Best Bakery Cookies Recipes

HALF-MOON COOKIES (HEMSTROUGHT'S BAKERY) RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• Hello all. Here is the actual recipe for Hemstrought's half-moons. I used to work at Hemstrought's back in the 70s when the store was on Oriskany Circle. It's since been demolished to make way for the highway. Bob Hemstrought was a nice guy, though not sure if he's still around now. He was the head baker. So... here you go! We all know it's worth the effort! Enjoy! FOR THE COOKIES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Put sugar, margarine, cocoa, and salt in bowl of standing mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat. Add half the milk, then half the flour mixture, beating after each addition until smooth; repeat with remaining milk and flour mixture. Spoon or pipe batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, making 3-inch rounds 2-inches apart. Bake until cookies are set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove from parchment. FOR THE FUDGE ICING: Melt bittersweet and semisweet chocolates and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water over medium heat. Add confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and 6 tbsp. boiling water and mix to a smooth, stiff paste with a rubber spatula. Thin icing with up to 8 tbsp. more boiling water. Icing should fall from a spoon in thick ribbons. Keep icing warm in a double boiler over low heat. FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING: Put sugar, butter, shortening, milk, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on low speed to mix, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy. TO FROST THE COOKIES: Using a metal spatula, spread about 1 tbsp. of warm fudge icing on half of the flat side of each cookie. Spread the other half of each cookie with 1 heaping tbsp. buttercream icing.

HEATH BAR COOKIES BY DEVONNA BANKS OF BUTTER BAKERY RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the granulated and brown sugars, melted butter, and salt.
• Stir in the eggs until completely incorporated. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
• Add the flour and baking soda and stir until there are no lumps or white streaks.
• Remove the Heath bars from the freezer and smack on the counter to break into pieces. Add to the cookie dough and fold to incorporate.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or freeze for up to 3 months).
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Scoop the chilled cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes.
• Enjoy!

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES - THE MAGNOLIA BAKERY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy.
• Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly.
• Stir in the peanut butter chips, chocolate, and peanuts.
• Refrigerate the dough for 10-20 minutes.
• Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into a bowl of granulated sugar.
• Place onto ungreased cookie sheets, at least two inches apart. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (do not over flatten).
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake; cookies may appear to be underdone but they will continue to bake after removed from the oven.
• Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

KITTENCAL'S JUMBO CHEWY BAKERY-STYLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Grease a cookie/baking sheet/s (or line the pan with parchment paper).
• In a bowl mix together the flour with the next 3 dry ingredients.
• In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed beat the melted butter with maple extract and both sugars until blended.
• Add in the whole egg and yolk; continue beating until the mixture resembles a thick caramel texture (about 3-4 minutes, the color of the mixture should lighten up slightly).
• Add in the flour mixture and beat until just blended.
• Mix in chocolate chips and nuts.
• If you find that the dough is too soft place in refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Set oven to 350°F.
• Drop about 1/4-cup of the dough onto the baking sheet spacing about 3" apart.
• For jumbo cookies bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the edges are just slightly browned, for smaller cookies bake 8-10 minutes.
• Cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks.

BAKERY STYLE CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• A couple of tips from helpful reviewers.
• The dough is meant to be on the dry side so it can be rolled, not dropped.
• If you're not getting a good flavor, try using a higher quality vanilla and/or chocolate chips. (Penzey's Madagascar Vanilla, Ghirardelli chips, fresh/real butter).
• Check your oven temperature, cooking time and temperature is critical. If the cookies are not chewy they are probably overcooked.
• Bread flour will make the cookies even more chewy, biscuit flour will make them less chewy.
• Do not let your dough get warm, I like to scoop it on to pans and refrigerate before I pop them in the oven.
• Pan color is very important, if they are too dark you may experience some crisp edges, try using some parchment and lowering the cooking temperature a bit.
• Place oven racks in the upper and lower 1/3's of the oven.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Cover 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper Mix flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl or bag and set aside.
• Mix butter and sugars with with a mixer until blended and smooth, add egg, yolk & vanilla.
• Mix until incorporated.
• Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Stir in chips and optional nuts.
• Divide into 18 equal balls, a 2" cookie scoop works just about perfectly, about 60 gms each.
• EVENLY space 9 on each cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12-18 minutes, rotating front to back and top to bottom after 8 minutes.
• Cool on sheets to maintain chewy texture.

