122411 Coconut Swirl Brownies

A perfect combination of chocolate and coconut! I used bittersweet chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate - not a bad switch!! The recipe was very easy to assemble and I didn't need to pull out the KitchenAid mixer - these yummy brownies are quick to make on a last minute notice! I probably should have swirled the batter more to get a better marble look....people enjoyed them anyways at the Christmas party!

123011 Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies with my sister since we had an hour to kill before leaving for the airport. Very quick and easy to make - basic ingredients found in the kitchen. Nice soft, chewy cookies without being too sweet, i.e., just the right amount of chocolate. Simple chocolate sugar cookies which didn't necessarily need to be > 3" in diameter (gigantic!) , but they would make a perfect ice cream sandwich!!

121811 Vanilla-bean Spritz Wreaths

Though festive in color and shape, I don't think I'll be making these any time real soon. The dough was very difficult forming from the cookie press - I'm not sure if it was the cookie press itself (a Pamper Chef cookie press) or the dough ....or both. My hands and wrists hurt after a couple of pans. Even after refrigeration, the wreaths were "sore"to press out. The cookie tasted simple with a very strong vanilla flavor...nice but it's just vanilla. In the end, I rolled out the dough and used a Christmas tree cookie cutter.

121311 Stained Glass Trees

These are by far the prettiest cookies I've ever baked! I used a 3" cookie cutter w/ a smaller tree cutter for the stained glass area. The recipe is a little involved but well worth the effort. It's a typical sugar cookie recipe that requires a 2nd refrigeration after the cracked candy has been placed. I preferred to roll the dough closer to 1/4" rather than the recommended 1/8" thick - otherwise they brown too quickly and break easier. The candy is "chewy" but works well with the cookie - the "glass" candy is so thin that it doesn't allow one to eat the cookie first and then have a "Jolly Rancher" for later (I used Jolly Rancher sour apple and cherry).

112611 Butterscotch-Cashew Blondies

Yummy- these blondies are delicious! The cashews and toffee bits add a nice crunch to the overall butterscotch flavor. Very easy to make; as most blondies are. The bake time was actually ~7 minutes shy of the recommended 42min. Right out of the oven, these blondies are simply heavenly!! They're comparable, or slightly better than the Brown Butter Toffee Blondies. A keeper recipe and one I'll make for my sisters this Holiday season!

111911 Gingerbread-White Chocolate Cookies

These blondies are very yummy!! I'm not a big molasses fan but this recipe is an exception. Not too sweet, perfect blondie texture, and not too-too hard to make. Spreading the dough in the pan was a bit tricky - very tacky. I might have used a tad too much non-stick spray because the blondies were a bit oily on the bottom. Next time, and there will be a next time, I'll have to back off on the Pam spray. The white chocolate adds a nice sweetness.....looks pretty, too! The recipe yields 4 dozen easily.

111311 Gingersnap-Raspberry Sandwiches

This recipe has a very strong ginger flavor. By themselves (without the jam), they're kind of like a gingersnap snickerdoodle - soft on the inside with a light, sugar crunch on the outside. I used strawberry jam which was fine - however, to minimize the sweetness, I didn't overfill the cookies. Recipe is easy to assemble and yielded the predicted 2 doz. sandwiches. I'm not a big gingersnap fan, so not sure if I would revisit this recipe.

110511Rum Raisin Shortbread

You definitely have to plan ahead for these cookies - soak the raisins in rum overnight, chill the dough for a few hours and then bake. The cookies are on the crispy side and somewhat simple. Careful when handling because they break easily. Slight hint of rum due the soaked raisins. "OK" recipe but not sure if it's a repeat.

103011 Brown-butter Toffee Blondies

The toffee bits add a nice crunch and sweetness to this recipe. It's a dense cookie bar but not too, too sweet. The dough does not "pour" into the pan as the recipe suggests. It needs to be spread into the lined 9x13" pan, which is actually tricky because the parchment paper tends to slide around. It's a yummy blondie recipe and pretty easy/quick to make (except for spreading in the pan). I didn't cut the cookies into various shapes as Martha calls out but they taste pretty good whether diamond cut, heart shaped, or square!!

102311 Cornmeal Thyme Cookies

The thyme sure does make a nice kitchen aroma...but I'm not too keen on savory cookies. My mom enjoyed them, but she also liked the anise cookies I made a while ago (another savory recipe). Very easy to make and they came out just like the picture in the cookie book. They're very soft and have a slight crunch due to the cornmeal. I used cranberries instead of currants but it really didn't make a difference because the thyme overwhelms the whole cookie.

