Notes about Recipes in this book

• Peanut blossom cookies

  • LaurenB on December 29, 2022

    Best version of this type of cookie I have tried. Love that you don't roll the dough in sugar before baking.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    Delicious, as always. Very classic taste!

  • dbuhler on March 26, 2023

    These were delicious, and like LaurenB said, the best version of this type of cookie I've tried. They are super flavorful and very soft. I used KA AP flour and didn't make any high altitude adjustments. I made mine into bear paws by using a Ghirardelli milk chocolate melting wafers and small milk chocolate chips. My kids loved these and I will definitely make them again!!

• Salted peanut butter-pretzel-chocolate chip cookies

  • Aggie92 on December 23, 2017

    Super cookie! I love this more adult version of a peanut butter cookie. I used Maldon sea salt that I sprinkled on before baking. Also used a whole bag of dark chocolate chunks and increased the amount of pretzels by 1/2 ounce. The quick-oats pretty much disappeared into the dough. So if you want more chew from the oatmeal I would suggest switching to old-fashioned oats. I portioned the dough with a medium Oxo cookie scoop and was able to get approximately 50 cookies. High altitude changes (6200'): reduced baking soda by 1/4 teaspoon and decreased brown sugar by 2 Tablespoons.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    I made these when I wasn't as experienced with baking cookies yet, so that could have been my problem, but I was surprised not to be wowed by these cookies - especially given the combination of ingredients. They were too hard for my liking, and I couldn't distinguish the flavors enough. Will try these again and add a new note if my feelings change.

• Snickerdoodles

  • Emily Hope on November 18, 2017

    I wasn't crazy about the idea of using vegetable shortening in a cookie (the fat is half shortening and half butter), but I have to admit that these turned out really well -- good texture and flavor. I didn't let the edges brown quite enough on the first batch so they were a bit underdone, but still good. My only change was to add a pinch of salt to the cinnamon sugar the cookies get rolled in, which I'd do again. Also baked successfully from frozen. Would be interesting to try all butter to see what the difference is.

  • julesamomof2 on December 11, 2017

    I have been using the same Snickerdoodle recipe for 15 years, and when I went to bake Christmas cookies this year I couldn't find the recipe, so I tried these. They looked great, and tasted pretty good, but I just can't see myself making them again with all that vegetable shortening. I wouldn't feel good about giving this to my kids, or any kids for that matter. I will go back to my old recipe.

  • LisaILJ on April 06, 2020

    It’s a lot of fat, but these were great. Crispy on the edges but soft in the middle.

  • jay.moe on May 27, 2022

    This Snickerdoodle recipe makes a soft and chewy cookie that's sweet with a perfect amount of cinnamon.

  • jvozoff on July 04, 2023

    Delicious and easy. One of my kids’ favorites.

• Hermit cookies

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 26, 2019

    I made these to send along to my Dad for the holidays. They didn't all make it to him. My sister texted from the airport- "delicious. these are keepers" Soft, spicy, chewy. They taste like the holidays; but good enough to make all year long.

• Foolproof holiday cookies

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 27, 2019

    We normally hate making cut out cookies. We'd rather have ugly but tasty cookies and most sugar cookies don't do it for us. But these are wonderful. This recipe appeared in the ATK family cookbook. We've been making them every holiday season for years - particularly to make linzers/jam sandwiches and the coconut lime balls. Although the raspberry jam sandwiches are our absolute favorites.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    My mom is a sugar cookie fanatic, and these are her all time favorite cookies that I make. The dough is easy to work with and paired with their frosting, the recipe is just wonderful. they aren't too soft or too crisp. I make them for all holidays - a fun way to be able to use my different cookie cutters.

• Chocolate-mint cookies

  • Analyze on March 28, 2019

    These are SOOOOOOOO good! I've made them twice. Very similar to a Thin Mint if you like that flavor, but with a slightly chewy texture. And much more fresh tasting :)

  • Shewi128 on January 10, 2020

    No really, this is my favorite recipe for chocolate mint cookies. I love the chewy texture with tender mint chocolate faux ganache.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    Analyze put it perfectly, the flavor of a Thin Mint cookies, only chew. These were delicious and not too complicated.

• Checkerboard icebox cookies

  • susankay on May 15, 2023

    These cookies were easy to make, and they are delicious. I made them for someone’s wedding, and I kept some of the “less beautiful” ones for us. I couldn’t stop eating them.

