52 Cookies

[52cookies]

52 Cookies

The list of all the new cookie recipes I tried in 2024, with notes, in chronological order.

Chocolate peanut butter chip (Snacking Bakes) - 3/5 - need to remake when I'm COVID-free

Soft grapefruit (Snacking Bakes) - 4.5/5 - great afternoon tea cookie

Potato chip chocolate chip (Baking Yesteryear) - 5/5 - no notes

Oatmeal raisin (Snacking Bakes) - 2.5/5 - they're fine, but it turns out I don't like cinnamon and nutmeg in my oatmeal cookies

Brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip (Half Baked Harvest)- 4/5 - great right out of the oven, a little drier than I'd like once cooled

Parmesan galettes (Dorie's Cookies) - 5/5 - easy savory shortbreads, good cheese flavor, try with unsalted butter and/or Aleppo or black pepper

Marshmallow-Surprise Hot Cocoa Cookies (Sally's Baking Addiction) - 3.5/5 - Good concept, would ditch the hot cocoa mix and try marshmallow fluff next time

Homemade Nilla wafers (Smitten Kitchen) - 3/5 - 5/5 in the banana pudding, but 2/5 for a standalone cookie, too much work and expense (half a vanilla bean? in this economy?) for something that is dry and crunchy.

Classic Jammers (Dorie's Cookies) - 4.5/5 - used cherry jam; rave reviews from others, loses half a point for being a little fussy and non-feeezeable

Salted peanut butter cookies (Smitten Kitchen) - 2.5/5 - they're fine, I just don't like plain peanut butter cookies that much; used dark brown sugar which maybe contributed to the faint bitter/burnt aftertaste

Blueberry and Cream Cookies (Momofuko Milk Bar via Serious Eats) - 3/5 - they're fine; bonus points for being unusual but negative points for being fussy (have to make the milk crunch, then the cookies)

Micro chip cookies (Dorie's Cookies) - 3.5/5 - Will not become my go-to chocolate chip cookie, but they are fun to eat by the handful; would use 2 chips or extra large chunks next time

Coconut brown butter cookies (Smitten Kitchen) - 3.5/5 - a richer, more nuanced macaroon

The best soft chocolate chip cookie (Sally's Baking Addiction) - 3/5 - it's fine, but the mouthfeel was almost too dry even right out of the oven?

The best chewy chocolate chip cookie (Sally's Baking Addiction) - 3.5/5 - good classic chocolate chip cookie, but with an extra egg white left over

Cowgirl cookies (Baking Yesterday) - 3.5/5 - maybe too soft right out of the oven, would be better with dark chocolate chips instead of semi sweet, but good taste/texture

Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (King Arthur Flour's 2024 Recipe of the Year) - 3.5/5 - Good texture, should have used 60% chocolate as recommended instead of 73%; not sure it's worth the the tangzhong step

Piloncillo Chocolate Chip Cookies (NYT Cooking) - 3/5 - They're fine, did not blow me away, molasses-y notes are noticeable if you're looking for them, not sure it's worth the effort of grating the piloncillo

Funfetti Cookies (Pillsbury) - 2.5/5 - tastes exactly like you'd expect boxed funfetti cake mix cookies to taste but the kids loved them & easy to make with them

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (NYT Cooking) - 3.5/5 - Good classic chocolate chip cookie, slightly grainy texture, but with an extra egg white left over

New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies (Snacking Bakes) - 2.75/5 - They're fine, whole wheat flour and brown butter didn't seem very noticeable; not enough chocolate as written

Strawberry Lemon Cornmeal Cookies - (Snacking Bakes) - 3/5 - Nice enough, slightly bitter aftertaste maybe from the polenta

Guava Pinwheels (King Arthur Baking) - 3.5/5 - Tasty and interesting, but loses points because pastelitos are tastier and easier

New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie (Dorie's Cookies) - 3.5/5 - They're fine, maybe a little too chewy-crisp on the edges for my taste; did not use the spices

Churro Cookies (Sugar Spun Run) - 3.5/5 - Fun idea, tasty enough, but the ganache felt a little claggy after baking; maybe try again with just chocolate

