Kicking off the World Cup with these sweet earth soccer cookies that are perfect no matter who you are cheering for – we are all on this planet together!

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Today marks the first day of the 2026 World Cup and to celebrate the occasion I whipped up these soccer ball cookies last night after seeing the Pillsbury soccer balls cookie dough at the grocery store. Nothing like a last minute recipe to keep the blog alive. But sometimes spontaneity is necessary for my creative baking juices to flow. Although in this case spontaneity also paired with a desire to be quick and easy as this bake was not part of my regularly schedule program last night.

Originally I thought I would make a chocolate chip cookie cake topped with the soccer cookies but then I remembered I basically already did that with my skillet football cookie cake. Further brainstorming brought me to cupcakes topped with green frosting piped to resemble grass but I had zero desire to process two separate bakes, let alone to make frosting and deal with a piping bag. So I decided to make a World Cup version of my double decker cookies.

I had hoped the patriotic Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix would be available in stores since Memorial Day just past and July 4th is on the horizon but alas it was not. Halloween decor has been spotted but not patriotic Funfetti? Maybe they aren’t coming out with it this year? Either way I decided it was for the best because even with the sprinkles, Funfetti cake mix cookies would have been too similar in color to the soccer cookies on top. I wanted a pop of color and a pop is what we got!

Dyed to resemble our sweet Earth (round) instead of just one country to honor all of the humans living on this planet together – which also means they are perfect no matter which team you are supporting. I considered using matcha and blueberry pea flower to dye them instead but again I wanted something easy. Maybe you will appreciate that as well when you go to make these for yourself!

Side note: If you are unable to find these premade soccer cookie dough balls, I did find a video that shows a neat way to make your own soccer cookies. I might make my own version of it and if so I will update this with a new link!

Looking for ideas for a USMNT watch party that are more patriotic/red+white+blue themed? Feel free to dye these red and blue instead. My USA soccer ball cake is also super fun but does take a bit more skill as it has a surprise inside. To take advantage of all those seasonal summer berries you could made red white and berry shortcakes or hand pies.

Alternatively, if you are already sweltering in the heat this week and don’t want to turn on your oven, some great no-bake options are a patriotic dessert lasagna or patriotic rice krispie treats. And I even have a recipe for a red white and blue sangria!

WORLS CUP SOCCER COOKIES

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Yield: 20 cookies Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 box (15.25 oz.) white cake mix
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder*
• 2 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• Green and Blue food coloring
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 (9.2 oz.) package of Pillsbury soccer ball shaped cookie dough

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, lightly mix together the cake mix, cocoa powder, eggs, and vegetable oil. Divide evenly into two bowls, add a few drops of green food coloring to one and blue food coloring to the other. Blend dough until thoroughly mixed and no dry pockets remain.
3. In a small bowl, place the granulated sugar; set aside.
4. Portion the dough into 3/4-inch balls (I used a small cookie scoop, size 60) then combine one of each color into one medium-sized dough ball.
5. Roll dough balls in sugar, shaking of excess, and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick. Place a soccer ball cookie dough ball on the top of each.
6. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until just barely golden on the edges. Let cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

*This helps the food coloring be richer/darker rather but it is optional.

Source: Adapted from my Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies and Holiday Double Decker Cookies.

Don’t be fooled, these deviled egg cookies might look like your standard party eggs on the appetizer table but they are meant for the dessert table!

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My original plan was to share these deviled egg cookies on April Fools’ Day because I legit fooled people into thinking they were deviled eggs, but alas I lost track of time and missed it by 2 days. Over the years I’ve not been the best at catching this holiday but I have shared plenty of silly-fun food recipes of the years.

For example: my recent carrot cake crepes, new ways of thinking of deviled eggs in the form of deviled potatoes and deviled strawberries, disaster turned fun holy crap cookies, rice krispie sushi for a nephew’s birthday, buckeye AND chocolate deviled eggs, and my every growing collection of Halloween and Cheetos recipes.

