Cookie

Somehow, the addition of oatmeal to these chewy, gooey cookies makes me feel like they must be good for me! They certainly taste good, and that's usually my yardstick for making cookies — or anything else, for that matter.

I tinkered endlessly with the proportions of basic brownie ingredients to come up with a recipe that I think is perfect. They have a deep chocolate flavor, moist, fudgy interior, and chewy edges. Best of all, they are entirely mixed in one saucepan. No bowls to wash!

Finger cookies are usually found in sets of five. If you think they look weird, you should see the cookie person to whom these fingers belonged.

Don't let the hairy arms and legs alarm, you. Tarantula cookies might look frisky, but they don't bite.

Crisp, buttery maple cookies get a sparkly sugar-crystal coating.

Peppermint buttercream is sandwiched between homemade chocolate cookies; then the sandwiches are rolled in crushed candy canes.

A big dose of lime (from lime juice, zest, and oil) really makes these sing.

Saturday-night dessert. From Willow Stream The Spa at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort in Arizona. This is the best spa cookie we tried — and we devoured ovenfuls of cookies to find our winner. These Anzacs are rich in coconut but low in fat.

Tip: If you brown the butter, you can use half as much.

These cookies have a low-fat secret. They're full of beans! Idaho State University researchers in Pocatello replaced 75 percent of the butter with beans to create cookies with 105 calories and 3 fat grams (compared with 150 calories and 7 fat grams).

Lori Hartman of New York City, writes: "I'm looking for a good madeleine recipe similar to the delicious ones (lemony, buttery, and spongy, but crispy on the edges) I used to buy at Bouley Bakery in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood. Can you get the recipe?" The crisp edge on these delightful citrus-scented cookies sets them apart from any other classic madeleines our food editors have tasted. We're never going back.

These buttery fruit-and-nut bars taste like rugelach but are much easier to make.

These delicate little almond cookies are perfect for entertaining; the contrast between the crisp cookie and gooey-sweet jam will keep guests coming back for more. And it takes less than 30 minutes of hands-on cooking time to whip up a batch.

If you are looking for a cookie that's lower in calories than your favorite chocolate chip recipe, whip up a batch of these palate-pleasing bites from pastry chef Heather Norkin. They're easy to make, and almost all of the fat is the heart-friendly unsaturated kind, from the pecans.

Crumbly, delicate, and glistening with golden sugar, these easy slice-and-bake cookies are the ideal complement to Calvados toddies. Perfect as an after-dinner nibble or an everyday treat, they will quickly become one of your favorite standbys.

These crumbly cookies are extremely easy to make, and they improve with time. We recommend baking them a couple of days ahead — if you can resist the temptation to eat them immediately.

Be sure to use regular peanut butter — not old-fashioned or freshly ground — for the best consistency in the cookie batter and the filling.

Chrusti
One of our test-kitchen assistants, Herta Guhl, sold us on these Polish fried dough cookies. A little powdered sugar makes them irresistible.

These crisp cookies get their delicate appearance from confectioners' sugar dusted over a lacy doily. For an intense chocolate flavor, use a dark, Dutch-process cocoa, such as Droste or Valrhona.

The perfect amounts of butter and sugar make these adorable cookies completely addictive. For the best flavor, use high-quality pure vanilla extract.