All About Creative Cookies

There are cookies, and then there are special cookies. These are the cookies that you press into festive shapes, pipe frosting onto with artistic flair, or cover in colored sugar crystals, as you may have done when you were little. The child in every home baker still enjoys exploring the many ways that cookies can be made into little works of edible art.

In these pages, you’ll find recipes and ideas that will help you tap into your creative side, inspiring you to craft cookies that delight the senses well before they are devoured. The book begins with five basic cookie recipes featuring different flavors: vanilla, lemon-buttermilk, brown sugar, chocolate, and gingerbread. These favorites become the canvas for a wealth of decorating ideas: brightly hued flowers sprinkled with sanding sugar, colorful squares inspired by the designs on ceramic tiles, and circles adorned with whimsical polka dots of various shades and sizes. Next come recipes for classic cookies that take on a modern twist. Chewy oatmeal lace drizzled in chocolate and caramel, shiny meringue piped into spirals, and elegant vanilla spritz made into sandwiches with a chocolate center are just a few of the offerings.