Saltines? For dessert? Yes—and how good they are! Crackly crisp, drenched with buttery toffee, blanketed with chocolate, and then sprinkled with coconut and nuts . . . these salty-sweet cookies are absolutely addictive. And since they’re made with a sleeve of saltine crackers and a few other pantry items, they couldn’t be simpler to assemble. [...]
CAYENNE-DUSTED CHEDDAR COINS RECIPE
Icebox cheese biscuits are among my favorite savory cookies, because of their luxurious richness and because they are deceptively easy to make. Use extra-sharp aged Cheddar cheese to intensify the flavor. For a milder cookie, you can substitute chili powder for the cayenne.
NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE BOURBON BITES RECIPE
This no-bake treat is a cross between a cookie and a bonbon. Walkers Shortbread gives the cookies a buttery richness, but for a slightly sweeter, lighter taste you can substitute 10 ounces of vanilla wafers (that’s slightly less than one 12-ounce box, about 70 little cookies). Dark rum also works well in place of the [...]
CHOCOLATE-MINT SANDWICH COOKIES RECIPE
When I set out to make these cookies, I started with the idea that I would just sandwich a Peppermint Pattie between two warm chocolate rounds and leave it at that. But my dough spread in the oven, and when I made my sandwiches the candies were lost inside the cookies instead of becoming a [...]
ORANGE-CREAM CHEESE SPIRAL COOKIES RECIPE
This recipe is an old favorite of mine, not only because the cookies are so delightfully tender and pretty to look at, but because they require just a handful of ingredients, ones that I usually have on hand. The orange flavor is very subtle, really more of a slight tang—it plays beautifully off the cinnamon [...]
DOUBLE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS RECIPE
To create a cookie version of one of my favorite candies, I bake peanut butter cookie dough in mini-muffin tins, and when the cookies are still hot from the oven press a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup into each one. Seriously yummy. Be sure to use nonstick muffin tins, and don’t overfill the cups or [...]
CLASSIC PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES RECIPE
I like my peanut butter cookies to really taste like peanuts, so to amp up the flavor and texture, I stir in chopped, salted peanuts. Not only does this make the cookies extra peanutty, but the salt on the peanuts balances out the sweetness of the dough. Don’t forget the crosshatch decoration on top — [...]
GINGERBREAD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE
Ginger and chocolate? Who’d have thunk it? If you’ve never considered this somewhat improbable pairing, prepare yourself for cookie nirvana. This is my favorite ginger-molasses cookie, soft and chewy and studded with milk chocolate chips and nips of crystallized ginger. The combination makes for a particularly complex and well-balanced cookie, peppery and spicy because of [...]
RASPBERRY MERINGUE KISSES COOKIE RECIPE
When it comes to low- or non-fat baking, I’d rather not employ tricks like substituting apple sauce for butter—the results never live up to my expectations. So when I’m seeking “healthier” sweets I turn to a recipe that, even when made by French pastry chefs, is traditionally low in fat: the meringue cookie. Made with [...]
CHERRY-ALMOND SHORTBREAD BARS RECIPE
I love a crumb bar recipe that uses the same mixture for the crust and the topping—even though the bars look like they took all day to make, preparation is really a snap. These are rich and buttery, with a great balance of sweet and tart.
WHEAT-FREE OATMEAL COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND PEANUT BUTTER RECIPE
These delicious cookies let wheat-sensitive people enjoy the classic cookie trifecta—chocolate chip, oatmeal, and peanut butter—in one scrumptious bite. But they are so stuffed with old-fashioned goodness that they’ll be popular with everyone at your party. I think of them as small miracles: Despite the fact that they contain no flour, they have a very [...]
VANILLA ICEBOX COOKIES RECIPE
A cookie for all occasions if ever there was one, this icebox cookie has irresistible vanilla fragrance and flavor and is wonderfully versatile. For a kid-friendly cookie party, try brushing the logs of dough with egg whites and rolling them in multicolored sprinkles before slicing and baking.