Rose's Christmas Cookies

I purchased this book for a family member with young children. She has thanked me so much for sending her this cookie cookbook,that included the raspberry jelly star recipe that she grew up with that her grandmother baked and the recipe was lost! She is thankful and grateful to continue a family legacy. Great way to include the next generation to bake holiday treats as gifts. I was inspired by her to order another copy!

Good recipes, just not for the novice baker. They seem to me to start at an intermediate level and a beginner might find them quite daunting. Also, be prepared to spend money buying the very specific ingredients used in many of the recipes that might not be on most home baker's shopping list.

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I bought this book for myself this Christmas baking season and I am soooo glad I did. What a beautiful book. I made 4 types of cookies out of it this year and each of them were fantastic! I absolutely LOVE the lemon bars. And although other reviewers have said that the Magohany Buttercrunch didn't come out for them, I had no problems with it at all. Delicious! Aside from the tasty recipes, this book is very well written and organized and contains a wealth of information about cookie baking. Here is what you can expect to find with every recipe: 1)A beautiful picture accompanying it, so there is no question what the finished product is supposed to look like. 2)A detailed ingredient list, broken down in volume, ounces and grams, making it user friendly for every baker. 3)A detailed equipment list outlining exactly what you will need in order to make each recipe. This is a very nice feature, given that many recipes have the equipment needed buried inside the recipe descriptions. Nothing worse than being in the middle of a recipe and realizing you don't have that candy thermometer that you need! 4)Several different mixing methods when appropriate (ie/food processor method, electric mixer method or by hand). It's great to be able to choose the method! 5)Storage and longevity information about every recipe. Detailed information about how each cookie can be stored (if they can be frozen and/or if they can be kept at room temp or need to be refrigerated) and how long the cookies will keep with each storing method. This is VERY valuable information. 6)A "Smart Cookie" section providing hints and useful information about every recipe. 7)A personal introduction from the author about every recipe, giving a detailed description of the cookie, what you can expect if you make it and what the recipe means to the author (whether it was a cherished childhood recipe, a recipe shared by a friend or one that she tweaked herself to arrive at the best version, etc). This personal touch is a welcome addition to an already fabulous book. Aside from all the detail provided with every recipe, there are other very useful sections with valuable information. The introduction, for example, has wonderful information about the best way to package cookies for shipping so that they arrive in one piece. (Thank you so much for that, Rose. I sent over 5 dozen cookies to my family in Florida and they all arrived intact!)There is also very detailed information in the back of the book about equipment, common baking ingredients, equivalencies and substitutions, techniques, etc. etc. etc. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who loves baking cookies, whether it's for the holidays or for any occasion throughout the year. Rose's knowledge and love of baking is expressed so beautifully in this wonderful book. I know it will always be a cherished book in my kitchen.

This is such a great book for serious cookie bakers. I bake hundreds of cookies each holiday season, and I love all the extra info you get on how to store and how long the cookies stay good. I start baking the freezable cookies in october, then follow with cookies the book says will stay long at room temp, and so on and so on. The only negitive thing I can say is I have baked almost all the cookies in the book many times over, and would love a sequel to this book, so I can try some new ones!!!

Rose's Christmas Cookies is a beautiful and practical book. I, myself, found it more practical and useful than The Cake Bible since making a batch of exotic cookies is not quite so time-consuming as making an exotic cake. I also think the novice baker could get a lot of use out of this book, while I found The Cake Bible and The Pie and Pastry Bible more useful for advanced bakers. In this book, one will find recipes for every kind of cookie imaginable--to eat as well as for decorating. Rose also gives up tips on how to package cookies for sending through the mail, which cookies to send, etc. The directions are very complete and easy to follow--both for baking and for decorating. If Christmas is a big occasion in your home, as it is in mine, then this book will go a long way toward making it even better.