Bake and Make Amazing Cookies

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

All of the recipes in this book are familiar. Snickerdoodles, green
Nanaimo bars renamed St. Patrick’s Day Squares, filled cookies, shaped
cookies, sugar cookies, and thumbprint cookies are among the old
favourites you’ll find here. The charm of the book, though, is that
all the recipes are together in one place, in a format that is easy for
a child to use.

The volume is divided into four chapters: “Holidays,” “Special
People,” “Seasons,” and “Just for Fun.” Each recipe is given a
whole page. The ingredients are presented in a “You Will Need” box
and include common ingredients found in most kitchens. The instructions
are listed in four or five easy-to-follow steps. There are usually two
colour drawings that illustrate the instructions or show the finished
product. Occasionally included is an “Other Ideas” section that
describes a variation on the recipe, and sometimes there are
instructions for making fun packaging for the presentation of the
cookies as gifts.

This is an excellent book for parent-and-child baking activities or for
older children who want to venture into solo baking. The recipes are
simple, so it’s hard to go wrong with them. Highly recommended.