17 Easy Cookie Recipes

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these easy cookie recipes! With sugar cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal, and more, you're sure to find something you love.

I am not the kind of person who plans to make cookie recipes in advance. I don’t set aside time to brown butter or temper chocolate. And quite frankly, chilling dough for 24, 48, or 72 (72, seriously?) hours is completely out of the question. When I make cookie recipes, it’s because I’m craving cookies. Not tomorrow, not in 4 hours, but now.  For that reason, I’ve developed a slew of easy cookie recipes over the years. Some are chocolatey, some are buttery, others are nutty, oat-y, or spiced. Below, you’ll find 17 of my favorites. Whether you’re looking to round…

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Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

We love making this orecchiette pasta on cold winter nights! Broccoli rabe, caramelized onions, and sun-dried tomatoes fill it with bold flavor.

The first time I made this orecchiette pasta recipe, I intended to eat a bowl of it for lunch. I did end up eating it for lunch that day, but a bowl never entered the picture. Instead, I stood at the stove, eating forkful after forkful of orecchiette straight from the skillet! The recipe is my plant-based riff on a classic Italian pasta dish – orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. I adore broccoli rabe, especially in the wintertime. It’s vibrant and nourishing, and it has a distinct bitter and peppery flavor. I often serve it as a side dish,…

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Sautéed Broccoli Rabe

This sautéed broccoli rabe recipe is a simple, elegant dinner side dish. Garlic, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice brighten the tender bitter greens.

Broccoli rabe has to be one of my favorite green vegetables. Despite its name, it’s actually more closely related to turnips than to broccoli, and it has a distinctive bitter, peppery flavor to show for it. I featured it in the Sides section of my second cookbook, Love & Lemons Every Day, but I recently realized that there are no broccoli rabe recipes on the blog. How on earth did that happen? This sautéed broccoli rabe recipe is here to set things right. It’s super simple—a vibrant, nutrient-packed side dish that you can toss together on any night of the…

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French Onion Dip

This homemade French onion dip puts the store bought kind to shame! Creamy, tangy, and packed with umami flavor, it's sure to vanish in minutes.

For me, there’s almost nothing more nostalgic than French onion dip and ridged potato chips. They take me right back to the holiday parties of my childhood, where store bought tubs of French onion dip had a permanent spot on the snack table. When my sister and I were growing up, my mom always served us healthy, homemade food, so that French onion dip was a real treat. I’d shovel down as much of it as I could, relishing every bite of the creamy dip with the salty chips. This year, I finally got around to developing my own French…

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Caramelized Onions

Learn how to make caramelized onions perfectly every time! Rich, sweet, and deeply golden brown, they add complexity to pastas, soups, and more.

A few weeks back, I was making caramelized onions for this French onion dip, and Jack wandered into the kitchen for lunch. Usually, after he makes himself a sandwich, he heads straight back to his office, but that day, he lingered in the kitchen. “I should go work,” he said, “But it smells so good in here.” Like roasted garlic, caramelized onions are one of those magical, powerhouse ingredients that can amp up the flavor in almost anything – dips, pastas, soups, you name it. They’re rich, silky smooth, and sweet, and, as Jack can attest, they smell fantastic too.…

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Chewy Molasses Cookies

We can't get enough of these chewy molasses cookies! They have crisp edges, fudgy middles, and rich, spiced flavor from ginger and cinnamon.

As I sat down to write this molasses cookies post, I watched some of the first snow of the year drift past the window. What could be more fitting? These chewy molasses cookies are perfect for cold, wintry days. They have crisp edges, soft middles, and a rich, spiced flavor that’ll warm you up in an instant. Pair one with a cup of hot chocolate, and you have an unbeatable holiday treat! I think you’re going to love this molasses cookie recipe. It’s quick and easy to make (you don’t even have to chill the dough!), and it yields really…

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Thumbprint Cookies

These thumbprint cookies are the ultimate holiday treat! Filled with vibrant pools of apricot and raspberry jam, they're melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

It’s holiday baking season! I can’t think of a better way to kick it off than with these jam thumbprint cookies. Of course I’m biased, but I think this could be the best thumbprint cookie recipe out there. The cookies have a delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture and warm, buttery flavor. They’re rich and delicate, with a pop of brightness from the melty jam. As an added bonus, they’re super easy to make! This thumbprint cookie recipe calls for just 8 ingredients, and there’s a good chance you have all of them on hand already. Thumbprint Cookie Recipe Ingredients Ready to bake?…

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Green Bean Salad

This green bean salad recipe is super easy to make, but it's still delicious and complex. It's perfect for the holidays or dinner any night of the week!

I am so excited to share this green bean salad recipe with all of you! I first made it way back in the summer, on a day when I had a gorgeous bag of string beans in the fridge. They were long, slender, sweet, and snappy, and I knew I had to find a special way to use them. Each year, I enjoy green beans throughout the summer and fall. But no matter what season it is or what dish I’m making, they always remind me of Thanksgiving and my family’s classic green bean casserole. So as I pondered how…

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Honey Mustard Dressing

So long, store bought salad dressing! This honey mustard dressing recipe is easy to make, and it's packed with irresistible sweet and tangy flavor.

This homemade honey mustard dressing is like magic. Whenever I have it on hand, I eat salads like crazy, just to taste its sweet, tangy, spicy flavor. If I’m out of greens, I use it as a dipping sauce, dunking sliced bell peppers until I don’t have any dressing left. If you’re someone who’s trying to eat more veggies, make this honey mustard dressing recipe. You’ll find yourself tossing together salads and snacking on carrot sticks left and right! Unlike many store bought honey mustard salad dressings, this one is totally dairy-free. Its smooth, lightly creamy texture comes from emulsified…

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How to Cook Fresh Green Beans

Learn how to cook fresh green beans perfectly every time! Serve them as a side dish, or add them to your favorite green bean recipes.

Nearly all of my fresh green bean recipes begin with blanching the beans. If you ask me, everyone should learn this method for how to cook green beans. It’s quick and easy, and it yields beans that are vibrant, crisp-tender, and not at all mushy. They’re perfect for serving as a side dish or adding to salads and sandwiches. Heck, they even make a great green bean casserole! Below, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to how to cook fresh green beans, as well as my favorite green bean recipes. They include ideas for Thanksgiving, summer picnics, and dinners all year…

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Stuffed Acorn Squash

This stuffed acorn squash recipe is perfect for the holidays! Sage and rosemary add earthy flavor to its hearty tempeh and mushroom filling.

When people ask me what to serve as a vegetarian main dish at Thanksgiving, I always reply, “Stuffed acorn squash!” I love putting seasonal produce at the center of my plate whenever I can, and Thanksgiving dinner is no exception. Acorn squash presents us with a unique opportunity. After you scoop out the seeds, the squash halves form natural bowls. You could leave them empty, roast the squash, and serve it as a side dish. But you could also load the squash with a flavorful filling after it comes out of the oven. In an instant, it’ll transform from a…

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A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.