In my very first baking blog (no longer active), I had a series of cookbook reviews. I decided to continue that unknown tradition with a clean slate. You might ask, “Cookbooks? Do people still buy those?” Yes, stupid. Shaddup! Despite usually turning to the Internet for recipes, I just loved owning and thumbing through recipe books. I have a simple criteria: Every recipe must have a picture!

This is the story of Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!, at least from my perspective. Call it a peek into my childhood; the door to my inevitable passion for baking…

The Story:
This book was the first cookie cookbook I purchased. I was still in high school and I had skipped my Science in Society class (sorry, Mr. Oja!) Anyway, I went to the Chapters with my then boyfriend and I bought this book. It was odd because, quite frankly, I wasn’t really into baking at the time. What probably appealed to me was that I had tried a Mrs. Fields cookie once while in another city (my hometown did not have Mrs. Fields anywhere) and vowed it was the only store-bought cookie (save for the Oreo cookie and Girl Guide’s cookies) that I would ever eat. That, and the pretty pictures!

The Go-To Recipe:

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies — I’ve never looked anywhere else for a Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. You can see from the photo how much this page has been abused, even jotted down my own notes, though I’ve since reverted my measurements back to the original. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Fudge Cookies with White Chocolate gets an honourable mention.

The Needs-Work Recipe:
Chocolate Crispy Cookies — This recipe is a variation of a Chocolate Chip Cookie with some added features. It calls for 1 cup of rice cereal in addition to 8 oz. of chopped crispy rice chocolate bar. The result, I found, was an overly dry and crispy cookie (I’m a soft and chewy kind of gal). I would likely omit the 1 cup of rice cereal and just have at it with the chopped crispy rice chocolate bar.

The Reflection:
Almost 20 years later and I’ll own up that I haven’t tried every recipe. But when on the hunt for a cookie recipe for a swap or potluck, this book is always at the ready. Easy, straight-forward recipes, this book never failed to produce a show-stopping dessert. The temperatures for these recipes vary from 300°F, 325°F, and 350°F. I always said I never trust a recipe that veers from the standard 350… but Mrs. Fields seems to be doing something right!