For Cookies You'll Never Forget, Give Them The Deviled Egg Treatment (Trust Us!)

If you're the designated cookie baker for holiday parties and other get-togethers, you might run out of recipes that your family and friends haven't tasted yet. Before you resort to another batch of predictable chocolate chip cookies or snickerdoodles, try giving your desserts a "wow!" effect by making them deviled-egg style. We're not telling you to add paprika, mustard, and mayo to your best cookie recipes – this cute social media trend uses a deviled egg-inspired format to make your treats more fun to look at and eat.

"Deviled cookies" consist of cookie shells baked in egg-shaped baking molds, then piped full of fillings like vanilla buttercream or chocolate frosting. They can then be customized with toppings from sprinkles to candies and chocolate chips, allowing you to blend many flavors into each little bite. With a delectable mix of crispy, chewy, and creamy textures, your guests will never forget this finger food mashup.

There are two ways to make the cookie component of these treats. You can put balls of dough in the egg molds, bake until just set, then press a tablespoon into the cookies to make a round indent, just like where the yolk goes in a boiled egg. For a crispier shell with more space for filling, use less dough and press it into the molds with your fingers, then bake. From there, just pipe or dollop in your favorite frostings, spreads, and dessert sauces and serve. After trying them once, you'll want to turn all sorts of recipes into deviled cookies.

Most deviled cookie recipes use chocolate chip or sugar cookie dough, but imagine caramel cookies filled with easy espresso frosting, or double chocolate cookies filled with Nutella or tart raspberry jam. You could even make the cookie shells on the thin, crunchy side and fill them with a super simple cannoli dip. The result will be like cannoli, but easier, with more room for that creamy ricotta filling.

Do you want to fool your guests' eyes? Use pale sugar cookies or even white meringues for the "egg white" part of your cookies, then pipe in yellow frosting or lemon curd and garnish with red sugar sprinkles. You'll be hard-pressed to find a dinner party dessert more kitschy and cute. Around the holidays, try changing up buttercream frosting with eggnog, then dollop it into snickerdoodle shells. Peppermint or dark chocolate deviled cookies would also pair nicely with eggnog frosting, or turn instant hot chocolate into a dessert dip and use that as your filling, then garnish with mini marshmallows.

To take this concept to the max, put a spin on a deviled egg bar by letting your guests build their own deviled cookies. Set out cookie shells, bowls of fillings, and garnishes like chocolate candies, shredded coconut, fruits, and crushed nuts. As a final note, you don't necessarily need an egg mold for these treats — try using a large, deep spoon to shape the cookies, or form them by hand if your dough is stiff and holds its shape.