Easy Homemade Cookie Cookbook, Reviewed

When I was a kid, my mother used to say that I had the most boring gift list ever. "You want the same thing year after year," she complained. "Books, records, and purses. I am so sick of buying you books, records, and purses!" she'd wail. Somehow explaining to her that this was all I really wanted didn't seem to make any difference.

All these years later, I have to say that my list hasn't changed all that much. I still want books, largely cookbooks and mystery novels; I still want purses, but now I want designer bags; and records may be a thing of the past, but I do love DVDs, particularly of my favorite British mystery programs. Why am I telling you all this, you are probably asking yourself. I'll tell you why, because holiday gift season, like it or not, is upon us. And I am sure that you have people on your gift list, a lot like me, who are interested in similar things, cookbooks among them, and they're going to want the latest and greatest.

That brings me to a new cookbook by Miranda Couse called Easy Homemade Cookie Cookbook, Simple Recipes for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies, Christmas Treats and Other American Favorites. What's not to like about something with the words easy, homemade, and cookie in the title? This is a book that is perfect for the young people in your life who are just starting out and learning how to cook, the older people in your life who are tired of complicated cooking and long for something simple and delicious, or maybe you, who wants to make a tasty cookie without having to run to the store for some obscure ingredient that you don't have on hand.

Here you will find 150 recipes for cookies, brownies, and bars, including holiday cookies, and no bake options, all of which will no doubt please the cookie lover in your life. Additionally, this book shows you how to make cookies using ingredients that you already have on hand, so there will be no last-minute run to the store in order to get what you need. It is full of the classics, simply presented, with time-saving techniques. Oh boy! Don't we all love those time-saving techniques?

There are enough cookie recipes in here to please absolutely everyone in your life from simple drop cookies, to cut out cookies, shaped cookies, holiday cookies, and cookies that are a bit more complex.

Each recipe gives clear indications as to how many cookies it will yield, the amount of time you'll need to allow for preparation, baking time, and most importantly the shelf life. Although, truth be told, when it comes to cookies, I never have to worry about shelf life; they are gone long before their time is up.

Paging through this book was a lot like stepping back in time, I recognized so many of the cookies that my grandmother used to make when I was a child -- slice and bake cookies, cut out cookies, monster cookies (remember those?), and a recipe for pecan bars that does not include honey (I hate pecan bar recipes that include honey. Does pecan pie contain honey? I think not!), and some that are no doubt soon to be my new favorites including Malted Milk Chocolate Cookies and Rum Raisin Cookies.

The only downside to this book is the lack of photos. I like a cookbook that has a photo to go with every recipe, and this one is lacking in that regard. A mere peppering of photos is generally not enough for me, and I like to think that, for the most part, I know what I'm doing. For novices, it seems almost a necessity, particularly needed, I would think, in the case of a rather intriguing sounding cookie called Basket Weave Fall Leaves. If you need a picture in order to be able to prepare a recipe, this book may not be for you, and, as a consequence, it loses one star from me.

 However, this book is packed with cookie deliciousness, simple recipes, easy step-by-step instructions, a comprehensive index, weight conversion chart, measurement conversion chart, and with a superb explanatory introduction that will turn even the novice baker into a cookie baking hero.

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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.