1. Peanut butter kiss cookies

Coming in the first spot are peanut butter kiss cookies. These cookies are top-tier and are always the first ones to go during the holidays. The best combination of sweets are peanut butter and chocolate, and these cookies have both — it’s kind of a no-brainer. I have and will continue to willingly burn my mouth on these cookies by eating them straight out of the oven and not allowing them to cool. They’re just that good. Add a glass of milk on the side, and you’re all set for Santa. Y’all can find me in the corner of any gathering munching on these delicious cookies until they’re all gone.

2. No-bake cookies

In second place are the underrated no-bake cookies. Yes, they look weird and kind of unappetizing, but I promise once you try one there’s absolutely no going back. Shout out to my mom for always killing it and making the best version of these cookies I’ve ever had. Honorable mention to Walmart for doing a great job and earning the runner-up position for these in their bakery section. These are a must-have during the holidays and are always best when they’re served cold right out of the fridge. I like to sneak these throughout the day until my stomach hurts from eating too much oatmeal. 

3. Chocolate chip cookies

There’s absolutely no way I could have done a ranking of cookies without including the classic chocolate chip! These are a staple to any holiday or a casual hangout with friends and are almost always people’s first choice. If you’re a picky eater or you’re just trying to play it safe at that one sketchy potluck, these are totally for you. I’ve definitely had my fair share of these when they were the only appetizing option; I am pleasantly surprised by how much they carry me through a meal or event I may or may not have been forced to attend. Chocolate chip cookies should be deemed as the underdog of holiday sweets. 

4. Sugar cookies

I’d like to give everyone a formal apology, but I just can’t keep up the lie that sugar cookies really kind of suck. Store-bought cookies are pretty good, but homemade ones never seem to work out or actually taste good. They’re always super dry and crumbly or they’re not done all the way through. I might just not be an expert baker, but even with friends, we’ve always had more fun making them and decorating them with icing than actually eating them. In my house, they’re usually the last ones left and eventually end up getting thrown in the trash.

5. Gingerbread cookies

The absolute worst cookie to represent the holidays is gingerbread cookies. I hate to say it to all of you if gingerbread is your thing, but they really just aren’t it. Yeah, you can make a house out of them, but do any of you really actually eat the house or do you just let it sit and get old and then throw it away? The smell of gingerbread is kind of nice and the little gingerbread men are fun to decorate, but that’s all it’s got going for it. The taste is just plain bad. It really shouldn’t be shown off as the iconic face of Christmas or any other holiday.