Saturday, February 02, 2008

Book Review: 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes



I could easily give 101 reasons why I love this book; each and every recipe. Mother- daughter team Lucinda and Heather Wallace have put together the most amazing little book of cookie recipes.

There's no fluff, no history, no extras (which I miss a little) just recipes - delicious recipes!

I made four different batches of cookies from this book. I set out to make one from each section, but settled on one each. I made Caramel Apple Crisps from the Bar Cookies chapter and made a huge mistake - I thought I'd have time "later" to get a photo, but the cookies were gone before "later" came. We were all crazy about them, even my brother-in- law who stopped in for a visit.

Next was Oranges and Cream Cookies, which I'm allowed to share the recipe for, from the Drop Cookies chapter. Man, were these GOOD! If you've ever bought those canned orange rolls for breakfast, you know - the kind you make at home - these taste nearly identical to those.

Then I tried Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies from the No-Bake chapter. My daughter, Megan, loves maraschino cherries and she was in Heaven with this one. Even my husband, who hates no-bake type cookies, really enjoyed these.



Lastly is the Shaped Cookies chapter from which I made Shortbread Raspberry Kisses. Look at this picture and you'll understand why I have no more to say here besides, "Yum."




I have to say, I have a cookie cookbook form a very big-name baker and I have yet to make a recipe from it that actually turned out well. It was a huge disappointment for a book full of colorful photos. 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes, on the other hand, hasn't let me down one bit. None of the ingredients are exotic or hard-to-find. The baking methods are easy to follow, and the results are absolutely perfect!

My 6 year-old said it best. When asking why I was making all these cookies, I explained to her a book review and what went with that and then she said, "They make good cookies! I mean, they have good recipes!"

You can buy your own copy, and please do!, at:
Amazon.com

It's worth every cent of the $16.95 price; Promise!


Oranges and Cream Cookies
Makes about 3 ½ dozen cookies.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2-3 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 package (12 ounces) white chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar,
and brown sugar.Beat in egg and orange peel.
Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in white chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light
golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes
on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.


7 comments:

Cakes said...

*running to library*

Deborah Dowd said...

I thought we were done with cookies after Christmas, but these look worth a few extra calories (get out the Spanx!)

KFarmer said...

Those look like heaven~ I will have to check that book out. I'm so tired of making the same-o-same-o. Thanks! :)

Jenni said...

Oh wow...they all sound great! I'll definitely put that on my list of must-get books. That shortbread raspberry kiss photo looks divine!

Melanie said...

I love simple, delicious recipes. Fancy ones are fine sometimes, but yummy, basic ones are staples.

intrepidideas said...

Hey there, nice recipies here. I think I'll be gaining some weight soon. Thanks for the easy and good recipies.

Therese said...

yum yum yum! can't wait to try out the recipes here--great cookie blog check these out as well http://buzz.prevention.com/traditional-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/
thanks for sharing