Some might say I have a thing for deviled eggs and deviled egg-like food. Some might be right, because obviously today is yet another silly deviled egg creation. This time instead of testing peoples limits by making a dessert filling for a real hard boiled egg white (it’s not that weird I promise, the egg white is just a mostly bland vehicle anyway) I went for something less scary for those that are not as adventurous – sugar cookies.

I baked these deviled egg cookies in an egg-shaped silicone baking mold a friend gifted to me for the sole purpose of making these (thanks Beth!). We had seen others online baking similar things but I had an idea – what if I dipped the tops in white chocolate to make them look like true egg whites? Sure enough if you dip them in white chocolate and lay them face down on wax paper, once they set and you peel them off they really do look like little egg white cavities ready to be filled with deviled egg filing. All that remained was a little lemon curd frosting for the filling and red sanding sugar for “paprika” to lock it in.

I do have to admit I was a little distressed that the white chocolate coated eggs weren’t perfectly shaped despite my best efforts to remedy the fact that the cookies obviously weren’t perfectly flat. However several people said they are more realistic to the struggles of peeling eggs to make deviled eggs which was hilariously accurate.

So instead of trying to make these again but *prettier* I decided to just go for it and share them in all their imperfect glory. The internet needs a little more reality even if it’s just in the chocolate coating of a cookie to make it look like a deviled egg. Even if deviled egg cookies are a bit of a distortion of reality – whoops!

DEVILED EGG COOKIES

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Yield: Approximately 20 Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

SUGAR COOKIE

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

TOPPING

• 6 oz. white chocolate candy coating
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp lemon curd
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• Yellow and red food coloring
• Red sanding sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat three 8-cavity egg-shaped silicone baking molds with nonstick spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in the egg and vanilla just until incorporated.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture 1/3 at a time until incorporated.
4. Place a 1-1/2 tablespoon ball of dough into each cavity (I used a medium cookie scoop). Place silicone trays on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until the tops are slightly golden.
5. Remove from oven and immediately press an small indentation (where the egg yolk would have been if it were an egg) using the back of a measuring spoon. Allow to cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. While the cookies cool, prepare the white chocolate. Line a flat tray with wax paper; set aside.
7. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler (or metal/glass bowl over a pot of lightly simmering water). Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.
8. Dip the top (flat side with indent) of the egg cookies into melted chocolate letting excess drip off. Place on wax paper, chocolate side down. Repeat with remaining cookies then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. 
9. While the chocolate sets, prepare the frosting. In a small bowl, beat together the butter, lemon curd, and powdered sugar until creamy. Add a couple drops of yellow food coloring and the smallest drop possible of red, mixing into the frosting to create a rich yellow color. Add a little milk or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency, but should remind you of deviled egg filling.
10. Spoon or pipe into the indentations of the cooled, white chocolate topped egg cookies. Sprinkle to red sanding sugar to resemble paprika. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Source: Adapted from my Sugar Cookie Spoons.

Nutty pistachio and tangy lemon pair exceptionally well in these soft and pillowy pistachio lemon ricotta cookies, topped with a lemon glaze and even more pistachios.

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On the second day of Spring Sweets Week I gave to you, a batch of pistachio lemon ricotta cookies. They may not be as colorful as the blood orange ricotta cookies recipe from which they were derived, but they certainly pack as much flavor.

The earthy nuttiness of the pistachios pairs just as well with the zesty freshness of lemon as it does with lime (as seen in key lime pistachio cheesecake and lemon-lime pistachio bars). And in case you were unsure what flavor you are dealing with, the yellow lemon glaze on top sprinkled with chopped pistachios should help.

Normally I am not a soft/pillowy cookie fan but these pistachio lemon ricotta cookies have just the right about of chewiness that I am on board. Of course that meant that I had to chop up the pistachios more finely so as to not have large crunchy spots in these otherwise soft textured cookies.

Don’t get me wrong, I love nuts in cookies but my husband often seems off-put by surprise nuts inside so that’s why I chopped them up smaller. Granted I then saved the larger pieces for topping but at least you can see those coming. My logic is flawless, don’t come at me.

