Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share (Martha Stewart Living Magazine)

I've tried several of the recipes so far, and they are great. Five stars for the cookies' tastiness. However, I do think there's a pretentiousness to the presentation. So I reduced the number of stars for that reason.

For example, sometimes there are unnecessary steps, like lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper. This is not necessary--I've made similar cookie recipes many times and I know that parchment is extraneous. But these recipes could get a baking newbie scurrying to the store for all kinds of unnecessary items like that. Also here's an example of the pretentiousness I see: The recipe I'm trying now calls for "7 ounces best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch chunks." Guess what that translates as: A cup and a half of semi-sweet chocolate chips. But I had to trundle out my food scales to figure that out, and that, like cutting unnecessary parchment paper, takes time which is better spent resting afterward, and eating your cookies. Also, a less experienced baker might go out and buy semi-sweet chocolate and think she has to break it into pieces herself. Talk about a nuisance.

Come on; quit the pretentiousness and write realistic recipes for realistic, real world cooks. So buy it for the recipes if you've a mind to, but be prepared to modify directions more than you might normally do for most recipes.

I have bought 4 copies of this book to give to friends because I love it. It is the perfect gift for anyone who likes to bake. I have been baking one new cookie every week with my son and daughter since we got this book in the summer.
What I love is that there are all types of recipes, simple ones and more complex, with a wide variety of flavors. The book is divided by cookie categories: Light and Delicate, Soft and Chewy, Crumbly and Sandy, Chunky and Nutty, Cakey and Tender, Crisp and Crunchy and Rich and Dense. Each category is accompanied with beautiful photos of the cookies, which are all shown in the table of contents. The book has beautiful layout (as always for martha books) and easy to follow recipes.

Enjoy!

Great variety in this book. I love how the recipes are broken out by texture and that there are photos of everyone in one place. Love the chewy chocolate gingerbread recipe.....my kids love gingerbread and chocolate, so these were a hit.

Wonderful cookie plus other deserts cookbook, everything I have tried so far has been great. Easy to use.

I just love this book. I have tried some of the recipies and i cant wait to try more. The recipies are easy to follow and the result lookes like the pictures. Everyone who loves baking should own a copy of this book.Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share (Martha Stewart Living Magazine)