Does anyone have a cookie cookbook they really love?

September 4, 2024 5:18 AM

I am part of a group and for events have become "the cookie guy" and am looking for new/different recipes to try and make. The internet is too full of possibilities so I am looking for a little curation in the form of favorite cookie cookbooks (or websites if it is really their focus not just SEO lists of the to 50 cookie recipes). Thanks!
posted by Captain_Science to Food & Drink (26 answers total)

How about the cookies/bars/brownies section from David Lebovitz's website.
posted by lulu68 at 5:28 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Rose Levy Beranbaum’s cookies or her Cookie Bible
posted by Ideefixe at 5:39 AM on September 4 [4 favorites]

There are some really tasty ones in Dorie’s Cookies
posted by cindywho at 5:46 AM on September 4 [4 favorites]

I have never made a bad cookie from this exceptional cookie cookbook: The Perfect Cookie, from America’s Test Kitchen. Most of the recipes ask for something extra or a bit fiddy, like browning the butter for oatmeal cookies, and chilling steps for sandwich cookies, but it’s that attention to detail to me that makes them all special, from the simple to the complex.
posted by dreamphone at 5:51 AM on September 4 [5 favorites]

Seconding Rose Levy Beranbaum. Her Almond Crescent recipe is the stuff dreams are made of.
posted by the webmistress at 6:00 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

I'm a Maida Heatter fan. Some of her cookbooks may be out of print but they're readily available used.

Here's an example recipe with links to a few of her books.
posted by pullayup at 6:06 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Maybe also this King Arthur cookbook. (Full disclosure: this is from my wishlist, not one I have, but it has fantastic reviews and King Arthur's Baker's Companion is my personal favorite generalist baking cookbook that I do have -- for that matter, this one has plenty of good cookie recipes).
posted by advil at 6:22 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

I grew up with the Betty Crocker Cooky Book (I don't know why they spell it like that :-)) and have made many, many recipes from it. Still in print!
posted by 41swans at 6:29 AM on September 4 [6 favorites]

Best answer: I'm a fan of Cookies The New Classics by Jesse Szewczyk. I've had a lot of hits from there, and while some things have turned out not worth the time, lots of stuff has entered the repertoire. Favorites include the Berry Blast Cookies
, the Raspberry Chocolate Chunk cookies (I log, chill, and slice), and the savory parmesan pepper cookies.

I'm at the point where I consider uniqueness before I buy another cookbook -- I don't want a lot of duplicate recipes. Compared to other baking cookbooks, this has a good number of unique recipes and a high success rate.

Do note that the recipes often make very large, bakery-style cookies. If you're baking for a crowd you may want to make smaller cookies and adjust the bake time.
posted by Hypatia at 6:53 AM on September 4 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Seconding Jesse Szewczyk's book. Like Hypatia said, unique recipes with a high success rate, and I particularly appreciate that it has recipes for biscuit-style crispy cookies AND biscotti AND shortbread AND soft throughout AND crispy at the edges, soft in the middle.

The red wine chocolate chip and the mango/white chocolate/coconut cookies are real standouts in our house.
posted by joyceanmachine at 7:08 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Cookie Love, by Mindy Segal.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 7:10 AM on September 4

It is not a cookbook, but this Metafilter thread has lots of interesting cookie recipes.

There are lots more under the Cookies tag.

There was also a great AskMe about what counts as a cookie. If I’m remembering correctly the answers included lots of recipes. I can’t find it right now but maybe someone else will remember.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:16 AM on September 4

I'm also "the cookie guy" (modulo gender). I rather like:

The Cookiepedia, by Stacy Adimando
Cookies Galore, by Jacqueline Bellefontaine (the "Mocha Mud Pies" are the best coffee-flavoured cookies I've ever eaten)
Dorie's Cookies, by Dorie Greenspan

... and every cookie I've ever made from the Smitten Kitchen website has been great.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 7:18 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Thirding Jesse Szewczyk's book! I'm slowly working my way through all of the recipes, in an attempt to push myself to try some new flavors. The Bananas Foster Chocolate Chip Cookies were amazing, and the Coconut and Peanut Butter ones were a recent hit, and I'm not usually a coconut fan.

I agree, though, that his cookies sizes tend to be bigger than I prefer; I usually use a smaller scoop, and scoop and freeze leftover dough for later.
posted by Karmeliet at 7:26 AM on September 4

I love this cookie cookbook: Better Homes and Gardens Cookies for Christmas. These cookies work year-round and aren't just for Christmas. I like the book because it divides recipies up by type: rolled, sliced, drop cookies, bars, etc. And there are some inventive and delicious recipes in it!
posted by twelve cent archie at 7:34 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I asked a similar/ish question and got some very interesting cookie recipes.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:36 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts has a bunch of recipes that have become standards in our house, most notably the Cowboy Cookies, Cornmeal Cookies and Lime Pecan Bars.
posted by bendybendy at 7:38 AM on September 4

If you can find it - Gourmet Magazine published a cookbook with one cookie recipe from each year it was in print. I got that as a gift from a boss at an old job and it's AWESOME.

There's a recipe for a mocha chocolate chip cookie in there that says "try this once and you'll be making it for the rest of your life", and....it's as advertised. It's easy, it's delicious, and it makes a big batch. I threw it in as a last-minute addition to my offerings at a bake sale last year and it worked a treat.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:41 AM on September 4 [5 favorites]

Seconding the recommendation for America’s Test Kitchen’s “The Perfect Cookie”. It’s not flashy but every one of the recipes in there Just Works and delivers consistent, delicious results. the browned butter chocolate chip recipe in there is our go-to of the platonic cookie. In all the recipes there is an attention to detail and depth of flavor that is really good.
posted by graphweaver at 8:22 AM on September 4

I have made many (but not all 100) of the cookies in 100 Cookies and they've all been either good or great.
posted by kbuxton at 9:58 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

I also came here to say Dorie's Cookies - I especially love some of her recipes that are baked in muffin tins, which make such nice, round cookies.
posted by tangosnail at 10:28 AM on September 4

Best answer: Not a cookbook and I cannot speak for the other recipes, but I'm also "the cookie guy" where I am and always get great reviews on these Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies.
posted by softlord at 11:40 AM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and the other two books in the trilogy (on pies and cupcakes) are my favorite cookbooks ever. They are incredibly fetching and have convinced this non-vegan that vegan dessert baking is superior in virtue and taste.

Their own chai-spiced chocolate cookies are a shortbread recipe that I absolutely love.
posted by tovarisch at 1:06 PM on September 4

Sally's Baking Addiction cookie section of website or cookie specific book, her recipes are extremely well tested. I literally haven't had one go wrong yet (I bake a lot and have used her recipes almost exclusively for years now).
posted by Eyelash at 1:53 PM on September 4

I have a copy of 'the great American bale sale' and love it. It's mostly classics you expect to find at a bake sale, with occasional twists. I admit that it partly charms me because I got it at a thrift store for like $2 and it's great Americanna, but I also love the cookie recipes.
posted by Summers at 6:04 PM on September 4

Response by poster: Thanks to everyone for your recommendations, this is exactly what I was looking for when I asked this. The greater North Carolina HEMA community will greatly benefit from all your suggestions in the form of tasty snacks at our events :)
posted by Captain_Science at 6:17 AM on September 5 [2 favorites]