101511 Orange Cardamom Madeleines

It's amazing how delicate these cookies look considering how simple they are to make. It's all in the scalloped pan!! The recipe is easy to follow and the cardamom adds an interesting fragrance not commonly found in cookies. But, it's the orange icing that really takes this cookie way past ordinary Madeleines!! And, the icing also helps cover up some of the air pockets/holes - not sure what caused these holes on some of the cookies?? I made a second batch paying special attention to the egg-sugar mixture and gentle introduction of the dry ingredients....but to no avail - some cookies still had air holes. Holes or no holes, the cookies are delicious!! I sent a box to my sister - hope she enjoys them! A "keeper" recipe and something that can be put together last minute (but allow for the 30min refrigeration time).

100811 Cigarettes Russes

This recipe was actually fun to make, even though it was quite involved. Definitely time consuming and one needs to move fast once the cookies are out of the oven. I baked 3 cookies at a time and constantly had to oil the wooden spoon handle between rolling each cigarette;otherwise, the cookie will stick to the handle and refuse to come off. Surprisingly, the batter was easy to spread on the baking sheet - must use an offset spatula. Keep an eye on the oven because they bake fast! It was easier to make short fat cigarettes as opposed to long skinny ones - I guess you can call them cigar russes (fitting for my husband)!!

100211 Old-Fashion Sugar Cookies

This is probably one of the best sugar cookie recipes I've come across in a long time!! The lemon zest and juice really adds a nice touch. The cookies are big, soft and chewy with the perfect amount of sweetness! Definitely a keeper - a recipe I will make again and again! The double application of sanding sugar adds a nice sparkle and crunch.

092511 Almod Horns

These cookies start with a nice kitchen aroma due to the roasted almonds - yum! The recipe is pretty easy to put together and assemble - take care when making the log rolls (I used the counter top as the rolling board). The recipe has a wonderful almond flavor - reminds me of a Russian teacake. Simple, non-complex, and sweet! Makes exactly 3 doz, as predicted.

091711 Anise Drops

These cookies have quite an interesting flavor - a little savory & a little sweet. I couldn't find anise extract so I used finely ground anise. The dough is "runny" so you have to work fast and get them into the oven quickly. They cookies are very pale, soft, and chewy. My mom enjoyed them but my husband took only a nibble. I don't think I'll be making these again. BTW, this is a delayed post.

091011 Striped Icebox Cookies

I struggled a bit assembling these cookies because I was being frugal and interleaving the dough with the parchment paper - don't do this because the dough is hard to remove and will begin to break. Use 2 pieces of parchment paper per rectangle dough. The filling gets a bit hard to spread, so I re-heated quickly right before I needed it. Other than that, the cookies bake nicely - they're a bit big so next time I may consider cutting them in half. The taste is wonderful! The tartness of the cherries balance out the sweet cornmeal - excellent combination of texture and flavors!

090711Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe was very easy to make and the only big issue I had with it was the estimated baking time of 25 minutes - they actually only took ~12 minutes (almost burned a few). The dough is very moist and the chunky peanuts make it difficult to press in the cross-hatch pattern with a fork - which is the peanut butter cookie "trademark". I embellished the cookies with drizzled semi-sweet chocolate; makes them a bit messy to store but well worth the combo-flavor! Don't expect a soft & chewy cookie - it's more on the "soft" crisp side. Not bad....but I prefer the soft & chewy type.

082811 Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Bursting with chocolate and coconut, this recipe is not only super yummy but is a cinch to make!! I used both white and semisweet chocolate chips. The generous amounts of walnuts and coconut gives this drop cookie a lot of body. A keeper and will definitely repeat!'

081411 Baci di Dama

Ooooh! These are very close to chocolate French macaroons! I used fine castor sugar instead of granulated sugar, and I used blanched almond flour (baked a bit to dry it out). Cookies piped easily and the tops came out pretty smooth. However, very little "foot" on the cookie bottom (not sure why?). Overall, the cookies are very delicious and presents a nice chocolate flavor. East to eat since they're bite size! I"ll have to play with this recipe again!

081311 Raisin Bars

These raisin bars are very easy to assemble. I used golden raisins and some dates (what I had on hand). I should have followed the recipe and use half the dough on the the bottom and half on top (I used 2/3 on the bottom- the remaining 1/3 dough for the top was just enough for minimal coverage). I think the raisin filling is a bit sweet - may consider reducing the sugar to 3/4c. An "OK" recipe.