• Strawberry Swirl Banana Bread by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Sushki by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Baked Carrot Cake Donuts by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Sourdough Cardamom Buns by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Carrot Halwa by Magical Ingredients
• Lavender Creme Brulee by Art of Natural Living
• Chocolate Raspberry Marble Pound Cake by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Easy Lemon Curd by Rave About Food

PISTACHIO LEMON RICOTTA COOKIES

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Yield: 4 dozen Prep Time: 40 MInutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

COOKIES

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pistachios
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest (from ~5 lemons)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

GLAZE

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ~1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from ~5 lemons)
• Yellow food coloring, if desired
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, ricotta cheese, pistachios, zest, and vanilla and mix just until combined.
4. Add half the flour mixture and mix until combined. Repeat with the second half until a soft dough forms. Use a medium cookie scoop to roll into golf ball sized  balls and place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the pans before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, then start to add the lemon juice a little at a time until you reach desired consistency (I prefer mine a bit less firm). Add a few drops of lemon food coloring, if desired, and mix until blended.
7. Spread glaze over the cooled cookies (or dip tops into the glaze) and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Let set until firm.

Source: Adapted from my Blood Orange Ricotta Cookies.

Don’t let the racks in the powdered sugar fool you, these basil lime gooey butter cookies are as chewy as they are flavorful.

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Second to Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays for which to cook and bake. I feel like they both lend themselves to so much creativity and are often overshadowed by all the festive and/or traditional creations for the bigger holidays. Most people don’t have set things that they make for Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day so I can usually get away with more than I could otherwise.

These basil lime gooey butter cookies might not be the most festive thing I’ve ever made in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day but they are green and that’s the most important part, right? They are based on my lemon gooey butter cookies but with some basil added in for a little something special. Also since I didn’t have lime extract, I added more lime zest and used lime juice instead. The result may be a more subtle flavor than with the lemon version but they are still quite delicious.

These basil lime gooey butter cookies are slightly bigger than normal as well as I was just feeling a slightly larger cookie, but I left directions in the notes if you want to stick to the classic little guys. I did use a small amount of green food coloring as well – just enough to give them a slight green hue. If you are not a fan of food coloring, even the more “natural” food coloring, then feel free to leave it out. Just be prepared for them to not be very green so don’t say I didn’t warn you :-P.

BASIL LIME GOOEY BUTTER COOKIES

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Yield: Approximately 3 dozen Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 MInutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• Zest from 2 limes (about 4 tsp)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced basil
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• Green food coloring, optional
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed (or handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in sugar, zest, juice, and basil until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk (and a few drops of green food coloring if using) and beat until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, arrange oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
5. Roll dough into 1.5-inch balls (I used a medium cookie scoop*), flatten slightly, roll in powdered sugar to coat, shake off excess, and place on prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are puffed and crackly. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Once completely cooled, transfer cookies to an airtight container.

Notes

*In the past I have used a small cookie scoop, baking 10 minutes, with a yield over 4 dozen

Source: Adapted from my Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies.

Make hearts literally melt with these chewy chocolate blossom cookies coated in festive sprinkles and topped with Reese’s mini hearts peanut butter cups.

This content contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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After successfully finding the Reese’s mini trees shaped unwrapped peanut butter cups for the holidays, I failed to ever make a fun recipe utilizing them. So when the Reese’s mini hearts hit the shelves I made sure to grab them and whip something up in time for Valentine’s Day.

While a peanut butter blossom cookie would have been a classic option, I have done something similar with the full-sized Reese’s hearts on peanut butter cookie bars in the past. With Valentine’s coming up I figured chocolate blossom cookies were in order.

February is also Chocolate Lovers Month so it seemed fitting to make a chocolate version of a classic blossom cookie even if I technically do not consider myself to fall into the category of a “chocolate lover”. The addition of peanut butter is what gets me through life as made evident by my many peanut butter cup creations.

I also ended up rolling these chocolate blossom cookies in three different types of sprinkles and everyone who tried them had their own preferences between them as some sprinkles were a bit crunchier than others. Yes that means they tried all three. It was like the Golidlocks of sprinkles.

Do I have to roll the chocolate blossom cookies in colorful sprinkles or sugar?

