Thumbprints

By Arieh Ress of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

For the icing I mixed powdered sugar and a little milk with a few drops of corn syrup to make it shinier. A drop of red and a drop of yellow food coloring provided the color.

Carrot Cake Cookies

By Jenny Baum of Jefferson Market Library

Recipe from Land O'Lakes

“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.” ―Beatrix Potter

I baked these in honor of Peter Rabbit, but they could also work forThe Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman. Kirkus says of this young reader fiction: "When Miss Rabbit leaves her carrot cake (with cream-cheese icing) out to cool and returns later to find only a mess of crumbs, she calls Detective Wilcox and Capt. Griswold. Over 100 animals on Ed's farm means there's a lot of suspects. Tongue firmly in cheek, Wilcox tells the story of this challenging case in clipped tones reminiscent of Dragnet"

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium (2 cups) carrots, grated
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

Frosting:

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Green food color, if desired
• Orange food color, if desired (I only had red and green food coloring for the frosting, so I mixed a drop of red with yellow turmeric powder to make a shade of orange.)

I only had red and green food coloring for the frosting, so I mixed a drop of red with yellow turmeric powder to make a shade of orange

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine 1 cup butter, sugar, and brown sugar in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.
3. Add eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until well mixed.
4. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
5. Stir in carrots and pecans.
6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
7. Bake 11–13 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool completely before icing.
8. Combine powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter, cream cheese and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in bowl; beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting.
9. Frost each cooled cookie with 2 teaspoons frosting.
10. Divide reserved frosting in half. Tint one half green and one half orange. Seal frosting into resealable plastic food bags; snip off corner of bags. Make carrot design on top of each cookie.

Vegan, Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cookies

By Melissa Scheurer of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

Recipe adapted from Land O'Lakes 

"Pieces of her carrot cake were scattered on the floor, and the ants didn't seem to mind that there was a dead body in the middle of their picnic." —Joanne Fluke, Carrot Cake Murder

Looking for a GF, vegan variation of carrot cake cookies? I started with the same Land O' Lakes recipe as Jenny above, but made some substitutions to make it vegan and gluten free!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegan butter sticks (I used Earth Balance brand)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• vegan egg replacer (I used Bob's Red Mill brand) 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• GF 1-1 baking flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand) 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium (2 cups) carrots, grated
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  

Frosting Ingredients:

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan butter sticks (I used Earth Balance brand)
• 8 oz ricotta alternative (I used Kite Hill brand made with almond milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• green food color, if desired (I used green decorating gel)
• orange food color, if desired (I used a mix of yellow and red decorating gel) 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine 1 cup butter, sugar, and brown sugar in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.
3. Add eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until well mixed.
4. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
5. Stir in carrots and pecans.
6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
7. Bake 11–13 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool completely.
8. Combine powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter, cream cheese and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in bowl; beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Reserve 1/2 cup frosting.
9. Frost each cooled cookie with 2 teaspoons frosting.
10. Divide reserved frosting in half. Tint one half green and one half orange.
11. Spoon each tinted frosting into resealable plastic food bags; snip off corners of bags
12. Make carrot design on top of each cookie, if desired.

Peppermint Patty Pinwheels

By Louise Lareau of the SNFL Children's Center

"Peppermint Patty loves swimming by the lake, sleeping in a cabin, and singing songs by the campfire. She even likes eating  'camp chow.'" –Peppermint Patty Goes to Camp by Charles M. Schulz and adapted by Maggie Testa.

This is a family recipe that is fun to make, pretty to look at, and of course delicious to eat!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• red food coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and sugar.
3. Add in the egg yolk, baking powder, salt, and flour.
4. Divide the dough in half.
5. Add the vanilla extract to one half.
6. Add the peppermint extract and the red food coloring to the other half.
7. Roll out the dough balls, separately, with a rolling pin until approximately the same size.
8. Place the red dough on top of the plain dough and gently roll into a log.
9. Cut the dough log into 2 parts and wrapped in wax paper or plastic wrap.
10. Chill the dough before cutting the dough into slices.
11. Bake for 10–12 mins. Watch the cookies carefully as the edges brown up very quickly.

I like to hold back 2 teaspoons of flour in case the dough is too dry and crumbly. This recipe comes from Canada and I find that flour in the United States has a different consistency. For a stronger peppermint flavor add an extra 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons of peppermint extract.

Pecan Sandies with Shell Decorations

By Jenny Baum of Jefferson Market Library

Recipe from I Can Cook Vegan by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

“If there’s a corner where you plant your heart, it’s always with you.” ― Jenny Colgan, Little Beach Street Bakery

Sunrise By The Sea by Jenny Colgan, the fourth book in the Little Beach Street Bakery series. The shell decorations atop these cookies are white and milk chocolate melted in a double boiler, separately, and swirled in a chocolate shell mold.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup refined coconut oil, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup rice milk (or favorite non-dairy milk)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use a fork or electric mixer to beat together the coconut oil and sugar until well combined.
3. Add the milk and beat again, for another minute or so. Mix in the vanilla.
4. Add about half the flour, salt, and allspice and mix well.
5. Add the remaining flour and the pecans and continue to mix until a stiff dough forms.
6. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
7. Form dough into walnut-size balls, flatten gently with your hands, and place on the prepared baking sheets
8. Bake 16–18 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Let cool on sheets for about 3 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool further.