  • Shewi128 on June 20, 2022

    These aren't nearly as difficult as I thought they'd be. It's a little tedious measuring and forming the rectangle, but not too bad. The texture was similar to a shortbread--tender and crumbly. I used black cocoa to make the colors stand out more. They weren't outstanding, but a good solid cookie. I would make again for the novelty of the specialty shaped cookie.

• Coconut snowmen

  • julesamomof2 on December 11, 2017

    These were so cute-they turned out just like the picture. And not only were they adorable, they tasted great too!

• Peppermint candy canes

  • julesamomof2 on December 11, 2017

    These did not work for me, the dough was crumbly and fell apart when I tried to twist them into the candy cane look. They didn't taste great either, although my kids thought so. I only had maybe 5 that looked good enough to give away for gifts.

• Blondies

  • julesamomof2 on December 27, 2018

    Delicious-perfect chewy texture. Like a chocolate chip cookie in brownie form.

• Chocolate crinkle cookies

  • laurenlangston on May 21, 2020

    I think the measurements on this may be off. I made these, measuring by weight, and they were very soft. I ended up adding about 1/4 cup more flour to get them to barely hold together after being scooped, and they spread and puffed like cakes. I wonder if there should have been 2 eggs instead of 3. Tastes delicious, though! I used the optional espresso powder.

• Brown sugar cookies

  • stef on May 15, 2021

    Converted this recipe into grams. Used 300gr of brown sugar on another bakers recommendation. They are still sweet. Next day the taste becomes more carmelized. Used 1 tablespoon scoop next time will use a smaller one. Baked in 10 minutes.

  • Shewi128 on October 12, 2022

    Absolute perfection. The best brown sugar cookie recipe out there. I haven't made these in years, but my husband made them last night, and they reminded me of how good this recipe is. Perfectly chewy and tender, with a crackly top. 10/10.

• Pecan sandies

  • stef on October 14, 2023

    A slice and bake cookie. Has a buttery shortbread texture and not too sweet. Perfect

• Lemon sour cream cookies

  • stef on March 26, 2021

    Lovely lemon flavor. Puffed up like madelines. Drizzled glaze on cookies with a fork. 375f 12 minutes #40 scoop.

  • mamacrumbcake on November 27, 2020

    These cookies have a lovely lemon flavor and the texture of a little cake. I don’t normally like this type of cookie, but I found it surprisingly habit forming. Using a #40 scoop, these needed 12 minutes to bake. They are very homely looking.

  • bwhip on February 03, 2018

    I'm not usually a cakey cookie kind of guy, but these turned out really good. Great lemony flavor with just the right amount of tang.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    Great texture, nice and soft. The lemon flavor was perfect. My family really enjoyed these!

• Almond biscotti

  • stef on October 23, 2021

    Almond anise biscotti. Added 2 teaspoons ground anise. Food processor and lots of bowls used. They were easy to cut.

• Greek honey cakes

  • jluvs2bake on January 05, 2020

    Wonderful melomakarona recipe! Easy dough to work with. Syrup was good. Cookies save well layered with waxed paper in an airtight container. Delicious.

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    We made them without nuts due to food allergies. These are fantastic little cookies that are surprisingly addictive.

• Chewy chai spice sugar cookies

  • jluvs2bake on January 05, 2020

    The cookie was soft, chewy, great texture - a really great sugar cookie. I would like the chai variation better increasing the spices. It was more sugar cookie than chai.

• Cranberry, white chocolate, and macadamia cookies

  • dianev on January 25, 2018

    Although this seems like a basic chipper cookie recipe, the results were outstanding. I substituted pecans for macadamias and the result was still wonderful. Use the best white chocolate you can find--it will really make a difference.

• Trail mix cookies

  • dianev on February 12, 2018

    Good oatmeal cookie. I used salted pepitas and they came out fine. Very sticky dough. It was easiest to use a medium cookie scoop and drop the dough rather than making it into balls.

• Molasses spice-lemon cookies

  • dianev on January 25, 2018

    Very tasty sandwich cookie. The combination of lemon and spices was just right. I added the lemon zest as well as juice to the filling.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    While tedious, these are some of my favorite cookies to make. Pairing lemon with molasses is genius - each component is delicious but together, spectacular.

• Chocolate peanut butter blondies

  • dianev on January 25, 2018

    These blondies were to die for--rich with peanut butter and bittersweet chocolate chips. Hard to stop eating them!

• Strudel bars

  • dianev on January 25, 2018

    Unusual cookie with apple and cherry (I used dried cranberry) filling and phyllo pastry. Easy to make and forgiving of pastry mistakes. Flavor improved with sitting.

