If you think of baked goods and literature, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Proust’s madeleine? Bilbo’s seed cake? Last year, we decided to get creative and bake cookies with a literary twist for National Cookie Day on December 4. We had so much fun baking and eating the cookies that we thought we'd do another round of #CookieLit this year. We hope you’ll enjoy these literary cookies and share your own #CookieLit ideas.

For a fun bit of "cookie lit" check out Cookie Monster's homage to "This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams  on Twitter. Happy National Cookie (Lit) Day!

Ghost Chili Chocolate Chip Cookies baked by Ari Ress

“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door...Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?”—Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

These ghost pepper chocolate chip cookies look like the traditional favorites, but they finish with a pleasurable burn. The original recipe included red food dye as a heat warning, but Ari opted for a more natural look. 

Farm Animal Sugar Cookies baked by Jessica Cline

“Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers.” —George Orwell, Animal Farm

Horses, sheep, and PIGS! We think all of these iced animal cookies are equally cute, but you might decide that some animal cookies are cuter than others. 

George Sand Dollars baked by Liz Baldwin

“Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life.” —George Sand, Métella

These crisp sugar cookie sand dollars topped with almond slivers resemble the original quite closely. George Sand wrote that “the truth is too simple: one must always get there by a complicated route.” Clearly, there were no reliable cookie mixes in the 19th century. Liz used one as the base for these beauties. 

Canadian Maple Cookies baked by Jessica Jackson

““It’s just life. You can’t beat life.”—Alice Munro, “The Bear Came Over the Mountain”

There is so much great Canadian literature to enjoy, and like Canadians, it is incredibly diverse. But these simple cookies made with real maple syrup are the perfect accompaniment to any Canadian book you choose! 

Lemon Honey Chamomile Cookies baked by Susen Shi

“It seemed like a nice neighborhood to have bad habits in.”—Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep

We love Philip Marlowe’s drinking and smoking on page and screen, but in real life, you might  sleep better if you partake of these sleepytime inspired cookies with some herbal tea as you enjoy the exploits of Chandler’s great hardboiled hero. 

Hermits baked by Elizabeth Waters

“This is my letter to the world / That never wrote to me.” —Emily Dickinson

Perhaps Massachusetts poet Emily Dickinson enjoyed these classic spicy New England bar cookies while reading or writing in seclusion. We think these hearty hermit bars would cheer the day of any literary recluse, real or fictional. (Note to Miss Havisham: Hermits keep longer than wedding cake.) 

Apple Drop Cookies baked by Melissa Scheurer

“But John Chapman told us he didnt eat meat cause he couldnt stand for somethin livin to be killed jest to keep him alive.” —Tracy Chevalier, At the Edge of the Orchard

We think John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, would love these apple drop cookies Melissa baked with fruit she picked at a local orchard. 

Caribbean Coconut Mango Cookies baked by Alison Quammie

Beet Chocolate Chip Cookies baked by Elizabeth Waters

“I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted.” —Jack Kerouac, Dharma Bums

We recommend these unorthodox chocolate chip cookies made with healthy fresh beets to accompany a reading of On the Road, Howl, and other beat classics. We’re not sure that any cookies are a good pairing with Naked Lunch, however, unless maybe they all are... East Villager Alan Ginsberg would probably have liked the borscht I made with the leftover beets.

 

Any more literary cookies to suggest?  We'd love to see them! If you're looking for recipe ideas, check out a cookie cookbook. The lit part is up to you. If anyone has a great cookie recipe with 22 ingredients to pair with Joseph Heller's Catch-22, do share.

Please comment below, share your #CookieLit ideas on our Facebook page, tweet them to us @midmanhattanlib, or tag us in your Instagram photos @MidManhattanLibrary.

Don't forget to use the hashtag #CookieLit when you do!