Camilla Saulsbury - The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book: More Than 375 Delectable Cookie Recipes That Begin with a Box of Cake Mix

As this new edition of The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book heads to the printer, Ive been musing about the exciting developments that have occurred since it was first published in 2005.

Topping the list is the sheer popularity of the book, something I merely hoped and dreamed of back in the early days of testing and writing recipes. I knew then how much I loved making cookies with cake mix, but it has been a thrill to share the joy with others.

Ive especially reveled in the notes and letters from fans, letting me know which recipes are loved most, and what kinds of recipes they would still love to see. After chatting with countless home bakers across the country, I know that its the simplest recipes with an innovative twist that everyones after. It has to taste terrific, first and foremost, but if its versatile, can be made in minutes, has an especially short list of ingredients, and looks gorgeous, all the better.

So, in addition to the familiar favorites from the first edition, youll find here more than two hundred brand-new recipes, all of which reflect feedback from fellow cake-mix-cookie-aficionados. I am confident youll love each and every offering, from the ease of baking the cookie to the subsequently stellar results. Think Hazelnut and Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies, Deluxe Nut Jumbles, Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Pillows, and Vanilla Malt Gooey Bars; it just gets better and better.

And if those new options dont have your mouth watering, just wait until you try two of the hottest new trends for using cake mix: cake balls and whoopie pies.

Cake balls are tiny cookie-like confections made from mixing crumbled, baked cake with frosting, molding the mixture into tiny balls, then coating all with chocolate. Yum! Ive created eighteen scrumptious varieties for you to try, such as German Chocolate, Cinnamon Roll, Berries-and-Cream, Key Lime, and Cheesecake. Be forewarned: they are highly addictive to make and eat (and absolutely adorable, to boot).

Second, whoopie pies. The oversized, soft cookie sandwiches, stuffed with a variety of creamy frostings, are nothing short of cookie nirvana. Think Red Velvet Whoopies, Caramel Latte Whoopies, and Lemon Buttermilk Whoopies, to name but a few. Forget the cupcakes: make whoopie pies for your next party to score an excess of points.

Beyond the new recipes, I am compelled to mention that with this new edition, what ultimately excites me above all else is that it further celebrates American home cooks enduring embrace of home baking in general, and home-baked cookies in particular. No matter how many cookies in our repertoire, we have a boundless zeal for new ideas, from techniques to flavor combinations, and we cannot wait to share them. Thats the real story of American home cooking and baking.

That being said, I hope youll experience as much delight in creating these cookies in your home as I have had crafting them in mine. Few things gratify me as much as sharing a plate of cookies with friends, including the conversation and camaraderie that typically coincide. If this book helps you do the same, I will be truly pleased.

Copyright 2005, 2011 by Camilla V. Saulsbury

Cover and internal design 2011 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

Cover design by Laura Palese

Cover images blackwaterimages, NightAndDayImages, Ruth Black, Lynn Seeden, carterphoto, dlerick/iStockphoto.com

Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systemsexcept in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviewswithout permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.

Published by Cumberland House, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.

P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410

(630) 961-3900

Fax: (630) 961-2168

www.sourcebooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Saulsbury, Camilla V.

The ultimate cake mix cookie book : more than 375 delectable cookie recipes that begin with a box of cake mix / Camilla V. Saulsbury.2nd ed.

p. cm.

Rev. ed. of: Cake mix cookies / Camilla V. Saulsbury. c2005.

Includes index.

1. Cookies. I. Saulsbury, Camilla V. Cake mix cookies. II. Title.

TX772.S2578 2011

641.8654dc23

2011022483

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Its always a good time to rediscover the age-old comfort of cookies. Try conjuring an image more comforting than a warm kitchen, infused with the scents of sweet vanilla, fragrant cinnamon, and fresh butter, and, on the kitchen counter, a cooling rack piled high with fresh-from-the-oven delights studded with chocolate chips and crunchy pecans. It is a cause for celebration in itselfeven more so when the cookie recipe is as quick and convenient as opening a package of cake mix.

Thats rightcake mix. A standard 18.25-ounce package of cake mix is the secret to a wealth of homemade cookies. Even better, the results are assuredly irresistible. A package of cake mix gives home bakers the same head start for baking cookies as for baking cakes. Cake mix simplifies steps and ingredients and offers insurance (in the form of accurately premeasured and mixed flour, sugar, and leavening) that the time spent baking will lead to sweet success time and again. With a few extra ingredients, turns of the spoon, and whirs of the mixer, cake mix can make any home cook a prize cookie baker.

And oh, what cookies to choose from! You may have come across a handful of cake mix cookie recipes here and there, but never a collection as extensive as this. Turn the pages and youll find an enticing array of cookie options: think easy-as-can-be drop cookies, made from spoonfuls of dough dropped onto a cookie sheet; formed, fancy, and filled cookies, that are either shaped into balls, rolled and cut into fun shapes, or filled with jams, candies, and other treasures; and blissful bar cookies, baked with ease in square or rectangular baking pans, then cut into handheld pieces. Theyre all here, and theyre all scrumptious, satisfying, simple to make, and pretty to serve.

Quite a few all-American favorites can be found throughout the book: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Nutty Jam Thumbprints, and Dark Chocolate Brownies are but a few. New takes on classic European cookies are also well-represented, including crunchy Italian biscotti, tender French madeleines, and rich Viennese teacakes.

Finally, a hearty helping of serendipity is stirred up to create a host of modern cookie options, guaranteed to tempt one and all, and destined to become classics in their own right. How about a Giant Cookie Pizza for your next birthday party? Or Granola Chocolate Chunkers or Fresh Berry Cheesecake Bars for a picnic at the park? How about a holiday cookie plate filled to overflowing with White Chocolate Cranberry Bars, Caramel-Macchiato Thumbprints, Spumoni Chunk Cookies, and Crushed Peppermint Snowballs? And why not surprise (and thrill) your family on a busy weekday morning with healthy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies or Chocolate-Nut Power Bars? This is the stuff of which sweet dreams are made.