The King Arthur Baking Company Essential Cookie Companion

by King Arthur Baking Company

Newly revised and updated―The must-have cookie cookbook for bakers of all levels with over 400 recipes from America's most trusted baking resource.

From the perfect chocolate chip cookie (whether you prefer it chewy, crisp, or in-between) to simple sugar cookies ranging in flavor from lemon to cinnamon to vanilla, from brownies and blondies to shortbread, graham crackers, macaroons, chocolate biscotti―you’ll discover more than 400 delightful cookies in these pages. From classic flavors to modern techniques, these recipes will inspire and satisfy cookie lovers and bakers at every skill level. King Arthur Baking Company’s talented and trusted test kitchen experts provide an overview of essential cookie ingredients―updated and revised―along with step-by-step instructions and illustrations that result in visually impressive and incredible-tasting cookies. Recipes are enhanced with sidebars full of hints, shortcuts, troubleshooting advice, and recipe lore. With tips on substitutions and variations; information about gluten-free flours; details on measuring and weighing ingredients; instructions for making icings, fillings, and dips; and even advice on high-altitude baking, this truly is the ultimate cookie cookbook. 150 illustrations, 24-page photo insert

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Collections, Food and Wine

528 pages, Hardcover

Published November 23, 2021

Reviews

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything about King Arthur Flour. I only use their flour when baking. And yes, there is a difference. Every recipe I've tried from their website has come out amazing. I decided to splurge and ask Santa for this cookbook. I must have been awfully good this year, because I received this one, and The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook. Squee!!!! :D

The Essential Cookie Cookbook is more than just a cookbook. It's like having your own personal pastry chef giving you baking lessons and practical tips. Some examples:

- There's a whole section on the difference between Italian biscotti, and American biscotti. One's harder and made for dunking. The other is soft and chewy. They differ in ingredients and baking techniques. Who knew? I didn't.

- There's good advise on how to make the best brownies. Bakers know there is nothing simple about making brownies. Five minutes too long in the oven, can mean disaster. But, not only are there mistakes to avoid, there are also personal preferences. What's your preference: cake like? fudge? or in-between? There's a recipe for each, and tips on what not to do.

If you enjoy baking, this is one of the best price performing cookbooks out there. King Arthur Flour once again delivers outstanding quality. They never disappoint.

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book if you are already a competent baker. Rather than being technique oriented (like America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated) or presentation oriented (Martha Stewart & Nancy Baggett), King Arthur is variation oriented.

So for many of these cookie types, they present a baseline with a dozen or so variations. Think: "The Essential Chewy Oatmeal Cookie", "Essential Crunchy Oatmeal Cookie", "Essential Crispy Oatmeal Cookie", "Essential Soft Oatmeal Cookie."

If you're *just* learning how to bake oatmeal cookies, this seems like the stupidest thing ever. But once you're the kind of baker who is trying to recreate some overwrought silly biscuit from Great British Bake-Off, it's great to be able to fine-tune your recipes to get them exactly where you want them. This book is a really good resource for that kind of baking.

[Elizabeth (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up from the library to make sure it was worthwhile before buying it, and let’s just say that it’s already ordered before the library version has been returned. This is a monster cookie book that will make you dizzy with options. There really aren’t very many pictures because of the volume of recipes. Our faves so far are the Freckled-Fruit Shortbreads, the Orange-Pistachio Milk Chocolate Chippers and the Soft Sugar Cakes. If you like cookies, this is definitely for you.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live to bake cookies from scratch and this is HANDS DOWN my favorite cookie cookbook. I love how the contributors adjust recipes for things like brownies and chocolate chip cookies to reflect different preferences. Do you like your brownies fudgy, cakey, or fudgy-cakey? King Arthur tells you how to achieve just the texture you love.

[Shipshapeeatworthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The King Arthur Baking Company: The Essential Cookie Companion (Revised and Updated) cookbook is full of wonderful cookie and cookie-adjacent recipes (think squares and bars)! The cookie recipes are organized into 7 chapters (The Essentials, Bars & Squares, Drop Cookies, Roll-Out Cookies, Shaped Cookies, Batter Cookies, and No-Bake Cookies) with extra information in the "Getting Started" section along with chapters on The Finishing Touch (i.e., icings, fillings, ganache, etc.) and on Ingredients. After reading from and baking through the book, it's obvious that the recipe developers at King Arthur are passionate about and committed to creating recipes for home bakers to enjoy.

