• lisa_1hu3fb on March 12, 2026

  This cookbook has it all when it comes to cookies! The recipes are clear and they come out beautifully! Definitely a good stand-by.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Soft chocolate chip cookies

  • taste24 on December 14, 2020

    We absolutely loved these. Easy to put together, plenty of chocolate chips, and of course soft and chewy. One of my new favorites!!!

  • Astrid5555 on February 28, 2021

    My new favorite chocolate chip cookies. Quick to put together and really delicious!

  • abengal on June 27, 2021

    These were ok but not as amazing as I expected from the reviews. Used milk chocolate. They did not spread as expected, even with several good bangs on the top of the stove, no idea why, possibly the Australian flour? Best tip was measuring the biscuits to be 45g, kept them a uniform size, great directions. Everyone did like them, especially husband, but I will keep looking. Very easy to make. Note to self: If taking them somewhere, think of a way to dress them up a bit. 3/5

  • anya_sf on March 13, 2023

    Very good, although not my favorite chocolate chip cookies; I like them slightly chewier. The first batch took 13 min to bake as described, but we found them overly soft. Baked the next batches 14-15 min so the edges were slightly crisp and preferred those.

  • Rachaelsb on October 05, 2023

    This cookbook is amazing. No matter what I bake, it is delicious! While these were not my favorite of the many I have already baked from this cookbook-I prefer a different chewier texture-they were still great!

  • Logan92995 on October 22, 2023

    Very tasty and soft.

  • jay.moe on June 26, 2024

    This recipe makes soft, tender cookies. Once baked, they are very uniform and flat making them ideal for ice cream sandwiches. Prior to baking, I rolled the top of the formed dough ball into additional chocolate chunks. I prefer the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe because those cookies are chewy, while remaining soft. I would only make these again if I wanted a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich.

  • lisari on February 09, 2025

    Love that they hold their shape without having to chill the dough.

  • averythingcooks on March 03, 2025

    We also like these cookies. I used the chopped chocolate option (but would be interested to see 1st hand the difference she describes if chocolate chips are used) and 14 minutes seemed to be the sweet spot for us.

  • icooksometimes on March 11, 2025

    Tasty cookies! I liked them way more on day 2 and 3. I used a combo of chocolate chips and chopped dark chocolate for some variety.

  • Jhein12 on February 25, 2026

    My husband's favorite. They don't spread too much.

  • AllisonML on March 18, 2026

    I made these then forgot. They were my husbands top chocolate chip cookie and I had to rebake all my recipes until I found it again ??. These are great!

  • Saltbun on March 27, 2026

    Quite tasty, as soft as described, and easy to put together. I used about 35g per cookie dough scoop instead of the recipe’s recommended 45g and they still came out really well following all the same instructions otherwise. Great option for a last minute potluck or party

  • sgka on May 31, 2026

    Charlie’s specialty cookie. Excellent.

  • kshell on June 05, 2026

    Bakery quality! No doodads or gimmicks; it's the usual list of ingredients and makes a cookie with a great, soft (borderline under-baked) texture.

• Brown butter chocolate chip cookies

  • someryarns on December 10, 2020

    This is the first recipe I tried out of 100 Cookies. The recipe was easy to follow, and the resulting cookies were AH-MAZING. I got closer to 24 cookies out of the recipe using the recommended 45g size.

  • Lepa on December 25, 2020

    These were the first cookies I made from this book and they are just delicious. I especially loved that I could make them on a whim, as the dough didn't require any chilling.

  • hirsheys on January 16, 2021

    Delicious! She doesn’t make it clear in the recipe (in fact, she calls for soft butter), but you can actually make these with butter straight out of the fridge, since you brown most of the butter, then use that to melt the rest. I baked them for 9 minutes, and they are in fact crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, as she said they would be. (I really like that she gives ranges of baking times to nail the texture you want!) I’m not sure these will replace my previous favorites (from Seven Spoons - I’ll have to do a taste test!) but I really enjoyed these. (Did taste test at Christmas - these didn't go well at Lizzy's.)

  • taste24 on March 02, 2021

    These are fabulous. I used chocolate chips as that's what I had on hand and they worked well. I baked for 9 minutes and they were very soft, exactly how I like my cookies.

  • gamulholland on March 14, 2021

    Actually, my daughter cooked this when she was home from college and I was helping out at the Covid-19 urgent care all day and just wanted to get home and out of my germy scrubs and my car broke down on the way home. I got home, and there were the most amazing cookies. :) Just delicious.

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    very good.

  • nikflannn on March 02, 2023

    Loved these! if you don’t eat them all, and you need to store them, I’d freeze after a day or so. I found they are best warm anyway, and when stored for a few days got soft quickly and weren’t as good. See commenter below that it’s fine to use fridge cold butter since you’re browning it anyway and that heat will melt and soften the other half when it’s added eventually. That was helpful and a time saver! I used dark chocolate guittard bars and one hersheys chocolate bar (gotta love a good high low moment, ha) and it was the right combination of sweet and dark. Don’t skip the flaky salt at the end either!

  • Rachaelsb on September 08, 2023

    How does Ms. Kieffer do it! Every cookie I have baked from this cookbook is amazing, and this one is no exception. They are home baked cookies at their best. Nothing complex-just pure deliciousness.

  • anya_sf on March 26, 2024

    Make these when you want a little cookie with your chocolate. My oven was acting up, so we accidentally overbaked them, although I think they still would have taken longer than stated. The cookie sampled warm was great, but after cooling was harder than ideal. They will be great freezer cookies, warmed in the microwave. Next time I will probably use a little less chocolate.

  • mtnbaker5280 on April 20, 2025

    This has become my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe and it's forgiving too. I've accidentally added the entire 2nd egg instead of just the yolk and they still taste great. I've used chocolate wafers, chopped chocolate, and chocolate chips with success. These are also great when you have random bags of chocolate to use up. I also freeze the dough balls and let them sit at room temp while the oven preheats. They bake an extra minute or so but otherwise works out great when the craving for a fresh cookie hits.

  • averythingcooks on June 26, 2025

    These are certainly good while still warm from the oven...we'll see about tomorrow because at 9 minutes (the middle range of times she gives), there was no way they were done. I used a mix of semisweet & dark chocolate chips and I followed her instructions for brown butter from the "Extras" chapter. And, like almost every other time I've made brown butter, it took longer than suggested.

  • Jennifer410 on May 31, 2026

    These cookies never disappoint. I stayed true to the recipe except for using semi sweet mini chocolate chips in place of the bar chocolate. I've made it both ways to equal enjoyment, it comes down to what I have on hand. I bake for 11 minutes total with a rotation of cookie sheet at the 7 minute mark. I stick to the 45g cookie size and its perfect. YUM

• Thin and crispy chocolate cookies

  • averythingcooks on March 23, 2025

    This is my 6th recipe from this book and for the 1st time, my cookies were done in far LESS time than she suggests. I did use her mass as a target and the sweet spot turned out to be closer to 13 minutes (not the 15-17 suggested). I chose the finely chopped chocolate option and they are thin & crisp as promised...and would probably make a good ice cream sandwich.

• Thin and crispy double chocolate cookies

  • kimber_p1g62j on February 09, 2026

    Texture was odd as they spread a lot. But they tasted good!

• Peanut butter cookies 1

  • lawrencecharcuterie on October 20, 2021

    Winner! This will be the only peanut butter cookie recipe I use from this point on. I am trying different recipes for the candied peanuts.

  • jay.moe on December 29, 2022

    Although I didn't add the candied peanuts to the dough, these cookies taste great. Soft and peanut buttery. Definitely worth making!

