Cookbook review: Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share

I did it. I caved into the pressure. I finally bought Martha Stewart's Cookies. The giant crackly chocolate gingerbread cookie on the cover made me do it, I swear.

I've been eyeing the book since it came out in March, but finally found a reason to snag myself a copy when I found it for $13 at BMV (a Toronto used/surplus book store), a steal compared to the $28 publisher's price.

The early verdict? It was worth every penny. I've already made a batch of Martha's Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe below) with the help of my favourite kitchen co-pilot (my boyfriend), and most of the recipes I've glanced at look delicious. Aside from the aforementioned chocolate gingerbread cookie, Fortune Cookies, Chocolate Meringues, Dulce de Leche Bat Cookies look like must-bake recipes, just to name a few.

There is a good mix of recipes, categorized by texture: light and delicate, rich and dense, chunky and nutty, soft and chewy, crisp and crunchy, crumbly and sandy, and cakey and tender. Frankly, I think I'm going to have to increase my grocery budget to accommodate all of these great new recipes-- not to mention buy some pants in a bigger size, just in case.

You can check out some reviews on Amazon and also purchase it, if you're interested, via my Amazon store.

The recipe can be found after the jump.




Martha Stewart's Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Via Martha Stewart's Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Mix in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

2. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden but centres are still soft, 10-12 minutes. Let cook on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.