Martha Stewart's Cookie Perfection: 100+ Recipes to Take Your Sweet Treats to the Next Level: A Baking Book

by Martha Stewart

Showstopper cookies for a new generation: from Martha Stewart, an authoritative and creative collection to take your cookies to the next level in flavor, technique, and decorative appeal

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY FOOD NETWORK

The editors of Martha Stewart Living present a new, fun source for anyone looking to make their go-to cookies even better and bolder. These recipes make ordinary cookies absolutely extraordinary--all the familiar favorites you love, but taken up a notch in variety, flavor, and creativity. Classic recipes discover new life with unexpected twists such as Brown-Butter Crinkle Cookies and Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies. Go over-the-top in super-sized fashion with Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies; get inspired by cultures around the globe with Brazilian Wedding Cookies and Stroopwafels; and celebrate with beautifully decorated holiday treats, such as Easter Egg Puzzle Cookies and Snowball Truffles. Whether for a special celebration or a sweet anytime-treat, you'll be sure to find inspiration to trade in your everyday cookies for versions far more special--and especially delicious.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

Martha Helen Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty to look at. And I knew going in this was going to be extra, because it's Martha Stewart. I just didn't know it was going to be "buy imported European butter and make your own sprinkles for your cookies" extra.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filled with more unique and creative treats than her previous cookie cookbook.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drool-worthy recipes. A great resource if you are looking to jazz up your holiday baking menu.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what the title says it is.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Martha tells you to do something, even if it seems kind of fussy (hello, parchment lining)...do it! Thank you Random House for the free book.

[Anna Catherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cookbook chock full of incredibly unique, occasionally quirky cookies - pink lemonade thumbprint cookies, anyone? Some of these look really yummy, others not so much, but I hope to try one or two.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always check out cookbooks to see if I want to buy them and this is a MUST HAVE.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the recipes have nice pictures and clear instructions—I like them all.
This book is a companion to a cooking series on Public Television where Martha Stewart bakes the cookies in this book.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done, as always. The thing I love about Martha Stewart cookbooks is: there's always an excellent, clear photo of the recipe in question with minimal set dressing and fuss so you can see exactly what it is and what it should look like; the recipes are written clearly and straightforward, easy to understand, even for a novice; and the equipment index is thorough and has photos as well- perfect for beginners, and a good refresher for those whose equipment may need a little updating. There's also a technique section- not many cookbooks do that, and it's immensely helpful. Many of these recipes are a little more advanced or require interesting ingredients or equipment, but that shouldn't put you off, because they sound delicious- plus there's plenty of easy, no fuss recipes included as well.

I checked this one out on ebook to see if the recipes were interesting enough from my other books, specifically her last cookie book, for to me to buy a copy, and they are. Some are very unusual, and many I recognized from her more recent episodes of Martha Bakes on PBS, like the international cookie recipes (even stroopwafels and speculaas are included, so of course I need a copy, living here in the Netherlands). I hope to see another continuation of this baking theme with cake and pie, like she did years prior.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often think of Martha Stewart as someone I'm interested in following. I know she's made a career off of sharing baking and cooking secrets, but she always feels like she belongs to another generation and I just don't care.

Turns out, though, that she may know quite a bit about cookies.

I'll be the first to admit that there are plenty of cookies in here that are pretty far-fetched. They involve flavors I'm not super impressed with or they're ridiculously complicated and I'm not into that. However, she also has a number of fun looking cookies that I aspire to make. Pink Lemonade Thumbprints, Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies (on the cover of the book), Potato Chip Cookies. I mean, some of them they're a bit more aspirational than your average chocolate chip or sugar cookie, but they actually look quite tempting. And that's kind of exciting for me. I want to see how these turn out. I haven't made any of them yet, but I'm excited to try.

[Miss Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

They are all gorgeous. And all are an absolute certain bet for taste because this is Martha, y'all. However, they are often finicky and time-consuming.

There are pictures for each recipe.

