Mix & Match

Cookie Craft

Cut your dough into fun shapes with your favorite cookie cutters, or use the templates in the back of the book. Decorate cooled cookies with colored frosting, candy, or other delicious extras. You can also use a pastry bag (see Cake Decorating Basics) to draw faces and design your own cookie masterpieces. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Wise Owl Chocolate Owl + Candy Eyes + Gumdrop Nose

Whale Whale Cookie + Cookie Glaze + Blue Sugar

Turkey Trot Round Cookie + Candy Corn + Chocolate Feet

Fast Fox Fox Cookie + Red Frosting + White Nonpareil Tail and Face

Tiny Gingerbread House Chocolate Cookie House + White Frosting + Candy

Over the Rainbow Rainbow & Cloud Cookies + Cookie Glaze + Colored Sugar

Spooky Ghost Cookie Ghost + Cookie Glaze + Melted Chocolate Eyes and Mouth

Mini Burger Round Cookie Buns + Red Frosting Ketchup + Mint Patty + Green Coconut Lettuce

Rudolph the reindeer Oval Cookie + Pretzel Antlers + Red Gumdrop Nose

Slow Turtle Turtle Cookie + Green Frosting + Chocolate Sprinkles

Cookie Sticks Cookie Sticks + Chocolate Frosting + Toppings (chopped nuts, coconut, sprinkles)

Snicker Doodles

Makes 2–3 dozen

These buttery cookies are fun to make — you get to roll them in cinnamon sugar before baking them! And they travel well. Treat your teammates to them after a good game!

Here’s What You Need

Cookie dough

Topping

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Here's What You Do

  1. 1. Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. 2. In a larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg.
  3. 3. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing well between additions.
  4. 4. Roll the dough into balls about 11⁄2 inches wide.
  5. 5. To make the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls in the mixture.
  6. 6. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
  7. 7. Gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until brown on the edges. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes on the pan, and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Crispy Gingersnaps

Makes about 3 dozen

This cookie recipe is from Sarah and Saenger, two friends who love to bake together and sell their cookies for a cause (read about them at left). These gingersnaps are easy to make — and they stay fresh for a long time, even when shipped to customers through the mail!

Here’s What You Need

Cookie Dough

Topping

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Here's What You Do

  1. 1. Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium bowl.
  2. 2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg, molasses, and fresh ginger.
  3. 3. Add the flour mixture in two parts, blending at low speed until thoroughly combined.
  4. 4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease them. Roll the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter.
  5. 5. To make the topping, mix the sugar and ground ginger in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls in the topping and place on the cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
  6. 6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes on the pan, and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies for a Cause

Sarah and Saenger bake gingersnaps, sell them locally for $5 a batch, and send the profits to their favorite charity: Save Our Children.

How did they choose this cause? They realized how lucky they are to have clean water for cooking when there are many people in the world who don’t even have clean water for drinking. Save Our Children has a great program that gives families access to clean water. Maybe there’s a charity you would like to support this way!

Cookie Packs

You’re one smart cookie if you make your own cookies from scratch! During the school year, pack up your homemade cookies for your lunches. Bake up a batch on the weekend, and then put a few cookies in a reusable container or baggie for each day. Label them with a sticker from the back of the book, and put them in the freezer. You’ll enjoy having a sweet treat during your lunch break!

Coconut Macaroons

Makes about 14

Craving coconut? Mix up these cookies that are crisp on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. Look for shredded coconut in the baking section of your grocery store.

Here’s What You Need

Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).

Here's What You Do

  1. 1. Stir the flour and coconut together in a large mixing bowl.
  2. 2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and mix well.
  3. 3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease it. Drop the dough by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet. Make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, or until light brown.
  4. 4. Immediately remove the cookies from the cookie sheet with a spatula. Place on a cooling rack, and cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle with chocolate if you’d like. (See the drizzling instructions below.)
Kitchen Creativity

Chocolate Drizzle

For fancy macaroons, drizzle them with chocolate. Put 1⁄4 cup of chocolate chips in a bowl, and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir the chips, and continue microwaving in 10-second bursts until the chips are completely melted. Drizzle the chocolate on top of the cookies with a spoon.

Brownie Magic

Makes 8–12

Chocolate chips aren’t just for cookies. You can use them to make these delicious brownies, too.

Here’s What You Need

Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).

Here's What You Do

  1. 1. Grease an 8- by 8-inch square baking pan and set it aside. Stir together the sugar, butter, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it begins to boil.
  2. 2. Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the chocolate chips, stirring until they are all melted. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, and stir vigorously until shiny and smooth.
  3. 3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients over the chocolate mixture, and stir them all together until the dry ingredients are just mixed in.
  4. 4. Spread the batter evenly in the greased pan, using a rubber spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until shiny and cracked on top.
  5. 5. Cool the brownies in the pan, and then cut into squares.
Kitchen Creativity

Brownie Pizza!

Spread the batter in a buttered 12–inch round cake pan, and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool, and then spread with strawberry cream cheese “sauce.” Sprinkle on grated coconut “cheese.” Top with fresh fruit and mint.

Lots of Lemon Squares

Makes 24

For a treat that’s both sweet and sour at the same time, try these sunny lemon squares. Here’s a favorite recipe that’s easy to make.

Here’s What You Need

Crust

Filling

Topping

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Here's What You Do

  1. 1. To make the crust, beat the butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the flour and confectioners’ sugar. Mix until it turns into a soft dough.
  2. 2. Transfer the dough to an ungreased 9- by 13-inch baking pan.
  3. 3. Press the dough into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool. Leave the oven turned on.
  4. 4. Zest the lemon using a microplane or the smallest holes on a cheese grater. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze out the juice. Measure 1⁄3 cup of juice and 11⁄2 tablespoons of zest and set aside.
  5. 5. To make the filling, beat the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
  6. 6. Blend in the flour. Mix in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
  7. 7. Pour the filling over the cooled crust and tilt the pan to spread it evenly.
  8. 8. Bake the bars until the filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly, then dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar using a sifter. Slice into 24 small bars.