Best Ever Cookie Connection Newsletter
Issue 008
November 23, 2009

Hi,

Welcome to the Cookie Connection and the Joy of Cookies

Making, Baking, Sharing, and More for Busy Home Cooks and Beginning Bakers!

We are quickly moving into prime cookie baking season. Are you ready? We've got lots of cookie recipes and tips available to make this cookie baking season your most successful yet.

Drop us a note if there is anything we can do to help!

Best-Ever-Cookie-Collection News...

Our most recent cookie recipe additions include...

• Cranberry Cookies - Easy drop cookies with all the flavors of cranberry bread. These delicious cookies are soft with slightly crunchy edges.
• Healthier Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Is it possible to make Healthy Triple Chocolate Cookies that taste good? Yes, and this healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe for Chocolate Chunk Cookies proves it.
• Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Jam Bars - This recipe for Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bars with Jam is a classic for good reason.
• Persimmon Cookies - Persimmon Recipes for Cookies make special treats that are best enjoyed in Autumn when fresh ripe persimmons come into season.
• Pumpkin Squares - Pumpkin Bars have a way of disappearing every time I make them. In fact, I hardly had time to snap this picture of my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip squares before they were gobbled up!

This Month's Tips & Tricks for Cookie Baking Success

For best results when baking cookies make sure that your cookie sheets are at least 2 inches smaller than your oven so air can circulate and help cookies bake evenly. Also it's best to bake your cookies in the center of your oven unless the recipe states otherwise.

Thanksgiving Cookie Recipes

Cookies usually get overlooked when planning Thanksgiving deserts menus. My question is, why?

I'm on a mission to get cookies included in Thanksgiving Day festivities. We've got lots of great cookie recipes that are perfect for Thanksgiving - Pumpkin cookies, Cranberry Cookies, Pecan Bars and more. You can check them all out on our Thanksgiving Cookies page.

Christmas Cookies

Is baking cookies part of your holiday tradition? I love baking and sharing cookies all through the year and especially at Christmas.

To help make your holiday cookie baking a success we've gathered some of our favorite tips and suggestions just for you.

Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook - Book Review

Do you love cookbooks that are all about baking? If you do, you should check out Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton's Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins, and Breads.

This is a great cookbook chalk full of recipes for yummy home-style baked goods. The Cookbook's foreward is written by Ina Garten, who carried Tate's Bake Shop baked goods at her Barefoot Contessa Shop for years.

This warm and friendly book begins with some basic information regarding tips and techniques for baking success. Some of Kathleen's favorite baking tools are Silpat Nonstick Baking Mats, an Oven Thermometer, and Microplane Zesters - three things I would hate to have to live without!

Probably her best advice is given in the last sentence where she says, "Most of all, have fun! Don't take it seriously. If you screw up, don't worry about it--they're only cookies!"

The recipes are easy to follow and relatively simple. There's nothing fancy or pretentious here.

The book includes chapters for: Muffins and Scones, Pound Cakes and Breads, Cookies and Bars, Pies, Crisps, and Cobblers, Cakes, and Health Alternatives.

Everything that I've made from this book so far has been delicious. And there are so many more recipes that I can't wait to try. Just reading about them makes me want to run into the kitchen and get baking, which is not something I can say about most baking books.

Favorites to date include mocha pecan muffins, banana chocolate chip muffins, oatmeal scones, apricot ginger scones, sweet potato pie, chocolate peanut butter pie, apple cranberry crisp, chocolate mousse cake, chocolate chip cake and chocolate fudge cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, chocolate chip coconut macadamia nut cookies, chocolate chip pie, and the crispy chocolate chip cookies for which her bakery is so famous.

One word of caution, the book includes a few editorial missteps. For example, the recipe for toffee pecan cookies doesn't list pecans in the ingredient list (1 cup, chopped). However, I haven't run into anything that can't be overcome with a little research and/or common sense, especially if you have some baking experience.

Highly Recommended

Favorite Holiday Cookie Baking Products

It's time to stock up on your holiday cookie baking supplies and utensils. Check your inventory and make your purchases now to avoid last minute stress.

Last year Cooking.com sold out of my favorite cookie sheets and cookie molds! Here are some items you may want to consider adding to your cookie baking arsenal if you don't already have them:

And don't forget your Fresh Spices and Extracts!

National Cookie Days

Mark your calendar...

December 4 is National Cookie Day

December 8 is Chocolate Brownie Day

December 23 is National Pfeffernuesse Day

Until next time -- wishing you lots of Cookie Joy -- Cookie Baking, Cookie Eating, Cookie Sharing!

Warmly,
Martha