Not at all! While myself and many who tried them loved the texture of the sprinkles in contrast to the chewy cookie, that may not be you. Regular granulated would work as well for slightly less texture but if you prefer these cookies to be as soft as can be you can skip it altogether. They will spread a tad more – just fair warning.

REESE'S MINI HEARTS CHOCOLATE BLOSSOM COOKIES

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Yield: 4 dozen Prep Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 8 Minutes 8 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2-1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup festive sprinkles, or coarse sugar
• 1 (7.6 oz.) bag Reese's mini hearts unwrapped peanut butter cups

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a stand mixer or large bowl with electric hand mixer, blend together the butter and cream cheese until incorporated. Add sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla, beating until incorporated. Slowly add the dry flour mixture and mix until combined.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (I used a medium cookie scoop). Roll in sprinkles to coat and place on a wax paper-lined tray. Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for one hour or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
5. Place cookie dough balls on prepared cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes.
6. Immediately after removing from oven, lightly press a Reese's mini heart-shaped candy into the center of each cookie.
7. Let cool slightly before transferring to wire rack to cool completely (2-3 hours)*. Once the chocolate is set, enjoy or store in an air-tight container.

Notes

*Place in the refrigerator to speed up the process of the chocolate resolidifying.

Source: Adapted from my Double Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.

Two holiday favorites combine into one with these snickerdoodle kiss topped ginger molasses blossoms. A welcome addition to your holiday cookie exchange.

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What better time to drop a new cookie recipe than on National Cookie Exchange Day! Do you have a go-to recipe that you bring? It should come as no surprise that I do not as I have too many I love and even more that I want to experiment with. Enter these ginger molasses blossoms topped with a snickerdoodle Hershey’s kiss.

When I found the new snickerdoodle kisses in the holiday section of the grocery store I bought them without any plan – I just knew they needed to be in my cart. I didn’t want to make the obvious, which were snickerdoodle cookies made into blossoms, but I struggled to think of what other flavor to make. And then I remembered how much I adore ginger molasses cookies and I was sold before I even tasted them.

These chewy ginger molasses blossoms are rolled in turbinado sugar to give them a contrasting texture on the outside in addition to the sweet spiced snickerdoodle kiss on top. Maybe serve them with some homemade hot cocoa to really get into the holiday spirit.

If you are stumbling upon this post later on and cannot find the coveted snickerdoodle kisses, they may not live up to the name of these but any white chocolate kiss will do. Heck even a regular chocolate one would work if that’s your flavor preference.

SNICKERDOODLE GINGER MOLASSES BLOSSOMS

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Yield: Approximately 30 cookies Prep Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1-1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Turbinado sugar, for rolling
• ~30 Hershey's snickerdoodle kisses, unwrapped

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, spices, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the butter and sugars together on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the yolk and beat until incorporated, then add the molasses and vanilla, beating until smooth.
3. Add the dry ingredients and on low speed, mix the dough until the flour is just incorporated.
4. Spoon some turbinado sugar into a wide shallow bowl.
5. Shape dough into walnut-sized balls (I used my medium cookie scoop to ensure they were all the same size) and roll in the sugar. Place on a tray, cover, and chill dough in refrigerator for one hour or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
7. Place balls of dough on prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between each ball of dough.
8. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes - should be lightly set around the edges and softer in the center. Transfer the sheets to racks and immediately press a kiss int he center of each. Let the cookies rest for 15 minutes before removing from pan and placing them on racks to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from my Chewy Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies and Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blossoms.

The holidays are not about picking and choosing. Have it all with these Oreo-stuffed, sugar cookie topped, Christmas cookie brownies.

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Evidently, putting pre-sliced holiday sugar cookies on top of a brownie is so last year. After making these Christmas cookie brownies I discovered it has been a TikTok craze that I missed because I deleted the app months ago after even more months of neglect (I’m just not a video consumer).

However, that version baked the holiday cookie on the bottom of the brownie for a little surprise while I put it on top so it’s cute design could shine.