CHINESE COOKIES(N.Y. BAKERY STYLE)

Steps:

• 1. Combine the cake flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
• 2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening.
• 3. Stir in the egg and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy.
• 4. Stir flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture.Dough will be stiff and kind of dry so you may need to use your hands to mix.
• 5. Roll dough into a log about 15 inches long, and roll in the ground nuts(if the nuts are not sticking you may want to brush the log with egg white and then roll in the nuts). Wrap and chill dough for at least an hour or until firm.
• 6. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease cookie sheets.
• 7. Unwrap refrigerated firm dough and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
• 8. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
• 9. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to cool completely on wire racks. When cool, place a dollop of fudge icing onto the center of each cookie.

ITALIAN BAKERY BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). 2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla .
• 2. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough in a pastry bag fitted with a number 4-S tip (the S means 'star'), and pipe out in 2 inch bars on greased baking pan. (Can also be piped into rosettes or other shapes)
• 3. Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes, until very lightly browned on bottom! Put baked cookies together with jam, frosting or dip half cookie in melted chocolate and dip in sprinkles.

NEW YORK BAKERY STYLE CHINESE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Stir in the egg and vanilla, then beat until light and fluffy.
• Combine the cake flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until well-blended. The dough will be stiff, so you may need to use your hands to mix depending on the strength of your mixer.
• Roll dough into a log about 15 inches long (or 2 narrower logs, about 10-12 inches each). If you find the dough falling apart too much, knead one teaspoon of milk at a time into the dough until it will hold up to shaping.
• If desired, you can coat the log with ground nuts or colored or chocolate sprinkles before chilling and slicing. Beat the egg, egg white or yolk with a tablespoon of water, brush over the log, then roll the log in your choice of coating, pressing them in a bit.
• Red and green sprinkles mixed together and used to edge the vanilla cookies is really nice around the holidays. Instructions for marble cookies are given below.
• Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour. If you chill them longer, let the log sit out for a bit before slicing or the dough will be too hard and may crumble.
• To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
• Unwrap dough and using a very thin, sharp knife, cut into 1/2 inch slices. This dough is a bit difficult to work with, and may tend to crumble. If it does, let it warm up a bit more before slicing.
• Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. If you prefer, gently adjust the edges of the cookies to make them as close to a circle as possible. Lightly press a chocolate star, walnut half, or any other similar addition in the center of each cookie.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just barely browned around the edges and the middle has set. If making the smaller cookies, bake for 9-12 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
• One possible variation is melting some chocolae chips with a small bit of vegetable shortening and then piping a star onto the center of each baked and cooled cookie, then putting them in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set.
• TO MAKE MARBLE COOKIES::.
• Divide the finished dough in half, and add 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1-2 tablespoons of milk to one of the halves and blend well. Roll both flavors out to separate logs, then put one on top of the other and press lightly together. Twist in a few places and and fold the dough over on itself once or twice to marble the dough, but not too much because you want a nice distinct marble with a bit of thin, delicate swirls here and there and look really nice once they're baked. Then roll into one or two logs, chill, slice and bake as directed above.
• For Christmas, try separating the dough into 3 or 4 parts, coloring one red, one green, and one chocolate, leaving a 4th section plain, and then marbleing. For Halloween, use orange coloring instead of plain marbled with chocolate dough. These look great with a chocolate star placed or piped onto the center of the cookie.
• These cookies are nice and crisp without being hard, and will keep well kept in a covered plastic container or plastic bag.

NOT-$10-A-DOZEN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (NANCY B'S BAKERY CLONE)

Steps:

• Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
• Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars together.
• Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• At a low speed add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, about 10 seconds.
• Add chocolate chips and mix as little as possible to evenly distribute.
• Chill dough if desired.
• Scoop 6, 3 1/2 ounce (the size of a racket ball) onto baking sheet lined with parchment. Lightly sprinkle top with sea salt and bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Will spread to 5-6", so leave ample room. Cookies will still be soft, but beginning to brown.
• Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 12 minutes to cool (DO NOT REMOVE COOKIES).
• Transfer cookies to rack to complete cooling.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD COOKIES - THE DANCING DEER BAKERY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt and stir together with a fork until blended. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar, and beat until just blended, 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until blended about 1 minute more.
• Add the flour mixture, and on low-speed, beat until the mixture just begins to form a sticky dough, about 1 minute more. Turn out onto a floured surface, and gently pat together to form a dense ball of dough. Add cranberries and pistachios and knead gently until evenly combined, and shape into a flat round disk. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
• Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll cookies out to about 1/8 " thick, and cut to desired shape. Transfer to a heavy - duty cookie sheet and bake until just golden around the edges, 15-18 minutes.

