32 Cookies to Make When Your Pantry Is Bare

From the Recipe Creator: To keep my holiday cooking quick, I've come to rely on fast recipes like this one. The crunchy-chewy tidbits are our youngster's favorite.

From the Recipe Creator: I live in Missouri, but many of our family recipes come from New Zealand, where I lived as a youngster. I proudly claim a Down Under heritage! These special-occasion cookies bring back warm and sweet memories of my childhood, and I'm going to make sure they're passed on to the next generation in my family—no matter where they live. —A. Swenson, Camdenton, Missouri

From the Recipe Creator: So much rich, chocolaty flavor, so little time! My trufflelike cookies are deceptively easy to make and look so elegant on a party tray. —Betsy King, Duluth, Minnesota

From the Recipe Creator: My family loves Hostess Zingers, especially the raspberry flavor coated with coconut, inspiring this treat to make for school bake sales. We can make about four dozen in 30 minutes, and they sell out fast! —Pam Clark, Wheaton, Illinois

From the Recipe Creator: Get ready to pour yourself a cup of tea, because you won’t be able to resist sampling one of these cookies. Almonds add taste and texture to the simple strips that are dressed up with raspberry pie filling. &mdash;<i>Taste of Home</i>Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: It is amazing how much flavor is in these simple 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies without brown sugar. I make them very often because I always have the ingredients on hand. —Maggie Schimmel, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Folks always ask me to make these tender nutty logs. Not overly sweet, they're just right with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. &mdash;Joyce Beck, Gadsden, Alabama

From the Recipe Creator: These chewy cookies are my husband's favorite, so he requests them often. I like to make the macaroons on cold winter days and keep them in an airtight bowl on the kitchen counter. They never last long! —Peggy Key, Grant, Alabama

From the Recipe Creator: As part of a Mexican tradition, I tucked these sugar-dusted Mexican wedding cookies into small gift boxes for the guests at my sister's wedding. Most folks said the cookies never made it home! We bake them around the holidays too. —Sarita Johnston, San Antonio, Texas

From the Recipe Creator: These are so tasty and simple to prepare! Each delightful little cookie is loaded with cranberries, nuts and vanilla, giving them the taste of a treat that’s been slaved over. —Louise Hawkins, Lubbock, Texas

From the Recipe Creator: These rounds filled with fruit preserves were blue-ribbon winners at the county fair two years running. A family favorite, they never last beyond December 25! &mdash;Pamela Esposito, Smithville, New Jersey

From the Recipe Creator: "My husband loves these cookies," says Elaine Anderson of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. "They have an old-fashioned flavor that goes well with a cup of tea. Plus they're simple to put together."

From the Recipe Creator: This recipe has been in my files for a long time...probably from when I first learned to bake. Any chocolate lover will like these melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I make them year-round with variations. They're even richer with a thin coat of icing or as a sandwich cookie with frosting in the middle. —Sarah Bueckert, Austin, Manitoba

From the Recipe Creator: I wanted to impress my husband's family with something you'd expect to find in a European bakery, and these chocolaty treats are what I came up with. The flaky pastry melts in your mouth. —Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon

From the Recipe Creator: With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire

From the Recipe Creator: I've been making these quick and easy cookies for over 20 years. They're the first to go at our annual church bake sale.—Paula Marchesi, Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania

From the Recipe Creator: These classic almond paste cookies are like ones you'd find in an Italian bakery. My husband and children are always excited when I include these goodies in my holiday baking lineup. &mdash;Kathy Long, Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: It takes just two ingredients to make these impressive but easy-to-do French pastries, which are often called palm leaves. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: These chocolate chips and brownie mix cookies pack a rich chocolate taste while remaining simple to make. Rolling the dough in powdered sugar gives them their inviting crackled appearance. —Ellen Govertsen, Wheaton, Illinois

From the Recipe Creator: These whipped shortbread cookies melt in your mouth. Mostly I make them for the holidays, but I'll also prepare them year-round for wedding showers and afternoon teas. —Jane Ficiur, Bow Island, Alberta

From the Recipe Creator: You’ll love to give tins of these chocolate-coated cookies to your lucky friends. The shortcut holiday recipe is almost too simple to believe! Here's how to make peanut butter cookies without eggs. —Jackie Howell, Gordo, Alabama

From the Recipe Creator: No one will guess these sweet treats with the candy bar center start with store-bought dough. Roll them in colored sugar or just dip the tops for even faster assembly. Instead of using miniature candy bars for the centers, you can also slice regular-size Snickers candy bars into 1-inch pieces. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: You can add many different flavors to butter cookies to make them your own. Try an alternate type of citrus zest, or add an alternate liquid to change things up. —Sara Lark, Raton, New Mexico

From the Recipe Creator: Though you wouldn't know by looking, you'll find a sweet surprise inside these cookies. My mother got this Snickers cookie recipe from a fellow teacher at her school. It's a terrific way to dress up refrigerated cookie dough. —Kari Pease, Conconully, Washington

From the Recipe Creator: When my mother (who's now a great-grandmother) gave me this recipe for no-flour peanut butter cookies about 15 years ago, I was skeptical, because it calls for only three ingredients (and no flour). But since then I've never had a failure, and I make them all the time! —Maggie Schimmel, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: This specialty cookie takes a little extra effort, but the delectable results are well-worth it. I bake the tender jam-filled hearts when I need something fancy to serve for Valentine's Day or other special occasions. —Jane Pearcy, Verona, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: You’ll need just four ingredients to make these delightful lemon snowflake cookies. Confectioners’ sugar highlights the cracked tops to give them their snowflake appearance. —Linda Barry, Dianna, Texas

From the Recipe Creator: There's no easier way to get that s'mores goodness in your kitchen. Mix these cookies together and chill till you're ready to share. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: My mother, who is of Scottish heritage, passed this shortbread recipe, along with other favorite recipes, on to me. When I entered this treat at our local fair, it won a red ribbon. —Rose Mabee, Selkirk, Manitoba

From the Recipe Creator: Here's proof that peanut butter and chocolate just belong together. These peanut butter blossom cookies are an easy family favorite and never fails to make my children smile. —Tammie Merrill, Wake Forest, North Carolina

From the Recipe Creator: These tempting fudgy cookies need only five ingredients—what could be easier? The melt-in-your-mouth goodies go over big with kids and make a fantastic pick-me-up for adults. &mdash;Elaine Stephens, Carmel, Indiana

From the Recipe Creator: Mom and I took up cake decorating. Funfetti was our favorite cake, so we used the mix to make cutout cookies. Plain or decorated, they’re a fave at parties. —Danielle DeMarco, Basking Ridge, New Jersey