• Cranberry oat bars

  • dianev on February 12, 2018

    Made with fresh cranberries. Recipe calls for 8oz berries but a bag is 12 oz. I used whole bag and adjusted sweetener accordingly. Tasty bar. A little orange flavor would add to this.

• Butterscotch meringue bars

  • mamacrumbcake on November 16, 2017

    11/16/17 This was an easy recipe and required only pantry ingredients. The meringue is very sticky and hard to spread without moving the chocolate chips. It is a good, tasty cookie. My chocolate chips stayed whole, unlike the photos that show them looking melted and fudge-like. These do not taste like butterscotch, but rather more like caramel. I think the recipe might benefit from a little more salt. Also, I could not help but think that nuts would be very good. This is a solid 3 star cookie, which in my book means that there is nothing wrong with it and it is a pleasure to eat. But it is lacking that something special that would cause me to choose this recipe instead of other favorite blondies recipes.

• Shortbread cookies

  • LisaILJ on April 06, 2020

    Not the shortbread I was looking for. Good but just not the right consistency I was looking for. They were also a bit fussy.

• Butterscotch cookies

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Delicate butterscotch flavor.

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    The texture was a combo of slightly crumbly along with slightly chewy. I didn't love these, and I wouldn't make them again. Plus, it was a pain trying to get all of the butterscotch chips melted.

• Applesauce cookies

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    This was a fail for me. More like a muffin top than cookie.

• Peanut butter cookies

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Delicious. The child assisted and had fun with the cross hatch.

• Chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies with pecans and dried cherries

  • LisaILJ on April 06, 2020

    Very crispy and good. I baked for the recommended time but may have overcooked a bit? Still delicious. Not crazy sweet.

• Chewy sugar cookies

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Nothing special, just a good sugar cookie.

  • jay.moe on May 16, 2022

    The cookies are soft and chewy, quick and easy to make, and you don't even have to get out the mixer! What's not to like?!!

  • Padthai on October 03, 2022

    Comes together quickly and turns out perfect every time. Have frozen uncooked dough and still comes out perfect. Also fun to roll in sprinkles before baking.

• Perfect chocolate chip cookies

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Very tasty. I don’t know if they were perfect, but they were very good.

  • jay.moe on February 08, 2022

    This is an easy chocolate chip cookie recipe. You don't use a mixer and you don't have to cream butter. The recipe states to take the cookies out of the oven when they are just set around the edge. If you follow this guideline, the cookies are soft and chewy even several days after they are made, if they last that long. This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

  • edybwad on February 07, 2020

    The cookies did not flatten out enough. I may have over-baked them. I have a better recipe I like more for choco chip cookies.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    These are wonderful. The brown butter really enhances the flavor. The get firm kind of quickly, so I use the old trick of keeping a piece of bread in the container of cookies to keep them soft and chewy.

• Key lime bars

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Tasted just like mini key lime pies.

  • Mlr5 on June 06, 2021

    Just the right amount of tart. And a nice ratio of crust to key lime filling…they were almost equal and felt very balanced. Because of the equality, I can see why they don’t suggest using graham crackers. The animal crackers have a more subtle flavor and allow the lime to shine. I did not use any toasted coconut and didn’t miss it.

• Dream bars

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Tastes more like a delicious pecan pie bite than a traditional dream bar.

  • anya_sf on April 11, 2022

    I've had these before made with walnuts and coconut, no nuts in the crust. This pecan version is extra nutty and very good. I assumed the cream of coconut meant something like Coco Lopez, which is what I used (and needed to use up). The bars are quite sweet, of course, as dream bars always are; unsweetened coconut would probably work fine here.

• Raspberry streusel bars

  • LisaILJ on April 06, 2020

    These were good, I think the lemon juice may have been too much though. The sweetness was balanced out by the tartness of the filling. I have not made better, but I’ve eaten better.

  • jay.moe on July 10, 2022

    The recipe didn't include instructions on how to toast the pecans. Since I thought they would continue to toast while they were baking and didn't want them to get too dark, I only put them in the oven while it was preheating. In the future, I would probably skip toasting the pecans before chopping them. Overall the cookies were easy to make and tasted good. Next time I would probably try the blueberry variation.

• Peanut butter swirl brownies

  • LisaILJ on April 06, 2020

    So yummy! My swirls were definitely not as pretty as those in the picture. Also I had to bake this much longer than it said (like 10 minutes) even so, they seemed like they were done, but were not as crispy as I would have expected. Except the delicious corners of course.

