After about 10 years using Rose Levy Birnbaum's Christmas cookie book, this year I switched wholesale to my new Martha Stewart's Cookies book. Birnbaum's book, which I love, has nuts in almost every cookie, and I had several people with nut allergies on my cookie recipients list. I had some other requirements for cookies, too--ones that didn't require long chilling periods for dough, quick to make, with fairly few ingredients, and with some role for a new baker's helper (2 years old).

I was able to find a good selection of recipes in Martha's book to fit all these criteria, with a few modifications: chocolate crackles, pfeffernusse, lime meltaways, sugar cookies (made small and with Christmas instead of Easter cutters, natch), raspberry and apricot thumbprints adapted from the chocolate thumbprint recipe.

All have been popular and I've spent the week before Christmas defending the tins intended for friends from my immediate family. However, I must agree with a few of the criticisms of other reviewers. It would help to have more info on how dough should look/feel, and also how to know when cookies are done. Some recipes say "bake for X minutes or until edges are golden brown," but others just give the time, not useful given the variations in ovens, and also that I like to make my Christmas cookies really small. Also, while I like having the pictures of cookies in the index, I find the classification by texture annoying--I'd much rather have, say, all the chocolate cookies together so I can compare and select recipes without flipping back and forth through the book.

I don't think this is a good book for a beginning baker, but for the experienced who can adjust and fill in the less-complete info, the recipes are well worth it!

First I will like to say that the recipes, and photos of the finished product in this book are divine! The only drawbacks to this book are that the ingredients are not given by weight, and that a short description of what the batter/dough is supposed to be like would be helpful. Baking by weight is more accurate, and easier to measure and double the recipe. It would have been very easy for the publisher to add the weights next to the standard volume measures. A short statement such as "the dough will be sticky" or "If cookie does not keep it's shape while baking, add a bit more flour" or whatever statement is appropriate, would save the baker much frustration and discards. Over all its' a great cookie cookbook.

I can only say that, AMAZING. I've tried about 30 recipes and they all got really good and very easy to prepare. I love my cookie bible. Martha Stewart has very good and interesting ideas as always.

If you love cookies, then you'll love this book! I love how the table of contents are pictures of the cookies! All the cookies are categorized by their texture, which helps you get a feel for the cookie and how it will taste in the end. This book is highly recommended!!!

I've tried several of the recipes so far, and they are great. Five stars for the cookies' tastiness. However, I do think there's a pretentiousness to the presentation. So I reduced the number of stars for that reason.

For example, sometimes there are unnecessary steps, like lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper. This is not necessary--I've made similar cookie recipes many times and I know that parchment is extraneous. But these recipes could get a baking newbie scurrying to the store for all kinds of unnecessary items like that. Also here's an example of the pretentiousness I see: The recipe I'm trying now calls for "7 ounces best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch chunks." Guess what that translates as: A cup and a half of semi-sweet chocolate chips. But I had to trundle out my food scales to figure that out, and that, like cutting unnecessary parchment paper, takes time which is better spent resting afterward, and eating your cookies. Also, a less experienced baker might go out and buy semi-sweet chocolate and think she has to break it into pieces herself. Talk about a nuisance.

Come on; quit the pretentiousness and write realistic recipes for realistic, real world cooks. So buy it for the recipes if you've a mind to, but be prepared to modify directions more than you might normally do for most recipes.

I have bought 4 copies of this book to give to friends because I love it. It is the perfect gift for anyone who likes to bake. I have been baking one new cookie every week with my son and daughter since we got this book in the summer.
What I love is that there are all types of recipes, simple ones and more complex, with a wide variety of flavors. The book is divided by cookie categories: Light and Delicate, Soft and Chewy, Crumbly and Sandy, Chunky and Nutty, Cakey and Tender, Crisp and Crunchy and Rich and Dense. Each category is accompanied with beautiful photos of the cookies, which are all shown in the table of contents. The book has beautiful layout (as always for martha books) and easy to follow recipes.

Enjoy!

Great variety in this book. I love how the recipes are broken out by texture and that there are photos of everyone in one place. Love the chewy chocolate gingerbread recipe.....my kids love gingerbread and chocolate, so these were a hit.

Wonderful cookie plus other deserts cookbook, everything I have tried so far has been great. Easy to use.