I am in complete agreement when I read "The attraction [to cookies] is one that starts very young"(VII) in the Introduction. One of the first cookies that my daughter and I ever baked together was, in fact, the King Arthur recipe for Animal Crackers. When she was wee, she adored these cookie/crackers and, I thought it would be so much fun to bake them together. It was fun as well as frustrating (as only baking with a two-year-old can be) and the Animal Crackers were perfect. Not too sweet and just the perfect size to fit into her tiny hand. Since then, its one of our favourite recipes, which is why I was so glad to see it included in The Essential Cookie Companion!

In this edition that has been revised and updated there are new variations offered for classic recipes, all-new beautiful photographs (they're grouped in the centre of the book and there isn't a 1:1 for recipes and photos. With 400+ recipes, a picture for each recipe doesn't make sense), tips to reflect modern bakers, along with practical guidance to help home bakers achieve great results. And the results are everything when it comes to baking! I can confidently say that anything I've baked from King Arthur has turned out perfectly! Their devotion to extensively testing their recipes is evident as soon as you take that baking tray from the oven. I appreciate that the ingredients are given so that whether you're most comfortable baking using volume or weight, you're covered.

The Essential Cookie Companion is full of tried-and-true recipes -- the homey, delicious recipes that have been passed down through generations of bakers. One such recipe is for the Chewy Date-Nut Bars. With only a handful of ingredients, these chewy and moist bars remind me of the kind of thing my grandmother would bake. The sweet stickiness of the chopped dates pairs so well with the chopped walnuts -- it's just as they say in the recipe head notes: "they're perfect with a cup of tea."(165) My daughter loves these as an after-school snack with a glass of milk. Another recipe with a following that spans decades, the Ruth Wakefield's Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are truly everyone's favourite. I appreciate that the dough is simply pressed into a jelly roll pan, then sliced after baking (rather than portioning out the dough for individual cookies). The bars are chewy and soft and have the perfect amount of chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Is it any wonder they're a favourite of my chocolate-or-nothing husband? As a side note, he and my daughter also thought the Rocky Road Bars were delightful too!

When I'm baking for my friends, I never know which cookies are going to be a hit. No one ever says "no" to a box of home-baked cookies, but I love it when I find ones that they love! Take the Brown Sugar Crinkles -- these classic crinkle cookies have a perfect butter pecan flavour and a crusty, cragged top with a soft middle. When I gave bags of cookies to my neighbours, one of them texted me to say that out of all the cookies that I've made for them, these were the best! Then when I baked a batch of Daisies (buttery cookies with jam-filled centres) for my friend, she told me how much she and her family enjoyed them! The moral of the story here is that there are no bad choices made from The Essential Cookie Companion.

With over 400 different recipes for home bakers of every level, there is always something delectable to bake. There is a reason why the original King Arthur Baking Company: The Essential Cookie Companion is a much-loved cookbook -- it's full of well-tested, flavorsome recipes as well as sharing helpful information on ingredients and techniques. I'm looking forward to a lifetime of baking delicious cookies from this book!

Please note that this is an excerpt of a review posted to www.shipshapeeatworthy.wordpress.com

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Countryman Press for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Kayes Hasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ **A Must-Have Cookbook for Cookie Lovers!**

- A fantastic baking companion for anyone who loves making homemade cookies.
- Offers plenty of inspiration for exploring different cookie styles, flavors, and textures.
- Perfect for both beginners and experienced bakers who want to improve their baking skills.
- A wonderful resource for preparing sweet treats for family gatherings, holidays, and everyday enjoyment.
- Makes cookie baking feel more approachable, enjoyable, and creative.
- Great for anyone who loves experimenting in the kitchen and sharing homemade goodies with others.
- A valuable addition to any baking collection, especially for those who enjoy trying new cookie recipes.

