When you’re ready to watch some classic horror movies or watch your favorite holiday movie, what’s better than a warm plate of fall cookies and hot toddy on the coffee table? Homemade cookies have such a festive and special flavor that even popcorn and standard movie snacks can’t compete with them. To complete your next movie night, I’ve rounded up a dozen fall cookie recipes to create the dozen of your dreams based on your favorite fall flavors.
Let’s quickly define fall cookies. First, they should be seasonal spices and flavors. That means plenty of pumpkin, pecans, maple, cinnamon, hazelnuts, chai, and even ginger. Ideally, they’ll be out of the oven when you eat them too, because there’s nothing better than eating fresh cookies on the couch on a cold night with the windows open. Plus, baking with your kids, partner, or friends before a movie is a great way to spend time together before running a marathon.
So, what will happen tonight? Warm chocolate chip cookies with cups of steaming cocoa, or chai oatmeal cookies stuffed with homemade cream cheese frosting? With this great list of fall cookie recipes, you really can’t go wrong.
01Chewy Ginger Cookies
OMG, the cracks and sugar crystals on top of this cookie make it look like the most satisfying texture ever. The Foodie Crush recipe makes super chewy cookies flavored with ginger, molasses, nutmeg, and cinnamon—yes, sign me up.
02Maple Pecan Sugar Cookies
Okay, maple pecan sounds like an ideal fall flavor combination, right? These little sugar cookies from Jessica’s Kitchen are so cute and would be so cute in a festive cookie jar to take to a friend’s house for a party or movie night.
03Pumpkin Snickers
The only way to make a Snickers bar more fall-y is to add pumpkin, right? Averie Cooks’ Snickerdoodles have the perfect texture—soft in the middle, chewy around the edges—everything you could ask for in a cozy fall cookie.
04Chai Sugar Cookies
Chai spices can also feel very festive, so adding them to basic sugar cookies is an easy way to make fall cookies. Jessica in the Kitchen’s recipe is actually vegan, but can be made non-vegan or gluten-free with some simple swaps she lists in her blog post.
05pecan sandis
Classic buttery shortbread, but packed with texture and flavor from chopped pecans. Princess Pinky Girl’s Pecan Sandwiches are so easy to make and delicious with a hot cup of tea or coffee after dinner.
06Hot Chocolate Cookies
Hot chocolate is always a winner on a chilly fall night, so why not make hot chocolate chip cookies to go with it? This recipe, courtesy of Desire Cookies, combines chewy chocolate chip cookies with marshmallow fluff for a fun, nostalgic cookie you’re sure to love.
07Carrot Cake Cookies
While carrot cake doesn’t have an explicit fall theme, it has plenty of flavors associated with the season. These carrot cake cookies from Princess Pinky Girl feature a cream cheese frosting filling and the cookies are bakery-sized. Who doesn’t love giant cookies?
08Hazelnut Thumbprint Jam Cookies
Jam Thumbprint Biscuits are a holiday special and one of the best treats to have with a hot cup of tea in the evening. The recipe from Beautiful Plate adds hazelnuts to the dough, which pairs perfectly with the berry jam cubes.
09Spiced Caramel Apple Gingerbread Cookie Cups
If you make a lot of cookies this time of year, you’ll love using cookie cups for a little variety in shape and format. This recipe from Averie Cooks will give you soft and chewy gingerbread cups filled with spiced caramel apples and topped with whipped caramel cream cheese frosting.
10Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Foodie Crush’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies can’t be beat. They are pillowy soft and absolutely delicious. Note that this recipe makes 60 cookies, so cut them in half unless you’re baking for a small army.
11Canadian Butter Tart
Technically not a cookie, but very close in size, these Canadian butter tarts from Budget Bytes deserve a spot on the list. They’re buttery, flaky, and gooey, like little patties, and pair well with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa.
12Chai Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies: Not bad. Chai Oatmeal Cookies: So good. Chai oatmeal cookies stuffed with apple cider cream cheese frosting: out of this world. This recipe from Cookies of Desire distills all of your favorite hot comfort drinks into cookie form that you’ll love with every bite.
Which fall cookie recipe will you choose? If you start now, you can still bake them all before you start thinking about winter and holiday cookies.
