Electric Mixer

This is a simple drop cookie with a delightful maple flavor. I went to college in Quebec, and these cookies transport me back to snowy winters where nothing was more warming than a freshly baked treat.

Spicy, exotic, buttery drop cookies—just the perfect size for dunking in a hot cup of tea or mulled apple cider.

Subtly sweet and ultra-crispy, these twice-baked Italian cookies are an all-purpose treat. Great for dipping, dunking, or just plain snacking, they’re wonderful to have on hand any time of day. I like mine dunked in tea, and my kids like theirs partnered with vegan ice cream.

This one is an “Uh-oh, if I don’t watch out, I’ll eat the whole pan!” recipe. Its flavor is a cross between lemon meringue pie and key lime pie. My mother claims I’m so fond of citrus because she ate lemon meringue pie every day when she was pregnant with me. Whatever the reason, I love tart sweets, and if you do too, then this is the recipe for you. The kickin’ lemon-lime pairs perfectly with the buttery shortbread crust.

These graham crackers are addictively delicious. They’re great as a snack with a glass of rice milk, or wonderful made into s’mores (see variation below). This recipe also makes a wonderful pie crust.

I was so excited when Enjoy Life came out with their new line of chocolate bars, I literally jumped for joy. I was already a huge fan of their chocolate chips, and now they’ve given me a whole new genre of chocolate to bake with. These chocolate chunk cookie bars are an old-fashioned picnic or school function favorite. So easy and yet sooooo good!

So simple, yet so perfect. These cupcakes are topped with a chocolate buttercream frosting made with no butter, no cream—but it’s rich, chocolaty, and creamy nonetheless! This frosting will frost 12 cupcakes if you’re piping it, more if you’re just spreading the frosting. If you have leftover frosting, it will keep for weeks tightly covered in the fridge. Just let it come to room temperature and whip it up again. For added panache, dress these cupcakes up with sprinkles for kids’ birthday parties, or top them with Rice Milk Chocolate Ganache (page 104).

Of all the cupcakes in this book, these are my favorite. When I baked up a dozen, I personally consumed nine out of twelve. I even ate the one I had set aside for my husband. Yup, it’s true. They’re that good.

This recipe first appeared in Living Without in December 2008. I had to include it here because it’s so good, and also because it reminds me of my grandmother Catherene, who taught me to bake cookies. She was very fond of ginger.

These look like Hostess Sno Balls but are much healthier. They taste sublime, and are so very, very pretty.

Make these for any of the holidays where you want cutout cookies. They’re perfect for Halloween, Christmas and Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, Easter... you get the idea. They’re also great made into letter cookies or animals. My kids love baking these as an activity. It’s part cooking, part art project, and they’re so proud of their handiwork once it comes out of the oven.

Spritz cookies are the backbone of holiday baking. You can decorate them with any kind of sprinkles, drizzle them with chocolate, dust them with sparkly sugars, add food coloring to make them in a rainbow of colors, press them out into any shape . . . they’re endlessly versatile. I’ve spruced up the classic recipe slightly by adding a hint of orange flavor, giving them just a little special oomph. I’ve written proportions for a large batch so you can give them as gifts or make them for a party. They also store well in the freezer, so you can keep them on hand for treats anytime.

My grandmother Catherene used to make a version of these when I was a child. I still remember waiting in the kitchen for them to set, barely able to contain myself as their tempting aroma wafted through the house.

A hearty, chewy classic! Pack these in your kids’ lunch for a snack, or serve them after school with a big chilled glass of rice milk for dunking!

Pretty and elegant, these cookies will make your mouth water, and they’re fun to make! Kids love sticking their thumb in the middle of the cookies, and filling the mini pool with creamy delicious chocolate. See below for a fruity variation.

When I give these to vegan friends, they think they’ve died and gone to heaven. Nobody can believe they’re vegan and gluten-free. They disappear as fast as I can bake them, so I make them in bulk and keep them in the freezer.

These are my son Lennon’s favorite cookies. They’re like a soft Oreo, but unlike Oreos, where most kids just break them open, eat the cream filling, and discard the hard cookie exterior, Lennon ooohs and ahs and chows down the whole thing. Store them in a tightly sealed container and they’ll last well for days.