Here are some go-to sources for cookie-baking inspiration.
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“A Baker’s Field Guide to Christmas Cookies” by Dede Wilson (Harvard Common Press, 2003, $14.95)
This title has been a trusted reference in my kitchen library for more than a decade. Wilson briefly shares the story behind more than 75 festive, familiar favorites and then skillfully provides what every home baker wants: a foolproof, crystal-clear, nobody-does-it-better recipe, and a no-nonsense photo of the finished product. With Wilson’s guidance, I’ve never baked a better Russian Tea Cake, Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss, Spritz, Nutmeg Log or Pecan Thumbprint, and her rendition of crackle-topped, powdered sugar-dusted Kris Kringle’s Chocolate Krinkles merits Hall of Fame status.
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“Cookie Love” by Mindy Segal (Ten Speed Press, 2015, $24.99)
Leave it to a James Beard award-winning pastry chef (she’s the talent behind Chicago’s top-rated HotChocolate) to push the boundaries of the genre beyond the simple snickerdoodle, although she’s got a bang-up recipe for that classic, too. Segal delves into ingredients and techniques usually reserved for other sweets higher up the food chain (her meticulous approaches to rugelach and kolaches are worth the $24.99 asking price all on their own). Two other assets: photographer Dan Goldberg’s food porn-esque images, and Segal’s bevy of insider’s baking tips.
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“Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies” by Alice Medrich (Artisan, 2010, $25.95)
Medrich uses her eighth cookbook to pull classic cookie recipes apart and put them back together. By dialing up the texture quotient (hence, the title) and cutting back on the often-scandalous amounts of butter and sugar that constitute most cookie-baking, Medrich creates dozens of the exacting, gotta-bake recipes that we’ve come to expect from this tireless baking innovator. The “melt-in-your-mouth” chapter is a must-read, and anyone who has encountered them will agree that “Maya’s Lemon Thins” are easily three of the dictionary’s tastiest words. No wonder “Chewy” won the coveted IACP Baking Book of the Year award.
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“Simply Sensational Cookies” by Nancy Baggett (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, $29.99)
The introduction immediately hooked me: “I’ve been making cookies for as long as I can remember,” wrote Badgett. “I don’t think there’s any other kitchen activity that’s more fun or that creates more fond or lasting memories.” Agreed. The appealing, easy-to-follow recipes (more than 200, enough to dazzle even the most jaded cookie exchange participant) keep me coming back. The prolific Badgett has tackled cookies in several previous outings — her “The All-American Cookie Book” from 2001 sticks out in my mind as another keeper — but the crowded shelves of my cookbook library will always have a berth for “Simply,” at least until it falls apart from overuse.
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“Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book” by Betty Crocker editors (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1963, $24.95)
Half the fun of paging through my late mother’s well-worn copy of this beloved 1963 classic (reissued in 2002) is to marvel at Edward P. Diehl’s vivid midcentury art direction. But there are also 450 uncomplicated recipes packed into its 150 spiral-bound pages — the book was created to encourage uses for General Mills products, primarily Gold Medal flour but also Trix, Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs and Wheaties cereals — and chances are there’s a handful that will spark happy holiday memories. Mine? The Toffee Squares, which appear on a splotched, dog-eared page 39. Mom dutifully baked them every December for at least a quarter-century; I’ll definitely be following her example this month.
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Toffee squares
Makes 4 to 6 dozen squares.
Note: From “Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book.”
—1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pan
—1 cup brown sugar, packed
—1 egg yolk
— 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
—2 cup flour
—1/4 tsp. salt
—4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into pieces
—1/2 cup chopped nuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour and salt, mixing until well blended.
Evenly spread dough in a rectangle (about 10 by 13 inches) on prepared baking sheet, leaving at least
1 inch all around edge of baking sheet (for a softer, cakelike bar, spread dough in a greased 9- by 13-inch pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes).
Bake until nicely browned (but crust is still soft), about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately scatter chocolate on top and let stand until soft. Using a flat-edged spatula, spread chocolate evenly over entire surface. Sprinkle with nuts. Cut into small squares while still slightly warm.
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Kris Kringle’s chocolate krinkles
Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. From “A Baker’s Field Guide to Christmas Cookies.”
—5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
—1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
—2 cup flour
—2 teaspoon baking powder
—1/4 teaspoon salt
—4 eggs
—2 cups granulated sugar
—1 teaspoon vanilla extract
—Powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
In a double boiler over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter, stirring until completely smooth. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, and reserve.
