21 Easy Cookie Recipes That Start with Cravings and End in Crumbs

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When a craving hits, you don’t need a complicated recipe or a trip to the store—you need something that works fast. These easy cookie recipes lean on simple ingredients and reliable methods to get warm cookies on the table without the wait. They’re perfect for last-minute get-togethers, casual weeknight treats, or just because it’s Tuesday. You’ll find options that keep cleanup to a minimum and flavor right where it should be. If you’re short on time but not on hunger, this is a good place to start.

Lemon Meltaway Cookies Recipe

Three lemon cookies with white icing and yellow zest on a metal plate. One cookie has a bite taken out of it.
Lemon Meltaway Cookies Recipe. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

These melt-in-your-mouth cookies pull off a magic trick: they taste like sunshine but take less effort than finding your sunglasses. It’s one of those easy cookie recipes you’ll want on repeat all year.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Meltaway Cookies Recipe

Easy Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Two glazed cookies on a white plate surrounded by an apple, cinnamon sticks, and oats.
Easy Apple Oatmeal Cookies. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

With cozy apple bits and oats that keep things chewy, these cookies basically beg to be baked on a chilly day. Perfect for anyone who likes their easy cookie recipes to feel homemade without the chaos.
Get the Recipe: Easy Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Soft Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

Six round pumpkin scones on a white lace-edged plate, placed on a wooden table next to red autumn leaves and decorative berries.
Soft Pumpkin Cookies Recipe. Photo credit: Real Life of Lulu.

These pillowy-soft cookies are what happens when fall shows up in your kitchen and brings snacks. No need for complicated steps—this one’s all about being one of those easy cookie recipes that still feels special.
Get the Recipe: Soft Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

Hershey Kiss Cookie

Peanut butter cookies topped with chocolate kisses are arranged on a cooling rack.
Hershey Kiss Cookie. Photo credit: Savoring The Good.

You only need one good reason to bake these: the chocolate lands right in the center like it was born to be there. As far as easy cookie recipes go, this one hits the mark for quick wins.
Get the Recipe: Hershey Kiss Cookie

Fast and Easy 4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

A plate of three chocolate chip cookies with a soft, slightly crumbly texture. One cookie is partially eaten, revealing its interior.
Fast and Easy 4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

If you can count to four, you can pull this off. This is one of those easy cookie recipes that doesn’t ask questions—just delivers chewy goodness fast.
Get the Recipe: Fast and Easy 4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

Triple Chocolate Dipped Cookies

A row of chocolate cookies partially dipped in white icing, arranged on a rectangular white dish on a wooden slatted surface.
Triple Chocolate Dipped Cookies. Photo credit: Honest And Truly.

More chocolate than sense, these cookies lean all the way in. You’ll get bonus points for style, but the steps stay simple, which is why they land on the list of easy cookie recipes worth keeping.
Get the Recipe: Triple Chocolate Dipped Cookies

Grandma’s Molasses Cookie Recipe

A yellow bowl holds several stacked brown biscuits on a crumpled blue cloth, with a dark jar in the background.
Grandma’s Molasses Cookie Recipe. Photo credit: An Off Grid Life.

Somehow chewy and crispy at the same time, this one walks the line like a pro. It’s an easy cookie recipe that might actually outshine whatever your grandma brought to the bake sale.
Get the Recipe: Grandma’s Molasses Cookie Recipe

Easy Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe

Close-up of a powdered sugar-covered cookie with a crumbly texture, revealing a bite taken out of it.
Easy Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

These cookies come out soft, slightly tangy, and weirdly hard to stop eating. They’re sneaky like that, but also one of the best easy cookie recipes when you want something a little different.
Get the Recipe: Easy Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe

Easy Applesauce Cookies Recipe with White Chocolate Chips

Plates with cookies, apple slices, and white chocolate chips are set on a red and white polka dot cloth, surrounded by cinnamon sticks and woven placemats.
Easy Applesauce Cookies Recipe with White Chocolate Chips. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

These cookies know how to multitask: they’re sweet, chewy, and feel just a bit wholesome thanks to the applesauce. Best part? They land solidly in the easy cookie recipes category with zero stress.
Get the Recipe: Easy Applesauce Cookies Recipe with White Chocolate Chips

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies with Maple Syrup

A stack of cookies with white chocolate chunks and dried cranberries on a dark plate.
White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies with Maple Syrup. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

There’s a lot going on here, but in the best way. It still counts as one of those easy cookie recipes, even with the extra flair—nobody needs to know how little effort it took.
Get the Recipe: White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies with Maple Syrup

Carrot Cake Cookies

Close-up of four pumpkin cookies, two sandwiched with cream filling, on a wooden surface with an anise star beside them. One cookie is split in half, revealing its texture.
Carrot Cake Cookies. Photo credit: An Off Grid Life.