Roommate Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

By Anne Rouyer of Mulberry Street Library

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

“Having Roderick in my life is like having a fire in the hearth. He warms me even when I can’t see him.” ― Sarina Bowen, Roommate

A baker, moves back to Vermont right at the end of summer and gets a job working in the kitchen of a local coffee shop. One of his co-workers, Kieran, a student/farmer is looking for a roommate. As autumn moves into full color and apples start to fall from trees and the coffee house fills up with the smells of cinnamon and fresh bread, a romance slowly begins to grow between them. This m/m romance had me craving baked goods and freshly pressed apple cider so I thought why not combine the two?! These cookies taste and smell so comforting you’ll want to crawl into them and take a nap. It’s a chewy bite of the best apple cinnamon oatmeal on a cold, frosty, autumn morning you’ve ever had only better!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice (a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom and ginger)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (use a thick applesauce and drain as much of the liquid as you can before adding)
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup  granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup finely diced apple (about 1/2 of a large apple—I used honeycrisp)
• optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Icing ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or apple cider or calvados)
• 2 tablespoons  milk

Directions:

1. Whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and apple pie spice (if using) together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, and white sugar together until combined.
3. Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
5. Fold in the apples and walnuts. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough each) and place 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Slightly flatten the balls with your hands.
7. Chill the cookies for 15 minutes to 1 hour prior to baking.
8. Bake for 14–15 minutes or until lightly browned and set on the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before icing.
9. To make the icing whisk all of the ingredients together and drizzle over cookies. You’ll have leftover so just drizzle some more or do what I did and eat it with a spoon.

Elvis's Banana Peanut Cupcakes

By Jenny Baum of Jefferson Market Library

Recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

"After a hard day of basic training, you could eat a rattlesnake." —Elvis Presley 

Are cupcakes a cookie? Almost. Is Josh's dad Elvis? Almost. Shelley Pearsall interviewed dozens of Elvis impersonators for her hilarious novel, All Shook Up,about the son of a Chicago Elvis!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mashed banana (overripe)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil or 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup rice milk or 2/3 cup soymilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Icing ingredients:

• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
  2 tablespoons shortening
  1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  1 1/4cups powdered sugar, sifted
  1–2 tablespoons soymilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
2. Mash bananas by hand or in a blender until there are no lumps.
3. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl and mix well.
4. In a smaller bowl, whisk oil, milk substitute, vanilla extract, almond extract, and mashed banana together.
5. use your finger to make a well in the dry ingredients and use it to fold in wet ingredients.  Small lumps are fine, do not overmix!
6. Fill liners 2/3 full and bake 20–22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. With electric mixer, cream together margarine and shortening until smooth.
8. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beat until very smooth.
9. Beat in confectioners sugar until mixture is very stiff (you may need extra).
10. Slowly add in milk substitute, beating continuously until frosting is pale and fluffy.
11. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Corn Flake Cookies

By Arieh Ress of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

Recipe from Sweetest Menu

"Sitting on a cornflake waiting for the van to come" –"I Am The Walrus" by John Lennon, who enjoyed cornflakes and cream in the Dakota apartment he shared with Yoko Ono.

Rock critic for the Los Angeles Times Robert Hilburn spent decades among the rock elite, not just when they were in the spotlight, but in the quieter moments most do not get to witness. Enjoy these Corn Flake-coated chocolate chip cookies from Sweetest Menu while reading Hilburn's Corn Flakes With John Lennon: And Other Tales From A Rock 'n' Roll Life in a quiet moment of your own! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup caster sugar or granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour or all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups Corn Flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350  degrees and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Use an electric beater to beat butter and sugars together in a large bowl for 1–2 minutes or until pale and creamy.
3. Add vanilla extract and egg, and beat until combined.
4. Sift in flour and baking soda and mix to combine.
5. Add chocolate chips and stir with a spoon or on low.
6. Place Corn Flakes in a separate bowl and crush them slightly using your hands.
7. Scoop balls of dough (roughly 1.5 tablespoons each) and then roll them in the Corn Flakes, pressing the Corn Flakes into the cookie dough to coat them thoroughly.
8. Place cookie dough balls onto your prepared trays, leaving room for the cookies to spread out.
9. Bake for approximately 12–13 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

That's a wrap on this year's cookies! We are so grateful to all our bakers and we hope you enjoy these recipes.

Please share your CookieLit ideas below and you could see them in next year's edition. If you bake some of these recipes, don't forget to snap a photo and use the hashtag #CookieLit when you post.

See you next year with more books and cookies!