Lemon Almond Cookies (lost the link) - 1.5/5 - Flavor was not bad, lemony and only mildly sweet, but the texture was terrible; I did overbake them and did not have enough almond butter so maybe it could be redeemed

two thick, chewy oatmeal raisin chocolate chip mega-cookies (Smitten Kitchen Everyday) - 3/5 - They're fine, exactly what I wanted when I already have a freezer full of cookie dough, but not that much easier than a regular recipe which can be frozen for later

Chocolate chunk cookies (Dominique Ansel - 3/5 - They're fine, a little claggy, maybe better cooled than fresh out of the oven, no vanilla and I feel like you miss it

Buttered popcorn cookies (The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook) - 3/5 - Had to make some substitutions due to limited ingredients at Sunday dinner, but not bad; popcorn didn't retain its crunch well, but maybe should have been made from scratch instead of microwave

Microwave chocolate chip cookies for two (Jane's Patisserie) - 2.75/5 - Not bad, not really a cookie texture even when baked, more like a chocolate chip biscuit; adequate in case of emergency

Breakfast cookies (Sally's Baking Addiction) - 2.75/5 - I always like the idea of almond butter more than the actual thing, and the combination of apple butter and cranberries made it too sour for me, but I'd try it again with some alterations

Peanut butter chocolate chip breakfast cookies (Sally's Baking Addiction) - 3/5 - Used butter and apple butter instead of coconut oil and bananas; I think the apple butter makes it ever so slightly too sour for me, but I'd tinker with it as an afternoon snack cookie

The Food Lab's Chocolate Chip Cookies (Serious Eats) - 4/5 - Good classic chocolate chip cookie, maybe what I've been searching for? Kind of fussy, brown butter & an overnight rest

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (King Arthur Flour) - 3/5- They're fine, maybe a little dry once fully cooled; I think my cocoa powder was stale

Double Coconut Meltaways (Smitten Kitchen Every Day) - 4/5 - Vegan, really nice coconut flavor and good short texture; try again with lime zest?

Whole Wheat Oat Chocolate Cookies (Smitten Kitchen) - 3/5 - Good, a little dry for an everyday chocolate chip cookie

Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Serious Eats | BraveTart) - 3/5 They're fine, not as good as the SE version with brown butter, and it's getting harder to track down good quality plain dark chocolate in the grocery store

Snack Attacks (Snacking Bakes) - 3/5 - They're fine, I'd try them again if I've got snack-y things (chips, pretzels, etc) to use to, but not as good as the potato chip chocolate chip cookie

Strawberry Coconut Macaroons (Sally's Baking Addition) - 3/5 - They're fine, not as good as Mom's recipe and more fussy; strawberry doesn't really add anything

Levain Bakery-Style Super-Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (Serious Eats) - 3/5 - Don't like the nuts; if I want an extravagant oversized chocolate chip cookie, I'd go with the KA Flour recipe or the NYT brown butter recipe, but fun for others who like the original

Our Favorite Chip Cookies (King Arthur Baking) - 2.75/5 - Too thin and crunchy, and too chewy/toothsome even fresh out of the oven, probably the ground oats; acceptable for others who like that kind of cookie

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (King Arthur Baking) - 3/5 - They're fine, decent texture, not sure the corn syrup is doing anything; not the depth of flavor as the Food Lab ones

Bake Club Gooey Butter Cookies (Christina Tosi/Milk Bar) - 2.75/5 - A boxed cake mix recipe so maybe affected by shrink-flation; first underbaked then overbaked, but they're fine, still taste like boxed cake mix

Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies (NYT Cooking) - 3/5 - They're fine, a little too thin and crispy for my taste and too fussy with the pan-banging, but would be fun with a group

Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies (King Arthur Baking) - 3/5 - They're fine, rye is subtle and mainly texture-y; I'd make them again to use up rye flour but wouldn't go out of my way for it

Double Lemon Thumbprints (King Arthur Baking) - 3/5 - Pleasant enough and easy, not as good as the Dorie Greenspan jammers

Marshall Fields Chocolate Iced Cookies (Chicago Tribune) - 3/5 - Surprisingly close to what I remember, including the vibe of being really close to a perfect cookie but not quite there

One Chocolate Chip Cookie (Dessert for Two) - 2.75/5 - Better than the microwave recipe, but still too claggy (maybe because no leavening agents?) and faintly sour (maybe my butter was too old); I like the idea of a cookie you can make if you're almost out of butter but I'd try a different recipe next time