Favourites: (Which is a lot because the book is about the perfect cookies)

Sparkly Lemon Cookies
Chocolate Mint Wafers - great for Christmas
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Molasses-Ginger Crisps
Streusel Jammies
Pink Lemonade Thumbprints - these are especially nice for baby or wedding showers, brunches, etc.
Pistachio and Apricot Rugelach
Passionfruit Melting Moments
Raspberry-Jam Ice Diamonds - stunning for Christmas-time!
Peanut-Butter Sandwich Cookies
Scottish Shortbread
Speculaas
No-Bake Chocolate Truffles
Lemon Date Bars
Apricot Cheesecake Bars
Stained-Glass Sugar Cookies

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading Martha Stewart's cookbooks. The pictures are colorful. I always pick up a technique or two that I can add to my baking. I like the explanation of why the bakers use the ingredients that are part of the recipe. I usually even find a recipe or two that I want to try.

But this cookbook did not "wow" me like the other ones I have read. I was not in awe of the cookies. This book was more practical. Maybe I should have read it before Christmas when I was doing a lot of baking instead of now.

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure if my book didn't download properly, but it was a mess! Very few pics, several dozen blank pages and page numbers reversed and tripled! Who knows if I liked any recipes, I need pics to tempt me, was very disappointed, since from library could not attempt to reload... Since the power outages both my husband and I have been having overdrive issues with the app, slow and limited cell service is wrecking havoc everywhere in northern ca...

[Katie Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just ok

I have no problem counting cookbooks on my reading list because I read all of the stories, background info, and recipes I was reluctant to count this one though because there isn’t a lot to it. I was kind of disappointed by that. I would expect a lot of context and information from the Martha Stewart staff.

The recipes are interesting and look good, but nothing spectacular.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

For now I'm giving it a 3.5 star review. I have not made any recipes yet from the book, but there a quite a few that stuck out to me! If your looking to "upgrade" your cookies, this book is for you. While there are some recipes that are "original", there are quite a few that are more time consuming and decorative.
Can't wait to try out Pumpkin Snicker-doodle, Tiramisu Cookies, smores cookies, and pumpkin-gingerbread ice cream sandwiches! YUM!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intensive cookie making. For this book perfection Is right. Almost all of these recipes require the baker to really know what they are doing. The instructions are vast, and the pictures are not as many as I would like. I would buy this book, but it would take a while to have the desire for a first attempt on anything.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this cookbook. There’s a picture for each recipe, which I definitely appreciate. I’ve already earmarked a bunch of recipes I want to try. The recipes themselves are fairly short, easy to understand, and ingredients are mostly ones I have on hand. Some recipes feature tips as to why you should do the special instructions (which is good, otherwise I’d be tempted to skip them).

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these recipes are absolutely extra and a little extravagant. But based on my experience of making the Brown Butter Crinkle Cookie recipe from this book, I think it does a great job of making the extravagant recipes seem approachable. Even making just that one recipe has helped improve my technique as a casual/hobby baker.

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the recipes were too fussy for me. Skip the pumpkin snickerdoodles! The recipe didn't specify that you have to squeeze the moisture out of the pumpkin first (I assume that's the mistake I made?) I ended up with cake batter and then a disappointingly bland set of bar cookies when I tried to salvage it.

[Donna Siebold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't made any of these recipes yet, but I am itching to start creaming the butter and sugar. I like the layout of this book, I love the photography and though I often think her recipes are a bit pedantic, I have always like anything of hers that I have tried.

[Annette Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cookie details Made Simple

I enjoy looking at the recipes. I haven't tried none of them yet, but I work all the time, but it is a wonderful book simple easy recipes. And ingredients that you can afford.

[Chelsie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the pictures and stories, but making the recipes were pretty hard with the limit of groceries available in my area.

[Anita MacAuslan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection is okay, but has some unapproachable sections for the average home baker, and honestly, just doesn't contain all that many recipes. You're better off going to marthastewart.com. Really a missed opportunity here.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like someone to make all these cookies for me, please and thank you. Ombre is VERY in apparently.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything looks amaaaaazing, I can't wait to test a bunch out this holiday season!

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends, family, neighbors beware! I'm going to be baking my way through this book I just know it, and you'll be my test subjects mwahahaha. No worries, you'll thank me.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great recipes! I would expect nothing less from Martha!

[Pamela Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the pictures for every recipe. I plan to try the chocolate chip and brownie recipes and maybe the lemon cookies.

[Danielle Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has some very good cookie recipes! I might have to try them out!

[LadyS · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures in this book were good enough to eat! As usual, Martha gives recipes a creative finish while still retaining simplicity!