As some of you may remember when I started this blog I proposed that to kick it off I would bake all the cookies in Martha Stewarts Holiday Cookie magazine.  To date I have completed 10 different cookie recipes.  The cookies have required many items that are not normally found in my pantry.  Items such as anise extract, white chocolate, sanding sugar, sweetened condensed milk, figs and whole vanilla beans.  I also have to purchase some new pans and even a waffle iron.  Any excuse to shop, right!

Some of the cookies have been really good, and I will be adding them to the list of family favorites.  Cookies such as Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cashew Caramel Cookies, (oh so good, these were delicious) and the Gingerbread Cookies that require fresh black pepper.

On the other hand there has also been some really yukky cookies.  I have an entire batch or Anise Drop Cookies that only my son will eat.  They have been taste tested by 14 kids, 5 adults and 2 dogs.  Thankfully my 10 month old and the dog like them.  Also the Chocolate Meringue Cookies are definitely a matter of taste and texture.  I had some people love them and hate them.

Some of the cookies have been a little high maintenance.  The Chocolate Pretzels were a little more work than I am willing to do for a batch of cookies.  I turned the oven on at 8am to preheat.  By the time I got the cookies in the oven it was well after 12 noon.  They were good, but not that good!

There were some other cookies in the mix that people had requested the recipe for…. I am not a huge fan of writing out recipes. But Martha is, and she has them all over the Internet.  So, if you click on the name of the recipe in this post it will take you to the page for that recipe.  That is the exact same recipe that I used.  Let me know if you make some of them.  I would love to know what you think. Some others that we tried were the Peanut Crisps, Rocky Ledge Bars,and the Fig Pinwheels.

I look forward to the Pumpkin cookies as well as the double chocolate cookies.  I am sure that there will be a few more that my family loves and at least one more batch that is a reject.  I will let you know when we get there.  Until then, happy cookie-ing!