12 Celebrity Cookie Recipes for Your Holiday Tray, Starting With the Chai Cookies Taylor Swift Shared 12 Years Ago

These celebrity cookie recipes prove that stars bake for the holidays just like the rest of us, and some of their recipes have been passed around by fans for years. It started for many bakers in September 2014, when Taylor Swift posted a photo of chai sugar cookies with cinnamon eggnog icing and called them Christmas in September. Fans begged for the method and she shared it. Since then we have collected cookies from singers, actors, TV cooks and even a former first lady, each one checked against a cookbook, a TV segment or the star’s own post. You will find Mariah Carey’s cutout sugar cookies, the chocolate chip cookies Donna Kelce handed out at the Super Bowl, Reese Witherspoon’s cowboy cookies, Alton Brown’s famous chewy cookie and more. Pick a few and build a holiday cookie tray with a story behind every bite..

Celebrity Cookie Recipes Start Here: Taylor Swift’s Chai Sugar Cookies

Of all the celebrity cookie recipes fans still talk about, this is the one that started a tradition. Taylor Swift took a vanilla sugar cookie from the blog Joy the Baker, stirred in the spiced leaves from a chai tea bag and topped the cookies with a cinnamon eggnog glaze. She served them at her 1989 Secret Sessions fan parties in 2014. Taste of Home tested Taylor Swift’s chai cookies and the soft, warm spiced result is why bakers keep coming back every fall..

You will need: 1/2 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sugar plus extra for rolling, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 chai tea bag, 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt. Glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg, 2 tbsp eggnog or milk.

How to make it: 1. Cream the butter, then beat in the oil, both sugars, egg and vanilla. 2. Open the tea bag and stir in the leaves. 3. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt and chill the soft dough 1 hour. 4. Roll tablespoon balls in sugar, flatten slightly and bake at 350F for 8 to 12 minutes. 5. Cool, whisk the glaze and spoon it over.

Mariah Carey’s Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies

Nobody owns the holidays quite like Mariah Carey, so of course she has a Christmas cookie. She shared her sugar cookie recipe online back in 2010, and it is a simple, reliable rolled dough with a little lemon zest and a splash of milk that keeps the cookies tender. Roll it thin, cut out stars, trees and snowflakes, and decorate with white icing and red and green sprinkles. These hold their shape in the oven, which makes them one of the best celebrity cookie recipes for a decorating night with the kids.

You will need: 1 cup softened unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 large egg, 2 3/4 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, white icing, red and green sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then add milk, zest, vanilla and egg. 2. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. 3. Chill 30 minutes. 4. Roll 1/8 inch thick on a floured counter and cut shapes. 5. Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. 6. Cool and decorate.

Donna Kelce’s Super Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies

Donna Kelce became famous as the mom of NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce, and Travis later made even bigger headlines with his 2025 engagement to Taylor Swift. Before Super Bowl LVII she handed both sons homemade cookies and then shared her method on NBC, calling it just a basic chocolate chip recipe. Her secrets are equal parts cake flour and regular flour, melted butter, brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, a mix of white and milk chocolate chips and an overnight rest in the fridge. Among celebrity cookie recipes, this one has real game day fame. This version is inspired by her description.

You will need: 1 cup cake flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 cup butter melted, 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar, 1 egg plus 1 yolk, 2 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, 3/4 cup white chocolate chips.

How to make it: 1. Whisk both flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 2. Stir melted butter and brown sugar together, then beat in egg, yolk and vanilla. 3. Mix in the dry ingredients and both chips. 4. Cover and chill overnight. 5. Scoop onto lined sheets and bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Celebrity Cookie Recipes From a Cookbook: Reese Witherspoon’s Cowboy Cookies

Reese Witherspoon grew up in Tennessee and filled her 2018 book Whiskey in a Teacup with the Southern recipes she loves, and her cowboy cookies are the ones fans make for holiday swaps. The dough is loaded with oats, crispy rice cereal, coconut, pecans and chocolate chips, so every bite is crunchy, chewy and chocolaty at once. Her best trick is freezing the scooped dough for 15 minutes before baking, which keeps these big cookies thick instead of spreading flat. One batch makes about three dozen.

You will need: 3 cups flour, 1 tbsp each baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups softened butter, 3 eggs, 2 cups oats, 2 cups crispy rice cereal, 2 cups shredded coconut, 1 1/2 cups pecans, 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.

