Just Baking

I discovered this recipe a few years ago, while looking for a Mexican dessert for a dinner party we were having, and it has made many repeat performances since then. I am not a big fan of cookie recipes that involve rolling or cutting, which is one of the reasons I don’t make this recipe […]

These are the cookies for when you need something dense, chocolatey, and brownie-licious — in cookie form. Keep a box of brownie mix on hand (my hands-down favorite mix, store brand or otherwise, is Wal-Mart’s Great Value. Really!), and when the craving for chewy, dense brownies strikes but you don’t want to wait for them to bake […]

Baking cookies is the best way to placate yourself and your kids, and for me, it’s also a favorite pastime! What I love about cookies is that they can be simple and festive at the same time. I had thumbprint cookies on my mind for a long time. The name “thumbprint” comes from the fact […]

Carolyn Gurtz, a homemaker from Gaithersburg, MD took the top prize in the 43rd Pillsubry Bake-Off in Dallas, TX on April 14.  Her Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies use Pillsbury cookie dough, JIF peanut butter, Fisher peanuts, and both Domino and C&H sugar.
The grand prize is $1 million.  Other winning recipes included Mascarpone-Filled Cranberry-Walnut Rolls (Breakfast & Brunches category), Salmon […]

Do you like Maltesers - those crunchy chocolate-covered balls of yumminess? If you do, then these cookies are made for you.
These Whopper (or Malteser) Drops are hearty, chocolatey cookies filled with bittersweet chocolate, malt balls, malt powder, and cocoa. They are intense and slightly cakey but wholly satisfying.
If you’re wondering about malt powder, you […]

My theory is twofold: If hoaxes are judged by the number of people duped, how many people have slaved over these little biscuits, the recipe for which was published in a weekend broadsheet? Answer: possibly more than one. How many people thought they had poisoned their boss? OK, OK, I might be the only one. Therefore, if the aim […]

When I was well into my third trimester with my daughter Violet, I recall snarfing down a batch of these cookies. Lord help me, they tasted just as good, if not better, by the second and third day.
Paula’s Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies were a hit. They are moist, tangy (why hello, cream cheese!) and delicious.
It […]

 
The bucket, at last, is full again.  For the past four days my sons have been pointing to a kitchen cabinet and saying, in a tone reminiscent of Oliver asking for more, “Mommy, the bucket’s empty.”  Horrors.
The bucket, you see, is the large, deep rectangular storage container in which we keep the cookies.  I love […]

Sugar and spice and everything nice . . . that’s exactly what you’ll find in these yummy Sugar and Spice Gingerbread Biscotti. With the homey flavor of gingerbread and the satisfying crunch of biscotti, these cookies deliver the best of both worlds. And, unlike many biscotti, these aren’t rock-hard, so if the idea of cookie […]

Friends, meet my latest addiction: Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate Sparklers.
Oh my, are these ever easy. The cookies are really just French Sablés, the best ones I’ve ever had. The secret to a perfect sablé is not to overmix the dough once you’ve added the flour. After that, all you have to do is roll, chill, slice, […]