Lavender White Chocolate Sables (Dorie's Cookies) - 2.75/5 - I always want lavender to taste better then it does for me, but the Sunday dinner crew liked them

Mint Chocolate Sables (Dorie's Cookies) - 3/5 - They're fine, good balance of mint and chocolate, a little fussy

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (NYT Cooking) - 3/5 - They're fine, dry dough and comes out a little crisper after cooling then I prefer

Macarons (Dorie's Cookies) - 3.5/5 - A satisfying baking project and at least as good as Trader Joe's macarons

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Potato Bread

How to Bake Everything by Mark Bittman

3.75/5 -- A nice white sandwich loaf. I'd make it again to use up mashed potatoes, but I don't know if I'd boil a potato special for it.

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Pita Bread

Serious Eats

3.75/5 - A perfectly adequate flatbread (two came out beautiful, the rest came out wrinkly and misshapen but still tasty), but won't supplant my current go-tos.

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Small Batch Mini Focaccia

The Practical Kitchen

3.75/5 - A little softer than I like my focaccia but still good (maybe would have been chewier if I'd really committed to the slap-and-fold). Quick and easy and just about the right size for one day of bread -- ate the whole thing before I could take a picture.

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Hearth Bread

The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

3.75/5 - It was going to just get an "it was fine!" but then I put butter on it. Still can't compete (easiness-wise or crust-wise) with a no-knead bread.

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Salted Honey Butter Cheddar Brioche Rolls

Half-Baked Harvest

2.75 - Was going to say it's a 3, they're fine, but they weren't cheesy enough, and they weren't honey-buttery enough, and the garlic powder was a weird note. They weren't bad, but I didn't finish the batch.

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Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford

4/5 -- Quick, no-knead recipe, a wetter dough than most cinnamon breads but still workable and a good springy, not cottony, texture.

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Pan-Fried Turmeric Bread

Boustany by Sami Tamimi

3/5 -- I think I rushed the rise and they came out kind of flat and tough; not a strong turmeric flavor but nice color, were fine with dinner.

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Earl Grey Tea Bread

Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford

3/5 -- It was fine! Not too sweet, very mild Earl Grey flavor -- not nothing, but you wouldn't know it was that unless someone told you.

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Cheddar Loaf - The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

3/5 - It was fine! Fussier than the Bread Toast Crumbs recipe (multiple rises, dry milk, etc.) and not really any tastier. Could be cheesier.

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Corn, cheese, and jalapeno bread

Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford

3/5 - It was fine! Very mild flavor all around but nice texture.

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The Best (easiest) No Knead Bread

Half-Baked Harvest

2.5/5 - No-knead bread with beer instead of water, which I did not care for. The aftertaste of beer was too strong when eaten plain; I skipped the rosemary, which might have disguised or softened that a bit. (I will not be making it again to test.)

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10-Grain Cereal Bread - Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford

4.25/5 - Nice, quick, easy multi-grain loaf (made with Bob's Red Mill 10-grain cereal). Maybe even better than the oatmeal bread? Will add to the rotation.

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whole-grain cinnamon swirl bread - Smitten Kitchen

4/5 - Whole grain, a lot of texture, both gains and loses points for feeling virtuous (sometimes you want something hearty and a bit sweet, sometimes you just want white bread with cinnamon sugar). Raisins get pulsed in the food processor so there's less textural dissonance there.

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The Best, Easiest Focaccia Bread Recipe - Alexandra Stafford

4.5/5 - Easy, tasty, has kept pretty well for the last couple days. Overnight rise + several hours rise before baking.

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Milk Bread Pull-Apart Rolls - NY Times Cooking

4/5 - A soft, mildly sweet roll, more like a breakfast or an afternoon tea roll than a dinner roll. Quick and not too fussy; I look forward to seeing how long they stay fresh/soft.

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Low-Knead Bread - NY Times Cooking

4/5 - I was skeptical, but it was better than Jim Lahey's original no-knead bread -- mainly because I'd forgotten what an absolute mess that recipe is. I say I make it all the time, but I really only use the cast iron pot technique, and use mom's recipe or my recipe for the dough and do not involve any towels in the rises. The low-knead bread had a better crumb and was easier to work with than the OG no-knead bread, and I'd make it again while my food processor is out of commission, but it is a little fussier than my go-to no knead recipes.