How to make it: 1. Sift flour, leaveners, cinnamon and salt. 2. Cream sugars, vanilla and butter until fluffy. 3. Beat in eggs one at a time, then the dry mix. 4. Fold in oats, cereal, coconut, pecans and chips. 5. Drop on a sheet, freeze 15 minutes. 6. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Laura Bush’s Prize Winning Cowboy Cookies

Long before cookie recipes went viral on social media, Laura Bush won a national bake-off with these. She entered her cowboy cookies in Family Circle magazine’s presidential cookie contest in 2000, readers baked and voted, and her recipe won by a wide margin. It won again in 2004, which makes it one of the oldest celebrity cookie recipes on this list. Her version skips the cereal and leans on oats, coconut, pecans and chocolate chips, and Texas Monthly suggests chilling the dough for at least an hour so the cookies bake up thick with crisp brown edges and soft centers.

You will need: 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups old-fashioned oats, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, 10 oz chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup coconut flakes.

How to make it: 1. Beat butter and sugars 3 minutes. 2. Whisk flour, soda, powder and salt, then stir in oats. 3. Add the dry mix in three parts with the eggs and vanilla. 4. Fold in chips, pecans and coconut. 5. Chill at least 1 hour. 6. Scoop 3 tbsp portions and bake at 350F for 16 to 20 minutes.

Jennifer Garner’s Breakfast Cookies

Jennifer Garner turned her kitchen into a hit with her Pretend Cooking Show on Instagram and YouTube, and her breakfast cookies are one of the recipes fans keep trying. She rubs lemon zest and vanilla into brown and superfine sugar so the cookies smell bright and fresh, then folds in oats, whole wheat flour and crushed shredded wheat cereal for a hearty crunch. Dark chocolate chips are optional but highly recommended in these celebrity cookie recipes for busy mornings. This version is inspired by her method, with simple amounts that make about two dozen cookies.

You will need: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup superfine sugar, zest of 1 lemon, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup softened butter, 2 eggs, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cups rolled oats, 1 cup crushed shredded wheat cereal, 1 cup dark chocolate chips.

How to make it: 1. Rub zest and vanilla into both sugars with your fingers. 2. Beat in the butter, then the eggs. 3. Stir in both flours, baking soda and salt. 4. Fold in oats, crushed cereal and chips. 5. Scoop onto lined sheets and bake at 350F for 11 to 13 minutes until golden.

Alton Brown’s The Chewy, One of the Most Copied Celebrity Cookie Recipes

Alton Brown built a whole episode of Good Eats around the science of chocolate chip cookies, and The Chewy became his most famous version. Three small changes make it work: bread flour for extra protein, melted butter instead of softened, and an extra egg yolk plus a splash of milk. The result is a thick, bendy, chewy cookie that stays soft for days. Chill the dough for an hour, then bake two sheets at a time and rotate them halfway through so every cookie browns evenly.

You will need: 1 cup unsalted butter, 12 oz bread flour (about 2 1/4 cups), 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar, 1 egg plus 1 yolk, 2 tbsp whole milk, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, 2 cups chocolate chips.

How to make it: 1. Melt the butter and cool slightly. 2. Sift flour, salt and soda. 3. Beat butter with both sugars 2 minutes. 4. Whisk egg, yolk, milk and vanilla and beat in. 5. Add the dry mix, then the chips. 6. Chill 1 hour. 7. Scoop 2 tbsp balls and bake at 375F for about 15 minutes.

Martha Stewart’s Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Martha Stewart has published hundreds of celebrity cookie recipes, but bakers keep coming back to this one, which she baked on her PBS series Martha Bakes. It tastes like gingerbread and a brownie had a delicious holiday baby. Dark brown sugar, molasses and freshly grated ginger give it a deep spicy flavor, cocoa and chunks of semisweet chocolate melt through the dough, and a roll in sugar before baking creates a crackly, sparkly top. Chill the dough well, since it is soft, and the cookies stay chewy for days.

You will need: 7 oz semisweet chocolate chopped, 1 tsp baking soda in 1 1/2 tsp boiling water, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp cocoa, 1 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp each cloves and nutmeg, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/4 cup sugar.