How did I get the inspiration to make these if not from TikTok then? As if creativity could not possibly exist with out it… but actually I made double decker holiday cookies with a sugar cookie baked on top of a chocolate chip cookie 3 years ago. It was a very easy transition to do the same for brownies.

But what makes these a little different than their cookie cousin is that they are three things in one with a festive Oreo baked into the bottom of the brownie as well. Again, the TikTok version also had an Oreo but it was baked into the middle. Personally, I like my Christmas cookie brownies better :-P.

• Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Penguin Nutter Butter Cookies by Blogghetti
• Holiday Sugar Cookie Cups by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Pistachio Cranberry Macaron by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Double Chocolate Orange Buckwheat Cookies (redo) by Magical Ingredients
• Gluten Free Molasses Cookies by Art of Natural Living
• Chocolate Cherry Bubbles by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Buttery Oatmeal Raisin Molasses Spice Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Browned Butter Chocolate Chunk Candy Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

CHRISTMAS COOKIE BROWNIES

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Yield: 2 Dozen Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cooking Time: 22 Minutes 22 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix, and ingredients indicated on box
• 24 festive red creme Oreos
• 24 festive sugar cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cupcake pan; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, blend together the brownie batter ingredients as indicated on the box.
3. Place Oreos in the bottom of each cupcake cavity, fill 2/3 with brownie batter, and bake for 10 minutes.
4. After 10 minutes, quickly but carefully top each with a sugar cookie slice and bake for another 12 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely. 

Source: The Spiffy Cookie Original.

Tahini dark chocolate chip cookies are a slightly elevated version of the classic. Topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a little flaky sea salt they are a touch savory but still mostly sweet.

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Welcome to day one of #ChristmasCookiesWeek 2025! The best part? Today is also day 1 of my trip to Europe, floating down the Danube visiting several Christmas Markets. I don’t think I could have planned this better myself.

While my first cookie of the week may not scream festive, they are certainly dressed up from your traditional chocolate chip cookies. Not to be confused with my tahini cookies – with the addition of rich tahini, bittersweet dark chocolate, and flaky sea salt, these tahini dark chocolate chip cookies will definitely be welcome amongst all the other festive cookies on your holiday tray this year. How do I know? Because I went to a cookie exchange recently and I added these to the mix.

Similar to the disappearance of my tahini brownies, I was quite sad to see these tahini dark chocolate chip cookies run out in the cookie jar. The good thing about them not being blatantly festive though is that I could make these any time of year! So if you are not convinced to make them now, make sure you shave these for later.

Meanwhile, I’m excited for all the other sweets that my fellow bloggers are sharing today (linked below) and for all the festive Christmas Market treats I am about to try for the next week! Sadly I don’t think I will encounter any more tahini dark chocolate chip cookies but I am sure there will be plenty more things to enjoy where I am headed.

• Soft & Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Nut Brittle Cookies by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gingerbread Biscotti by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Cappuccino Swirl Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Nutter Butter Snowman Cookies by Blogghetti
• Pumpkin Pie Thumbprint Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• White Mocha Cookies by Magical Ingredients
• Peppermint Shortbread by Art of Natural Living
• White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

TAHINI DARK CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

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Yield: 2 Dozen Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/24cup creamy tahini
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg + 1 yolk, room temperature
• 12 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
• Flaky sea salt and/or sesame seeds

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, tahini, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended (1-2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients in three batches until just blended. Fold in the chocolate by hand.
3. Roll 1/4 cup of dough into balls and place on a plate or tray, sprinkle with sea salt and/or sesame seeds (if using), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight for best results).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper); set aside.
5. Place cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are barely golden (will look underbaked). Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted from my Buckeye Stuffed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Chewy peanut butter cookies with Nutella swirled in is an easy and fun way to change up an otherwise classic cookie.

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Not thriving over here but somehow still making my weekly #PBchocSat posts in honor of another Ohio State Buckeyes game! Today it’s against Purdue at the odd time of 1pm – which is my dad’s alma mater.

When talking to my dad yesterday he was not looking forward to the beating that he suspects will occur but Purdue has been a wild card in the past, so you can’t ever discount a team completely. On the flip side, he was born in Ohio so he likes to say when it comes to this game, he can’t lose.

