The Cookiepedia

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MINT THINS
Nobody you know will not come by when you say you’re baking homemade mint thins. (If they don’t so much as ask, consider defriending them immediately.) The question  is: Do you want to share? The baking and dunking takes no time (especially if you’re tasting as you go), but these bite-size treats do hold up best (and taste yummiest) once the mint chocolate has had ample time to set. If you’re protective of your stash, store them in the freezer. They’re best with a chill anyway.
 
Preheat oven to 350°F Makes: 3 1/2 dozen cookies
 
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter teaspoon peppermint flavor
 
1. Cream the butter until it’s light and fluffy.
add the powdered sugar and continue mixing, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture by halves, beating to incorporate after each addition.
2. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and form it into a disk with your hands. Split the disk in half and place them in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour. Tip: If you’re short on time, do 25 minutes in the freezer instead. 
3. Working on a floured surface (you’ll need a decent amount, since the dough is sticky), roll out the dough to O/8-inch thick. Shape the cookies using a 1.-inch round cutter and place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then let cool completely.
4. Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Add the butter and the peppermint flavor and stir the mixture steadily until it’s fully melted and looks glossy and smooth. Remove the bowl and let the chocolate cool slightly.
5. One by one, drop the cookies in the chocolate, then scoop them out with a fork to let the excess drip off. (Tap the cookies against the side of the bowl to help drain the extra chocolate.) Move them carefully to a wire rack or parchment-paperlined baking sheet. When they’re all coated, move the sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to set.
 
Mint-Thin-Stuffed Cookies
Prepare a batch of the mint thins and store them in the freezer. Then prepare a batch of the chocolate chip dough on page 43. When both are chilled, sandwich the mint cookie between 1 tablespoon each of the chocolate chip dough, then press the dough around the mint thin to cover it completely. Bake according to the chocolate chip directions.
 
LEMON CHEWIES
With Honey
Anything I’ve ever baked with loads of honey and salt has come out incredible. When I added lemon to the mix, it took this dough to a whole new level. I like these cookies to be just an inch in diameter, since they pack a sweet, lemony punch. Between their teeny size and the back-of-the cheek pucker you get from biting into one, they really make you feel like a kid again.
 
Preheat oven to 350°F Makes: 3 dozen cookies
 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1/3 cup honey teaspoon lemon zest
 
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set it aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until they look light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and mix to incorporate. 
3. In a separate bowl, crack in the egg and add the honey. Stir them together until they’re fairly well mixed. Then add it to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture a third at a time and let it mix in fully each time before adding the next batch; you’ll see the dough start to come together. Blend just until it looks smooth.
4. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Then scoop teaspoons of the dough and roll them gently into little balls. Place them on the sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly with the tips of fingers or a fork. Tip: Flour the fork if it sticks. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are set and bottoms are golden brown.
 
GINGERSNAPS
Dusted in Sugar
Anytime of day, anytime of year, this is a cookie that calls my name. Reminiscent of graham crackers in flavor, it’s a treat that makes the perfect breakfast (albeit one your mom would never approve), snacktime or end to a meal. I dream about floating one in a glass of milk for dessert before dinner is even over. By the time you’ve rolled a few of the snaps in the sugar, you’ll start to feel the same.
 
Preheat oven to 350°F Makes: 4-5 dozen cookies
 
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4  teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
 
1. Sift the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt into a bowl and set it aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed for several minutes until smooth, light, and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg, then the molasses, and mix again. The dough will start turning a lovely brown color.
4. Mix in the flour mixture one-third at a time. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a big piece of parchment paper, roll the dough into one 18-inch log or two 9-inch logs—they’re much easier to handle. Tuck the parchment around the ends and stick dough in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until firm enough to slice. 
5. Grease several cookie sheets. Fill a small bowl with the extra sugar. Using a sharp knife, cut slices S- to 3/8-inch thick. Coat the slices in sugar and place on the sheets about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until set but not browned. Tip: For chewy cookies, remove them from the oven a minute or two earlier, when each cookie is just barely holding it’s shape when nudged. Cool sheets for a few
 
Gingersnap S’mores
Sandwich two gingersnaps around a small dollop of marshmallow fluff, then dunk in melted and slightly cooled milk chocolate. (Follow the chocolate dunking recipe on page 147, step 6, but substitute milk or semisweet chocolate.)
 
Gingersnap Sandwiches with Dulche de Leche
Gently spread about 1 tablespoon of store-bought dulce de leche onto the flat side of one cookie; top with another cookie. Dust lightly with powdered sugar, if desired.
 
THE COOKIEPEDIA
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction
 
THE ABCS OF COOKIE BAKING Kitchen Tools Cookie Speak Fun with Decorating
 
BUTTERY COOKIES Animal Cookies Butter Balls Blondies Cornmeal Cookies Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Cookies Frosted Maple Pecan Cookies Italian Biscuits Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies Sables Shortbread
 
CHOCOLATY COOKIES Brownies Chocolate Chip Cookies Crinkles Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Chocolate Spritz Cookies Florentines Mint Thins Triple Chocolate Cookies
 
FANCY COOKIES Alfajores Amaretti Black and White Cookies French Macarons Madeleines Palmiers Pinwheels Vanilla Meringues
 
FRUITY COOKIES Coconut Macaroons Dried-Fruit Cookies Fig Bars Lemon Chewies Linzer Cookies Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Rugelach Thumbprints
 
SPICY COOKIES Cardamom Cookies Gingersnaps Gingerbreads Green Tea Cookies Molasses Spice Cookies Salt-and-Pepper Cookies Snickerdoodles
 
NUTTY AND SEEDY COOKIES Almond Biscotti Almond Crescents Caramel Nut Bars Peanut Butter Cookies Pecan Sandies Pignoli Cookies Pistachio Cookies Poppy Seed Squares Sesame Crisps
 
INDEX