• Rice crispy treats

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Very good. Some of my favorite that I’ve ever made.

• Chocolate-cherry rice crispy treats

  • LisaILJ on May 11, 2020

    So yummy

• Peanut butter rice crispy treats

  • LisaILJ on April 21, 2020

    Loved the peanut butter taste, didn’t love the whole peanuts. I would chop the peanuts next time.

• Coffee toffee cookies

  • bwhip on November 29, 2017

    These are really tasty, and a nice change of pace from the usual chocolate chip or other more common cookies. I baked them for 16 minutes as the recipe called for, and they turned out to have nice crispy edges and soft centers. I chopped up a couple of Skor bars for the toffee bits.

• Chewy chocolate cookies

  • bwhip on January 02, 2018

    These were really good. Very chocolatey, with a great texture - chewy in the middle, with crispy edges and a nice crunch from the sugar coating. Really interesting ingredients for a cookie, including egg white (no yolk), and dark corn syrup. Turned out great, and we'll make them again.

  • jay.moe on June 26, 2022

    The cookie is very rich and chocolaty. Wouldn't eat very many at a time! The finished cookie wasn't as puffy as the picture in the cookbook, but they still tasted great. It makes a great ice cream sandwich using caramel ice cream.

• Chewy brownies

  • bwhip on December 30, 2017

    These are great! Very chocolatey, nicely chewy with a wonderful crisp edge and flaky top. Excellent.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    Great brownie recipe, but King Arthur Flour 'on the fence' brownies still surpass this one.

• Peach squares

  • fultre on October 17, 2018

    There are 2 variations: Apricot Squares, sub dried apricots and apricot jam; Cherry Squares sub frozen cherries and cherry jam.

• 15-minute rocky road fudge

  • Kinhawaii on August 21, 2021

    Did add less peanuts & more marshmallows as requested by some family members, but nice & good chocolate flavor. Texture of course not quite the melt in the mouth creamy texture of real fudge. Very easy.

• Almond-raspberry sandwich cookies

  • Kinhawaii on June 22, 2021

    Have made these multiple times for the holidays. Dough is easy to work with even as it softens. Delicious & tender. Great cookie!

• Cinnamon swirl cookies

  • Tweedles81 on May 25, 2019

    These cookies were very tasty - buttery with a caramelized sugar flavor and a hint of cinnamon. These will be perfect with tea or ice cream! My only complaint is that these were not easy to roll and cracked a lot. Half of our cookies had no visible cinnamon swirl to speak of and the other half had them, but they were very wonky. Don’t let that stop you from making these though, as they are delicious! Just go for 45-60 minutes on the first chill instead of 30 minutes.

• Pumpkin-pecan cookies

  • Tweedles81 on October 05, 2019

    These were absolutely delicious - a great cookie for fall and the holidays! The cookies were so great out of the oven that we ate them all before we could add the icing! Draining the pumpkin purée with paper towels was tedious but worth it!

• Classic chewy oatmeal cookies

  • Tweedles81 on May 07, 2020

    These were delicious! We made half the batch as just plain oatmeal cookies and added chocolate chips to the second half. We only used 3 oz of granulated sugar but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. I loved the flavor of the cinnamon in the cookies! This is our go-to oatmeal cookie recipe from now on!

  • jay.moe on June 26, 2022

    The cookie didn't spread out as much as I would have liked. It was still soft, but more cake like than chewy.

• Cranberry swirl shortbread

  • Tweedles81 on December 19, 2020

    Wow were these delicious! The sourness of the cranberry contrasts beautifully with the buttery flavor of the shortbread. I made the recipe as stated and the cookies were perfect. This would be a great recipe to give out on a cookie platter - if you don’t eat them all first!

• Chocolate sugar cookies

  • jay.moe on May 28, 2022

    The Chocolate Sugar Cookies were soft and chewy. The dough was very moist and stuck to the bottom of the greased measuring cup. I greased my fingers and flattened the cookies without additional problems. In order for the baked cookies to look like the photo in the book, sprinkle the tops of the flattened cookies with 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar. The first tray of cookies, I only put 1/4 teaspoon of sugar on top and they were rather disappointing. I would make these again.

• Hazelnut espresso truffle cookies

  • sdeathe on November 14, 2021

    These are delicious filled cookies. Not too sweet (I used 72% chocolate) and look pretty with drizzles of chocolate on top. A bit lengthy to make, as cookies need to cool completely before being sandwiched together, and the ganache filling cools 40 minutes in the fridge before being used. Plan accordingly! These freeze very well.