UPPER CRUST BAKERY BLACK GOLD COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt unsweetened chocolate, 9 ounces semisweet chocolate, and butter, stirring occasionally, and remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs with sugar until light and fluffy. Add espresso powder, vanilla extract and chocolate mixture, beating until smooth. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and add to chocolate mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in remaining semisweet chocolate and nuts until combined well. Scoop out 1/2-cup measures of cookie dough, arranging them 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until tops begin to crack (do not overbake). Cool cookies on a rack.

BAKERY STYLE PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl combine flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder & salt.
• In medium bowl beat eggs lightly then add pumpkin & butter. Whisk until combined then stir in the chocolate chips.
• Fold the wet ingredients into dry ingredients, just until moistened. Don't over mix.
• Spread a sheet of parchment paper over cookie sheets & drop 2 Tablespoons of batter about 2-3 inches apart on parchment.
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes then cool on sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool the rest of the way.
• These freeze well also. I cool completely, then place back on cookie sheets covered with parchment & freeze for a couple hours. Then fill large ziplock baggies with them & put them back into the freezer.

ITALIAN BAKERY COOKIES

Steps:

• Place oven racks in the top and bottom third positions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts and beat until light and smooth, 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip. Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 2-inch lines, spaced 1-inch apart (you should be able to fit 12 cookies per tray). Bake in the oven until the cookies are set on top and golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on the sheet trays. Once the cookies are set, transfer all onto one tray, leaving 1 cooled tray to bake the remaining dough (you'll have enough for about 12 more cookies).
• Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler or in the microwave on 50-percent power in 15 second increments. Pipe or spread the flat sides of half of the cookies with about 1 teaspoon jam each, going almost to the edges. Sandwich with the remaining cookies (you should have about 18 sandwiches). Allow the jam to set for 2 hours or overnight, if you have time. Otherwise, it's okay to go ahead and start dipping your sandwich cookies into the chocolate (it just might be a little slippery.).
• Dip the lower third of the cookies in the chocolate letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Sprinkle with the sprinkles on both sides. Lay back on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop the cookies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to let the chocolate set.
• Tip: To make uniformly sized cookies, use a ruler and a marker or pen to draw 2-inch lines on 2 sheets of parchment paper in a 3-by-4-inch grid. Flip the parchment over and place on 2 baking sheets so the marker side is down but you can still see the lines. Using the lines as a template, pipe the dough in 2-inch lines on the baking sheets, using a paring knife or shears, if needed, to cut the dough from the piping bag in straight edges.

WORLD FAMOUS PARADISE BAKERY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and shortening using an electric mixer.
• Mix on slow speed 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
• Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
• Slowly add vanilla and beaten egg while mixing.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, mixing on slow speed until just blended. Do not overmix.
• Scoop with an ice-cream scoop and roll in sugar.
• Place directly on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of hand.
• Bake at 375° for 9-10 minutes. Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden. Ideally, the edges do not brown.

DOVETAIL BAKERY'S CHEWY GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, allspice and crystallized ginger; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the Earth Balance spread, 1 cup sugar, orange zest and molasses until well incorporated, 30 to 45 seconds at medium speed if you're using an electric mixer. Add the egg replacer and mix to incorporate, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.
• Pour the remaining ½ cup sugar into a small bowl. Shape 2-tablespoon portions of dough into balls and place in the bowl with the sugar. Roll the dough balls around until they're completely coated. Place on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. If using, place a fat blueberry in the middle of each cookie. Bake for 10 to12 minutes or until they have all puffed up and are starting to look crackly. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
• To get ahead for the holidays: These cookies are great for potlucks, thank-you gifts and last-minute guests. The dough freezes well, so it's a great thing to keep on hand during the holiday season. The easiest way to keep this dough is to scoop it out into 2 tablespoon-sized balls, freeze on a baking sheet, then wrap thoroughly in plastic and keep frozen. You can bake these directly from the freezer without defrosting by tossing them in sugar and baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed and crackly.

