20 Easy Cookie Recipes Anyone Can Make

Simplify your baking efforts with skillet desserts, no-oven (and no-mixer!) treats, and drop cookies with minimal ingredients.

By

Blythe Copeland

Published on July 11, 2023

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Glazed Lemon Cookies — Photo:
Brie Goldman

Everyone's interpretation of "easy" baking is a little bit different: Some of us want a one-bowl recipe, but others might be looking for a no-bake treat. Someone else may hate getting out the mixer, while another person might hate rolling individual cookies.

Whatever easy means to you, the unfussy bars, skillet cookies, drop cookies, and no-bake desserts on this list come together in minutes without a sink full of dirty dishes, require no finicky decorating or measuring, and offer something for every taste preference, from nutty to fruity and from spicy to sweet.

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Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

peanut butter no bake cookies served on a pink plate — Bryan Gardner

Instead of baking this cookie dough after the ingredients are combined, boil sugar, milk, and butter for one minute. Then add oats, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt, and drop onto the cookie sheet. After the cookies cool and set, a drizzle of melted chocolate adds a sweet finish.

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5-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

five-ingredient-cookies-369-d111686_horiz-0922

These cookies are almost too easy: Made with just almond butter, chocolate chips, brown sugar, eggs, and salt, and stirred by hand—no mixer required—they cook in only 10 minutes.

03 of 20

Macaroon Sandwich Cookies

macaroon sandwich cookies

For a quick dessert that looks (and tastes) like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen, choose macaroon sandwich cookies. The no-mixer cookie dough is made by whisking and stirring four ingredients together. After cooking, use store-bought jam for a pretty presentation.

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Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie — Lennart Weibull

The most labor-intensive part of traditional cookies is rolling, cutting, or spooning out each individual treat before baking. A classic chocolate chip cookie dough baked in a skillet cuts your prep time—and makes it easy to serve this dessert while it's still warm.

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Cookie Breakup

Another option for time-saving chocolate chip cookies: Prepare a crumbly dough and spread into a rimmed baking sheet. After the giant cookie cools, break it into brittle-like pieces before serving.

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Chocolate-Cherry Clusters

chocolate cherry clusters

By combining just chocolate, corn flake cereal, and dried cherries in this no-bake easy cookie recipe, you're left with bite-sized treats that adults will love for their sophisticated flavors and crunch—but that are so simple, the kids can make them as an after-school snack.

07 of 20

Coconut-Lime-Oatmeal Drop Cookies

Coconut-Lime Oatmeal Cookies — Jonathan Lovekin

The base for this drop-cookie dough requires a no-fuss preparation—whisk the dry ingredients, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs, and mix—and can be tweaked to accommodate other additions, like chocolate and pecans, rum-raisin and cashews, peanut butter and cherries.

08 of 20

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Get these soft, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies on the table with just 10 minutes of prep time and 12 minutes in the oven. You can also substitute dried cranberries for the raisins for unexpected tartness.

09 of 20

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Step 8 Add Glaze to Lemon Cookies — Brie Goldman

Light and aromatic, lemon drop cookies are the perfect treat for warm-weather gatherings or after a heavier holiday meal. Top them with a two-ingredient lemon glaze for a fancier finish.

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Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe — Bryan Gardner

This is our most popular cookie recipe, a straightforward, classic version of the beloved chocolate chip—but the easy preparation technique means you don't need Martha's touch to make them. Freeze individual scoops of dough to make a few (or more than a few) whenever the craving strikes.

11 of 20

Chocolate-Toffee-Oatmeal Drop Cookies

Chocolate Toffee Oatmeal Cookie — Jonathan Lovekin

Dress up a low-effort drop cookie dough with rich chocolate chunks, toffee chips, and oatmeal for a decadent sweet that pairs perfectly with after-dinner coffee or a glass of red wine.

12 of 20

Butter Pecan Cookies

These one-bowl cookies get a flavorful depth from toasted pecans and a sparkling sweetness from a quick roll in sugar before they're baked.

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Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Bryan Gardner

Spend 10 minutes mixing the ingredients for this fudgy double-chocolate cookie; then put it in the oven halfway through dinner and serve it warm for dessert. (Pro tip: Topping it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream wouldn't hurt).

14 of 20

Chewy Molasses-Spice Cookies

Add a taste of holiday spice to your cookie jar year-round with these unfussy molasses cookies. Though each is rolled in sugar individually, the basic ingredients—flour, spices, sugar, butter, molasses—come together quickly.

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Coconut Cookies

coconut cookies

The eight easy-to-find ingredients in these cookies are pulsed in the food processor—no separate bowl required—to chop and blend the coconut into the dough, then rolled in coconut before baking.

16 of 20

Chocolate-Cherry Blondies

Andrew Purcell

Brown sugar, chocolate chips, and dried tart cherries make these blondies a favorite you'll want to turn out by the pan-full.

17 of 20

Lemon Icebox Cookies

These cookies are best cooked after two hours (or more) in the freezer—but with 15 minutes of preparation time, all done in the food processor, they're ideal for making ahead and keeping at the ready for last-minute parties.

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No-Bake Chocolate-Almond Oat Bars

Con Poulos

Two types of almond—almond butter and chopped nuts—hold this simple stovetop dough together and add crunch and texture.

19 of 20

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Fresh summer berries give you endless reasons to make fruity crumbles, pies, and desserts—like these blackberry bars. Though you will need to make the crumble in a separate bowl, the no-prep berries—just sprinkle them on—give maximum impact with low effort.

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Chocolate-Chip Oat-Coconut Skillet Cookie

chocolate chip skillet cookie served with ice cream — The Ingalls

A traditional chocolate chip cookie gets a boost of flavor and texture with the addition of oats and coconut—and is ready for the oven with only 15 minutes of prep work.

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