**Overall:** An excellent cookbook for cookie enthusiasts! It inspires creativity, encourages home baking, and makes the experience of preparing delicious cookies even more enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the smell and taste of freshly baked cookies! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the King Arthur Essential Baking Companion, so I was hoping this one would be just as good. And while it does have a ton of extra, rather useful information about ingredients, methods, and the like, I was disappointed in the exclusion of any discussion of dairy-free or vegan cookies. There were a handful of specifically gluten-free recipes, but very few that wouldn't need significant modifications for a dairy-free/lactose intolerant baker. And the ingredients section only included a few lines about plant-based "butters," including one basically saying not to use it. I do have other cookbooks specifically for dairy-free cooking/baking, and am impressed with the recommendations included in several recipes on King Arthur's website, but was hoping they could have added some of their knowledge and skills to this cookbook.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out at the library and am ordering a copy because I can't bear to give it up. I copied some of the pages but the whole book is so good I'd basically have to photocopy the entire thing. There are more cookie recipes and types listed than I had ever imagined and so many in particular that I want to try. What ones I have tried were delicious and the instructions were easy to follow.

NOTE: I am read the updated 2021 Cookie Companion, can't find a page for that so I'm posting under the original.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this and I'm so happy to have it!!! I have wanted this for many years, and I talked myself out of buying it because a lot of the reviews complained about the lack of pictures. There are some pictures in the center of the book, but it does not detract from the amount and quality of the recipes. It is a large book and the recipes have detailed instructions and diagrams. It is an excellent companion to my other King Arthur Flour cookbooks.

[Pamela Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made 3 cookies from this. Did not care for the chewy chocolate chip. The corn syrup gives it a blah taste. Butter and brown sugar should shine in a chocolate chip cookie. However the toasted pecan fudge shortbread was great. The cherry nut rugelach was good too. Few pictures and they weren’t that inviting. The picture of the cake brownies looked like bar b q?!?

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things distinguish this book. First is the comprehensiveness in which it covers its subject - cookies. Like eight kinds of chocolate chip cookies, and that’s just the pure chocolate chip cookies. They also cover all the spinoffs. The second is that they have been around a long time and have listened to a lot of bakers as well as taught bakers. This shows.

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like cookbooks without pictures, but this is probably the best one I have seen yet. It helps that it was all cookies, but I still would have loved to have seen photos of cookies I wasn't familiar with. I really liked the beginning chapter where they focused on a bunch of variations of American classics.

[Mariko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent guide to cookies for beginning to intermediate bakers. Lots of helpful tips and a wide variety of cookies from around the world. The only downside is that there were very few photos--I have no idea what 90% of the cookies look like and I don't want to google them all.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has cookies that I have never heard of, and that takes some doing. From Freckled Fruit cookies to brickle bread to baker's ammonia. It was fun to find the weird ones, but I think a number of these recipes don't get made anymore for a reason.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over 400 cookie recipes from King Arthur Baking -- yes, they share them freely on the website, but what I save on printer ink will cover the cost of the hard copy easily
I highly recommend the Magic in the Middles.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you need a cookie recipe, this book has it. It was a vide variety of recipes for good ideas but the recipes are so eady to customize. It's well explained and the supplemental chapters give great explanations for the language, for the equipment etc

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive book for any type of baker! I have lots of recipes I want to try now.

[Amy Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

great recipes!!!!

[Donna Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good and interesting baking book. I did enjoy the multitude amount of recipes featured in the book and I look forward to trying out the recipes in the future.

[Cookie K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never tells readers to soften butter even when creaming

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I read this book. I read all the pages about ingredients, utensils, etc and then poured over each recipe. There are some good ones in here! I bought the.book!!

[Holly · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Really informative and has a wide range of cookies, from drop to bars to intricately shaped ones. Unfortunately just doesn't have the kinds of recipes I'm looking for.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years ago, a friend gave us some cookies as a holiday gift, including the best gingerbread I have ever tasted. When I asked for the recipe, she told me about this book. I've only made a few recipes from it so far, but every one has been a winner. I just pulled it out yesterday to look for recipes for Christmas cookies. Right now, I have a list of about 15 recipes I'd like to try ... but I'll probably only make a few this week.

On edit: I've made 3 more recipes from this book for the holidays: Harvest Pumpkin Bars, Chocolate Raspberry Squares, and Hot and Sweet Ginger Squares (the kids were keeping me busy so I went with bar cookies instead of drop or roll out cookies). In the past, I've also made 2 kinds of oatmeal cookies and an unusually tasty sugar cookie recipe from this book. Every recipe I've made so far has turned out well, though I do make notes each time of ways I'd like to tweak the recipe to my tastes or my oven.