BAKERY-STYLE JELLY BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit an 18-inch (or larger) pastry bag with an open star tip (such as Wilton 1M). If using disposable pastry bags, double bag them for more durability.
• Place the raspberry preserves in a small pastry bag or small resealable plastic bag and set aside.
• Combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, orange extract and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula.
• With the mixer running on low speed, add the egg then increase to medium speed and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl then add the flour and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. Transfer half of the dough to the 18-inch pastry bag.
• Before piping the dough, use your finger to smear a tiny bit of the dough onto the corners of each baking sheet to help the parchment adhere. Pipe 5 round swirls of the dough, about 1 1/2 inches across, in 4 rows on one of the prepared baking sheets. Refill the pastry bag with the remaining dough and repeat the piping on the second prepared baking sheet. You should have about 40 cookies total.
• Snip off a 1/4-inch opening on the bag with the raspberry preserves. Squeeze about 1/4 teaspoon of the preserves in the center of each cookie.
• Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are golden, 24 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

*STORE BAKERY SUGAR COOKIES*

Steps:

• 1. Mix together the butter egg and vanilla into dry mixture; only until blended.
• 2. Roll out on floured board into a log shape about 12 inches long by 3/4 inches thick.
• 3. Transfer log onto greased cookie sheet.
• 4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 until log shape just begins to turn color; Do Not let it get brown!
• 5. After setting for about 5 minutes; cut into 2 inch diagonal slices. Don't frost or decorate until completely cooled.

CHOCOLATE PECAN COOKIES (BETTER THAN PUBLIX BAKERY)

Steps:

• Set oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. You will be using the center rack. Let the cookie dough sit in the bowl at room temperature for about ten minutes to let the bread flour and cocoa thoroughly integrate with the wet mixture. The bowl can be covered to keep out unwanted stuff, but it is not necessary otherwise. After sitting for about ten minutes, mix a little more. You are now ready to pan and bake. The batch of dough makes twelve 3 ½ inch cookies. The baking sheet should be on the center rack of the oven, so you may have to bake two batches of six cookies (like I do), or you can use two baking sheets on two racks, and swap the sheets half way through baking. It is not necessary to grease the baking sheet. The size of each cookie on the baking sheet should equal about 1/12 the total batch (this should be about the size of a golf ball or slightly bigger). Using your fork or other scooper, put the dollops of cookie dough on the sheet, and mash them till they are fairly flat on top, and about 3 inches across. Bake the cookies for 10 -12 minutes (12 works for me). They should rise somewhat while baking, but will fall flat after taking them out of the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before taking them off (I use a wooden spatula). Baking is very unforgiving, and these cookies are no exception. There are two main reasons I've found that will give you a bad batch. The cookie dough is either too dry or too oily. Or, the baking time was either too short or too long. If it's too dry and sticks a lot to the baking sheet, you can add 1 TBL of soybean oil to the cookie dough in the next batch. If they are too oily, use less oil in the next batch, or add more milk and/or bread flour. If the dough seems oily enough, but bakes too dry, then reduce the baking time (try 2 minutes less).

MAGNOLIA BAKERY'S CHOCOLATE DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl; set aside.
• In another large bowl cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth; about 3 minutes.
• To the butter mixture, add the eggs and mix well. Next add the milk and vanilla extract. Blend for another minute.
• Stir in the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Add the pecans, Almond Roca bits (or Heath Bars) and the vanilla chips.
• Arrange the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Leave several inches between each cookie as they will need room to expand.
• Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool cookies on the sheet. Remove the cookies after 1 minute and cool on wire rack.

BAKERY-STYLE BREAKFAST COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix oats, both flours, Grape-Nuts, wheat germ, oat bran, and baking soda in large bowl to blend.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl until creamy.
• Add eggs, both sugars, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
• Add cereal mixture and stir just until blended; add almonds, raisins, and 1 cup chopped dates and incorporate.
• Can be prepared 1 week ahead.
• Cover and chill.
• Let soften at room temperature before continuing.
• Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper (I use Silipat mat).
• Using a 2 ounce cookie scoop or 1/4 measuring cup, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2-inches apart.
• Using damp fingers, press cookies to 1/2-inch thick rounds.
• Press 1 date half into center of each cookie.
• Bake cookies 1 sheet at a time at 350° until brown on top, about 15 minutes.
• Let cookies stand on baking sheet 10 minutes before transfering to rack to cool.
• (Can be made 8 hours ahead and let stand at room temperature).
• Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.