• Peanut butter blondies

  • sdeathe on June 29, 2020

    These were very quick and easy to make. Lovely texture, very even but light. Not enough peanut flavour for me (I used smooth peanut butter, which may have made a significant difference to the taste). By about the third day the blondies had improved. More peanut flavour, and a little more dense. Really good.

• Millionaire's shortbread

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    I've made this recipe several times, and the bars have turned out great every time. They look more beautiful and fancy than the recipe ingredients would indicate. The caramel always takes longer than the recipe states, so just be prepared for that and go by the thermometer temperature.

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    These are outstanding. Perfect combo of shortbread, caramel, and chocolate. I just love this recipe.

• Chocolate salami

  • Shewi128 on December 19, 2022

    I found this recipe as a way to use up ladyfingers in my pantry. They turned out almost exactly like the picture. It's an interesting concept that may not be everyone's taste, but I liked it as a no-bake alternative. It seemed like the amount of chocolate couldn't been upped by a tiny bit to make sure it would hold together better. Make sure the ladyfingers are chopped to specifications.

• Triple-citrus bars

  • Shewi128 on July 19, 2022

    Cross-posted: I liked the addition of the cream cheese to the filling. The animal cracker crust got really soft. The toasted coconut adds a good textural element. I would make this again.

• White chocolate raspberry bars

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    These stayed chewed and tender without being too soft from the addition of the raspberries. Good, but not particiularly memorable.

• Frosted red velvet cookies

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    The cookies turned out well and tasted good. However, my preferred cookie texture tends to be more chewy, and these cookies were more cakey than chewy. I wouldn't make them again due to my texture preferences.

• Peppermint surprise brownie bites

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    Somehow these were too sweet. I wouldn't make them again.

• Tahini cookies with sesame seeds

  • Shewi128 on June 17, 2022

    I had some leftover tahini and decided to make these. I didn't love them--they weren't bad. They reminded me of a simple peanut butter cookie. I wouldn't make them again.

• Cornmeal olive oil cookies

  • SpatulaClark on April 20, 2020

    Pleasant flavour and texture, savoury and sweet notes in the same bite. Worth the effort of double-dusting for a good finish.

• Fudgy peanut butter mousse cups

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    These are superb. Wonderful combination of flavors - a big hit with the gang!

• Chocolate turtle cookies

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    Not the most simple cookie to prepare, but very tasty. Great combination, and fun little bites to eat.

• Fudgy brownies

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    These are truly FUDGY brownies. My uncle mistook them for actual fudge. Good flavor, but very rich.

• Oreo mint balls

  • taste24 on June 18, 2020

    These are pretty good, but I wish they had more 'Oreo' flavor.

• Oatmeal butterscotch bars

  • taste24 on September 21, 2021

    These are so darn good. If you like butterscotch, you will love these. Moist and chewy, great texture from the oats, and wonderful flavor from the butterscotch chips melted into the browned butter.

• S'mores blossom cookies

  • dbuhler on February 03, 2023

    These were just okay for me. The texture of the cookies was great, soft and tender, but the flavor was very bland. I am at high altitude (4700) and I used KA AP flour and made the recipe as is, no changes needed. I don't think I would make these again.

• Molasses spice cookies

  • TBipp on October 24, 2022

    A nice, chewy spice cookie that will be great for chilly weather-I made the orange version. A few tweaks were made due to personal preference: no ground cloves or black pepper and cinnamon increased to 2 tsp. allspice upped to 1/2 tsp and ginger reduced to 1/2 tsp. I added 1/2 tsp. orange oil as I had insufficient rind. Dough was soft but easy to handle. Important to note is that the recipe says to set aside 2/3 cup sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls; however, I set aside 1/2 cup (with the grated orange rind) and still had 1/4 cup left over. Setting aside 1/3 cup should be plenty. As I rarely cook all the cookie dough at once (I often freeze cookie dough balls and bake a few at a time in my toaster oven), I appreciated that the recipe includes instructions for freezing the sugared dough balls, and notes that the baking temperature and time is different for baking frozen dough. I served these with lemon sorbet (Haagen Dazs) and the combination is wonderful.

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

  ATK does it again with another perfect cookbook for all our cookie needs.

  Full review

• Simply Recipes

  If you love cookies, this book, with 250 recipes, is for you—especially for the holidays...there’s no such thing as boredom here.

  Full review