I just love this book. I have tried some of the recipies and i cant wait to try more. The recipies are easy to follow and the result lookes like the pictures. Everyone who loves baking should own a copy of this book.Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share (Martha Stewart Living Magazine)

This cookbook was jus what I was looking for. I like Martha's cookbooks, she has a lot of experience and a very good staff.
If you like to bake cookies, this is the book for you--a lot of old recipes and some very new ones. It has a great variety.

My granddaughter borrowed this book from the library, and enjoyed it so much she didn't want to return it!! I told her I would purchase it for her on Amazon.com. She was thrilled. I was able to buy this book for her at a good price, and she is on her way to trying all the recipes!!

The book is for my grand daughter. Its a Christmas gift so i will write more later.

This is the best cookie recipe book I have ever seen. Not only are all of the recipes amazing (I have made quite a few of them, and I trust all of Martha's recipes), but the front of the book has a picture cookie index. Its a BRILLIANT idea. All of the cookies have a photo with the name and page number and are divided into categories. This is a great tool when you are trying to figure out which cookie to make. Yes, you can get SOME of the recipes on-line too (you cannot get all of them, and some of them have different recipes on-line), and I often use Martha's website to see if there are any reviews about the recipes. BUT, if you don't know what kind of cookie to make, or you want original ideas for cookies that you would never normally think of, this cookie book is perfect. I cannot say enough good things about it.

With winter fast approaching what a fun way to spend your time - working through Martha'a cookie cook book. To parents and grandparents baking is a wonderful way to teach organizationl and math skills and the bonus is you have a yummy product. Buy this book.

I really like the lay out of the book. The opening pages have pictures of all the cookies, and they are beautiful. I am undergoing a project to bake a different recipe each week and blog about it. http://bradbergrecipes.blogspot.com/

I wish it were a hard cover, or spiral bound to stay open better while cooking. Mine is getting all bent up. So far, great recipes, and BEAUTIFUL book.

Martha always knocks it out of the ball park. These recipes are always accurate and on target. Your will love this book.

I love Martha Stewart & have many of her books--her ideas are great & photography is flawless. but as a pastry chef, I use her books for inspiration & ideas and not much more. Too often I've followed her recipes only to go back & add my own things (or take out) to spice them up, add more flavor or give things a different consistancy. I got flamed by Amazon reviewers of her "baking" book for saying that some of her items needed vanilla extract & oftentimes eggs. Well i'm sayin it again! Too many of these cookies couldve been "doctored" up w/ a tad more flavor by adding some kind of flavorful extracts, slightly more sugar (in some cases less) and an egg or two. I understand that some cookies SHOULD have a drier/crumbly biscuity texture but too many of the recipes i tried fell into that category, for my tastes. & i personally do not like dry biscuity cookies. & if youre gonna go dry & crumbly--add more flavor for petes sake. So many of these cookies LOOKED absolutely gorgeous buttery & lucious but the taste rarely matched the look. & like i said, I'm a pastry chef so i know how to follow a recipe. The chocolate drop cookies were a perfect example of this. They looked great, in fact they came out looking exactly like the pic in the book--but the taste was lackluster & bland. The cookie part should be buttery & delicious & it wasnt. The Italian cornmeal cookies needed more sugar & more flavor. Another buttery looking cookie w/ a ho-hum flavor. Maybe thats how they are SUPPOSED to taste but if thats the case, they'll be "doctored up" if they ever go on my menu.

You can't go wrong with Martha Stewart's cookbooks. The cookie recipes are excellent, and the ideas on displaying/presenting them are also excellent. The focus is on creating high quality cookies with excellent ingredients -- not on making it look cute (not that there's anything wrong with that). The book includes some old standbys and some new gourmet creations. The book also includes some gluten-free recipes for those who cannot handle wheat. They're not labeled as such, but you will find them by leafing through the recipes.

I wish every cook book I owned was like this one! They ave broken down the index into types of cookies (i.e. elegant, soft and chewy, crunchy, etc.) adding the picture alongside the title. I love this book and every cookie has been a hit. A must have! Sherry

Okay, perhaps I exaggerate just a bit, but I have made about eight of the cookie recipes and every one of them has been a hit. The Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies are the best cookies ever. Sometimes the recipes are more work than anticipated for a simple task like making cookies, but the results are always worth the extra step involved.

I collect cookbooks, but this cookbook actually sits on the shelf in my kitchen. As a grandmother, I like to make cookies for my grandchildren.....lots of recipes that are actually do-able....not complicated. There is also a lot of other information about baking cookies, tips, etc. I think this is a good book to have on hand.

