Welcome to my Cookie Recipes and Bar Cookies page, friends. Here you'll find all the cookies on the site.

If you'd like to read on about types of cookies, mixing methods, and equipment recommendations, please read on.

To jump straight to the recipes, please click below.

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Types of cookies

The vast majority of American style cookies are made using The Creaming Method. This is the same method most American-style butter cakes use as well.

The only difference is that the creaming phase of the method lasts a shorter time in cookies than in cakes since cookies generally do not rise very much (nor do we want them to).

Some of my favorite creaming method cookies include these decadent chocolate chip bourbon honeycomb cookies, because seiously, who doesn't want candy in their cookies?

These nicely balanced brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies are nice and chewy with crisp edges. The perfect cookies to leave out for Santa!

I also include brownies in this category, since they are (sort of) bar cookies. I love a fruit-and-chocolate brownie, and if that's your brownie sweet spot too, you may like my contest-winning strawberry balsamic swirl brownies or my apricot swirl brownies.

Shortbread

Shortbread cookies are simply wonderful.

You can usually tell a shortbread recipe because they are all-butter with no leavening and no additional liquid or eggs.

Shortbread is almost always crumbly and sandy, which is one of their hallmarks.

I have two shortbread cookie recipes on the site. One has finely ground walnuts in it for a really rich and tasty caramel walnut shortbread, and the other is a lovely rolled shortbread perfect for making cutout cookies.

Bar Cookies

There are many different types of bar cookies, but most fall into one of two categories:

*cookie dough baked as a bar--one layer of cookie goodness

*layered cookies--a cookie base with different fillings

My favorite Christmas cookie in all the land, Angel Slices, falls into the second category, with a sable base, a gooey coconut pecan filling, and a crisp layer of sharp lemon icing on top.

Recommended Products

If you like to bake a lot of cookies, you'll want to invest in some good quality half-sheet pans that don't warp in the oven.

I usually buy these half sheets from Nordic Ware. They come in sets of two and will last you forever.

NOTE: They will discolor in the dishwasher. This doesn't bother me, but if you want to keep yours shiny and new-looking, be sure to handwash only.

You can certainly use Silpat to line your cookie sheets, but generally speaking, parchment works really well. You can get parchment sheets pre-cut to fit your half sheet pans, too.

A cookie scoop is also a great tool to ensure that your cookies are all the same size.

It's important that cookies be very uniform in size so they bake uniformly. Otherwise, you'll be removing 3-4 at a time, starting with the smallest, until all are baked.

And last up, cooling racks are essential.

You do need to leave cookies on the sheets for a minute or two so they set up enough to remove them to the cooling rack without breaking up.

Then, you really do need racks so air can circulate around and moisture can evaporate from the hot cookies so they don't get soggy.

I prefer rectangular cooling racks because they hold more cookies--they're easier to place in rows than in concentric circles.

That's a personal preference, so if you are a fan of round cooling racks, use those instead. Or better yet, get a few of each kind, since round racks are better for cakes and pound cakes.

If you are looking for a specific cookie recipe you don't happen to see here, please feel free to shoot me an email. I'm happy to help!