Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies

I have used this book time and time again, and not only for Christmas. The recipes are accurate, easy and great. The color photos really show how the recipes should look and they will! I have made more that a dozen different types of cookies from this book and each one was good if not great. The only problem I have with this book is that the ingredients are written into the directions. This makes it a little more time consuming when you are trying to get your recipes ready before the actual assemble and baking process. A minor set back for a really great book.

I've used this cookie book when making holiday cookies for family and friends for the last several years, and the results have always been a huge hit. Too often Christmas cookies look great but taste terrible - not something to worry about with this book. I particularly recommend the Cranberry-Cherry Pinwheels. They are delicious and surprisingly easy to prepare. However, be forwarned that most of the recipes in this book are also found in the new Joy of Cooking. Joy is great and much more comprehensive. I'd recommend taking a look at it before buying this book.

As the designated Christmas cookie baker in my family, I was given this book about three years ago. It's a wonderful resource for new ideas and rediscovering old favorites. I heartily recommend the snickerdoodles and the orange ginger wafers.

This book has super recipes. I've tried most of them, and they all work great. The illustrations and pictures are very helpful. It's also good reading, as the quality of writing is very good.