These cookies don’t ask you to commit to a full carrot cake but still give off big cozy energy. They sneak onto the list of easy cookie recipes with their simple prep and oddly addictive results.
Get the Recipe: Carrot Cake Cookies

Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Close-up of several pumpkin cookies stacked, with one cookie partially bitten.
Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

It’s like your regular snickerdoodles went to a fall festival and came back better. These are a fun spin on easy cookie recipes that still require nothing fancy.
Get the Recipe: Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Soft Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Fresh Milled Flour

A batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies cools on a black wire rack.
Soft Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Fresh Milled Flour. Photo credit: A Hint of Homestead.

If you’ve got sourdough discard staring you down, this cookie’s your way out. It’s a surprisingly easy cookie recipe that doesn’t taste like you phoned it in.
Get the Recipe: Soft Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Fresh Milled Flour

Air Fryer Pumpkin Spice S’mores Cookies

Cookies topped with a rectangular piece of chocolate on a parchment-lined surface.
Air Fryer Pumpkin Spice S’mores Cookies. Photo credit: Ginger Casa.

When your air fryer and fall flavors team up, you get cookies that feel way fancier than they are. This is what easy cookie recipes look like when they know how to party.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Pumpkin Spice S’mores Cookies

Chocolate Smores Cookies

Cookies topped with marshmallows, chocolate drizzle, and graham crumbs are arranged on a blue and white striped surface.
Chocolate Smores Cookies. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

These are for the days when you want gooey, chocolatey chaos—and fast. Add it to your go-to list of easy cookie recipes for when your sweet tooth refuses to wait.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Smores Cookies

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies

Two chocolate chip cookies with a golden brown crust on a white plate, placed on a wooden surface.
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies. Photo credit: An Off Grid Life.

Got discard? Cool. This easy cookie recipe gives it a job that ends in gooey chocolate and fewer leftovers in your fridge.
Get the Recipe: Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

Three chocolate oatmeal cookies are stacked on a white plate. They have a rough texture with visible oats and a glossy chocolate coating.
Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies. Photo credit: Little Bit Recipes.

These handle themselves—no oven, no problem. This one’s a strong contender for easiest of the easy cookie recipes when you’re short on time but not on cravings.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

Easy 3-Ingredient Nutella Cookies Recipe

Two chocolate cookies on a metal plate, one with a bite taken out of it.
Easy 3-Ingredient Nutella Cookies Recipe. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

Three ingredients and one bowl stand between you and chocolate-hazelnut cookie bliss. When easy cookie recipes get this simple, there are no excuses left.
Get the Recipe: Easy 3-Ingredient Nutella Cookies Recipe

Lemon Whippersnaps

A plate of lemon crinkle cookies dusted with powdered sugar on a wooden table.
Lemon Whippersnaps. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Bright, snappy, and just sweet enough, these cookies show up ready to impress without making you break a sweat. Definitely one of those easy cookie recipes that earns a permanent spot in the binder.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Whippersnaps

Apple Cider Shortbread Cookies

A plate of round frosted cookies sprinkled with cinnamon.
Apple Cider Shortbread Cookies. Photo credit: Recipes From Leftovers.

These cookies taste like fall decided to bake itself into something buttery and crisp. They sneak into the easy cookie recipes club by being simple but still a little fancy.
Get the Recipe: Apple Cider Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

A white tray with seven poppy seed cookies on a gray wooden surface, next to a yellow-checked napkin and sprigs of lavender.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies. Photo credit: Bake What You Love.

These cookies balance bright lemon and a bit of crunch, all without any drama. Perfect for when you want something low-effort that doesn’t taste like it.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

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