With a title of "Martha Stewart's Cookies" and her smiling picture plastered on the cover one would expect Martha Stewart to have written the cookbook. Instead it's "From The Editors of Martha Stewart Living" magazine and as such appears to be a compilation of recipes and features that have run in the magazine.

After the table of contents, there is a multi page section of pictures of various cookies with their name and what page the recipe is on. The cookies are listed in general categories such as "light and delicate, crumbly and sandy, chunky and nutty, cakey and tender, crisp and crunchy" and "rich and dense" with the corresponding page number for the section.

"Light and delicate" section begins our journey through 175 cookie recipes. The section starts off with "Meringue Porcupines," before moving through "Fortune Cookies, Bratseli, Langues-De-Chat, Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars" among many others listed in this section which began on page 20. Most of the recipes are not simple and require some dexirity with kitchen appliances, pastry bags, etc. to achieve anything close to the items picture here. There are a few pictures of items in various stages of preparation, but the pictures are small and therefore doing not provide much detail.

The "soft and chewy" cookies take over starting on page 56. Of course, one would expect a recipe for "Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies" and there is one. Also included are recipes for "Coconut Macaroons, Chocolate Macaroons, Chocolate Malt Sandwiches, Whole-Wheat Date Bars" and many others. The same format is used with most of the pictures in this section depicting the finished product.

At page 104 the book shifts to consider "crumbly and sandy" cookies. "Almond Horns, Pecan Logs, Springerle, Apple-Cheery Crumble Bars, Sand Tarts" and many more cookie recipes make up this section. The same format continues and again in this chapter, most of these are labor intensive cookies requiring lots of experience in the kitchen.

"Chunky and nutty" is the next section starting on page 164. "Rocky Ledge Bars, Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies, Pine Nut Cookies, Magic Blondies" and many more appear here. All appetizing and all carried in the same format as earlier ones in the book.

Page 188 marks "cakey and tender" with items such as "Lemon Madelines, Lebkuchen, Raspberry Almonds Blondies" and many others. All delectable and nearly all very complicated to make and depicted in the same format used throughout the book.

Page 218 marks the start of "crisp and crunchy" with such one as "Chocolate-Orange-Espresso Thins, Chocolate Pretzels, Striped Icebox Cookies, Chocolate Sandwiches" and others.

"Rich and dense" begins on page 264 with items such as "Baci di Dama , Chocolate Thumbprints, Truffle Brownies, Rugelach Fingers" and many others .

Starting on page 306 there is a section on "tools and techniques." Here you will find information on ingredients, tools for making dough or shaping the dough, and information on how to drop dough, decorating cookies and other useful items. There are pictures, but they are small like most of the pictures in this book so detail is hard to come by.

Now that you have made the cookies you have to know something about "packing and giving." Starting on page 328 this section is devoted to various ways to present the efforts of your hard won labor via sacks, cookie drums, window boxes, etc.

A list of sources for ingredients and supplies, a listing of photo credits and an index bring this paperback cookbook to a close. A cookbook that you will have to pin down in some way without breaking the spine to use. And a cookbook that does feature delectable recipes which are very complicated.

Beyond the fact there is no reference to dietary information at all as well as the fact that is done by the editors of her magazine instead of Martha which is a bit misleading since this info is inside and not on the cover, the biggest issue is the recipes themselves. No doubt they are "the very best treats to bake and to share." They are also very complicated, very labor intensive and rather impossible to do unless one has numerous people under their command to take care of things while one is the kitchen or anything to do beyond being in the kitchen. While the book is decent, except for the small pictures, it doesn't really matter because the book isn't practical for many cooks. Like most of her books, her magazines and her TV show, it operates in the principal that there is nothing else to do.

For those of us who truly have our hands full with a job, child care, and a host of other issues, the book simply doesn't work.


Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

These cookies never fail. I love the beautiful picture for every recipe, and the picture index at the front. This book is perfect for a cookie-aholic.

As many of Martha Stewart`s books, this one has lots of photographs and delicious recipes, aswell as nice wrapping ideas for giving cookies away. I own many cookie books but this one is now my favorite.

Awesome cookbook if you love cookies. It includes pictures of all the cookies. Would highly recommend this book for bakers. Only issue is it did not arrive in the best condition considering it was suppose to be new.

Okay, let me start by saying that I am far from being a Martha Stewart fan. I try to avoid anything associated with her.

That being said, I fell in love with this cookbook the minute I picked it up. My Mom happens to like Martha and had the cookbook sitting out.

