Cookie

I would argue that these egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free cookies are even better than traditional counterparts. The edges have that coveted toffee-like crunch, and the inside is soft and chewy.

These chewy, brownielike cookies contain a double dose of chocolate and are full of Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom chunks. They’re perfect for every chocoholic (and I should know!).

We always know the holidays are just around the corner when Mama breaks out her ambrosia balls. Our version features marmalade, wafer cookies, and coconut all balled up. Plus, our snowballs are no-bake, so you can fix these festive treats fast and invite the kids to help.

As a kid, whenever he got the chance, Bobby ate those store-bought oatmeal pies. These are his “grown-up” version.

I find that most store-bought oatmeal cookies can’t touch the rich homemade variety I remember from my childhood. We used to get them at the old Schrafft’s stores, and when I asked Jim Beard if he remembered those cookies and, if so, could he give me the recipe, he immediately called the head of the company and got a formula for producing a huge amount. Jim helped translate some of the unfamiliar ingredients and reduce the recipe to a manageable amount. I have been making this oatmeal cookie ever since—now in small amounts. Double the recipe if you have children around.

Recently, when I came upon a jar of peanut butter that had been around a while, my New England frugality wouldn’t let me throw it out; instead visions of peanut butter cookies danced in my head. I hadn’t made them in years, and I discovered they are well worth reviving.

The correct term for these cookies today is, of course, “refrigerator cookies,” but I cling to “icebox” because it reminds me of the old ice chest that we used during summers in Vermont. The dough is wrapped in wax paper and chilled. Then you slice the cookies as thin as you like, and as many as you want. Bake only what you figure you will eat in the next few days and then cut and bake another batch, so the cookies are always fresh—a boon to the single cook. You can play with the dough, too, and vary the ingredients, so you never tire of exactly the same flavor. Here is an almondy-tasting version that I particularly like.

I find today that of all cookies, Italian biscotti are the most tempting to make, because they keep so well. “Biscotti” means “twice cooked,” and what makes them so absorbent, to say nothing of imperishable, is that they are baked twice. Moreover, the true biscotti have no fat in them (although American versions tend to sneak some in), and that is why they hold their own when dunked into a cup of afternoon tea or after-dinner coffee. So here is the real thing, to savor for the weeks ahead.

Biscotti are traditional Italian cookies that you bake twice—they’re super-hard and crunchy because they’re meant to be dunkers. What I love about them is that you can flavor them any way you like. I love dried cherries and almonds (a killer combo!), but you can have fun swapping in other dried fruits, nuts, or spices if you want. Biscotti are the perfect dipping cookie—so whip up a batch and grab an espresso, some milk, or better yet, a glass of Vin Santo!

This is my take on the lovely Neapolitan crackers called taralli—which are kind of like an Italian version of a pretzel. In this recipe I combine a basic spritz cookie with a caramel dipper and a sprinkey-dink of rock salt. These are more than just cookies—they are seriously addictive, super-cinchy, and guaranteed to make YOU a superstar when it comes time for dessert. Betcha can’t eat just one!

I remember these cookies with annoyance and affection. Growing up, every year for my birthday my mother would send me to school with her anise seed cookies. Other kids got to bring cupcakes. I was the kid with the anise seed cookies. It’s not that I didn’t like these cookies—I loved them then and I still do. But back then I just wanted cupcakes like everyone else! Today I’m pretty psyched whenever I get a chance to munch on these lovelies. I even made a version of this recipe during an Iron Chef battle and they helped us win!

This is another Jewish recipe that became an instant favorite at the bakery. I don’t know about you, but I’m a complete sucker for any and all rolled pastry. Pulling apart the layers and investigating and indulging in the different textures inside are activities I would do all day if asked. Normally, rugalach recipes call for nuts but I made them optional in honor of the allergy-plagued among us.

I admit that the first time a customer requested hamentaschen I had to go to the local kosher bakery to see what the person was talking about. But then I recognized them immediately and I quickly fell in love with every variety of light pastry stuffed with jam. Use any preserve or jam in the center that you like, but I’ve included a recipe for my favorite blackberry filling. You can sub in a different berry without trouble, with the exception of raspberries, which tend to be very watery and don’t, for the most part, thicken up all that well.

I take my graham crackers extremely buttery and very crunchy, so that’s what you’re getting with this recipe. In fact, this graham cracker is so decadent, you may want to double the recipe so you can deliberately have leftovers. There’s tons of mileage to be gained out of these. Like piecrust, for one! Or donut toppings, for two!

When I lived in San Francisco, my friend Mark introduced me to the city’s greatest contribution to the dessert course: It’s-It frozen cookie sandwiches. These little numbers are practically perfect—two oatmeal cookies with a thick scoop of ice cream in between, all thinly coated with semisweet chocolate. Mark preferred the kind with mint-flavored ice cream and so do I, but you can nix the mint in this recipe if you must. To sweeten this with agave, replace the natural cane sugar with 2/3 cup agave nectar, add an extra 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour, remove the chocolate chips, and use Agave-Sweetened Chocolate Glaze (page 124).

I often turn to unrefined sugar to sweeten my cookies because I love the crunchy texture it provides. But when it comes to whoopie pies, agave nectar works much better. The reason is simple: Traditionally, whoopie pies are built with cookies that are fairly squishy and cake-like by comparison—way more so than a typical cookie sandwich. For the filling I prefer Ricemellow Crème, the marshmallow concoction made by Suzanne’s Specialties (see page 17), but you can fill it with the Vanilla Icing (page 127) for equally wonderful results.

I don’t think I’m alone in my ever-so-slight embarrassment about being a fan of the Nilla Wafer. They are like the frozen burritos of cookies: You don’t particularly crave them, yet every time you’re checking out at the grocery store, there they are. They get eaten. And not because they’re the only things available; it’s because they are sneakily delicious. This is a tried-and-true cookie icon, no matter what anyone says.

I grew up as that weird kid who disliked frosting and cake in general. But if it meant I could get one of those massive Valentine’s Day cookies in the window at Mrs. Fields, I was willing to endure any amount of frosting, icing, or similar childhood misery. You can use any cookie recipe in this book to make this fantastical creation, obviously, but I went ahead and developed a third chocolate chip version (in addition to the bakery standard in the first book and the Chips Ahoy! in this one) to mimic what is found in Mrs. Fields’s venerable kitchens. It’s big and it’s bold and it’s buttery. It’s practically a Toll House cookie, if that helps you imagine.

Until Bob’s Red Mill came up with a totally affordable gluten-free oat, you would never have seen these in the bakery. Thank all that is holy—once again—for Bob’s! Today these cookies are a best seller in both New York and Los Angeles. If you hate raisins (I do . . . sorry, raisins!), try subbing in chocolate chips or dried cherries instead. If you’re some sort of oat maniac, you can dump in as much as another 1/3 cup of oats and be just fine.

Ah, the Stevie Nicks of cookies—all spun around, precious, and ethereal! A couple tips for making this recipe all your own: Try cutting back on the flour sometimes and ramping up the sugar at other times. In doing so you’ll learn what proportions make a soft cookie and what proportions give you a chewy version. You’ll also perfect the fine art of the crispy edge. If you’re a brave soul—and surely by now you are—try to assemble a few cookie sandwiches with your favorite glaze or icing in the middle.