Customer Reviews: Read 83 more reviews...
 Great recipes December 26, 2008
M. Casale (Morrisville, Pennsylvania)
After about 10 years using Rose Levy Birnbaum's Christmas cookie book, this year I switched wholesale to my new Martha Stewart's Cookies book. Birnbaum's book, which I love, has nuts in almost every cookie, and I had several people with nut allergies on my cookie recipients list. I had some other requirements for cookies, too--ones that didn't require long chilling periods for dough, quick to make, with fairly few ingredients, and with some role for a new baker's helper (2 years old).
I was able to find a good selection of recipes in Martha's book to fit all these criteria, with a few modifications: chocolate crackles, pfeffernusse, lime meltaways, sugar cookies (made small and with Christmas instead of Easter cutters, natch), raspberry and apricot thumbprints adapted from the chocolate thumbprint recipe.
All have been popular and I've spent the week before Christmas defending the tins intended for friends from my immediate family. However, I must agree with a few of the criticisms of other reviewers. It would help to have more info on how dough should look/feel, and also how to know when cookies are done. Some recipes say "bake for X minutes or until edges are golden brown," but others just give the time, not useful given the variations in ovens, and also that I like to make my Christmas cookies really small. Also, while I like having the pictures of cookies in the index, I find the classification by texture annoying--I'd much rather have, say, all the chocolate cookies together so I can compare and select recipes without flipping back and forth through the book.
I don't think this is a good book for a beginning baker, but for the experienced who can adjust and fill in the less-complete info, the recipes are well worth it!
Good, but....... December 24, 2008
Lillian M. Matthews (Monroe, LA USA)
First I will like to say that the recipes, and photos of the finished product in this book are divine! The only drawbacks to this book are that the ingredients are not given by weight, and that a short description of what the batter/dough is supposed to be like would be helpful. Baking by weight is more accurate, and easier to measure and double the recipe. It would have been very easy for the publisher to add the weights next to the standard volume measures. A short statement such as "the dough will be sticky" or "If cookie does not keep it's shape while baking, add a bit more flour" or whatever statement is appropriate, would save the baker much frustration and discards. Over all its' a great cookie cookbook.
 Amazing December 14, 2008
Gaby Zechnas
I can only say that, AMAZING. I've tried about 30 recipes and they all got really good and very easy to prepare. I love my cookie bible. Martha Stewart has very good and interesting ideas as always.
For the Cookie Lover in All of Us December 9, 2008
Lori E. Moran (Hillsborough, NJ USA)
If you love cookies, then you'll love this book! I love how the table of contents are pictures of the cookies! All the cookies are categorized by their texture, which helps you get a feel for the cookie and how it will taste in the end. This book is highly recommended!!!
 Great recipes...a bit pretentious in presentation December 4, 2008
Sweet Home Chicago (Illinois)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
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