Baking cookies and sharing them with friends and family is a longstanding tradition enjoyed across all ages. Each year we bake up a variety of our favorite cookie and dessert recipes, package them up, and send them off to our loved ones.
Some call it cookie exchanges, cookie boxes, or cookie trays. In the Midwest, we call it cookie plates. That’s because—no big surprise here—we package the sweet treats on plates and wrap them with plenty of cling film. Maybe we’ll even add a bow or ribbon for some extra festive cheer.
Like most things Midwestern, the cookie plate is humble. Packed to the rim with delicious holiday treats, but packaged modestly, the cookie plate is one holiday tradition Midwesterners can’t get enough of.
Get in on the fun this year and put your own plate together. Add one or two of each cookie type—some classic cookies, some Midwest specialties. Grab a pretty plate, fill it up, and give it a good ole wrap. After holiday parties, send your guests home with a plate per household, and you’re sure to be dubbed the holiday cheermeister.
Gooey Butter Cookies
Allrecipes/Julia Hartbeck
Gooey Butter Cake is a classic dessert from St. Louis, and this cookie version is the easiest way to enjoy it this holiday season. Plus it’s made with only six ingredients—including one package of cake mix—so it’s nice and easy too.
“I made it like the recipe called for and these were a hit for my family,” shared one reviewer. “We will definitely be making them again soon—and not just for Christmas!”
Cream Cheese Kolacky
Oana Ennis/Allrecipes
Kolacky are delicious cream cheese pastries with a fruit filling. The dough for these cookies is what makes them exceptional. The most popular fillings are peach, apricot, raspberry, and date but you can use whatever you like. These cookies will be the first go go every time!
“Delish,” raved one Allrecipes member. “It’s the exact recipe that my Mom made every year for Christmas. She’s gone now and that was so special to me! It’s been 8 years now and my adult kids have been bugging me to try and make some, so I am and thank you so much, they brought me back in time with wonderful memories! I forgot how easy and delicious these were!”
Scotcharoos
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
If you haven’t had a Scotcharoo, let me introduce you to your new favorite sweet treat. Beloved throughout the Midwest, Scotcharoos are no-bake dessert bars, similar to Rice Krispie Treats, but filled with caramely butterscotch, nutty peanut butter and creamy milk chocolate, especially in Iowa in bordering states.
“Tastes like my childhood,” said one Allrecipes user. “Made several batches and gave as Christmas goodies for friends. I did switch the corn syrup for a bag of marshmallows just like regular crispy bars. I will be keeping this recipe, husband loves them!”
Mom’s Cheesecake Cookie Bars
This has to be one of my personal favorite cookie plate cookies—nutty, creamy, and tangy. It’s so rich that you can cut quite small portions to spread the joy.
“This was an easy recipe to make,” said one Allrecipes member. “Made it for Christmas and had fantastic reviews! This is a keeper.”
Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
Can’t get more classic than this! Make sure to add the chocolate kisses after the cookie is baked—I’ve made that mistake more than once!
“Oh my goodness….these were the most delicious, decadent, soft, peanut buttery cookies I have ever had,” raved one Allrecipes user. “And the best part, they are super simple to make! So simple, in fact, that my 8 year old made them all by herself. I was going to help, but when I saw all the steps and ingredients needed, I knew she could do them herself. The only thing we did differently was to add caramel filled kisses to the top. I would highly recommend this. It added a new texture and flavor to the whole thing that really enhanced it.”
Christmas Wreath Cookies
Victoria Jempty/Allrecipes
These no-bake desserts are always the first to go on Christmas—and they can’t be easier to make. Soft, chewy, and festive, Christmas Wreath Cookies are a cookie plate must-have.
“My Gram used to make these every year and I have continued to make them every year since she has passed,” shared Allrecipes member Scott C. “Everyone loves these, not just kids! They taste great and obviously look great at Christmas gatherings. It’s not Christmas without these! Tip: have a small bowl of water to dip fingers in while dropping cookies on wax paper, so your fingers aren’t as sticky.”
Linzer Cookies
Joan
Linzer cookies are buttery cut-out cookies with a raspberry jam center. They require a bit of extra effort to make and assemble, but the delight of family and friends when serving these delicious cookies makes them all worthwhile. They look beautiful on a Christmas cookie plate!
“This was delicious,” said one reviewer. “Excellent reviews when I took them to a work cookie day. We used vanilla extract. We tripled the cinnamon, we are big fans of cinnamon. I used Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves.”
Pfeffernüsse
Karim Mhamadi
” think this is the best Christmas cookie of all time,” says Chef John, who shared this recipe on the website. “They’re soft and chewy with a thin, crisp icing and the perfect combination of warming winter spices. Pack up a tin and share these delicious cookies with family and friends!”
Snowball Cookies
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Also called Russian Tea Cookies (and a few other names) these festive treats make a delicious addition to the Midwestern cookie plate. According to the Loyola University New Orleans Department of History, “Russian Tea Cookies are popular all around the US now, but were originally only focused in the Midwest, where many Eastern Europeans immigrated to during WWI to escape the violence, working newly created mining jobs in Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
Allrecipes/Kim Shupe
Nearly 3,500 home cooks agree—this recipe is a keeper! “This is my go to recipe every Christmas and my husband loves them,” said an Allrecipes user. “He specifically asks me when am I going to make peanut butter cookies.”
Perfect Thumbprint Cookies
Allrecipes/Qi Ai
“I came across the recipe several years ago and since then it’s been one of my annual Christmas cookies,” shared one reviewer. “They are so easy to make and taste delicious. My family and friends love them.”
Church Window Cookies
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Church window cookies are super easy and fun to make with melted chocolate, colored mini marshmallows, and sweetened flaked coconut for a classic Christmas no-bake cookie that looks beautiful and tastes delicious!
“I have this recipe in my great great grandmother hand writing,” said one reviewer. “Super easy and super messy. They get gobbled up quickly.”
Spritz Cookies
These six-ingredient cookies are a Midwestern classic, thanks to the large German immigrant populations in states like Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas.
“I make these every Christmas as a break from all my harder German recipes,” said one Allrecipes member.
Kringla
Several pockets of the Midwest have large groups of Scandinavian descendants, and this holiday cookie is a hand-me-down from their ancestors. Kringlas are described as “fluffy” and “melt-in-your-mouth.”
“I just made these cookies tonight, and they tasted very good,” said one reviewer. “I wasn’t expecting them to rise so much so I had a batch of monster cookies, though no real complain here. Very fluffy and light. Not too sweet, easy to eat.”
Potato Chip Cookies
Chef John
Popular in the northern Midwest, especially Minnesota, these cookies are likely tied to the Old Dutch Potato Chip brand. Chef John, who shared this recipe, says the chips are “the most delicious and texturally fascinating chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever bake. They don’t taste like potatoes, in case you were concerned about that. The potato chips add flavor that pairs perfectly with the dark chocolate, and add a gorgeous color to the cookie—but it’s the texture that makes them truly irresistible.”