The Perfect Cookie: Your Ultimate Guide to Foolproof Cookies, Brownies & Bars

by America's Test Kitchen (Editor)

Featured in the New York Times book Review, Real Simple, Huffington Post, Forbes, Parade, and Southern Living. Portable, fun to make, easy to gift, and open to countless flavor variations, cookies are everyone's favorite sweet treat. America's Test Kitchen has years of experience making the very best cookies; in The Perfect Cookie , the test kitchen has collected all of that knowledge in one place for the definitive guide to cookie baking. This comprehensive anthology includes kitchen-tested, never-fail recipes for cookie jar classics, in addition to recipes for rich and chewy brownies, fruit-and-crumble-topped bars, quick no-bake confections, holiday favorites, and even candies like fudge and truffles; they're all included in this gorgeous package, with a full-page photo showing off every recipe. And, as only the test kitchen can, there are tips and tricks throughout the chapters, as well as an introductory section to get you started with insight on everything from what makes a cookie chewy versus crispy to what baking sheet you should buy so that your cookies bake evenly every time. The result? The perfect cookie.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Foodie

438 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2017

About the author

America's Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. facility with over 15,000 sq. ft. of test kitchens and studio space, in Boston's Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Over 50 full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America's Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook's Country, in 2008.

Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!

Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.

Reviews

[Hannah Shultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the last 2.5 years, I have made 129 of the 174 recipes in this book (yes, the back cover says there are more than 250 but that count includes all the variations offered in some recipes). This is an excellent book. The variety of recipes is great. While it is called The Perfect Cookie, there are chapters for brownies, bars, and no-bake cookies and I'm not sure I would consider all of the recipes cookies.

Overall, in the nearly 11 dozen recipes I made, there were very few recipes I didn't like and wouldn't make again, and a ton of recipes I was not excited about and ended up loving (Russian Cheese Cookies, p 127 - seriously amazing).

Many people have told me they think ATK recipes are fussy or overly complicated. I've never understood this criticism so I don't know that I can adequately respond except to say you'll find a range of difficulty levels in this book. From easy drop cookies to puff pastry and specialized tools.

My main criticism of this book is the true for many cookbooks: "cover tightly with plastic wrap" or "line baking sheet with parchment paper" are frequently included. I almost never followed this guidance and think it's completely unnecessary. I wish they would simply say "cover" or "put in an airtight container."

My other minor frustration with this book is that they don't include metric weight measurements for ingredients. I'm glad there are weight measurements but using ounces instead of grams means that many of the ingredients are only listed with volume ingredients. For those of us who primarily cook and bake with weight, this requires going back and forth between ways of measuring, which is annoying but not a deal breaker.

While I'm not sure I'll make all 174 recipes, I will continue baking new recipes in here and expect I will enjoy most of them.

Here are some of my favorites. I have only made a couple recipes from the Let's Get Fancy and No-Bake Cookies & Candies chapters and haven't made any from You'll Never Know They're Gluten-Free.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, p 27
Chocolate Sugar Cookies, p 40
Chewy Chocolate Cookies, p 51
Russian Cheese Cookies, p 127
Chocolate Turtle Cookies, p 136
Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie, p 151
Palmiers, p 200
Ultimate Turtle Brownies, p 252
Mississippi Mud Brownies, p 267
Lemon Bars, p 280
Salted Nut Roll, p 341
Noche Buena Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, p 397

[Punk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous cookbook with a huge photo for each recipe. The book itself is also huge and—as it's printed on glossy paper—heavy too. Because it's America's Test Kitchen, you know everything's going to turn out, even if they can get a bit fussy at times with all their weird steps, and if you balk, the introduction to each recipe will convince you that all the weird steps are necessary.

There's an entire chapter on brownies, as well as Christmas cookies, drop cookies, slice and bake, sandwich cookies, rolled cookies, bar cookies, no-bake cookies and candies, fancy cookies, and gluten-free cookies. But! That last chapter is pretty short, with only ten recipes, and they still want you to use their custom gluten-free flour blend. Or, they'll tell you how much to use of the gluten-free flour blends from King Arthur, Betty Crocker, and Bob's Red Mill. I don't think there's anything in here that isn't in their two gluten-free cookbooks, but there is a nice note at the beginning of the chapter with a list of naturally gluten-free cookies elsewhere in the book, like meringues, almond macaroons, and chocolate spice cookies.

Measurements are in U.S. volume and ounces, almost every recipe has storage advice, the opening introduction is an excellent resource, there are illustrated technique workshops sprinkled throughout, and the index is comprehensive.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, interesting, and fun recipes. Especially those recipes that add a unique twist to traditional cookies.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of cookbooks, but I don't buy many- this one I will need to own for sure! So many recipes I want to make- from good old standards (sugar cookies) to totally new ideas (gingerbread brownies?!). And the best part is the they are SO thorough in their testing at ATK, you know the recipes are going to work!

[Katie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and interesting

I love reading cookbooks in general, but this one was particularly interesting and useful. I enjoyed learning about the science behind cookie baking and appreciated that each recipe went into detail of why it works and what to watch out for. There are also a ton of recipes and they all look really good!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done overall and I can't wait to try some of these recipes. Some of them are a little fussy though, as always with the Test Kitchen. Sometimes you just want a cookie, not hours to make the PERFECT cookie.