  • skvalentine on October 07, 2023

    These are delicious! Loved the addition of the candied peanuts. They were a little cumbly but that could be my fault.

  • anya_sf on October 19, 2023

    Very good, fairly standard recipe than can be made quickly. 1/2 recipe yielded 14 cookies. I baked the cookies 14 minutes, at which point the edges were barely brown. They were still softer than I'd prefer, so next time I'll bake them longer. Flavor was great, even without the candied peanuts, which I'm sure would take them to the next level.

  • hillsboroks on January 17, 2024

    This will now be my go-to peanut butter cookie recipe. The candied peanuts really add the wow factor to these cookies. My husband wants me to make them again and try to leave the peanuts whole which will be a bit of a challenge because they tend to clump together but I’ll give it a try. My cookies were perfect at 14 minutes, slightly browned with a lovely crunch.

  • hillsboroks on January 21, 2024

    This is just an update to my previous note. I made another batch of these cookies and per my husband’s request I left the candied peanuts whole. It was easier todo than I anticipated. As I was pouring the caramelized nuts onto the parchment paper I separated them as much as possible when spreading them out to cool. When the nuts were fully cool I used my fingers to break apart any peanuts that were stuck together.

  • averythingcooks on March 10, 2025

    Like many others here, my cookies (weighed to her specification of 45 g) took a full 14 minutes to bake and I am really puzzled re: how she expected them to be done at 9 or 10 minutes? Regardless, these are very good. I used lightly salted honey roasted peanuts and rolled the 1st pan cookies in vanilla sugar before using the fork and left the other pan plain. We certainly like both versions but perhaps not surpsingly the ones rolled inthe vanilla sugar are better :)

• Sugar cookies 1

  • taste24 on December 14, 2020

    We loved these! Easy to put together and assemble. The cookies are very soft fresh out of the oven and after the first few hours, but firm up quite a bit after that. A mix between soft and crispy.

  • cespitler on April 02, 2021

    Fantastic and best just out of the oven. These are rather large cookies so will adjust time.

  • jay.moe on December 27, 2022

    Soft and chewy sugar cookie. There is a slight metallic after taste in the cookie. I will try decreasing the baking soda by a 1/4 teaspoon and see if that helps. Otherwise, it is a good cookie.

  • yaleksly on December 24, 2023

    Indispensable. Has become my go-to recipe for sugar cookies. My favorite is when I've rolled them in cinnamon sugar.

  • Emily Hope on March 13, 2026

    These cookies are great and super simple (my 11 year old makes them regularly) -- they roughly seem like snickerdoodles without the cinnamon sugar. They definitely get drier/crispier pretty quickly and aren't the best keepers, but straight out of the oven they are amazing.

  • Apollonia on April 07, 2026

    Very good basic sugar cookies. Easy to make, easier to eat.

  • mimisingh on April 23, 2026

    I made a half recipe which is actually a little annoying since it comes down to eyeballing 1/8 tsp as well as still having to use two eggs anyway since it requires an egg and a yolk. I cooked between 325 and 350F in convection and pulled around 14 minutes. I agree with the other user about the metallic taste and would also make sure not to add too much baking soda next time. Otherwise this is a pretty good nostalgic type sugar cookie recipe that is similar to the ones I used to get as a kid from Walmart bakery. ETA: contrary to other posters I preferred this on the second day. I feel the baking soda taste mellowed out and it had more of a pleasant fudgy texture inside.

• Brown sugar cookies

  • taste24 on February 10, 2021

    These cookies are outstanding. It will be hard to convince me to make regular sugar cookies after having these.. chewy but sturdy, and subtle but delicious molasses notes. Love them.

  • elysedc on December 05, 2022

    these cookies are outstanding. I added a bit of cinnamon (didn’t measure) and these tasted like the inside of my favorite poptart in cookie form. Please believe me when I say- this is the platonic ideal of the form. I enjoy other cookies, but this cookie is my favorite that I have ever eaten. (I can’t believe the only photo I have is so meh. These deserved their own photo shoot but were eaten too quickly to do so!!!)

  • Rachaelsb on January 22, 2023

    Beyond!!!! Could not agree more with what others have said. Perfect nutty sweetness and incredibly chewy. The perfect cookie!!!!

  • bwhip on January 25, 2023

    Delicious! Simple and interesting. I much prefer these to any standard sugar cookie.

  • cespitler on March 26, 2023

    Absolutely love these. Crisp around the edges and chewy in the inside. Love the added flavor from the brown sugar.

  • Sparkles75 on April 02, 2023

    I will add to the chorus of approval and say these are lovely. I’ve made other sugar cookie recipes from notable bakers before and haven’t cared for them at all- too sweet and one dimensional. Perhaps it’s because In Australia these aren’t something we generally grow up eating. I enjoy the texture and the flavour of this version very much though and will make again. I tried to be very light handed when rolling in sugar so they wouldn’t be too sweet but I may try skipping that step altogether next time just out of curiosity to see if that suits our tastes even more. I also used a 1 tab scoop instead of the 2 tab scoop and found that they were plenty big enough that way

  • anya_sf on May 12, 2023

    Sugar cookies are usually meh, but not these brown sugar cookies. My family loved these! I weighed 45 g balls and got 22 cookies, which took 14 min to bake.

  • sydlikestocook on December 09, 2023

    One of my favorite recipes that I go back to when I need a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

  • pattyatbryce on December 28, 2023

    Terrific! Did cook longer than per recipe to bake - but likely my oven. Like Sparkles75 - I made them smaller and thought they were the perfect size.

  • averythingcooks on February 14, 2025

    I made these using her suggestion of 45 g / cookie and like others here, they took a full 14 minutes to bake. No matter....we both love these cookies :)

  • mimisingh on November 03, 2025

    Agree with all others that this is really tasty and I will likely make again. I found it tricky finding the right time to pull these. The dough is dark from the molasses and the dark brown sugar, so it is hard to tell when the edges darken. It seemed like when the center was a nice fudgy cooked texture for me, my edges were too crunchy, but when the edges were not as hard the center was very underbaked and my cookies were still domed and fragile after cooling, so I had to put them back in, and that was when I pulled them out at 11 minutes at the directed temperature. Have been baking at lower temps to account for convection, but did not find that to be very helpful for this recipe and baked later batches at 350F. Followed the user's note of 45g per cookie and I thought that was a good substantial size

  • Saltbun on June 02, 2026

    Such a good, easy recipe. My cookie mounds were closer to 30g rather than the recommended 45g, and it took a few extra minutes above the stated time to get the cookies to set. Probably a quirk of my oven. For visually identifying doneness of the cookies, I looked for when the tops had started to crack as an indicator that they were ready. Really tasty, and I could see these being a great base for other additions - I already want to try this recipe again with browned butter

• Chocolate sugar cookies

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    Sugar cookies aren't my favorite, but the people who tried these really liked them.

  • trudys_person on August 20, 2022

    A nice mildly chocolate cookie. I made them a little smaller - about 32 g each, and baked for 16 minutes, and they were perfectly done. They were well-received at the bookstore opening. I think I prefer a more chocolaty cookie like a brownie cookie.

  • fultre on October 11, 2022

    Loved these, especially the chewy texture. As opposed to others, enjoyed the mild chocolate flavor. Used medium cookie scoop, cooked for ~10 minutes, 12 cookies/sheet.

  • Rachaelsb on August 15, 2023

    These are great….but not as great as the other cookies I’ve made from this book. Needs more chocolate flavor. Next time I’ll add chocolate chips-now that would be amazing!

  • Babycarrot on December 19, 2023

    These spread quite a bit on the cookie sheet so make sure you give them enough room. I enjoyed the texture kind of a cross between chewy and crunchy. The chocolate flavor was fine for me. A good overall sugar cookie, nothing terribly exciting but tasty nonetheless. I rolled mine in espresso sugar but think the cardamom variation would be good as well.

  • kimber_p1g62j on February 09, 2026

    I prefer soft sugar cookie recipes, but they still tasted good!

  • Shewi128 on February 25, 2026

    I love the chewy texture, and they looked perfect. They weren't amazing, but a solid cookie choice!

• Chocolate mint sugar cookies

  • lawrencecharcuterie on March 20, 2024

    These are really delicious. I've made them once previously. This time I used creme de menthe liqueur and a handful of Andes mints finely chopped. They have a nice chew and a good balance of flavor.

• Double chocolate sugar cookies

  • BasicStock on April 10, 2021

    Good description as it does seem like a sugar cookie with a chocolate flavour. Nicely crisp and crunchy and probably not as rich as a recipe described as a chocolate cookie. I would make them again, and also want to try the variation of adding mint flavouring.

• Brownie cookies

  • Running_with_Wools on January 18, 2021

    My 8-year-old son picked this recipe to make from the cookbook first. We used 85% chocolate and subbed King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten free flour. I added Malden Sea Salt to the tops of the first batch and a teaspoon of peanut butter to the second batch. They were easy, super chocolatey and delicious. A real keeper. If you prefer the corners of the brownies you make - each of these cookies is like eating a corner.

  • lawrencecharcuterie on December 03, 2022

    Tried the peanut butter swirl variation with minimal success. Using a knife was too difficult as the soft base dough tried to move all over the place. A little more successful with a toothpick but still a bit fiddly. Probably would just make brownies or a different chocolate cookie in the future.

  • skvalentine on June 30, 2023

    My 10 year old daughter picked this recipe out to try, and made them mostly by herself! They turned out really good-- we especially like the peanut butter variation.

  • bernalgirl on October 29, 2023

    My 10-yr old picked this recipe out and made it with his dad — they’re on a mission to learn to bake. It’s a light, not too sweet, and deeply flavorful cookie, not much to look at but truly delicious.

  • alexrif on October 19, 2024

    Extremely yummy! Was not prepared for the weird. , non-cookie like batter but it makes sense! First tray of scooped cookie batter was loose then second batch was stiff- both worked out just fine

  • Happykikkers on December 22, 2024

    These are really good, but next time I’ll try to reduce the sugar a little bit. Made as Christmas cookie presents.

  • lisari on February 18, 2025

    Added 1/4 cup of flour because I just did not trust how loose the batter was. They're delicious but I will try as written next time. Although they taste so much like brownies it would be much easier to just make brownies? Not to knock them, I'm just lazy.

• Brownie cookies with peanut butter

  • Rachaelsb on February 12, 2023

    This was a great gooey, chocolatey fluffy cookie. Would definitely make again-I’m still obsessed with her brown sugar cookie but this is a close second. I didn’t use the peanut butter nor do feel any need to make these better.

• Chocolate crinkle cookies

  • Astrid5555 on March 21, 2021

    Older son called them his most favorite chocolate cookies ever, nothing more to add.

  • julesamomof2 on January 13, 2023

    These were not a hit on my Christmas cookie tray this year, unfortunately. I went back and looked at the recipe and she calls for 3 oz of either bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and I chose bittersweet and that is where I went wrong, because these were not sweet enough for people. I will try again with semi-sweet b/c otherwise texture was good.

  • Rachaelsb on July 13, 2023

    Another hit from this great cookie cookbook! Incredibly fudgy and chocolatey!!

  • skvalentine on October 07, 2023

    These were pretty good! Used the semi-sweet chocolate. Will make again.

  • jimandtammyfaye on November 08, 2023

    Incredible. Wouldn't change a thing.

  • kshell on December 22, 2025

    These are SO good, very fudgy but they hold together so I can pile them up in a container. Used 70% chocolate from Trader Joe's and I wouldn't change a thing. Got 22 cookies with my no.40 scoop.

  • Jhein12 on March 25, 2026

    Delicious

  • kristin_a6bl6r on May 04, 2026

    So good - fudgy and brownie like. A little labor intensive mixing the ingredients but worth it. They bake quickly.

• Snickerdoodles 1

  • jenburkholder on January 27, 2021

    Regular, basic snickerdoodles recipe. Very tasty, nothing groundbreaking.

• Ginger cookies

  • abengal on June 27, 2021

    These were good. Did not have any crystallised ginger, so doubled the ground ginger, and did not have any ground nutmeg or cloves so added 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice. I would keep these proportions. Substituted the light molasses with 1 very large spoonful of black molasses and the rest golden syrup. Used 2 eggs. Note to self, if making again, and do, because everybody liked them, weigh them 45g each as the book suggests as it keeps the biscuits a uniform size. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH TIMING. The undersides will burn and ruin them completely, so get them nearly cooked and then check the underside every minute until light golden, not dark gold. Lift the paper up to check the underside, edges are too deceptive, doesn’t work. 4/5

  • anya_sf on January 05, 2023

    Baked on light colored sheet pans, the cookies formed cracks after 10 min of baking. Thinking I wanted soft cookies, I took them out, but in hindsight would leave them in 1-2 min longer, as they were a bit too soft. Flavor was good, not super gingery - but my crystallized ginger may have been old (which was OK with me as I don't love too sharp/spicy ginger). I might increase the ground ginger.

  • jay.moe on January 18, 2023

    These cookies have a warm spice flavor, even though I did not add the cloves. They are not overly sweet so the spices really shine. I didn't add the crystallized ginger to all of the cookies because I wasn't sure I liked it. After comparing the two versions, there wasn't a noticeable difference between the cookie with crystallized ginger and the cookie without.

  • averythingcooks on February 08, 2025

    We think these are really good cookies. I made them as written (other than using a vanilla spiced sugar for the rolling) and 11 minutes was the perfect timing for us.

• Chocolate basil brownies

  • Jviney on September 02, 2020

    Pro: these are a delicious brownie and the basil brings a really lovely herbal note. Several guessed it was mint, and it’s a refreshing add. My husband immediately went back for seconds, and both adults and kids enjoyed them. Con: I struggled to get these done over the course of ten hours with a crabby three year old singing in my kitchen. The cooling to room temp x2 and the chilling for one hour x3...it’s just a lot of steps and I’m not 100% sure the payoff is there, as enjoyable as they are.

  • LarsensBeans on June 23, 2022

    Very good with the basil.

  • senzler on March 26, 2022

    I too substituted mint for basil and they were a big hit

  • sosayi on February 18, 2021

    Really, really delicious! I did sub mint for basil (there was a specific request by a certain husband), but otherwise followed exactly. I agree with Jviney that the amount of cooling in between steps is a PITA, but since it's an icebox here in WI, it was actually pretty easy (and quick) to do each step by just setting it on the screened porch. Maybe I'll just make this in winter. :)

  • cucinahalcon on December 12, 2024

    Tasty but not worth the time and effort. I followed the recipe to a T. The basil flavor was very subtle. The buttercream is a substantial layer and kind-of makes me feel like I’m eating a buttered brownie.

• Smore’s blondies

  • Astrid5555 on September 04, 2020

    I slightly overbaked the blondie part of the recipe which resulted in a very crunchy bottom. My first time making marshmallows. Halfway through the process I was scared that I had messed up when my marshmallow batter turned into a liquid soup while whipping in the mixer. However, everything worked out beautifully in the end, thanks also to the clear instructions. A small slice goes a long way, but eating these blondies is kind of addictive. Very happy kids at home!

• Double chocolate espresso cookies

  • bwhip on September 14, 2020

    These were great. The brown butter and espresso give them a wonderful depth of flavor. The little bit of extra crunch (and flavor) from the cocoa nibs made them even that much better. Baking them for about 9.5 minutes made them perfectly soft in the middle with a crispy edge for us. We'll make these again.

• Cinnamon roll blondies

  • taste24 on September 15, 2020

    There were 3 different steps to make these wonderful bars, and totally worth it. The browned butter blondie batter alone is so good! They are reminiscent of cinnamon roll flavors and I absolutely loved them. Will be making over and over.

  • benitamehta on January 31, 2026

    Making a full pan is dangerous for my two-person household. These are ridiculously good. I think they taste best the next day so waiting is the hardest part. I brought these to many summer barbecues and potlucks and they were always a hit. Definitely very sweet but so deliciously chewy.

  • anya_sf on August 16, 2024

    Super delicious. I baked them the full amount of time as the center seemed just set at that point, even though a toothpick came out completely clean. Center pieces were very gooey - next time I will overbake slightly.

  • Jviney on November 06, 2020

    These were really delicious. Yes, a few steps to do but the payoff was there. Such a great idea of a recipe, and the execution absolutely works.

  • pattyatbryce on February 15, 2021

    Fantastic! Definitely a make-again for us.

  • jvozoff on November 05, 2023

    Great flavor and texture. Love the concept and it’s well-executed. But the extra sugar in the toppings makes it too sweet. I’ll definitely make again, but will cut the sugar.

  • lisari on February 02, 2025

    Delicious.

  • Evenbetterthanmama on October 06, 2025

    Very good. I made the mistake of over melting then cooling the cinnamon sugar and it hardened into a solid caramel piece before I could swirl it into the batter. Redid this and it turned out perfect.

• Lemon oat bars

  • taste24 on September 21, 2020

    These were a delight to make. Simple filling and easy crust. I loved the creamy lemon flavor and the oat topping to balance the richness.

  • SheilaS on April 27, 2024

    These were very well received when I brought them to a ladies lunch. I made a half recipe in a 9-inch square pan and doubled the lemon zest.

  • nadiam1000 on March 27, 2022

    As a fan of all things lemon I had to make these thinking they would be reminiscent of key lime pie with the sweetened condensed milk. For me they were just okay - definitely not lemony or tart enough and I found the vanilla detracted from the lemon. Loved the crust and topping but they left me craving a traditional lemon bar like my go-to from Tartine. If I made them again I would omit the vanilla and add more lemon juice.

  • hillsboroks on June 23, 2024

    Based on other comments I tasted the filling before baking and agreed that it was not lemony enough. I added 1/8 teaspoon of lemon oil and it was perfect. I also added 3 drops of yellow food coloring to get the pale yellow color that the book photo has. The finished bars are lovely and so easy to make. I will definitely make them again.

  • EmilyR on July 16, 2025

    Recipe here : https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lemon-oat-bars

  • Jviney on April 19, 2022

    Loved them, easy and quick and the lemon cream was super lovely and rich. Made as written without extra lemon and we liked it.

  • Kitsune on February 23, 2025

    Delicious! Doubled the lemon juice and lemon zest (per comments stating flavor was not lemony enough) and this made the amount of lemon flavor perfect

  • senzler on March 26, 2022

    Loved them. Added extra lemon as many on Food 52 complained not lemony

• Raspberry rye cookies

  • cespitler on April 02, 2021

    These were delicious. The rye and raspberry mix is stellar and I loved the chewy centers. I cooked these a bit longer than stated in the book.

  • EmilyR on May 10, 2026

    I doubled this recipe and used half brown sugar, half black sugar. I then cut the white sugar by about 1/3. I wish I would have cut more sugar - they are too sweet! After adding more dried raspberries I also chose to add some fresh ones for more flavor and to tamp down the sweetness a little more. Also, I had to bake these a bit longer. Lots to work with here with some necessary tinkering. I put a sprinkle of maldon on these and they are essentially the cookie version of the Jammy Coffee Cake from More than Cake cookbook, so try that one if you want a cake variant.

  • tarae1204 on January 20, 2021

    Raspberry and rye are very nice flavor combination in this cookie. It kind of tastes like a healthy breakfast cereal turned into a sweet chewy cookie. However, I won’t repeat this recipe because the flavor isn’t one that I like enough to eat a batch. Also, the fresh raspberries moisten the cookies overnight and turn the centers into moist dough again. (And I have been adding 2-4 minutes to each bake time from this book as I prefer my cookies browned and firm throughout, not soft in centers).

  • lawrencecharcuterie on March 27, 2022

    Per reviews I have read, mostly from food 52 bake club on Facebook, I am going to skip the fresh raspberries and just use the freeze dried.

  • lisari on January 26, 2025

    Made with a little extra dried raspberries & without fresh ones. Plenty of raspberry flavor. Dough is very easy to work with. Tasty & different.

  • mdcbakers on February 06, 2022

    Out of this world flavor. Couldn't stop eating them. The freeze-dried raspberries for me made the dough darker than the book picture. I had to experiment & find my technique using the fresh raspberries. I loved the sharpness of the fresh fruit combined with the raspberry/rye flavor in the dough. I agree with baking them longer & them softening overnight. My first recipe from this book, super excited to try more.

• Lemon curd

  • Apollonia on June 27, 2021

    This was a totally different method than my usual curd recipe, but I had the right number of yolks leftover from another project and so tried it out in the lime variation. Basically the same result as my usual method, though I think it cooked a bit quicker. I'd go down in the sugar if I made the lime again, it was a bit sweet.

• Neapolitan cookies

  • Apollonia on July 03, 2021

    Thrilled with how these turned out! I could not believe how strong the strawberry flavor came through. The chocolate also came out with a great distinct flavor. Mine were, as with another comment, underdone at 10 minutes; mine needed more like 12. My only change next time would be roll in sugar crystals. I only did sprinkles on some, and they could have used a bit of shine. Otherwise, totally delightful and not difficult at all to make.

  • Astrid5555 on October 27, 2020

    These look impressive and taste excellent. I am impressed at how easy it is to add strawberry flavor to cookies by just crushing up some freeze-dried strawberries. I slightly underbaked my first batch at 10 minutes, so left the next batches in for a little longer and it worked.

  • hillsboroks on January 21, 2024

    I followed all the other bakers’ notes and ended up with some very good cookies with an impressive look. I used 1 tablespoon each of Dutch cocoa powder and black cocoa powder and that ratio was perfect. The chocolate dough was very dark but still had a great chocolate flavor. I doubled the amount of ground freeze-dried strawberries and that gave it a good strawberry flavor. I used my baking-dedicated electric coffee grinder and it worked perfectly to grind the strawberries and didn’t make too much of a mess. My only disappointment was in the color of the strawberry dough. Despite adding 4 drops of liquid red food coloring the dough was still kind of an anemic pink. Next time I would use some red gel coloring instead. These cookies are big even when I made each dough ball from the three doughs 12 grams for a total of 36 grams per cookie and I got 27 cookies from the batch. I rolled them in white decorating sugar. A lot of work but a lot of fun on a rainy day.

  • adelina on May 06, 2025

    Here is my Instagram post on these beautiful cookies: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJFMfhVzaDF/?img_index=1

  • KCKB on January 23, 2022

    Will make these again! Agree with others who noted that they could use a few more minutes in the oven (and I know my oven is that way with most recipes). I did increase the amount of powdered strawberries, and it did boost the flavor and gave a nice rosy color to the dough without food coloring. Also, I used black cocoa like the endnote suggested: looked great, but it didn’t give much chocolate flavor. Next time I will use 1/2 black and 1/2 normal Dutch cocoa, and also a smidge more salt.

  • lisari on April 06, 2025

    I used the whole 28 gram bag of dried strawberries, no food coloring. I like the flavor & color. Would make again.

  • AndieEats on June 11, 2022

    Pretty easy to throw together. Used 10g of each flavour for the cookie instead, 2 sheet pans, and fridged the dough in between to prevent it from melting too much. The strawberry flavour didn't come through enough, though it may have been because my freeze dried strawberries were older. Would experiment with using matcha and lemon as flavouring in the future.

  • sosayi on February 18, 2021

    Very good! Made these for Valentine's Day 2021. Mine did puff up more than in the photo, so I may flatten the balls before baking next time. And, would also increase the amount of strawberry powder next time, too. Loved the buttery richness and chewy texture.

  • jay.moe on December 07, 2022

    The strawberry flavor wasn't very prominent in the cookies. The second time I made these, I used 12 grams of freeze-dried strawberries and crushed them in a Ziploc to avoid the strawberry dust from the food processor going all over the counter rather than in the cookie dough. The strawberry flavor was better using the larger amount of strawberries. I also used 3 drops of pink/rose food coloring because 2 drops made the pink dough look like play-doh after baking. When rolling the cookies, I found putting the vanilla between the strawberry and chocolate kept the strawberry from being over powered by the chocolate. All three flavors of the cookie were very tasty and the cookie baked to a soft and chewy texture.

  • cookingbychapter on February 08, 2026

    I wanted to like these more than I did. They turned out beautiful. I used the suggestions from the comments, but still feel underwhelmed.

• Chocolate chip cookies

  • Emily Hope on October 10, 2020

    This is the pan-banging version in the book. First time I'd tried the method, and it worked pretty well although didn't result in quite as pronounced ridges as shown in the photos and online. Pretty standard chewy-crispy chocolate chip recipe otherwise--good flavor but not the best I've ever had. These are also GIANT. Fun project with the pod kids. Didn't keep especially well.

  • icooksometimes on March 16, 2025

    Loved the texture on these. They're nice and chewy on the outside but still a bit soft in the middle. Next time I want to do a blend of peanut butter chips and milk chocolate chips. As Emily said, they don't keep very well. By evening 2 they're pretty firm.

• Snickerdoodles 2

  • Emily Hope on October 10, 2020

    This is the pan-banging version. Found the flavor of these to be quite good (better for type than the chocolate chip pan-banger), and I also appreciate that they don't call for any shortening as many snickerdoodles do. My only change was to add a little salt to the cinnamon/sugar mix. One friend remarked that they looked just like they came out of a bakery. The dough is pretty soft so it's a little hard to roll the balls in the sugar, but it's fine if they aren't perfectly round. Very large -- make sure to leave the specified room on the pan. I baked these a little too long so they were more crispy than chewy -- will cut back a bit on the time next time. Will definitely be a repeat.

  • amy_ky231a on March 15, 2026

    Pan-banging Snickerdoodles… I weighed the dough and 85 g only made 10 cookies not a full dozen.

• Grapefruit cake bars

  • Astrid5555 on April 20, 2025

    Zesty, citrus-y, delicious!

• Oatmeal raisin cookies

  • Astrid5555 on February 28, 2021

    Quick to put together and very delicious, perfect raisin ratio.

  • Rachaelsb on July 07, 2023

    Another amazing recipe for classic cookie. Don’t know how Ms.Kieffer is so consistently able to take tried and true recipes and make them even better!!!!!

  • averythingcooks on March 19, 2025

    Yet another winner for us from this book. And once again, they took longer to bake than suggested. I considered various add-ins to replace the "not popular" raisins, including dates & craisins but finally went with butterscotch chips (basically because of an open bag in the pantry). Regardless, the oatmeal base cookie is really good and I will try the dates next time.

  • anya_sf on January 25, 2023

    Good oatmeal raisin cookies with soft, chewy centers and crisp edges. I fit 10 cookies per sheet, so only had to bake 2 batches. Baking time was 15-16 minutes.

  • lorigenes on July 18, 2024

    Excellent cookie. I used 180g King Arthur flour, 1/2 t. each of baking spice (Penzeys) and cinnamon, and eliminated the nutmeg (not a fan). Chill dough at least 1 hour. Cookie scoop (overfull, about 2" balls) was a nice thick cookie. Bake until slightly brown on top, 11-12 minutes.

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    Not a raisin fan so I used dates. The cookies were huge so I cut down the dive but they were excellent

  • heyksquared on May 23, 2026

    Stunning! These were delicious. I baked for about 12 minutes, and they were as described — soft, but firmed up on the cookie sheet. This recipe made 24 cookies, for me.

  • john_8swdq6 on March 04, 2026

    Double batch. Weighed flour, sugar, brown sugar, oats, raisins. Doubled everything except baking soda...1.5x. Actually reduced the amount of nutmeg… Less than what was called for in 1X batch.... nutmeg is not my jam, I like it just under the surface. Formed w a 1oz scoop. Maybe my oven needs calibration, but the author made 1.5 ounce cookies and baked them for 12 to 14 minutes. After 14 minutes the edges of mine are just barely golden...same w the bottoms...could use another minute I think. Good flavor. Soft. Nothing is "wowing" me....maybe the extra nutmeg would've wowed me! lol ??. The cookies in my second batch came out Poofier and didn't spread as much. As the first batch baked, the dough that was left was not chilled but simply shaped into balls ready for the oven. As the dough sat, the butter becomes cooler, the flour becomes more hydrated and the gluten may relax some, the oats soak up moisture and the sugars in the cookie dissolve into liquid more. But because, I would say, the oats absorbed some moisture and the butter cooled, then the cookies spread out less and are a bit thicker. Definitely rotate in the oven...And definitely let them cool on the pan on a rack. 75-1oz cookies; 15 per half-sheet pan. Update: let the dough rest for 15 minutes before starting to bake… That first flat batch that was barely golden around the edges or on the bottom… Definitely took more time but if the dough rests for a bit then the 12 minute mark for my 1oz cookie is right on.

• My favorite brownies

  • Astrid5555 on October 29, 2020

    These are delicious and very quick to make, a definite repeat.

  • aeb on February 23, 2026

    My first attempt at these ended with chocolatey fudgy "brownies" that never set to brownie consistency and still oozed in the middle. Others who've tried the recipe fared better so I'm assuming it's user error. I'm wondering if others used the cup measurements (I used weight) or if my flour had too little protein, but I'll have to try again before recommending this recipe to others.

  • AndieEats on January 25, 2021

    Super tasty and not difficult to whip together! Came out glossy (if a little mottled on mine) and satisfying for both the brownie edge and centre lover. I think next time I’ll throw in some chocolate chips/chunks for some extra pockets of chocolate.

  • bwhip on September 22, 2020

    These are excellent brownies. Nicely chewy, caramelized edges, and wonderful chocolate flavor. I think the combination of chocolate and cocoa, butter and oil, is a winner.

  • lawrencecharcuterie on March 19, 2022

    These are a strong contender for a homemade brownie. I usually make Ghirardelli boxed brownies. Substituted 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce in place of the salt after reading an article citing how complimentary soy sauce is in chocolate baked goods. This is a rich brownie even if less dense than Ghirardelli. I prefer a bit more crackly top crust. Still, not a bad baseline to riff from.

  • jay.moe on January 08, 2023

    I added 1/4 of the topping each from Cream Cheese Brownies (page 75), Milk Chocolate Swirl Brownies (page 81) and Marshmallow Peanut Butter Brownies (page 82) to a quarter of the pan of My Favorite Brownies batter, leaving the final quarter the original recipe. It was nice to be able to try several of the recipes at one time. I like the crinkly top and the chocolatey, chewiness of this brownie.

  • taste24 on November 18, 2020

    These were excellent and had a great soft texture. My grandpa could tell they were a new recipe and also deemed them his favorite. Will be making again!

  • skvalentine on April 17, 2023

    Easy to put together and nice texture. These were a hit at a potluck today. I could taste the canola oil, so I might substitute part coconut oil or avocado oil next time (or use a fresh bottle of oil).

  • renee_0xl3b6 on March 12, 2026

    I love these brownies. They are my go-to. Ooey and gooey!

  • mimisingh on November 29, 2025

    These were good basic brownies and its nice you don't need to take out a mixer for this recipe. I cooked at 325f in convection and pulled at 24 minutes. I would say these are pretty fudgy brownies and have a pretty soft texture. Although I liked the taste I think I would prefer if they had a more solid texture. I made half in an 8x8 which worked well

• Toasted sesame cookies

  • Astrid5555 on September 27, 2020

    These are fantastic for grown-ups. My first time making pan-banging cookies, was quite impressed how the process delivers! These cookies are definite keepers.

  • cadfael on October 19, 2020

    Very good. Watch times to not overcook. Will repeat

  • tarae1204 on January 20, 2021

    Wonderful recipe enjoyed by kids and adults alike. The flavor has the same satisfaction as a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie, but with a slightly different flavor and much different texture from the sesame. I found the balls of dough way too big and my cookies spread too much. So I halved the cookie size. Also purposefully baked each batch four minutes longer than called for because I prefer them browned and chewy throughout.

  • Jviney on April 25, 2023

    Very good! I got ten and a half cookies after measuring them out by weight. They do taste like a nutty chocolate chip cookie. I was worried they would only appeal to adults but my nine-year-old loved them too.

  • anya_sf on December 06, 2022

    Delicious, huge cookies with the perfect chewy centers and crisp edges. The sesame was quite prominent, so these are definitely for sesame lovers. I ran out of sesame seeds, so could only bake 1 pan the first day; refrigerated the dough balls overnight and baked the rest the 2nd day, still slightly chilled from the fridge, and they were just as good.

  • Babycarrot on September 16, 2023

    Echoing the positive reviews for this recipe. I got ten cookies. I was worried I wasn’t gentle enough in my pan banging but it worked out fine. This does use up a bunch of sesame seeds so if you have some laying around this is a great way to use some up. Like another person said, try not to bake too long. Will make again.

• Mud pie bars

  • Astrid5555 on March 13, 2021

    These are absolutely delicious, but quite rich. Even though this is one of the more time-consuming recipes in this book, it’s quite quick to make if you split it across two days. I did not bother chilling the chocolate mousse separately, just topped the cooled cake with the mousse and let it chill on top of the cake, works perfectly well.

  • gjnmc on December 16, 2022

    The chocolate mousse filling is made with egg but heated through at 70C.

  • pattyatbryce on December 27, 2025

    Very rich and makes a ton. It is really a lot of work. Plan on multiple days to make. I'm not sure I'd make again.

• Strawberry crème fraîche bars

  • bernalgirl on November 05, 2023

    Anywhere sugar required halve that since the condensed milk is needed. Triple the amount of strawberry dust and lose the food coloring.

  • Kinhawaii on September 10, 2021

    Good- soft delicate bar with a creamy strawberry flavor. I made half a recipe in an 8 in sq pan- used almond flour, just a little food color (looked grayish without)- but maybe should have used more. Took about 25 minutes to bake for me in order to develop some color.

  • Bessp on May 05, 2024

    Quite sweet, and the berry flavor didn't come through as strongly as I wanted. Next time I'm going to try replacing one of the cans of sweetened condensed milk with cream cheese and an egg to see if that comes out more to our taste. The bars hold together nicely and have a lovely texture.

• Rocky road brownies

  • trudys_person on August 12, 2022

    #24 - OTT brownie recipe! Easy enough recipe, but it uses four bowls and two pans - I'm going to think about how to use fewer dishes. I baked these for for 35 minutes, and they are maybe a little overdone. It's difficult to use the toothpick test because of all the add-ins. They did need at least the 29 minutes noted in the recipe. I added extra marshmallows and they browned nicely ... Next time I might leave the marshmallows out of the batter, because they just disappear ...

• White chocolate, rosemary, and apricot cookies

  • trudys_person on August 20, 2022

    These were good, but the flavour of the rosemary from my garden didn't come through. Next time I will add more, and more dried apricots. I might skip the white chocolate, as it really only contributed more sweetness. They were well-received at the bookstore opening.

  • EmilyR on August 19, 2021

    Looking past the blue tinted white chocolate, these are a fun take on an updated oatmeal cookie. I'd cut back the sugar a bit, but they are good!

• Lavender cookies with white chocolate-crème fraîche glaze

  • Devons on December 11, 2025

    Lovely cookie. Visually stunning.

• Olive oil sugar cookies with blood orange glaze

  • Devons on December 11, 2025

    We really enjoyed these. I sub'd Ojai Pixie Olive Oil for most of olive oil -- gave the cookies a delicate orange pixie flavor. I would do that again. The glaze, very pretty.

  • Littlemuls on April 03, 2025

    Dough was kind of crumbly, I did a combo rollout/squish together. I used a 2" cutter like the recipe said and got double the cookies. The olive oil flavor was strongest the first day. I liked them best the first and second day.

  • lawrencecharcuterie on February 16, 2021

    Crumbly dough could only be patted out, rolling impossible. Dale thought glaze was good.

• Bourbon sablés with chocolate

  • Devons on January 03, 2021

    First recipe I made from the book. Outstanding flavor, not overly Bourbon at all. I don't think anyone would guess there is Bourbon in them. They look just like the photo. Didn't have sanding sugar, so used turbinado instead and it was perfect.

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    I liked these, but I wanted more bourbon and more chocolate.

  • Jviney on April 28, 2023

    Based on other reviews, I upped the bourbon to nearly three tablespoons. With that amount, we could taste the bourbon at the finish. The girls at book club loved them; I’ll stick with my usual Alison Romans.

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    Texture good but not a strong bourbon flavor

• Roll-up cookies with cinnamon roll filling

  • gjnmc on December 16, 2022

    Dough stays super soft with dairy free spread even when refrigerated overnight.

• Cream cheese brownies

  • lkgrover on June 29, 2022

    Delicious brownies with cream cheese. I did not attempt to swirl the cream cheese -- had 3-layer brownies, with cream cheese as the middle layer. Baked for 33 minutes.

  • Jviney on November 25, 2020

    My four year old requested brownies, and these were very quick to bang together. I cooked them to 34 minutes and they should have stayed in the oven for probably five minutes more - the cream cheese didn’t swirl in to the brownies as easily as other recipes, and so seemed to bake on top of the brownie batter more quickly. Everyone loved them, though, and I’ll make them again.

  • anya_sf on September 11, 2023

    Really good version of cream cheese brownies with a fudgy texture, deep chocolate flavor, and a good ratio of cream cheese to brownie. I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan.

• S’mores cookies

  • tarae1204 on April 17, 2021

    These are so, so good. I love the amount of salt in the dough and how that plays against the marshmallow. These spread a lot so place the four balls of dough carefully.

  • Shewi128 on April 06, 2021

    Good recipe, although I used store-bought marshmallows and chocolate chips. However, it needed a little more chocolate!

• Milk chocolate candied nut swirl brownies

  • maryhodgeisme on January 08, 2022

    GREAT brownies. really glad I took the time to make each component. also nice that it doesn't require use of a mixer.

• Smoky butterscotch cookies

  • lawrencecharcuterie on October 03, 2021

    I found rolling these cookies to be a bit fiddly. My best success was rolling between parchment paper. Then I laid the parchment paper atop flat cold packs in order to get a spatula underneath them and lift them onto the baking sheet.

• Thumbprints

  • Melissa_427 on February 19, 2026

    Substituted almond flour for the hazelnut flour and a 1/2 tsp of almond extract for the vanilla, but substitutions worked out great!

  • Kinhawaii on April 24, 2024

    I thought that the ones that got more than a 1/2 tsp of jam tasted better. I got 48 cookies but used only 200 g of jam. A plastic 1/2 tsp measure dipped in the sugar easily made indentations- I tried to make them larger in order to hold more jam. Some of the thicker cookies seemed slightly underdone & I thought the ones that were beyond “just beginning to turn” -& actually had a little color were better.

• Cut out cookies

  • dbuhler on February 06, 2024

    I really liked the flavor of these cookies, but I think I need to add a bit of milk next time to bring the dough together. I may also reduce the leavening a little bit to help with the spread. I used KA AP flour and rolled my dough out to 1/4" thickness. I baked them for 12 minutes and they were still too crisp for my liking, so I doubt these are a good contender for a true soft cut-out cookie. I tested these without icing, but I'm interested in trying her icing recipe since it has melted butter in it!

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    Very easy dough to work with. I think maybe I don't love the coconut oil in it, or maybe my coconut oil was not the freshest. In any case I have had others I liked better, but I love that this dough doesn't require chilling.

• Cakey brownies

  • Shewi128 on January 16, 2023

    Wow, I thought I only liked chewy brownies, but these were fantastic. I highly enjoyed these as they were more chewy than the name implies. I also made them with the frosting, which I thought complemented the recipe well. However, my son and husband both requested the brownies without the frosting.

• Marshmallow peanut butter brownies

  • Jviney on March 06, 2023

    Very good. I’d make again for sure; quite easy. My favorite brownies are rich and fudgy, and the marshmallow and peanut butter are delicious together. Mine probably baked a full 35 minutes and were still fudgy. Delicious.

  • anya_sf on May 02, 2023

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan, but omitted the marshmallow and used the whole amount of peanut butter swirl instead. I mistakenly made the brownie batter before the peanut butter mixture, plus used crunchy peanut butter, so both were stiffer than they might have been and were impossible to swirl. So the brownies ended up with a peanut butter layer on top of a chocolate layer, but they were still fudgy and totally delicious.

• Peanut butter crunch brownies

  • sosayi on February 18, 2021

    Made with the "my favorite brownies" base. This was a massive hit. Don't be tempted to leave out the cacao nibs for the crunch - absolutely elevated the final treat (and I am not a huge fan of crunchy, mixed textures).

  • jimandtammyfaye on April 30, 2022

    Incredible for choc+pb lovers. I couldn't find cacao nibs, but I would have loved the crunch they bring. I'll order cacao nibs ahead of time for next batch. I halved the ganache and found the ratio of brownie/pb/ganache to be ideal. The brownie portion, as written, produced a rich, fudgy brownie.

• White chocolate brownies

  • senzler on May 18, 2022

    These were good but took forever to bake.

• Dark chocolate swirl white chocolate brownies

  • Jviney on August 03, 2023

    Made for the second time - this is such a great brownie. Highly recommend. The white chocolate is subtle; most people think they’re having a blondie. So good.

• Raspberry swirl white chocolate brownies

  • sydlikestocook on May 23, 2024

    I've made about 2 dozen recipes form this book and this is the only one I won't make again. The blondies took longer to cook than the recipe called for and the raspberry puree was a pain to make. It tasted gooey and I got compliments but it's not as straightforward as some of the other recipes.

• White chocolate red velvet brownies

  • sydlikestocook on December 18, 2023

    have found that recipe needs a little more time for baking

  • senzler on March 26, 2022

    These were such a big hit. Made for Valentine’s Day.

  • jimandtammyfaye on December 20, 2023

    This would be loved by the red velvet enthusiast. The white chocolate gave the brownie a nice flavor. It needed to bake a few extra minutes but still was plenty soft. I used red velvet bakery emulsion as called for.

  • theBlackbird on February 28, 2021

    Fantastic - better than any red velvet cupcake I've ever had. Have made it twice - used the red velvet emulsion as recommend and had a perfect red color and moistness. Can leave it out and just as good if serving to people who may have the red dye allergy.

  • anya_sf on February 18, 2023

    Made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan. The white chocolate did not melt smoothly (maybe started to sieze?) but the graininess wasn't apparent in the baked bars. After baking 26 min, the toothpick still came out wet. However, at 27 min, it was nearly dry and I worried the bars were overbaked, but the texture was perfect. My husband thought these were great, much better than red velvet cake as the flavor was more concentrated in brownie form. My son and I thought they were good but too sweet; I would have liked more cocoa (I always want red velvet to be more chocolatey) to balance the sugar, and would use more cream cheese/less butter in the frosting for greater tang.

• White chocolate brownies with toasted sesame caramel

  • Jviney on October 24, 2020

    These are very good. The white chocolate brownie base pairs well with and balanced the sesame caramel. My caramel was smoking and golden before the recommended 350 degrees, so I pulled it from the heat. After chilling and cutting the brownies, the caramel did run down the sides and puddle around them so probably wise to heed the author’s advice to cut them right before serving.

• Blondies

  • Lepa on January 20, 2021

    We thought these were good but not great. I will try the different variations to see if we like those better.

  • Saltbun on March 31, 2026

    Husband loved them, I thought they were decent. The flavor is nice and butterscotch-y, and they are very easy to bake (and a great option from her recipes when you don’t feel like dropping half a dozen eggs into a brownie recipe). They didn’t rise quite as much as I would have hoped. Unsure if that’s user error or just how they are. I’ll probably try these out again in the future.

• Espresso caramel blondies

  • taste24 on January 18, 2021

    These were good, and easy to make. Very soft blondies, which I enjoy. I wish the coffee flavor came through a little more. Also, I used TJ's salted caramel sauce for the top.

• Banana crunch blondies

  • kimber_p1g62j on February 09, 2026

    Fun way to change up how you use your aging bananas that is not just traditional banana bread. Definitely more cakey than a traditional blondie bar

  • sarahfrizzank on October 16, 2020

    Does the measurement for vanilla extract seem a bit high to anyone else?

  • lorigenes on September 01, 2024

    These were disappointing. We are huge Sarah Keiffer fans and have dozens of her recipes noted as "favorites" but these just didn't work. This is much more of a snack cake than a blondie bar. The banana flavor is mostly nonexistent, the ganache overwhelms the 'cake', and even the candied walnuts got lost in the flavor profile.

• Lemon-poppy seed sugar cookies

  • Shewi128 on March 25, 2021

    Sarah Kieffer's cookie recipes are some of the best and most consistent recipes I've made. These had a perfect chewy texture to them, and they weren't dry even with the poppy seeds added. I did add a lemon glaze (it was on the page before the cookie recipe), which made the cookies really tasty. I'd definitely make these again.

• Banana poppy seed cookies

  • lorigenes on August 05, 2024

    A 5 star family favorite. I used 325g of King Arthur flour, chilled the dough for 2 hours and baked until med-dark brown all over. I added chocolate chips to the last batch of dough and that was an excellent variation too.

• Cream cheese pumpkin pie bars

  • jsguaium on April 11, 2021

    Made a half recipe; Used puréed chestnut instead of pumpkin, came out just fine. Delicious bars. I prefer a bit more crust, so next time would increase crust components by half again to try that.

  • anya_sf on January 09, 2023

    As promised, these tasted like pumpkin pie swirled with cheesecake, both of which I love, so unsurprisingly I loved these bars. Made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan.

• Mixed berry crumble bars

  • Shewi128 on March 27, 2023

    I thought this was just ok. I used a different berry filling, and just used the crumble crust recipe. It ended up slightly too soft. I don't think I'll try it again.

• Cherry almond cheesecake swirl bars

  • anya_sf on February 15, 2025

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan. Baking time was about 40 min. Next time I would pour nearly all the cream cheese mixture in the pan before dolloping the cherry mixture because the remaining cream cheese mixture ended up covering most of the cherry. We loved these bars. The red wine and cinnamon added a "grown-up" flavor profile to classic cherry cheesecake. The almond extract wasn't especially noticeable.

• Palmiers with apricot and cardamom

  • Cgaskins on July 10, 2025

    Can make this recipe with different fruit + spice combos. I used cherry + cardamom! Very successful attempt and very impressive when served.

• Espresso cheesecake bars

  • ChefLeen on January 08, 2025

    The oat crust did not go over well in our house. To Sarah’s defense I think it paired great with the coffee. I may keep the coffee cheesecake idea for a traditional cheesecake but these bars just didn’t make the cut for our family book. ( with that said we absolutely loved her red wine cheesecake bars!)

• Black and white cheesecake bars

  • Kinhawaii on January 14, 2024

    Nice- when you don’t want a huge cheesecake, yet rich. Half a recipe, with 2 scant eggs, in an 8 inch pan, took about 25 minutes to bake.

• Chocolate hazelnut bars

  • anya_sf on January 29, 2023

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" pan. The filling took closer to 30 min to set. Served chilled, the bars were firm yet soft, rich, and fairly sweet. I'd consider using a darker chocolate next time. The recipe yield is "12 large or 24 small bars"; I split the difference, cutting the pan into 9 bars (1/2 recipe) and servings were plenty big.

• Boston cream pie bars

  • Bessp on December 03, 2025

    These were a hit as written, but some minor tweaks would put it over the top for me. I'd reduce the cake layer by about 1/3, it was a bit too thick for me. I'd use my go-to pastry cream recipe, which uses less cornstarch, just because I like it better (richer, smoother, and less sweet). I'd also reduce the cream in the ganache by 1/4-1/3 to make it stiffer. Finally, I'd swap out the corn syrup in the ganache for the same amount of coconut oil, again to reduce the sweetness. These were delicious as-is, however, especially if you like things on the sweeter side.

• Half-and-half cookies, two ways: strawberry lemonade cookies

  • lindydorfman on August 06, 2022

    The cookie has great potential but I HATED the lemon extract. I am going to try them again with lemon emulsion. However my family actually loved them.

  • Shewi128 on April 12, 2021

    I put in freeze dried blueberries instead of strawberries. These are BIG cookies, so make sure you follow the instructions about 4 cookies per pan. They definitely taste like lemonade, which was a good thing. You can't really taste the freeze-dried fruit at all.

• Kitchen sink cookies

  • MonicaMadeIt on October 22, 2022

    This is one of those "I didn't follow the recipe" reviews... Based on some online reviews I saw, these cookies as written are very soft and sticky due to the lack of flour. So, I used 2 cups of quick oats, 2 cups of rolled oats, and 1 cup of all-purpose flour. I didn't have potato chips so doubled the pretzels, and didn't have butterscotch chips so used caramelized white chocolate. The cookies I baked right away were puffy and dry and I thought this was all a waste, but the ones that I froze and then baked a few days later were excellent.

• Oatmeal chocolate cookies

  • nikki_ml27zt on March 20, 2026

    Very good cookie but agree with others the 85g is a BIG cookie. Made one batch at 85g, one at 75g, and one at 50g. Even the 50g are big and produce the ridges from pan banging. Will likely make again when craving a thin, crisp cookie.

  • senzler on March 26, 2022

    I made these but without chocolate and with dates. Cookies were way too big. Reduced to 30 grams. Good

  • sdeathe on February 15, 2021

    Reduced size from 85 g dough per cookie to 50 g; they were still big. These are good, but not remarkable in any way. Banged the pan to produce flat cookie; no ridges because of the reduced size.

  • sosayi on September 11, 2024

    I feel that these went from looking completely undercooked to being chewy, crisp and caramelized (admittedly in a good way) very, very quickly, so just be careful. Solid oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but not sure if they'd become a go-to recipe.

• Triple chocolate cookies

  • bwhip on February 04, 2025

    These are the ultra-chocolate version of pan-banging cookies, and they’re awesome! I didn’t use milk chocolate chips, so I just doubled up the semi-sweet chips. Wonderfully caramelized crispy edges, buttery and chocolatey. What’s not to love about that?

  • Jviney on August 10, 2024

    Yummy, the depth of chocolate is lovely.

• Ginger molasses cookies

  • jay.moe on June 26, 2024

    This is a soft, chewy cookie that has a warm spice flavor. If you are the type of person that bakes from the ingredients list rather than the recipe steps, please note that the granulated sugar is divided between the cookie dough and rolling the formed dough balls into prior to baking. The recipe states to line the sheet pan with foil rather than parchment paper. Since I had been baking several different batches of cookies, I tried it with the parchment from the previous batch. While lifting the sheet pan to bang the cookies, the parchment paper slid on the pan pushing the cookies into the lip of the pan. So foil is definitely a good idea. As other bakers stated, these cookies are HUGE! The diameter of the baked cookies are slightly larger than 5 inches. This is a good recipe, but I prefer the Ginger Cookie recipe in The Classics section of this cookbook because they are a smaller, thicker cookie.

  • Shewi128 on November 28, 2022

    I love Sarah Kieffer's pan-banging cookies. They are ginormous, yes, but worth it. They end up being fairly chewy but tender, which is my favorite cookie texture. These tasted like the holidays in cookie form. I'd make these for any ginger molasses cookie lovers.

  • paisleymonsoon on December 05, 2023

    First of all, these are great. This recipe really delivers. HOWEVER, before you get the dumb idea of making several dozen of these for a cookie exchange, you need to know that these are gigantic and require 1/4 a cup of dough per cookie. So, to follow the recipe, you can only put 3 cookies in the oven at a time. I thought I would cheat and add two pans at a time, with the result of having burned and fat (rather than flat) cookies. Plan to only bake with one pan in the middle of the oven at a time or you might as well not even do it.

  • theBlackbird on January 12, 2021

    HUGE cookies! Instructions were very clear, and got crunchy edges and a chewy middle. Not super gingery - might add a touch more ground ginger next batch.

• Snickerdoodle cookies with pumpkin buttercream

  • theBlackbird on September 28, 2021

    Oh goodness these were good. I’d make the cookies a little smaller than the 45g in the snickerdoodle recipe because these were huge. Takes a few steps, so plan to do the cookies and caramel shards one day and maybe the buttercream the next. That said, everyone finished them! Next time I might add some cardamom and ginger to the sugar mixture to make them chai + pumpkin.