There's nothing like a customer review to keep you on your toes, huh?
I tend the online recipes here at King Arthur Flour. And sometimes I feel like a mother with lots and lots of needy kids. About 2,152 of them, at last count. Yes, each and every recipe feels like a child to me. Like babies, some had difficult, exhausting births, while others were – well, a piece of cake.
Many of our online recipes made their first appearance in our Baking Sheet newsletter. Still others, in our Baker's Catalogue. Now, many go directly from test kitchen to our recipe page. I mean, one minute I'm pulling hot muffins out of the oven; and 5 minutes later, the recipe pops up online. Now THAT'S instant gratification!
But let's get back to customer reviews.
Every time you, a reader, posts a comment, it gives me a chance to reflect on the recipe. When the comment is positive, I'm proud and happy; my kid just scored the winning goal!
When a recipe gets a not-so-good comment, I'm bummed. Bad report card.
So, like moms everywhere, I think what "the kid" needs to do to improve. Could I write this particular step more clearly? Is the picture an accurate representation of the final product? Is the recipe itself just too gosh-darned persnickety for prime time? It happens.
Thankfully, most of our reviewed recipes get four or five stars. And some get LOTS of four- and five-star reviews. These are our straight-A students; our all-stars. The recipes you want to bookmark for the math team's next bake sale.
So now, without further ado, meet our Cookie All-Stars – the eight top-ranking cookie recipes on our site.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
The winner and still champion: our guaranteed Chocolate Chip Cookies. See the recipe, and blog.
"I didn't think any recipe could be better than the original Toll House recipe, but this is." Annerip, KAF community
Our secret: using a full pound of chocolate chips in the cookies, for more chocolate in every bite.
Almond Cloud Cookies
Next up: Almond Cloud Cookies.
"These cookies are absolutely AWESOME!!! ...these are extraordinary, top-tier bakery-quality cookies." M. Schindel, Chestnut Hill, MA
Our secret: believe it or not, these are flour-free, gluten-free, and free of leavening, making them perfect for those on a GF diet and potential Passover favorites.
Salty-Sweet Butter Pecan Cookies
"This is the second year we've made these amazing cookies. No other cookie has ever created so many requests for 'please make more,' and they are EASY." Heather, CT
Our secret: Toast the pecans. And don't skip the sweet-salty coating – it's what takes these cookies from good to WOW.
Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
"If there were a hundred stars this recipe would get them all." Isle2000, KAF community
Our secret: For variety, use the pusher from a Cuisinart food processor to imprint a spiral on top, instead of the traditional fork criss-cross.
Oatmeal Cookies
"Wow! These taste like bakery cookies! I'm no Betty Crocker and my family swooned over these." nummynummy, KAF community
Our secret: For soft/chewy cookies, be careful not to over-bake. They'll look pale when you take them out of the oven, but will cook just a tiny bit more as they cool, giving them perfect texture.
Shortbread
"This is the best shortbread recipe! Haven't met a person who didn't love it!" jeanbuller, KAF community
Our secret: use salted butter. While we usually bake with unsalted, these cookies have no liquid ingredient, and added salt won't dissolve/disperse, leaving cookies gritty.
American-Style Vanilla Biscotti
"This biscotti recipe is the BEST... They are everyone's favorite." Brenda, GA
Our secret: coarse white sparkling sugar on top, for a wonderful crunchy finish.
Basic Whole Grain Cookies
"They are fantastic!! This is a great recipe. I'll make them again this week I'm sure. Love, Love, Love!" jms2, KAF Community
Our secret: white whole wheat flour, and a touch of orange juice – which tempers any "whole wheaty" taste. You'll NEVER know these are whole grain.
Don't tell me - you're dying to get into the kitchen and bake a batch of cookies, right? Go for it – your family, friends, and work colleagues will be thrilled. And that's what baking's all about, right? Sharing the joy... which King Arthur Flour's been helping bakers do for 222 years.
P.S. After completing this post, I realized I'd completely missed another of our most popular cookie recipe: our guaranteed Sugar Cookies.
Sigh... you know how it is when you're dealing with lots of kids – one of them is bound to get overlooked at some point!
Check out our full collection of cookie recipes over on our recipe site for even more favorites!
Recipes in this post
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