Another thing that can’t lose are these peanut butter cookies with Nutella swirl. Inspired by their cousin fluffernutter cookies, I replaced the marshmallow fluff swirl with chocolate hazelnut spread. Truly one simple substitution results in an entirely different cookie experience but with the same chewy peanut butter cookie base.

These peanut butter cookies with Nutella swirl are not to be confused with my Nutella peanut butter thumbprint cookies which also have a peanut butter cookie base (although a slightly different recipe) but instead of the Nutella baking into the cookies it is dolloped on top for the thumbprint effect.

Could I have added a sprinkle of seas salt on top of these? Absolutely and feel free if you are so inclined. However I recently learned, while subjecting people in my life to blinded chocolate chip cookies tastings of slight variations of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, that the general masses don’t seem to like browned butter or extra salt. But the Taylor & Colledge vanilla extract was a must.

Either way, I am having a hard time not inhaling these cookies in this household of only two people on a weekend without coworkers around to help make them disappear. Here’s hoping emotional eating will not be required today.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES WITH NUTELLA SWIRL

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Yield: 2 Dozen Prep Time: 50 Minutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp Taylor & Colledge vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to cream together the butter, peanut butter and sugars until fluffy – about 2 minutes.
3. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until combined.
4. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold Nutella into the dough, being careful to mix just enough to still see streaks.
5. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are just starting to brown and centers are set. Let cool on sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from my Peanut Butter Marshmallow Fluff Cookies.

A Buckeye football skillet cookie starts with a peanut butter cup cookie base, topped with football sugar cookies, and is finished with ice cream and sprinkles.

Jump to recipe

Welcome to week 3 of #PBchocSat for the 2025 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Season. After the cupcake of all cupcake games last weekend against Grambling State (70-0) we have another game as a significant favorite over Ohio University – not to be confused with The Ohio State University (this is why THE is a thing).

Somehow it was decided that this game was worthy of a primetime 7:30pm feature but then again it seems like all the actual big games are now at noon. I blame Fox Sports starting “Big Noon Games” back in 2019. The only reason I tolerate it at this point is that I’ve been told the players prefer to play earlier in the day. And it’s safer bike in the daylight wince that’s how I get to and from the games. But I digress.

When I saw the pre-sliced football-shaped Pillsbury sugar cookies at the grocery store I immediately chucked them into my cart. I had no idea what I would ultimately create with them, but I knew I wouldn’t just succumb to baking them as is and letting them be. As if I could ever do that :-P.

In the end I succumbed to a video I saw on Instagram where they were baked on top of a chocolate chip skillet cookie, but of course I didn’t stop there. It’s a homemade peanut butter cup cookie cake base, topped with the football sugar cookies, then finished with scoops of ice cream (peanut butter cup in my case) and scarlet and gray sprinkles. Like my double decker chocolate chip cookies but in a skillet.

Do you need to make your own cookie dough for this buckeye football skillet cookie? No, you could absolutely use a tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough. It’s getting topped with refrigerated sugar cookie dough so no judgement. However, since it’s #PBchocSat I needed some peanut butter mixed in there. In fact I put peanut butter in the dough as well as some chopped up mini peanut butter cups.

Granted, I realized while typing this that we live in a new age where they sell all kinds of flavors of cookie dough, and I’m fairly certain peanut butter chocolate chip is an option. Whatever, homemade is better and I don’t have the patience to make my own football sugar cookies so it’s half and half haha.

BUCKEYE FOOTBALL SKILLET COOKIE

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Yield: 12 Servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped mini peanut butter cups
• 1 (7.2 oz) package of refrigerated Pillsbury football-shaped sugar cookie dough
• Ice cream and sprinkles, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet (10-inch springform pan). 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture until combined. Stir in chopped peanut butter cups. Dough will be thick and sticky.
4. Spread the cookie dough out evenly into the pan. Top with football-shaped sugar cookies. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before topping with ice cream and sprinkles to enjoy warm.

Source: Adapted from my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Cake, inspired by Life and Sprinkles.