Easy Cookie Recipes: 103 Best Recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cake Mix Creations, Bars, and Holiday Treats Everyone Will Love

by Addie Gundry

Overview

In Easy Cookie Recipes Addie Gundry adds elegance to no-frills baking with delicious results. From Apple Pie Bars to Red Velvet Thumbprints, No-Bake Coconut Graham Cracker Cookie Bars, and the best chocolate chip cookies ever, 103 Easy Cookie Recipes shows you how to use expert tips and shortcuts to make over a hundred types of cookies, plus plenty of customizations to make these recipes your own. Once you have your baking basics down, you can explore fun inventive types of cookies. This book is a collection of 103 playful recipes that add to, change up, and make old recipes new and exciting, while maintaining what makes cookies classic. Each recipe is paired with a gorgeous, full-color photo.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250138811
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/28/2017
Series:	RecipeLion Series
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	207 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

ADDIE GUNDRY received her masters in culinary arts at Auguste Escoffier in Avignon, France. She has worked for chefs including Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Martha Stewart on management, restaurant openings, brand development, editorial, marketing, and sales. In 2015, she won Cutthroat Kitchen on The Food Network. As the executive producer for RecipeLion, Addie creates culinary content for multiple web platforms and communities. She excels at making easy recipes elegant. Her books include Everyday Dinner Ideas, Family Favorite Casserole Recipes, and No-Bake Desserts.
ADDIE GUNDRY received her masters in culinary arts at Auguste Escoffier in Avignon, France. She has worked for chefs including Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Martha Stewart on management, restaurant openings, brand development, editorial, marketing, and sales. In 2015, she won Cutthroat Kitchen on The Food Network. As the executive producer for RecipeLion, Addie creates culinary content for multiple web platforms and communities. She excels at making easy recipes elegant. Her books include Everyday Dinner Ideas, Family Favorite Casserole Recipes, and Festive Holiday Recipes.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Bar Cookies

Bar cookies, including brownies and blondies, are a beautiful hybrid between a cookie and a cake. Dense, chewy, and gooey, baked thick and sliced into squares or rectangles, bar cookies are one of my favorite desserts. This chapter is full of chocolate, sugar, caramel, peanut butter, and more. Whether you're making them to take on the road or to a bake sale, or to slice up and serve at home, bar cookies just can't be beat.

Apple Pie Bars

Yield: 18 bars | Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 40–45 minutes

Apple pie was always the crown jewel of my family's Thanksgiving table growing up. But who wants to wait a whole year to enjoy the melting together of crisp apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter? With this recipe, you don't have to. I set out to create something that could mimic the experience of a classic apple pie but can be enjoyed on the weekday, in the morning, or for a late-night treat.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream the unsalted butter and ? cup of the granulated sugar with a whisk. Beat in the sour cream, egg, and salt. Stir in the flour and mix until a soft dough forms.

3. Spread half the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, pressing down lightly into an even layer.

4. In another large bowl, combine the apples, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the cardamom.

5. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the dough in the baking dish and cover with the remaining dough.

6. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar, and remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over the dough.

7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown.

8. Cool in the baking dish, then cut into bars.

9. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

3-Layer Nanaimo Bars

Yield: 10 bars | Prep Time: 30 minutes plus 6 hours 30 minutes chilling time | Cook Time: n/a

I could snack on bananas, chocolate, or graham crackers all day long. Put them together, and the multiple textures and flavors get better with every bite. The creamy bananas with a graham cracker crunch satisfy my snack cravings every time. And who could say no to throwing some chocolate in the mix?

INGREDIENTS

Crust
Filling
Topping
DIRECTIONS

1. For the crust: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter for the crust. Add the granulated sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Add the egg and vanilla, stir until combined well, and remove from the heat.

2. Add the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and pecans and mix well.

3. Press the crust into an 8-inch square baking dish and refrigerate until ready to fill.

4. For the filling: In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the pudding mix and the milk and mix until thickened.

5. Mix in the confectioners' sugar slowly until smooth.

6. Spread the pudding mixture over the refrigerated pie crust. Chill for 30 minutes.

7. For the topping: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Microwave for 15 to 20 seconds on high and stir. Microwave, stirring every 10 to 15 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

8. Evenly pour the chocolate on top of the pudding layer.

9. Chill for 6 hours before cutting into bars or squares to serve.

Seven Layers of Heaven

Yield: 16 bars | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 30–40 minutes

There's just no way you can combine coconut, toffee, and chocolate and go wrong. Believe me, this bar is heaven in dessert form.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup toffee chips 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, plus more for garnish 1 cup shredded coconut, plus more for garnish 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place the butter into an 8-inch square baking dish and put it in the oven as it preheats. When the butter has melted, remove the dish from the oven.