080711 Fig Pinwheels

These cookies were a but hard to put together - mainly, the dough kept falling apart even after overnight refrigeration. And, a very sharp knife is needed to slice the refrigerated dough. The fig filling is delicious and the overall cookie is pretty yummy! The end result is a very soft cookie that comes out more oblong than round (hard time shaping the cookie w/o the filling squeezing out). Browns and bakes nicely, though.

073111Milk-Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are unbelievably delicious!! I'm not a milk chocolate lover but this recipe may turn me into one. It's easy to assemble - I used Trader Joe's Milk chocolate bar. The dough is a bit wet but keeps it's shape when dropping them onto the baking pan. Don't guess with the time - bake exactly 15minutes and all will be good!! The cookies are light, soft and airy. A keeper for sure!!

072411 Cherry Almond Biscotti

Hands down, this is my favorite Biscotti recipe! The amaretto-simmered cherries add so much flavor and moisture to this biscotti - it's not your typical crusty, hard cookie that needs java dunking. The biscotti is enjoyable by itself. Aside from simmering the cherries in amaretto, the recipe is easy to assemble. Rolling the dough into logs prior to flattening on pan is a smart way to go - I actually formed a slight mound down the center to give the "curved" look. It takes a bit of oven time - bake-slice-flip - but worth it! Excellent recipe and good chance of me making another batch before the week's up!!

071611Bourbon Currant Cookies

The whiskey aroma of this recipe was wonderful as I took he cookies out from the oven...unfortunately, the flavor could not be detected in this recipe. I opted for whiskey instead of bourbon (an alternate). The recipe was pretty straight forward, and the dough easy to work with. The currants were just "ok" with respect to adding character to the cookies but, overall, the cookies remained simple and plain tasting. Though the heart cutouts were attractive with the currants peeking through, I'm not sure if I would make these again.

071011 Fresh-Peach Drop Cookies

These are the perfect summer cookies! The fresh peach flavor burst through these moist, lightly sweetened nuggets! The recipe is pretty easy to assemble once the peaches are cored, peeled and diced (the 2 large peaches yielded about 2cups). The dough is a bit wet and so, as recommended, I refrigerated the batter until they were ready to go on the pan. The bite size cookies make them easy to pop in your mouth. Must remember to make these every summer when fresh fruits are in prime season!!

070411 Raspberry Almond Blondies

This is an excellent recipe! The fresh raspberries with the almond slivers are a perfect summertime treat..an anytime treat!! It's easy to make and, except for the fresh berries, all the ingredients are "cupboard" standards. Some of the raspberries get a bit mushy and make the blondie bite a bit wet in some areas. But, the doesn't distract from the great sweet treat that it is!!

062511Cream-filled Chocolate Sandwiches

These cookies look so delicious in the recipe book - and they actually came out looking like the picture! However, the cookie is not as soft as it looks;it's more on the crispy side. The filling is very sweet and my mom, who was hanging out in the kitchen with me, said she would "save her calories for something else". The cookies bake rather quickly, well under the recommended 10-12 minutes. They are good but you can only have one/day...and with a cold glass of milk!!

061811 Lime meltaways

This recipe is pretty easy to make. The lime flavor bursts through and the powdered sugar is a must to cut through the tartness. The cookies remind me of Russian teacakes but with a lime flavor and "flat". Great with tea or coffee. Quick to slice up and bake once you've filled the logs.

061111Chocolate Thumbprints

These cookies are a bit on the dry side, but I guess that's to be expected since there are no eggs in the recipe and powdered sugar is creamed with the butter as opposed to granulated sugar. The cookies come out picture perfect and are not that sweet...surprisingly. My friend Susan helped me make the dough balls and fill them with melted chocolate. We actually filled a few with apricot preserves....which weren't too bad. It's always fun baking in the kitchen with friends..thanks Susan!

060511Coconut Macadamia Shortbread

These cookies were a bit involved to make but worth the effort...especially if you love coconut and nuts! Processing the sugar & macadamia nuts in the food processor produced an aromatic, sweet nut butter (I almost wanted to spread some of it on a piece of toast!). With all the butter and oil from the nuts, the dough ends up being very soft - definitely need to chill dough as often as the recipe calls for. I didn't use the optional 4T cream of coconut... the coconut extract and 1.5c shredded coconut was sufficient. The cookies baked faster than the suggested 20-25 minutes;more like 15-18minutes. Cookies turned out yummy, soft and chewy!!

