The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book - Camilla V. Saulsbury [1]
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Glossary of Basic Cooking and Baking Terms
Equipment and Ingredient Sources
Metric Measure Conversions
I cannot sing enough praises for the people I have worked with at Cumberland House Publishing. Special thanks to Ron Pitkin, Julie Pitkin, Lisa Taylor, Paul Mikos, Paige Lakin, Tracy Ford, and Chris Bauerle. Thank you for shaping and guiding my writing career in so many ways.
To my husband, Kevin West, for eating more than his fair share of baking experiments (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and keeping his critiques constructive and kind.
To Nicholas, for making every day beautiful.
To my dear friend Lindsey Vineyard, for promoting the virtues of all of my shortcut cookie books more than any other lone person possibly could—I think you missed your calling as a publicist! There’s still plenty of time…Thank you for all of your support and for being such an inspiring friend.
And to my new publishing team at Sourcebooks—I am thrilled to be part of such a dynamic and talented group of people.
Time. It’s in short supply these days, especially when it comes to cookie baking. It’s far too easy to turn to cellophane packages of cookies from the supermarket, despite their absence of flavor and soul.
But a sweet solution exists, one that will leave you rich with homemade cookies from here on out: The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book: 745 Scrumptious Recipes That Start with Refrigerated Cookie Dough, Cake Mix, Brownie Mix, or Ready-to-Eat Cereal.
It’s more than OK to make cookie shortcuts. Home bakers have always taken advantage of newly available shortcuts, whether in the form of pre-shelled and chopped nuts, shredded coconut, pureed pumpkin, measured sticks of butter, or the uniform bits of chocolate we know so well as “chips.” In short, making quick, easy, and delicious cookies from cake mix, brownie mix, or a roll of refrigerated cookie dough is not about abandoning traditional cookie and dessert recipes but celebrating a host of new options.
I had all levels of home baking ability in mind as I developed the recipes for this book: novice bakers, including kids of all ages, can delight in the assured success of taking a few shortcuts in the kitchen; even the most experienced home baker gets pinched for time. Here you’ll find a variety of treats to meet both your needs and your tastes, whether for a bake sale, baby shower, birthday party, care package, afternoon fun, and everything in between, including my favorite cookie occasion: curling up with a good book and a cup of tea.
Each recipe in this collection has been streamlined for easy, everyday baking—if you can wield a wooden spoon, you have all the skills necessary to start turning out any of the scrumptious treats herein. Beginning with a box of cake mix, brownie mix, refrigerated cookie dough—or opting for an equally easy no-bake cookie—is not only easier than pie but also leads to sweet success time and time again. Delicious proof is mere minutes away.
These recipes are filled with color—vibrant oranges, scarlet cranberries, fresh green mint, deep brown chocolate…with texture—crunchy nuts, silken frostings, gooey chocolate, crisp cereals…with spices—sweet cinnamon, exotic cardamom, fiery chili peppers, piquant ginger…and fruits—bright lime, rich dates, homey raisins, and creamy bananas. An abundance of tastes and flavors awaits your experimentation.
I begin with my mini-manifesto on great cookie baking, including smart cookie tips, equipment and ingredient lists, and a wide range of advice on baking, cooling, storing, and shipping. You’ll feel like a pro before you ever set foot in the kitchen.
The recipe chapters follow with over 750 very special quick and easy options. You’ll find drop cookies, shaped cookies, bars, brownies, biscotti, and so much more. All-American favorites are well represented—Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin, Jam Thumbprints, and Dark Chocolate Brownies are but a few. International and fresh new cookie ideas are also well represented—for example, Italian