pretty much guaranteed an invite to every cookie swap of the season. 47 of 65 Basil-Lemon Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Basil-Lemon Bars These are not your grandmother's lemon bars—and we're okay with that. The addition of basil provides a sophisticated twist on a well-loved dessert. 48 of 65 Soft Pumpkin Cookies Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey Recipe: Soft Pumpkin Cookies These cookies are the ultimate fall pick-me-up. Cakey, warmly spiced, and topped with a sweet icing and crunchy pecans, they'll be impossible for company to resist. 49 of 65 Tara Jensen's Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Robbie Caponetto Recipe: Tara Jensen's Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies If you haven't hopped on the sourdough wagon yet, here's an excellent place to start. Try 2021 Southern Living Cook of the Year Tara Jensen's recipe, which is filled with generous chunks of bittersweet chocolate. 50 of 65 Coconut-Citrus Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Giulietta Pinna; Food Styling: Ali Ramee Recipe: Coconut-Citrus Bars Move over, lemon square. Whether you find yourself in the throes of summer or a chilly winter, our Coconut-Citrus Bars are sure to brighten everything up. 51 of 65 Carrot Cake Bars Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Carrot Cake Bars Calling all carrot cake lovers. This one's for you: everything you love about it without the fussy frosting layers. 52 of 65 Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies If you love a little kitchen drama, you'll want to add our Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies to your recipe tin. Let's just say these'll be a…smashing success. 53 of 65 Red, White, and Blue Cake Mix Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Red, White, and Blue Cake Mix Cookies In a festive mood? These easy cookies do just the trick. Serve alongside a tall glass of lemonade, and use different sprinkles to suit any occasion and celebration. 54 of 65 Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars Take our Raspberry-Rhubarb Bars to your next spring picnic. A buttery cookie base balances out the tart rhubarb, and raspberries add sweetness. 55 of 65 Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies These delicate treats are a spot-on Valentine's Day or springtime offering. Crisp raspberry meringue roses sandwich a luscious white-chocolate filling tapered by tart raspberry preserves. 56 of 65 Lavender Shortbread Cookies Joy Howard Recipe: Lavender Shortbread Cookies Say hello to summer with this crumbly shortbread recipe, gently perfumed with lavender. You'll instantly be transported to the fields of Provence. 57 of 65 Salted Caramel Popcorn Bars Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee Montiel Recipe: Salted Caramel Popcorn Bars These may sound fancy, but the truth is, the caramel sauce comes together quickly with the help of some caramel candies, a little water, and marshmallows. 58 of 65 Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Blackberry-Apple Butter Pie Bars Thanks to pre-made piecrust, it doesn't take much effort to pull together these fruity bars. Serve with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream. 59 of 65 Brown Butter-Maple-Pecan Blondies Linda Pugliese Recipe: Brown Butter-Maple-Pecan Blondies These bars have a lot going on, and we're loving every part of it. Why make boring blondies when you could have these? 60 of 65 Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars At once fruity and buttery, these crumble bars simply melt in your mouth. They might just replace lemon bars as your go-to fruity dessert. 61 of 65 Butterscotch-Toasted Oatmeal Cookies Linda Pugliese Recipe: Butterscotch-Toasted Oatmeal Cookies These are not your average oatmeal cookies. Butterscotch chips and toasted pecan pieces sub in for raisins (which we know the raisin-haters will appreciate), adding an extra nuttiness that pairs well with the warm flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in these cookies. 62 of 65 Chocolate-Hazelnut Rugelach Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Chocolate-Hazelnut Rugelach Layers of sugar, spice, nuts, and chocolate get rolled up in a flaky, pie-crust like dough for a cookie that looks impressive but is basically a slice and bake. The filling for these cookies is endlessly customizable: use your favorite nuts, dried fruit, or even jams instead. 63 of 65 White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Photo: Jennifer Causey Recipe: White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies White chocolate isn't for everyone, but if it's for you, then these are your cookies. Sweet and creamy white chocolate pairs perfectly with tart dried cranberries for soft and chewy cookies that make a sweet addition to any cookie jar. 64 of 65 Gingerbread Biscotti Photographer: Frederick Hardy II, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Recipe: Gingerbread Biscotti Biscotti means twice baked in Italian. The double baking process ensures that these cookies are crispy throughout. For extra holiday cheer, we made these biscotti gingerbread-flavored by adding molasses and plenty of warm spices, including of course, ginger. 65 of 65 Ambrosia Streusel Bars with Shortbread Crust Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Ambrosia Streusel Bars with Shortbread Crust Serve ambrosia in a new way with these delectable bars. Crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries, and orange marmalade create a filling that tastes exactly like everyone's favorite salad, while a shortbread crust serves as an easy, buttery base. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit