Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chocolate chip cookies

  • averythingcooks on January 14, 2021

    Just a great classic chocolate chip cookie! In addition, there are 3 variations given if you want to change it up a bit.

  • barbara_xcaci9 on April 09, 2026

    Basic, delicious cookie with crisp edges and chewy middle. Made with chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Took three rounds of two pans in the oven to bake all the dough.

• Reverse chocolate chip cookies

  • averythingcooks on January 14, 2022

    These are very tasty cookies. I used pecans (as the suggested sub for walnuts) and I did have to top up my white chocolate with some milk chocolate chips. I completely forgot to flatten them before baking and it doesn’t seem to be a problem….they flattened in the oven anyways, they are crispy on the edges and still have a little chew in the middle. A repeat for sure.

• Dark and dangerous triple chocolate cookies

  • averythingcooks on May 07, 2020

    These are awesome! It is worth noting that the ingredient list here says dark chocolate chips & the recipe in my book calls for semi sweet chips. I had white chocolate baking squares hanging around and chopped them up in place of the white chocolate chips called for. These are chocolatey, rich, sweet, crispy and delicious all at the same time :)

• Thumbprint cookies

  • averythingcooks on December 19, 2022

    Thumbprints with jam are T's "most requested" Christmas cookies and of course, Canadian Living did not disappoint. I made 11 g balls of dough and got 30 cookies (suggested yield is 36) but I don't think I would want them any smaller. I quickly abandoned using "2 spoons" to coat / remove the dough balls from the egg whites (my fingers seemed to work fine!) and I made 1/2 with raspberry jam & the other 1/2 with a blackberry-blueberry jelly. Both versions are REALLY good.

• Oatmeal cookies

  • averythingcooks on May 12, 2019

    I was looking for a simple, back to basics (but delicious!) oatmeal cookie and of course Canadian Living delivered. I used no fancy add-ins /flavourings (but I am not denying that those versions do have their place) and the result is a delicious, crispy, caramelizy, vanilla forward oatmeal cookie . Absolute repeat!

• Whipped shortbread toonies

  • averythingcooks on December 21, 2021

    I really like these little shortbreads. The dough was really easy to handle/roll out and the temp & timing (275 F for 40 minutes) was perfect. I admit to a slightly heavier hand with the vanilla and I did sprinkle the little rounds with granulated sugar before baking. These will disappear fast.

• Brown sugar shortbread fingers

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2022

    This is my favourite type of shortbread and this recipe perfectly replicated the flavours / texture I remember from my childhood. The dough was easy to roll after the chilling & I then cut the "fingers" but instructed but I assume you could also use festive cutters as well.

• Toffee cookie brittle

  • averythingcooks on June 26, 2023

    With no chocolate bars on hand, I subbed in the equivalent mass of toffee bits & toasted nuts (mostly pecans topped up with walnuts) which worked well and the nuts cut the sweetness a bit. This is a massive pan of what I would call a "cookie bar" more than the thin brittles I've seen but regardless, I like them and T loves them...I hope they freeze well!

• Brazil nut crunch bars

  • cadfael on February 08, 2026

    Plain square very tasty

• Double-crust sour cream pastry

  • averythingcooks on January 02, 2019

    This my gold standard double crust pastry that I use every Thanksgiving for my "famous" (albeit amongst a small test group :) apple pie.......always reliable, always beautiful to roll out and always flakey and crisp.

• Single-crust perfect pastry

  • averythingcooks on April 29, 2020

    A freezer find of leftover beef stew now destined to become a pot pie had me looking for a single crust pastry. I normally make Canadian Living's sour cream pastry but this was on the same page so why not try something new? Very pleased that this single crust version contained specific directions re dealing the one egg called for in the double crust version (and not just "use 1/2 the egg"). It came together easily in the food processor, rolled out beautifully and resulted in a crispy, flaky topping for our dinner pie.

• Spinach phyllo slices

  • CordovaBayCook on April 15, 2023

    These are crispy, flavourful and attractive. Much easier to make than the triangle version. I served with homemade Tzatziki. The ones that I baked and then served that day were great. We also enjoyed eating them the next day, slightly re-heated in a warm oven. I did not have great luck with freezing these ahead and then baking from frozen. They still tasted great, but the phyllo shattered everywhere and they were not attractive to present. So in future, I would not freeze the unbaked rolls.

• Oats and molasses bread

  • averythingcooks on July 09, 2025

    I easily cut this in 1/2 for 1 loaf and while mine is not a high rising giant (I had to use a 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan, not the 8 x 4 they call for) and I would have sworn that it was over baked when I took it out, it is delicious smeared with butter with its rich flavour + "slightly" crispy crust....I need to walk away to stop eating it :)

• Naan

  • averythingcooks on July 22, 2020

    These are great! The recipe was easy to cut in 1/2 and the dough was easy to handle & rose beautifully. I did not use the garlic and sesame seeds before the cast iron “bake” but instead brushed the hot naan with melted butter infused with garlic as they came out of the pan. I stuck with around 2 1/2 minutes per side in the dry cast iron but continued to fuss with the burner setting as the pan really did heat up for the last few. A big hit with last night’s dinner.

• Crispy breadsticks with sea salt and sesame seeds

  • averythingcooks on January 04, 2020

    These were lovely - the dough did what it was supposed to and they baked up crispy as promised. We found them a bit salty but that is clearly my fault as I controlled that before putting them in the oven. I did not have any sesame seeds but certainly would use them next time (maybe with poppy seeds as well). Easy and a definite make again.

• Our finest buttermilk scones

  • Frogcake on June 30, 2019

    These are excellent! I made half cranberry lemon scones and mini strawberry shortcakes with the remaining half. Moist and perfectly buttery!

• Cheddar scones

  • averythingcooks on November 04, 2020

    I cut this in half for 6 pie shaped scones (it worked perfectly with 1.5 tbsp of egg in the dough and the remaining was lots for the prebake egg wash/cheese "glue"). They baked up tall & flaky and were a great side (split, buttered and toasted) for a big dinner salad. Next time, I might add chives or chopped jalapenos for a simple change up. We were both really happy with these :)

• Pumpkin spice scones

  • CordovaBayCook on February 19, 2023

    These are lovely. I might add a bit more sugar next time and perhaps more of the spices. The cinnamon glaze is delicious.

• Blueberry streusel muffins

  • averythingcooks on May 11, 2023

    My frozen blueberries really stained the batter but it doesn't matter as these are really good. I went a bit heavy on the lemon zest (a good idea) and I love the use of sliced almonds & fresh nutmeg in the streusel topping.

• Banana chocolate chip muffins

  • CordovaBayCook on June 06, 2023

    Good, simple recipe! I had enough batter for 15 muffins. I needed close to 3 bananas for the 1 cup amount.

• Raspberry orange sauce

  • averythingcooks on July 03, 2022

    This is a delicious & easy sauce which was offered to guests as a drizzle over a rich cheesecake ice cream. I cut it way back to 1/3 which was plenty for the 4 of us. I often find recipes too boozy (!?!) so I started with less Grand Marnier than called for (approximately 2/3rd's) and the flavour is still there...in a good, not over powering way. This is a versatile dessert sauce that I can definitely see making again.