[Eric Mesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've already made 4 of these cookies and, as you would expect from America's test kitchen, these are the best versions of those cookies I've ever made. (Or eaten)

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that every recipe has a photo of what it is supposed to look like. I also really like that there are tips and tricks on how to achieve your preference in chewiness or crispiness for example. I can’t wait to try all these recipes.

[Mary Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had so much fun with this book over the holidays. I made the Brown Sugar cookie, which my tasters declared perfect. One person expclaimed it was her favorite cookie of all time. The apple sauce cookies were so easy and met such good reviews, I made them twice. The Peanut Butter Blondies disappeared quickly and the Ultranutty Pecan Bars were so easy and also disappeared quickly. I enjoyed making "foil slings" which made removing from pan and slicing a breeze. I have returned the book to the library and hope to take it home again next year at holiday time.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drool.

This is a beautiful cookbook. There are a lot of photos which I love and plenty of recipes. You will find all kinds of cookies and they have gone through the rigorous testing that the chefs of America’s Test Kitchen are known for. All types of cookies are here; drop, bar, cut outs, molded. It’s nothing complicated but what you will find are the 250 promised recipes that if you follow them will work for you when you use them.

That is the beauty of a cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen. The recipes have been tested and refined so that you don’t have to worry about whether they will work or not. They are not super fancy but they are GOOD.

The directions are clearly written and easy to follow. There is a section at the back with gluten free recipes. I’ve been looking through it for a couple of days now and I’ve found several recipes that I can’t wait to try.

[Jenni B · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, much like the companion to this The Perfect Cake, this has been a God-send of a cookbook for me.

As I mentioned on the review for the other one, I'm a skilled baker. I've baked flawless French macarons and cheesecakes for years. I get the chemistry beyond it, and yet, cookies have always evaded me (as well as good cakes!). Why is it that I can make what is considered quite exotic here in the States, but I can't make our staple desserts?!

Anyway, tonight, for the first time in well over two decades that I've been making cookies, I FINALLY made the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

MIRACLE!!!!

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right now my four star review is based on not having yet tried the recipes. I'm hoping after I try them I'll be upgrading to a five. Gorgeous photos, detailed directions, huge variety of cookies to choose from. The only things missing were directions for a gingerbread house and decorated sugar cookies. That would have truly made this book perfect.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done as all books by America's Test Kitchen.

[Matthew Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew

[Sarah]

Not just a cookbook; this goes more into the "why" of things to help ensure you are successful.

[Jeremy Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of solid recipes, including several I'd never heard of or combinations I hadn't thought of. Some recipes are overly fussy, as others have commented. But that's part of the deal with ATK.

[Cynthia Netherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipes for all types and levels of bakers. I refer to this cookbook over and over. One of my favorites.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite cookbooks are always by America's Test Kitchen!!

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best cookie cookbook ever, America's Test Kitchen wins again for me :)

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading all the tips and making my first recipe from this book (chewy chocolate sugar cookies), I know that I need no other cookie books for my collection to be complete.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO many great recipes.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I collect cookbooks but had stated I that I could not buy another one. Then I took this one out of the library. Had to buy it it - loved too many of the recipes

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know, I know what you're all thinking:

How many books do we need on how to bake cookies, brownies and bars?"

My answer: We can always use one more book.

The Perfect Cookie:Your Ultimate Guide to Foolproof Cookies, Brownies, and Bars is just that book.

Its got it all; great pictures, even included in the step by step instructions on how to scoop the ideal cookie (incredibly useful for dummies like me whose cookies always end up different sizes because I'm too lazy to measure); a break down of the best chocolates and flours to use when crafting the best tasting cookie, if you're into crunchy or chewy or soft, and all the most popular (and not so popular) recipes and pics you can drool over!

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was determined to be good at cookies, then I guess this would be the book I'd want to keep on hand. I tried several recipes, learned a bit about how ingredients work together, but decided that I just don't like cookies enough to make the effort worthwhile most of the time. I sampled chocolate chip, rocky road brownies, and several others. I think my big take aways are that corn syrup is helpful for making things chewy, and the order in which you mix the ingredients is very important for texture. I might reference this book again sometime when prepping for a Christmas cookie exchange or something like that.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute GEM!!! I got done looking through this and right away I put it into my Amazon cart to watch and order. So many pictures and the cookies themselves sounded deliciously delightful. I cannot wait to get this book and start baking. I thought of all of the presents and goodie boxes that I could put together with this book. I love doing treat boxes for Christmas for my friends. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this book. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. Awesome and Amazing.

[Clwseattle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Cookie is the perfect cookie book. America's Test Kitchen does such a wonderful job on all their cookbooks. This one is no exception. All the favorites are here. ATK does a wonderfuljob of explaining why you are doing what you're doing and 'why it works'. Their pictures of the process and the finished products are simple but explanatory.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love learning from America's Test Kitchen. The recipes explain why the ingredients and/or method makes the best result. The recipes include familiar and new cookies, each with a photo and an explanation. Easy to understand, well formatted. I had a question about one recipe, as the picture varied a bit from the directions. I sent an email and received a reply in just a couple of days!

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that I might have to add to my cookbook collection! The photos are great and they seemed to have covered just about any kind of cookie that I might want to make. This reference should definitely help me earn points as a nana!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like to review cookbooks until I've made a few recipes. So I made a couple cookies recipes on the weekend and they turned out fabulous.
The recipes are easy to read, easy to follow and there are lots of great tips.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Although, I've seen many of these recipes from their other cook books.