The book offers a picture for every cookie recipe in the book and who doesn't like pictures. It is well organized into sections by type of cookie. The recipes are clear and concise and very easy to follow.

I've only had a chance to make one cookie recipe so far, but I am looking forward to making several more!

As an Australian, it is often hard to convert US recipes to our metric system, and have them turn out okay. This was not a problem with Cookies, by Martha Stewart.
I was surprised at the ease of availability of the ingrediants listed in most of the recipes here in Australia. Everything I have baked has turned out perfectly first time - A very rare and surprising occurance at my house, let me assure you!
Overall, this is a bargain book and worth having, even if you only like to look at the pretty pictures, of which this book has many. Buy it, you will not regret it!

I've tried out many cookie recipes over the years, and this is hands down the best cookie recipe book I've ever seen.

This book has 175 cookie recipes, ranging from the exotic and beautiful to the old fashioned cookies grandma made. What makes this book really stand out is how simplistic it is. Every cookie is photographed so beautifully you can almost taste it.

When my daughter saw Martha Stewart's Cookies she gasped and ran off to her room with it to read and bookmark every recipe she wanted to try. Next my husband caught sight of the book, and well, you can guess who had a big list of cookies to bake!

My two favorites in this book are the Dried-Cranberry Shortbread Hearts which is really simple to make with only 6 ingredients. I also love the Lime Meltaways.

This cookbook generally calls for very simple basic ingredients and is broken down into chapters by texture, such as light and delicate, soft and chewy, and rich and dense. At the beginning of the book is an 11 page spread showing each and every cookie by name, which is so useful when you want to quickly locate a particular cookie.

If you are looking for classic cookie recipes made the old fashioned way from simple ingredients, I highly recommend this cookie book. Dieters and those looking for low sugar, low carb, or low fat, will have to look elsewhere.

Aside from very good recipes, I particularly like a section in the front where you'll find a photo of each cookie. They are listed by type, i.e. cripy, chewy, etc. It makes it very easy to select a recipe by texture or ingredients. My only regret is that the book is not hardcover, my personal preference for all cookbooks.

Book is a great "read" - interesting - recipe for crispy choc. chip and soft choc.chip cookies. Made the cover recipe - and loved the taste.
I like how Martha - makes it appear that one can make the cookies by hand...yeah right.

Anyway - great book and a fun one too.

This is a wonderful cookie book. The recipes are clear and diverse, with so many choices and yet nothing so bizarre as to make you think it shouldn't have been included. There are also some unique & new cookies (well they are to me, at least), like the stained glass christmas trees, and the little umbrella-shaped lemon cookies. Cute, and clever ideas.
The format is lovely, with lots of beautiful photographs for all the cookies.
Hats off to Martha, she is a perfectionist and it shows in her work. There is no great baking expertise required, but some of the recipes are more complicated and/or challenging than others. (I offer that opinion as someone who is not really a great baker or one who particularly enjoys baking.) I would think that anyone who likes cookies would appreciate this book!

Fun to make, unusual and unique cookies for everyone..not to mention..
Die and Go to Heaven GOOD!!!

I originally ordered this on March 20 from globalbooks2000 through your web site, paid for on my Amazon credit card and never received.

Although I love this book and it came promptly the second time, it had to be ordered twice. I have sent emails to you and globalbooks2000 but never been acknowledged.

I am now going to report this to Visa.

This is a great book tht makes my mouth water every time I look at it. I can't get enough of it, and have liked 2 of the three cookies I have made from it...not being a big molasses fan...Some of the cookies are a bit tricky and take A LOT of ingredients, which I am not used to. All in all, it is a GREAT book.

I bought this book as soon as it came out.. I love it.... Almost every recipe has a picture. I also love the way the book has been divided to different types of cookies. Yes, you can find almost all of these recipes on the website.. but only if you know what you are looking for.. I get inspired by thumbing through the book to find something new to bake. Love this book.

Martha Stewart has done it again. This book is filled with traditional easy-to -make recipes.

Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share (Martha Stewart Living Magazine)
I just bought this book and am amazed by all the simply to make cookie recipes, and they all look so tasty. This book us a must have for all cookie lovers

Transaction was smooth and shipment quick. Book arrived as described. Who doesn't like cookies? There are some very fine looking and tasty cookie recipes. I can hardly wait to get started making them. The design is very nice with the different types placed in their own chapter category. Very nice recipe book!

love love love this book. easy great recipes for anyone. get it and you will love the chocolate as well as all others

Martha Stewart's Cookies is a lovely cookbook (there is a photo that accompanies each cookie) filled with delicious recipes for cookie lovers everywhere. I missed an opportunity to buy her special magazine (a few Christmases ago) devoted to cookies, so I was thrilled to learn that she had published a cookbook full of cookie recipes.