052911Lemon-poppy Seed Crisps

This recipe is the ultimate lemon crisp recipe!! It's bursting with lemon and the poppy seeds add the perfect crunch. The crisps stay together, i.e., they don't crumble easily in your hands. The raw dough is just as good. The dough is a bit sticky when trying to form the 1.25" balls but well worth the patience. It's hard to judge when the lemon juice is reduced by half but the recipe seems to be forgiving on this matter. Excellent recipe-I can't say enough about them! I'll be making these again very soon!

052211 Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies

This recipe is one of the best Blondie brownie recipes I've ever tried making! The swirled in cream cheese really adds a nice touch to the blonde brownies. It's a bit involved to assemble since you need to use the mixing bowl twice and the brownie is tacky when trying to spread it in the pan. However, definitely worth the effort....I only wish the recipe was for a larger pan size! A keeper and one to repeat for a special treat! Btw, the raw dough is yummy...

052111 Langues-de-chat

This recipe calls for basic ingredients and is relatively easy to make. But, you must pipe a very narrow strip of cookie because they do spread in the oven...quite a bit. I didn't yield the predicted 5dozen because my first batch were too big. The cookie is on the soft, chewy side and very simple tasting. I embellished them with a little chocolate ( the recipe recommended to serve with ice cream) . I was inspired to attempt this recipe because on our recent trip to Spain, Langues-de-chats were commonly found in the patisseries. Not sure if I'll make them agin since didn't care for them.

050811 Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made this quick recipe for my son to take back to the dorms. Very easy, quick and fail-proof to make. The cakey-ness was yummy! A very simple, basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that inherently bakes fluffy due to the reduced butter and sugar. Delicious with a cold glass of milk!!

050711Key Lime Bars

Unfortunately, I think I over beat the egg yolks because the bars were a bit runny, even after refrigeration. However, the tartness of the key limes came bursting through!! The whipping cream garnish is a must to balance out some of the tartness - perfect combination! The graham cracker crust went nicely with the cool bars. The recipe is worth trying again...but over beating the eggs must be avoided.

050111 Oatmeal Bars with Dates and Walnuts

I made this recipe right after the Date Triangle cookies were made - had to do something with the remaining dates. These bars were very easy to make;took a little extra energy to finely ground the oats in the food processor. I had a hard time discerning the dates in the final bars - the oats and brown sugar dominated the cookie. Overall, the recipe was a bit "plain & simple", and a stretch to call it granola bar.

050111Date Triangles

These Middle Eastern cookies have a wonderful date filling! The dough could be a bit more moist but I think the slight dryness is how the cookie is suppose to be. The dough requires a little patience since no flour is used to form the triangles....the dough sticks to the hands when forming the circles and then the triangles. The orange zest is very noticeable...nice combination with the dates. The baking time is~7minutes less than the 30minutes recommended.

042211Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

These cookies are as good as they look! You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter - they're meant to be together!! It's amazing how smooth the cookie tops come out - the dough is more like a thick batter. The filling is rich, smooth and light. One cookie is quite a serving - excellent with milk or coffee. I have to say, this recipe is high on my list of favorite recipes in Martha's Cookie collection! A keeper soon to be repeated...

041711Maple-Pecan Shortbread

This shortbread cookie is very yummy - it's not too sweet and the toasted pecan flavor comes bursting through. The turbinado sugar adds a nice sparkle and just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. The dough is easy to roll-out and I actually made ~5dozen cookies ?? The recipe predicted only 24 cookies and so I thought I must have rolled the dough out too thin. But, I think they came out a good height -go figure. If you're looking to add a little twist to your shortbread cookies, this recipe does the trick.

041011Alfajores de Dulce de Leche

OMG!! These cookies are so good - there's a bit of airiness to the buttery cookies, begging for the sweet, decadent dulce de leche. Instead of the simple (but time consuming - 5hrs to cook) Dulce de Leche recipe, I used Williams and Sonoma's Chocolate Dulce De Leche - can we say YUMMMM! Making the dough was a cinch - everything goes in the food processor. I'm not a big fan of "cookie cutter" recipes but these were well worth the effort. It took a while to sandwich all 5-6 dozen cookies with the dulce de leche - much more than the recipe predicted. The cookies don't spread in the oven, and so I was able to put up to 3 dozen on a single baking sheet. Delicious and nice presentation!