How to make it: 1. Beat butter and brown sugar, then add fresh ginger. 2. Sift flour, cocoa and spices and mix in. 3. Add the soda mixture and molasses, then the chocolate. 4. Chill 2 hours. 5. Roll into balls, chill 20 minutes and roll in sugar. 6. Bake at 325F for about 18 minutes until cracked.

Nigella Lawson’s Christmas Chocolate Cookies

British TV cook Nigella Lawson put these in her 2008 book Nigella Christmas, and they are the easiest way to make a cookie tray look festive. The dough is a simple, rich cocoa shortbread that bakes into soft, cracked rounds. Once they cool, each one gets a spoonful of glossy chocolate glaze and a shower of holiday sprinkles. Her tip is to add the sprinkles after glazing every six cookies, because the glaze sets quickly and sprinkles will not stick to a dry top. Kids love helping with this part of celebrity cookie recipes like this one.

You will need: 1 cup plus 2 tbsp soft butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder. Glaze: 2 tbsp cocoa, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup boiling water, 1 tsp vanilla, holiday sprinkles.

How to make it: 1. Cream butter and sugar, then beat in cocoa, flour, soda and powder. 2. Roll tablespoons into balls and flatten slightly. 3. Bake at 325F for 15 minutes. 4. Cool completely. 5. Whisk the glaze ingredients over low heat and rest 10 minutes. 6. Spread on cookies and add sprinkles as you go.

Five Ingredient Celebrity Cookie Recipes: Ina Garten’s Shortbread Hearts

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, has said her shortbread starts with a recipe from New York baker Eli Zabar, and it is the base for many of her holiday cookies. Just five ingredients go in: lots of butter, sugar, vanilla, flour and a pinch of salt. She cuts the dough into hearts, sprinkles them with sugar and bakes them until the edges barely turn golden. The same dough also makes pecan shortbread and Linzer cookies, so one batch gives you three different treats for the holiday tray.

You will need: 3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature, 1 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling, 1 tsp vanilla, 3 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp kosher salt.

How to make it: 1. Cream butter and sugar, then add vanilla. 2. Mix in flour and salt on low until a dough forms. 3. Flatten into a disk, wrap and chill 30 minutes. 4. Roll 1/2 inch thick and cut with a 3 inch heart cutter. 5. Sprinkle with sugar. 6. Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges just brown.

Giada De Laurentiis’ Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Giada De Laurentiis grew up in an Italian family, and her lemon ricotta cookies from Food Network are one of the best loved celebrity cookie recipes for holiday trays. A whole container of whole milk ricotta makes them soft and almost cakey, while fresh lemon juice and zest in both the dough and the glaze keep them bright. Let the glaze harden for about two hours before stacking them in a tin. If you love big bakery treats too, try our giant bakery style cookies you can bake at home for more holiday baking ideas.

You will need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 15 oz whole milk ricotta, 3 tbsp lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon. Glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tbsp lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon.

How to make it: 1. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. 2. Beat butter and sugar 3 minutes, then add eggs one at a time. 3. Mix in ricotta, lemon juice and zest, then the dry mix. 4. Drop 2 tbsp mounds on lined sheets. 5. Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes. 6. Cool, glaze and let set 2 hours.

Valerie Bertinelli’s Neapolitan Rainbow Cookies

Actress and Food Network host Valerie Bertinelli shared her Neapolitan cookies, the striped Italian rainbow cookies, in her 2012 cookbook One Dish at a Time. Three thin layers of almond cake, one red, one green and one plain, are stacked with raspberry jam and apricot preserves, weighted overnight, then coated in dark chocolate and cut into little bars. Of all the celebrity cookie recipes here, they take the most patience, but one batch makes about seven dozen. Her advice is to use seedless jam to avoid any surprises, and they keep covered for up to a week.

You will need: 8 oz almond paste, 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs separated, 2 cups flour, red and green food coloring, 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam, 1/4 cup apricot preserves, 6 oz dark chocolate chips.

How to make it: 1. Beat almond paste, butter and sugar, add yolks, then flour. 2. Fold in stiffly beaten whites. 3. Divide in three, tint red and green. 4. Spread in three lined 13 by 9 pans and bake at 350F for 12 to 14 minutes. 5. Stack with jam and preserves, weight and chill overnight. 6. Top with melted chocolate and cut.