• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Bake for 9–12 minutes or until set at edges and just barely set at center when lightly touched. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheets. Transfer to wire racks with metal spatula and cool completely.

MAKES ABOUT 54 COOKIES.

APPLESAUCE COOKIES

This slightly spicy, nostalgic cookie is simple and good, with lots of familiar flavors and a soft, old-fashioned texture—just what you want to bake on a cool autumn day.

1 (18.25-ounce) package spice cake mix

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup applesauce

1 large egg

1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Position oven rack in middle of oven. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the cake mix, oil, applesauce, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed for 1–2 minutes, until smooth. Stir in the raisins or dried cranberries.

Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 9–12 minutes or until edges are firm and center is just barely set when lightly touched. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheets. Transfer to wire racks with metal spatula and cool completely.

MAKES ABOUT 48 COOKIES.

APPLE SCOTCHIES

Two harmonious flavors—apple and butterscotch—are united in these vanilla cream-frosted bars. Apple cider is the perfect accompaniment.

9 tablespoons butter, softened, divided

1 cup butterscotch baking chips, divided

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup very finely chopped dried apples

½ cup finely chopped pecans

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 ½ tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lightly spray a 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter with ½ cup of the butterscotch chips in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, dried apples, and pecans. Press mixture into prepared pan with a large square of wax paper. Chill for 1 hour.

Blend the powdered sugar, cream cheese, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed until mixture has an icing-like consistency; spread over the chilled bars. Chill for 30 minutes.

Melt the remaining butter with the remaining ½ cup butterscotch chips, stirring until mixture is smooth. Spread or drizzle over the top of the bars. Chill for 1–2 hours. Cut into 16 squares by dipping a sharp knife in hot water and let it melt through the butterscotch. Store in covered containers between layers of wax paper.

MAKES 16 SQUARES.

APRICOT CHEWS

Apricot fans rejoice—this is an exceptional cookie, chewy and rich with fruit.

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 (18.25-ounce) package vanilla cake mix

1 cup chopped dried apricots

½ cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Position oven rack in middle of oven.

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on low speed until smooth. Beat in egg yolk, milk, and orange zest. Beat in half of the cake mix until well blended. Stir in the remaining cake mix, apricots, and coconut with a wooden spoon.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10–12 minutes or until just set and bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

MAKES ABOUT 54 COOKIES.

BABY RUTHY CLUSTERS

For a backyard barbecue or a fun-in-the-sun picnic, these cookie clusters have all the right ingredients (which can also be found in a favorite candy bar of similar name): milk chocolate, salty peanuts, and a hearty dose of gooey caramel to hold everything together.

12 caramels, unwrapped

½ cup milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons milk

2 cups honey graham cereal, slightly crushed (yields about 1½ cups crushed cereal)

¾ cup very coarsely chopped lightly salted,