The holidays are almost upon us. That means it’s officially time to string up the holiday lights that somehow stop working every year, haul down the 20-year-old fake Christmas tree that is begging you to replace it and fight for your life to hold together the walls of your gingerbread house so it doesn’t collapse before the icing hardens.
What would the holidays be without one of the most simple, yet most delicious desserts of all time: the cookie. The winter season offers so many cookie varieties that are hard to come by at other times of the year. Some varieties are absolutely delicious. While nothing made with a base of butter and sugar can taste awful, some varieties are just plain boring. Whether you are planning to bake up a storm this holiday season or head to the grocery store to buy pre-made cookies that are probably just as good, you need to know which kinds will leave your holiday guests impressed and which will have them begging Santa Claus to assign someone else to dessert next year.
Welcome to the official ranking of holiday cookies, created by none other than yours truly. My qualifications? No research, no baking skills, no community polls, just a lifetime of eating cookies. Cookies are in fact my favorite dessert. If that doesn’t make me qualified, I don’t know what will.
1. Snickerdoodle
A warm, soft, chewy snickerdoodle will do it for me every single time. Who knew that adding cinnamon to a basic sugar cookie could elevate it that much? The warm spice just screams cozy winter vibes. And that golden brown color with a light cinnamon dusting on top? Simply the most gorgeous thing ever. Chocolate chip will always and forever be the best type of cookie, but snickerdoodle is a close second.
2. Shortbread
Sometimes, simple really is the best, as is the case with these deliciously fatty and crumbly cookies. They are mostly just made of butter and sugar, which is such an incredible combination that it truly does not call for anything else. I have such a soft spot for these super-hard biscuits that go perfectly with hot cocoa, chocolate fondue, or alone.
3. Gingerbread
This may be the most underrated cookie of all time. Firstly, we have to distinguish between the type of gingerbread used to make gingerbread houses, which looks so visually appealing but usually tastes and feels like a rock, and the type of gingerbread made for actually eating. When I was young, my favorite bakery treat was always a gingerbread man. As long as you have no qualms with biting off the arms and head of a child-shaped dessert, the flavor is truly phenomenal. The molasses gives it that warm, sweet flavor, while the ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other wintery ingredients give it the classic spiced flavor.
4. Peanut Butter Blossoms
Ah yes, one of the most iconic duos of all time, chocolate and peanut butter. This is one of the cutest cookies ever, with that adorable chocolate kiss giving it some height and visual appeal. My biggest issue with this cookie is that straight chocolate and peanut butter is a lot of sugar. I often find these cookies to be overly sweet. And peanut butter is such an overpowering flavor that you really have to like it to enjoy these.
5. Sugar Cookies
Booooooring. This is the most basic cookie ever. Even shortbread is not this basic because at least it looks cool. Although sugar cookies are perfect for holiday decorating, they truly don’t offer much. They taste pretty good, but where is the creativity, people? And I’m talking strictly about homemade cookies. I’d better not see anyone buying those dry, flavorless grocery store sugar cookies, or I’m telling Santa to put coal in your stocking.
6. Linzer Cookies
This is just two sugar cookies with jam in the middle. I debated whether to rank it above or below sugar cookies. It is clearly much more creative and pretty, and I applaud anyone who is able to cut out perfect hearts and assemble them at home. However, because this is based on my opinion only, I had to rank them near the bottom. I simply do not enjoy fruit in my cookies. Why ruin a decent sugar cookie with overly sweet and super sticky jam?
7. Rainbow Cookies
This is definitely the most technically advanced cookie on this list. It involves three almond-flavored cakes colored like the Italian flag, stacked together with jam, and coated in chocolate. As an Italian-American, I have had my fair share of rainbow cookies, and I have to say, they just aren’t good. Maybe it’s my Americanized taste palette, but these flavors really do not work well together. Fruit jam and chocolate together? Ew. And they have this weird texture that’s somewhere between cookie and cake. Pass.