040311 Italian Polenta Cookies

These cookies were hard to pipe into the "S" shape - as called by the recipe. I didn't have a 7/16inch star tip so I cut the tip of a pastry bag (disposable, of course) - even with an opening larger than 7/16" it required a great deal of squeezing and muscle to form the cookies. The recipe called for either polenta or cornmeal, where I used the latter. And, I used a little bit of lemon juice instead of 1T of lemon zest (it was cold and I didn't want to go pick lemons in the backyard at night). My baking pans were too big to fit in my freezer, so I couldn't chill the cookies prior to baking. Considering all the improvising that occurred, these cookies turned out to have a wonderful flavor and texture!! I would seriously consider making this recipe again using polenta and lemon zest....

032911 Peanut Butter Chocolate-chip Oatmeal Cookies

Unlike the previous peanut butter cookies (032311), this recipe is bursting with peanut butter flavor. Chunks of chocolate chips and whole peanuts add a wonderful flavor and texture to the old fashion oatmeal. The cookies come out flat due to the wheat flour....but soft and chewy!!! Next time, I wouldn't mind adding a handful of raisins just to add a little soft, chewy sweetness. Easy to make and good raw dough!

032311Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Cookies

Not very strong in peanut butter flavor but the nuts add a wonderful crunch to these cookies. Great combination with the chocolate chips. Can't taste the cinnamon..which is ok for me. Easy to make recipe...simple, common flavors. Yields the 5dozen cookies as predicted.

031811 White Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

This is one of those recipes where the raw dough is almost as good, if not better, than the baked cookie!! I used Lindt white chocolate pieces and maybe backed off the coconut a bit. Easy to make and great tasting!! This is probably my favorite white-chocolate chip cookie recipe. A keeper for sure and one that I'll have to share with my sisters (raw dough enjoyment runs in the family).

031511Pecan Mandelbrot

This was a very interesting recipe in that there was no butter - instead, oil was used to bring it all together. Surprisingly, the dough wasn't sticky...thick and tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers as you try and form the logs. The cookie, or biscotti, is simple in flavor and perfect with coffee. Many people enjoyed the crispy mandelbrots. Yields the 3.5 dozen as predicted. Aside from the pecans, this recipe calls for pretty standard ingredients - great, quick last minute recipe.

030511 Cherry Tuiles

These cookies were a bit challenging - timing is everything!! I was only able to form 2 cookies at a time before I had to put the remaining cookies back into to the oven to soften up. In the end, I didn't roll the remaining dozen and kept them as French lace cookies (flat rounds). My hubby liked the sweetness and crunch. The cookies are sticky to work with and, again, you have to move fast. Also, the chilled dough is very hard to dig out and form balls.

030211 Carrot Cake Cookies

These cookies are so very good - they are like carrot cake whoopie pies! The cream cheese filling works perfectly sandwiched between the 2 carrot cookies - a well-established marriage! The fresh grated carrots, raisins and oatmeal made the cookies taste very much like a slice of carrot cake. I may consider adding some walnuts the next time around...which probably won't be too long away. The dough is yummy, too! Time consuming but worth it!

022711 Pfeffernussen

These cookies were a snap to make! I used a cookie scooper instead of rolling the dough into 1.25" balls. The molasses flavor is very strong - you gotta like that ginger/molasses taste (personally, I'm not a big fan). The cookies come out very soft and the powder sugar adds a nice touch - though the cookie doesn't really need that additional sweetness. The recipe yielded exactly 3doz cookies - as predicted. Not sure if I'll make them again, just because I'm not a molasses fan.

022011 Apple-cherry Crumble Bars

These bars are so delicious! The cherries add just the right amount of tartness to the apples, and the cider puts that extra kick in that takes this recipe over the top!! Fun to make and the aroma from the cider fills the house! I will definitely make these again....the crust is not too sweet and the fruit filling stays put (not runny).

021311Raspberry Honey Financiers

This recipe was quite time consuming to assemble and, in the end, lots of dishes/pans/bowls to wash. Along with the food processor to finely grind the almonds (after they've been toasted, of course), the mixer with whisk attachment is needed. Additionally, a saucepan is needed to melt the butter and honey. The end result was just OK, and my red hearts didn't always turn out - often, the berry sunk into the dough. Not sure I'll revisit this recipe..