31 Thanksgiving Cookie Recipes That'll Make You Forget About Pie

Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Thanksgiving celebrations call for dessert spreads filled with decadent fruit cobblers, meringue-topped pies, and Grandma's famous Bundt cake. As if you aren't already stuffed from the Thanksgiving meal, there's always a little more room for something sweet. For hosting a larger crowd, cookies are a quick and easy addition to a dessert table filled with other fall baked goods.

These make-and-take Thanksgiving cookie recipes can be passed around after the meal or can easily be grabbed as guests head out the door to play in the annual family football game. Traditional Thanksgiving flavors like cinnamon, pecan, and pumpkin can be condensed into grab-and-go cookies for all to enjoy.

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Pecan Tassies

Pecan Tassies
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pecan Tassies

Here, we fuse together everything you love about pecan pie and shortbread cookies to create mini treats.

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Apple Pie Cookies

Apple Pie Cookies
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Apple Pie Cookies

Everything you love about apple pie is transformed into a handheld cookie.

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin spice and pumpkin puree give these seasonal cookies the ultimate fall flavor.

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Bourbon-Caramel Cookies

Bourbon Caramel Cookies
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Recipe: Bourbon-Caramel Cookies

These flavorful fall cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week, but we doubt they'll last that long.

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Toasted Oatmeal Cookies

Toasted Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Toasted Oatmeal Cookies

Toasted oats provide a rich flavor along with a unique texture to these not so ordinary oatmeal raisin cookies.

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Caramel-Apple Cookies

Caramel Apple Cookies
Photographer: Alison Miksch Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee

Recipe: Caramel-Apple Cookies

We thought up a beautiful new way to enjoy fall's favorite flavor combination—caramel and apple—with these cookies that taste like apple pie.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin transforms these chocolate chip cookies into extra creamy and tender treats.

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Pecan Pie Bars

Pecan Pie Bars
Helen Norman

Recipe: Pecan Pie Bars

All the delicious flavor of pecan pie is packed into this bite-size treat.

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Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Soft Pumpkin Cookies
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Recipe: Soft Pumpkin Cookies

These soft cookies have a cake-like texture. We covered them with a Maple-Bourbon Glaze, but you can replace the bourbon with water or milk if desired.

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Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Calling all pecan lovers. These sugary and buttery cookies will fulfill all your autumn dreams.

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Soft Ginger-Molasses Cookies

Soft Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Soft Ginger-Molasses Cookies

These cookies taste just as good as they look. All of the spice from a traditional ginger cookie with a gooey center takes these cookies to the next level.

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Toffee Cookies

Toffee Cookies Recipe
Photographer: Isaac Nunn, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn

Recipe: Toffee Cookies

While these cookies are fairly simple to pull together, just make sure to allow at least four hours for the dough to freeze before baking.

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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Our favorite seasonal cookie that is a cross between brownies and double chocolate cookies.

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Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
Caitlin Bensel

Recipe: Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

These creamy cookies are sure to stand out on the Thanksgiving dessert table.

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Butterscotch-Toasted Oatmeal Cookies

Toasted Oatmeal Cookies
Linda Pugliese

Recipe: Butterscotch-Toasted Oatmeal Cookies

Sweet butterscotch chips are an amazing complement to toasted oats and brown sugar. Add dried cranberries for a colorful, seasonal touch.

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

We firmly believe that browning the butter is the key step to making the most irresistible chocolate chip cookies.

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Pecan Snowball Cookies

Pecan Snowball Cookies
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Pecan Snowball Cookies

Pecans are Thanksgiving's star ingredient. We combined pecans with buttery cookie dough and coated them in powdered sugar to create snowball-like cookies.

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Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies Recipe
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Fudgy Flourless Chocolate-Pecan Cookies

These flourless cookies are oh-so decadent and delicious—guests will be requesting the recipe after just one bite.

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Kitchen Sink Cookies

Kitchen Sink Cookies
Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Kitchen Sink Cookies

We elevated chocolate chip cookies into a jam-packed sweet and salty treat.

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Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies
Southern Living

Recipe: Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies

These easy 4 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are a classic dessert that simply can't be beat.

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Pecan Pralines

Pecan Pralines
Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pecan Pralines

This classic southern dessert will keep guests going back for another.

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Peanut Butter-Coconut Cookies

Peanut Butter-Coconut Cookies
Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Peanut Butter-Coconut Cookies

Family members with gluten allergies or sensitivities can enjoy these chewy cookies after your Thanksgiving meal.

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Soft Ginger Cookies

Soft Ginger Cookies
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland

Recipe: Soft Ginger Cookies

If you're tempted to speed this spiced cookie recipe up, trust our Test Kitchen: Refrigerating the dough makes it much easier to work with, and it won't stick to your hands as you roll it into oven-ready balls.

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Magic Cookie Bars

Magic Cookie Bars
Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Magic Cookie Bars

These cookie bars, which you may also know as Hello Dolly bars, have been a Southern Living favorite for decades.

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Brownie Cookies

Brownie Cookies
Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Recipe: Brownie Cookies

The easiest way to get chewy, soft cookies? Start with a box of brownie mix.

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Dark Chocolate-Ginger-Molasses Cookies

Dark Chocolate-Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Dark Chocolate-Ginger-Molasses Cookies

With rich dark chocolate, spiced ginger, and sweet, smokey molasses, these cookies pack more flavor in a few bites than you'll believe.

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Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies

Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies

Get inspired by the homemade cranberry sauce on your Thanksgiving table with these bright, tasty cookies.

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Pecan Pie Cookies

Pecan Pie Cookies
Marisa Spyker

Recipe: Pecan Pie Cookies

Think pecan pie in bite-size form. Don't worry, this recipe yields 4 ½ dozen cookies, leaving plenty to be shared at any family holiday party.

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Seven-Layer Cookies

Seven-Layer Cookies
Southern Living

Recipe: Seven-Layer Cookies

These cookies could be served any time of the year, but with chopped pecans they may be the missing seasonal flavor to your family's Thanksgiving dessert buffet.

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Crispy Praline Cookies

Best Cookies Recipes: Crispy Praline Cookies Recipes
Southern Living

Recipe: Crispy Praline Cookies

You don't need to be in New Orleans to get a taste of the city with these cookies. Pro Tip: The more melted the butter, the crisper the cookie.

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Cranberry-Almond Cookies

Cranberry-Almond Cookies
Ralph Anderson; Styling: Mary Lyn Hill

Recipe: Cranberry-Almond Cookies

Would you believe us if we told you these festive cranberry studded cookies only take 20 minutes to make?

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