The book is broken down into the following sections; "light and delicate," "soft and chewy," "crumbly and sandy," "chunky and nutty," "cakey and tender, " "crisp and crunchy," and "rich and dense." The contents are shown literally with each section displaying the cookies (photos) and the page where the recipe can be found. I've only had this book for a few days and couldn't wait to bake the Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies (crumbly and sandy section). They were amazing and indeed crumbly and sandy, perfect with vanilla ice cream while still a little warm.

This is a beautiful book, with a lot of attention to detail (of course, it's Martha Stewart) and I look forward to using it countless times!

I just love this cookie cookbook. I use it all the time. I just made cookies from it today. It contains common, easy, yummy cookies.

I did not get the cook book cookies from you yet and I am begining to think that I will not get it and the money has already been taken out of my account. Very dissatisfied. I did a lot of shopping with you and have been very happy with the stuff I have ordered, but I will not do any shopping with you any more. And I will tell all my friends about it too.

Speaking as a long time cookie baker, this is a fantastic book. Even my six year old grandson picked it up, and looked at every page before putting it down.

Book was dirty on front and back covers. Didn't look to be in "new" condition!

This collection of recipes from Martha Stewart Living is beautifully organized by texture & type and covers the gamut from the most basic of cookies to some of the most adventurous. it is not by martha herself which I found refreshing since it doesn't pre-suppose you have a kitchen full of exotic ingredients and expensive equipment. Even the most daring cookies here can be attempted by a modestly equipped cook. Cookies with similar basic ingredients & textures are grouped together to illustrate how easy it can be to change up a basic recipe and trick it out for a more sophisticated taste-bud or occasion. The old standby's are here as well. All the recipes rely on good wholesome ingredients and very basic preparation methods but they add a flare of imagination. The cookie on the cover is a terrific example - chocolate filled chewy gingerbread! Yum! Inside are other similarly invetnive recipes such as Cream Cheese Shortbreads, Chocolate Malt Sandwhich cookies and more.

The best part of this book is that EVERY cookie is photographed so that you can see exactly how they are intended to look when finished. In addition, the instructions are free from frothy observations or self-congratulatory rhetoric that mar some her other publications. She did not write this book and it shows. Her editors wrote it. And that my friends, is a GOOD THING when it comes to a book such as this which is intended to be the only cookie book you'll ever need. I have already bought several as gifts for young mothers I know and dedicated cookie baking pals. This is really the last cookie book I will ever need. It will take me years to run out of recipes to try from this collection.

Don't let the above line lead you to believe I'm not a Martha Stewart fan, becuase I am. I think she's done a lot for this world. However, for the money and it being from Martha the perfectionist who runs a multi-billion dollar company, I would have liked a hardcover cookbook, and I expected to see more pictures of the cookies. We eat with our eyes, and seeing a what a cookie looks like makes me want to make and eat it. The few pictures in it look like they weren't even professionaly photographed. The book overall just seemed to be low budget and nothing spectacular.

As always Martha Stewart's books dealing with cooking are FANTASTIC.

A must buy for a newly beginning cook to the older seasoned cook.

If you wanted just one book of recipes for cookies then, for me, this would be it.Well laid out with sections of different textures it is easy to choose the perfect cookie for any occasion-or just when you are in the mood to do a bit of baking.There is excellent variety in the recipes and I was especially pleased to see the recipe for Rum Raisin Shortbread which I had originally found in Living magazine.These cookies always get rave reviews when I make them.

I really liked this book. I do agree with others, that the recipes are online, but its nice not to have to print them and have them all together. I made the cookies on the cover and got rave reviews. I love the pictures and the recipes are really well written. A great book for a baker!

I love to cook and bake, but I am very particular about the cookbooks I buy. I want a book that will be useful, with delicious recipes, and not just pretty to look at. This book exceeded my expectations! I really like the table of contents - it is divided into categories of cookies, plus there is a picture of each cookie. This is very helpful when you are trying to zero in on a specific texture, flavor, or look. I know this book will end up being one of my favorites, although Martha would be appalled if she knew there were typographical errors in it!