Cookbook Corner: Best-Loved Cookies

Since we are entering the holiday cooking season, I thought I would share my favorite cookie cookbook: Best-Loved Cookies by Publications International, Ltd. I found this book about 9 years ago and I break it out whenever I want to cook up a batch of delicious cookies (usually around Christmas time). I have been really happy with the cookbook and the variety of the recipes in it.

What to expect: About 370 pages of recipes and pictures. The introduction includes cookie basics like the different types of cookies, how to melt chocolate, how to bake them, and how to store them once they are made.

The book is organized by the different types of cookies: Cookie Jar Classics, Chockful of Chips, Out of the Ordinary, Brownie Bonanza, A Bevy of Bars, Holiday Treats, Almost Homemade, and Especially for Kids.

Best recipes: These are my go to favorites and I use them so much that the spine has been worn out.

• Mexican Wedding Cakes, p.26. I love these - little balls of sugar, butter and nuts. They are fun to make and are delicious with coffee.

• Soft Spicy Molasses Cookies, p.37. These are exactly what the title says they are and are yummy. Warning, they are a bit messy to make and you really need to keep these cold when you roll them into balls (otherwise they kind of melt).
  

• Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies, p.56. In case you do not have the recipe memorized or have a bag of Nestle chips, this recipe is a favorite and I use this all year long. It is the same recipe that you find on the back of the Nestle Toll House bag.

• Chocolate Edged Lace Cookies, p110. These look very fancy, but are pretty easy to make (and to eat). Watch out, these do not last long because they are so edible!

• Philadelphia Marble Brownies, p.188. A nice spin on traditional brownies by adding Philadelphia cream cheese to the recipe.

• Chippy Chewy Bars, p.232. I knew these growing up as 5 layer bars. They have graham crackers, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips and my favorite - coconut flakes!
  

• Danish Raspberry Ribbons, p.280. A shortbread type cookie with jam in it. These are made into ropes with indents to place the jam and then after they are cooked, they are cut and drizzled with glaze. Very delicious!
  

Complaints: This book does not have a good recipe for Spritz cookies or Gingerbread cookies - both an essential to holiday cooking. For these recipes, I turn to the Joy Of Cooking Cookbook, a tried and true no frills cookbook that has page after page of recipes.

Deliciousness scale: 4 spoonfuls of yum out of 5.

Details: This review is based on ISBN# 0-7853-4363-6.