Nut Free

To make it easy to form these bow-shaped cookies, fill the pastry bag with dough in small batches; pipe two loops and then two tails rather than trying to pipe one continuous bow. Be sure all parts are touching so they bake together into one big cookie.

We can’t seem to get enough of the flavor of sour cherries in our test kitchen. Here they are generously added to a dough rich with bittersweet chocolate and cocoa. The result is a deep, dark, utterly delicious cookie with unexpected tartness in every bite.

Cream-Filled Chocolate Sandwiches If you like, roll the sides of the filled cookies in crushed candy canes or finely chopped nuts. The dough can be made ahead and chilled, wrapped well in plastic, for up to one week or frozen for up to one month; let thaw completely before proceeding with the recipe.

These oversize sweets don’t need any mix-ins or frostings—their bold chocolate flavor says it all. In addition to butter, this recipe calls for melted vegetable shortening, which produces an unbeatable texture. (Melted unsalted butter can be substituted for the shortening, if desired.)

It’s no wonder kids adore these bar cookies. A gooey topping spills over a base filled with butterscotch chips, miniature marshmallows, chocolate chunks, and—as if that weren’t enough—melted caramels.

Toasted wheat germ and a generous amount of raisins make these cookies hearty. You can substitute an equal measure of dried cranberries, sour cherries, or chopped apricots for the raisins. To make oatmeal–chocolate chunk cookies, substitute 12 ounces good-quality chocolate, coarsely chopped, for the raisins.

These bars are more rustic than traditional dried fruit bars, since they are covered with a crumbly oat topping before baking. You can substitute chopped dried figs or dates for the raisins.

These big cookies have two coats of sanding sugar, which create a delicate crust that sparkles. The crunchy coating gives way to a soft cookie with bright, lemony flavor in each bite.

Though they have all the flavors of gingerbread, these cookies are softer and chewier than cut out varieties, such as the Gingerbread Snowflakes on page 259. They are as easy to prepare as Grammy’s Chocolate Cookies (page 75), with a similar old-fashioned appeal.

The origin of the name of these homey, drop-style cookies is unclear, but recipes for them appear in early-twentieth-century American cookbooks and newspapers. After rolling balls of dough in cinnamon sugar, give them ample room on baking sheets; they spread quite a bit.

Oversized and ever-so-slightly underbaked, these cookies feature milk chocolate in two forms—melted and mixed into the dough, and chopped into big chunks.

For best results, use moist, plump dried figs.

Like little cakes with a citrus perfume, these shell-shape treats are equally delightful as a light dessert with fresh fruit or as an accompaniment to a cup of tea. Madeleines are most often associated with the French author Marcel Proust, who immortalized them in the opening scene of the novel Remembrance of Things Past.

If you’re a fan of store-bought fig cookies, just wait until you taste these—they’re well worth the time spent making them.

The applesauce in this recipe keeps the cookies moist; maple syrup flavors the simple white icing that gets drizzled over the tops.

A hefty dose of cocoa powder makes these old-fashioned drop cookies perfect for fans of dark chocolate. The recipe is so simple, it’s a natural for preparing with children; they especially love forming the dough into balls and rolling them in sanding sugar.

These moist, relatively thin blondies burst with gingerbread spices and white chocolate chunks.

Malted-milk powder, a combination of powdered milk, wheat flour, and malted barley, adds a rich component to both these cookies and their filling. A double dose of chocolate (chopped semisweet and lots of cocoa powder) makes these sandwich cookies extra decadent.

Some of the same ingredients used for hot chocolate go right into these crowd pleasers. Cocoa powder gives them their chocolate flavor, while marshmallows are the squishy centers. Slathered on top is a chocolate frosting that hides the marshmallow—creating a delightful surprise for the lucky person who takes a bite.

A variegated pattern of deep dark chocolate and pure white powdered sugar makes these crinkly cookies a striking study in contrast. Roll balls of the rich dough first in granulated sugar, then in confectioners’ sugar. The first layer ensures that the second one retains its snowy white appearance.