Recipes are well-written and easy to follow. Ingredients are listed in both cup and weight measures (I like to weigh ingredients, so it's always good to find a book that includes weights). Nutritional information (Ha!) is listed at the bottom of each recipe.

I find the recipes only slightly less fool-proof than my favorite source, Cook's Illustrated, but CI often includes several pages of meticulous illustrations detailing techniques step-by-step and this book is already over 500 pages without that much detail. Also, CI recipes are sometimes overly difficult in pursuit of the very best possible result when a simpler technique might yield results almost as good. In contrast, The King Arthur Cookie Companion goes for a nice compromise between best result and simplest technique. It has earned a place on my shelf and will probably be the first book I turn to for cookies.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to bake cookies or would like to learn how to bake cookies. Beginning bakers will appreciate the simple to follow instructions and the tasty results, particularly with classics such as oatmeal, chocolate chip, sugar and spice cookies. More advanced bakers will appreciate the range and variety of recipes (chocolate cookies with cayenne pepper, green tea cookies, fancy molded and shaped cookies).

[Mary Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of love everything about King Arthur Flour--I buy their products, locally or online, and prowl the cookbooks and recipe databases regularly for inspiration. This book is part of the reason why. I've had it for a number of years. The recipes are very good (lemon bars, brownies, biscotti--oh my!), and they offer variations for many of them. It comes out at Christmas, of course, but often it's also the go-to book when I'm bringing dessert. Cookies are often quick to prepare and to carry.

To me the recipes are easy to work with. I'm an experienced baker, so I can't really tell how the recipes will be for a beginner, but they seem clear. I can tell you I have every intention of giving a copy to each of my baking nieces as they grow up and get established on their own.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a professional chef, I have been collecting cookbooks for many years. I stopped general purchases and now focus on specific areas or specific series.
My criteria is that recipe must be accurate/ well-tested and offer interesting variations on old favorites or something new that piques my interest.
King Arthur has it all. Tried & true recipes, like the family recipes no one can find any more, as well as cultural recipes that deserve a place in everyone's repertoire. Accurate recipes as well as all the hints & directions to make them work for any level of expertise: this cookbook and any of the King Arthur Flour publications deserve a place on every cooks shelf.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of King Arthur Flour and their recipes. I read the mixed reviews and borrowed this from the library before buying it. I was very surprised and disappointed. It's a big, heavy book but there are very few pictures and they are of poor quality. There are a lot of recipes that are unfamiliar to me, and will have to look them up to see what the cookie is supposed to look like and if I'm interested in making it. I'm still on the fence whether to buy this cookbook for the recipes or to just refer to the King Arthur website. I really think current/modern cookbooks should have pictures accompanying the recipes to inspire people to make them.

[vanessa vichit-vadakan · Rating 5 out of 5]

the folks at king arthur have covered all the bases putting together this book, from giving measurements in volume and weights to having a toll-free cookie baking hotline. the fudge brownie recipe is one of my favorite recipes ever and is always a huge hit, but i've been inspired to try making lots of different treats, from earl grey tea bars to graham crackers (YUM) to homemade oreos (people absolutely flip out over them). it's my cookie bible, and i find myself turning to it over and over again for inspiration and, of course, reliably great recipes.

[Peter Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I am supposed to put books about ministry, church history and things of that sort on Goodreads. However, this book has been of such benefit to me that I am slighting it by leaving it out. Many a long afternoon over big books and the Greek New Testament has been made much more enjoyable by this book. From oatmeal cookies to chocolate chip cookies to rocky road bars this book has been great. We have liked every single recipe. My wife absolutely loves it and so do I. It is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

THis is an outstanding book--especially for making simple classic cookies--it has a master recipe for each of the basics, then a crip version, a chewy version, etc. This is one of an excellent series by King Arthur on baking--having been to their store in Northfield a number of times, I can see that they have alot of experience with baking and took a long time to go from there to doing cookbooks, which is a good way to do it--these recipes work and are delicious

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many pages bookmarked for later. I keep coming back to several recipes and making and remaking them. For instance,the oatmeal cookie section. Love how they break how crispy, crunchy, chewy...exactly the advice you want when deciding what kind of cookies to make.

I will say I can’t get the gingerbread cookie recipe to work as-written. I’ve tried altering it, but after so many changes, at that point, you’re not using their recipe anymore, are you?