In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla extract until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, add chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add one-third of flour mixture, mixing until just blended. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just blended (dough may be very thin). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift some powdered sugar (about 1 to 2 cups) into a shallow bowl.
Roll dough between your palms into 1-inch balls, then roll balls in powdered sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets and flatten balls slightly so they don’t roll. Bake until puffed and cracked in appearance, and surface is dry to the touch, about 12 minutes (centers will still feel somewhat soft). You should be able to gently lift the edge of the cookie up from the baking sheet with a spatula. Slide parchment onto wire racks and cool cookies completely.
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A NEW WAY TO THINK ABOUT COCONUT MACAROONS
Makes 20 cookies. Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. “Instead of condensed milk, I opted for cream of coconut for sweetness, which is pretty much the condensed milk version of coconut milk,” writes author Mindy Segal in “Cookie Love.”
—2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
—1 1/2 cups flaked unsweetened coconut
— 1 teaspoon salt
—2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
—1 cup cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez brand)
—Nonstick cooking spray, for pan
—6 ounces chocolate of your choice, melted, for dipping
Directions
In a medium bowl, and using your hands, mix shredded coconut, flaked coconut and salt. Mix in egg whites, followed by cream of coconut. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, giving the coconut enough time to absorb some of the liquid, about 2 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a half-sheet
(13- by 18-inch) pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place a 1- by 2-inch (or 2-inch square) cookie cutter on the prepared baking pan. Spoon some of macaroon batter into cutter and pack down slightly to create a rectangle, leaving the top spiky. Repeat with remaining batter, evenly spacing cookies on baking pan.
Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate baking pan and bake until tops are golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking pan.
Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Dip bottoms of cookies into melted chocolate, shake off excess and place on prepared pan. Refrigerate until chocolate sets. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Maya’s Lemon Thins
Makes about 5 dozen cookies. Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. From “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies.”
—1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
—3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
— 2 1/2 cups flour
—1/4 teaspoon baking soda
—1 egg
—1 egg yolk
—1 cup sugar
—1 teaspoon plus 1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
—1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
In a small saucepan over high heat, bring lemon juice to a boil and cook until thick and syrupy and reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 2 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda, and reserve.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk and sugar until thoroughly combined. Whisk in butter mixture, lemon zest and salt. Add flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
Divide dough into 4 disc-shaped pieces. Place dough between 2 sheets of wax paper or parchment paper and, using a rolling pin, roll dough to 1/16-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining dough. Slide a cookie sheet under rolled dough and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes or up to 2 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove 1 piece of dough from the refrigerator. Peel off and reserve the top sheet of paper. Invert the dough onto it and peel off the second sheet. Use a cookie cutter to cut out any desired size or shape (Medrich suggests a 2 1/2-inch round cutter). Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, gathering up scraps, re-rolling and re-cutting dough until all is used.
Bake until cookies are lightly browned at the edges, about 6 to 7 minutes, rotating baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. Remove from oven, cool 2 minutes and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Cranberry, orange and sage cookies
Makes 32 cookies. Note: From “Simply Sensational Cookies.”
—2/3 cup sugar
—2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage leaves
—Freshly grated zest from 1 orange
—1 teaspoon. baking powder
—1/4 teaspoon salt
—2 cups flour, divided, plus extra for kneading dough
—3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for pressing dough
—1 egg, at room temperature and beaten with a fork
—1 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, coarsely chopped if very large
—1/4 cup chopped pistachios for garnish, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine sugar, sage, orange zest, baking powder and salt, and process until sage is chopped into very fine flecks, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup flour, pulsing until partially incorporated. Sprinkle butter over the mixture and pulse just until only fine bits of butter are visible. Drizzle egg over the dough and pulse until incorporated, stopping and stirring several times to lift and fold in the dough on the bottom.
As soon as the dough begins to come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup flour over dough and knead until flour is incorporated. Sprinkle cranberries over dough and knead just until the dough is thoroughly mixed. (If dough is very soft, wrap in wax paper or parchment paper and refrigerate for about 10 minutes until dough is firmer and easier to handle.)
Divide dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 8 equal balls, spacing dough about 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Pat down dough with a greased palm until just flattened. If desired, sprinkle tops with pistachios; lightly pat down to embed.
Bake until cookies are lightly browned at the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool 2 minutes and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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