3. Add the graham cracker crumbs to the baking dish and stir. Press the crumbs into an even layer in the bottom of the dish. Add separate, even layers of the following ingredients in this order: chocolate chips, toffee chips, pecans, coconut, and condensed milk.

4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with extra pecans and coconut.

5. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars to serve.

Five-Layer Chocolate Cherry Bars

Yield: 24 bars | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25–30 minutes I used to eat so many cherries when I was a kid that I'd stain my fingers red. I always knew the school year was almost over when I'd come home and my mom would have a bowl of these dark crimson beauties on the table. These Five-Layer Chocolate Cherry Bars bring me back to carefree childhood summers, no matter what time of year I make them.

INGREDIENTS 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup dried cherries 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk ½ cup sliced almonds DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, stirring completely until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Add separate, even layers of the following ingredients in this order: dried cherries, chocolate chips, coconut, condensed milk, and almonds.

3. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars to serve.

Peanut Butter Bars

Yield: 24 bars | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes

I find any and every excuse to eat as much peanut butter as possible, and this has rubbed off on my entire family (even our sweet puppy). Peanut Butter Bars are a family favorite that I highly recommend for getting your peanut butter fix.

INGREDIENTS

1 (15.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake mix, eggs, peanut butter, and melted butter and mix on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Press approximately two-thirds of this mixture into the prepared baking dish, using your fingers to make an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, until slightly dry on top. Remove from the oven.

3. Spread the peanut butter chips evenly over the baked bottom layer and pour the condensed milk on top. Use your fingers to make tablespoonsize scoops of the remaining batter and drop them randomly over the condensed milk layer. Sprinkle evenly with the peanuts. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center of the bars is firm. (The toothpick test will not work because of the sticky center layer.)

4. Cool on a wire rack completely before cutting into bars to serve.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Yield: 24 bars | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 30–35 minutes

Throughout my career in cooking, I've noticed that many of my friends are intimidated by baking cheesecake. What I love about this recipe is how you get the same creamy indulgence with minimal fuss.

INGREDIENTS

1 (15.25-ounce) package Pillsbury Moist Supreme strawberry cake mix
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake mix, melted butter, and 1 of the eggs. Mix on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until all the ingredients are well combined; the batter will be very stiff.

3. Use your hands to press the batter in an even layer on the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of the prepared baking dish. Spread the strawberry jam over the batter in an even layer.

4. In the same stand mixer bowl, combine the cream cheese, the remaining 2 eggs, and the vanilla and mix on medium until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, keeping it inside the raised edges of the bottom layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is just beginning to brown and the cheesecake layer is almost firm in the center.

5. Cool completely on a wire rack. If not serving immediately, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut into bars or small squares to serve, garnishing each with a slice of fresh strawberry, if desired.

Peanut Butter Bacon Bars

Yield: 16 bars | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20–25 minutes

Bacon is no longer just a breakfast food in my house. It makes for the perfect sweet-and-salty treat when mixed with peanut butter and chocolate. Careful — I know from experience how easy it is to get addicted to this devilish dessert.

INGREDIENTS

8 bacon slices
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the grease and chop the bacon coarsely. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, use a whisk to stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat for 1 minute. By hand, stir in half the cooked bacon. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm.

5. Remove the base from the oven, top with the chocolate chips, and return to the oven until the chocolate begins to melt, about 1 minute. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Spread the melted chips with a spatula to make an even layer of "frosting" and top with the remaining bacon and the peanuts. Cool completely before cutting into squares or bars to serve.

No-Bake Coconut Graham Cracker Cookie Bars

Yield: 16 bars | Prep Time: 25 minutes plus 4 hours chilling time | Cook Time: 5 minutes

The first time I made these, I was hosting a tropical tiki party, and they were the perfect sweet treat after homemade cocktails and spicy Caribbean-inspired food.

INGREDIENTS

Crust
DIRECTIONS

1. For the crust: Remove one sleeve of the graham crackers and finely crush in a food processor or by hand. Set aside with the remaining crackers, left whole.

2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. In a separate bowl, combine the granulated sugar, egg, and milk and mix well. Whisk the mixture into the melted butter. Bring to a boil, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens, then remove from the heat.

3. Line the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with a layer of whole graham crackers.

4. Stir the walnuts, shredded coconut, crushed crackers, and vanilla into the butter mixture and spoon it over the layer of crackers in the baking dish in a smooth layer. Top with another layer of whole graham crackers and press them gently into the filling.

5. For the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese on medium-high until smooth. Add the butter and whip until fluffy, then gradually add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough of the milk to make an easily spreadable frosting. Spread over the graham cracker layer using an offset spatula to make a smooth top.

6. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight to soften the layers. Keep in the refrigerator, and when ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator and cut into bars while cold.

Zebra Bars

Yield: 32–36 bars | Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 25–30 minutes

These bars have so many mix-ins that they look like wild animals. Or in other words, their zebra stripes certainly show! Take your basic blondie and add white and milk chocolate to it, to create a stripy swirl.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until well mixed.

3. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, flour, and baking powder.

4. Put 1 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips in a medium micro-wavesafe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.

5. Combine half the batter with the melted chocolate. Spread the chocolate batter over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

6. Drop tablespoons of the remaining batter over the chocolate layer and drag a knife through the batter to create zebra stripes.

7. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, the white chocolate chips, and the pecans over the batter.

8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

9. Let cool and cut into bars, or use a ring mold to cut into circles and serve.

Peanut Butter Swirl Bars

Yield: 24 bars | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes

If peanut butter bars are not sweet enough, let's add a little chocolate and swirl! Get your chocolate and peanut butter fix with these groovy-looking and -tasting treats.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup creamy peanut butter
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a stand mixer fitter with the wire whip, whisk together the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. Add the flour and blend in well. Fold in the peanuts.

4. Spread the batter into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

5. Sprinkle the semisweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips over the batter.

6. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Run a knife through the batter to swirl the melted chocolate.

7. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

8. Cool, then cut into bars to serve.

Oatmeal Chocolate Raisin Bars

Yield: 24 bars | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25–30 minutes

I love oatmeal-raisin cookies. I also love chocolate. When I can't quite decide between oatmeal-raisin and oatmeal-chocolate, I figure, why choose at all? Why not enjoy the best of both?

INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, then the vanilla.

3. Slowly add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, flour, oats, raisins, and semisweet chocolate chips.

oats, raisins, and semisweet chocolate chips.

4. Spread half the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the dark chocolate chips over the top. Spread the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate chips.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

6. Cool, then cut into bars to serve.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Easy Cookie Recipes"
by .
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Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Easy Cookie Recipes
Introduction
1
Bar Cookies
Apple Pie Bars
3-Layer Nanaimo Bars
Seven Layers of Heaven
Five-Layer Chocolate Cherry Bars
Peanut Butter Bars
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Peanut Butter Bacon Bars
No-Bake Coconut Graham Cracker Cookie Bars
Zebra Bars
Peanut Butter Swirl Bars
Oatmeal Chocolate Raisin Bars
Stir and Bake Bars
Salted Caramel Bars
Trillionaire Dessert Bars
Dreamboat Caramel Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Texas Gold Bars
Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Better-Than-Anything Scotcharoos
2
Cake Mix Cookies
Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Lemon Whippers
10-Minute Miracle Cookies
Easy Oatmeal Cookies
Lemon Glacier Bars
Gooey Magic Cake Bars
Grandma’s Spice Cookies
Chocolate Chip Bars
Mocha Polka Dot Cookies
M&M Drop Cookies
Cake Mix Magic Cream Cheese Squares
10-Minute Cool Whip Cookies
Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies ‘n’ Cream
3
Fruits and Nuts
No-Bake Cookie Clusters
Orange Cream Bars
Pecan Sandies
Strawberry Bars
2-Ingredient Lemon Bars
Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies
No-Bake Almond Coconut Cookies
Lemon Coconut Clouds
Ricotta Cookies
Tropical Paradise Cookies
Cream Cheese Strawberry Cookies
Crazy Good Cranberry Orange Cookies
Banana Bread Bites
Butter Pecan Cake Mix Squares
4
Sugar and Spice
Homestyle Amish Sugar Cookies
Bite-Sized Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Spice Bars
Buttery Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Ginger Snaps
Swirl Sugar Cookies
Danish Spice Cookies
Linzer Cookies
Maple Sugar Cookies
Salted Caramel Bites
Buttery Thumbprints
5
Chocolate
Addie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Alex’s Cowboy Cookies
Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Haystacks
Chewy Brownie Cookies
Gooey Turtle Bars
Incredible Buckeye Brownie Cookies
5-Minute No-Bake Cookies
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Monster Cookies
Mint Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate Shortbread
Toasted S’mores Cookies
My-Goodness-These-Are-Amazing Cookies
6
Old-Fashioned Cookies
Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
Russian Tea Cakes
Homemade Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Half Moon Cookies
Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
Nana’s Best Coconut Macaroons
Chewy Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ultimate Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
Chewy Molasses Cookies
Classic French Madeleines
3-Ingredient Old-Fashioned Shortbread Buttons
Breakfast Cookies
Red Velvet Thumbprints
Toffee Butter Icebox Cookeis
7
Holiday Cookies
2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake Cookies
Christmas Magic Squares
Peppermint Crunch Balls
Mrs. Claus’s Lemon Cookies
Holly Crackles
Easy Pecan Pie Bars
Italian Christmas Cookies
Stained Glass Window Cookies
Chocolate Kiss Surprise Powder Puff Cookies
Pizzelles
Unforgettable White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Gingerbread People
Christmas Crinkles
So Easy Snowball Cookies

Acknowledgments
About the Author