Cookies by the Dozen: Over 75 Irresistible Recipes for Just a Dozen Cookies Each

Usually, it's a baker's dozen that Kostelni's scaled-down recipes yield. No matter the number, the results are likely to please. Old favorites like All-American Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Lemon Crowned Shortbread (aka Lemon Squares) join such fresh approaches as Potato Chip Cookies, Fruit Moons (filled with fresh fruit) and New Zealand Madeleines (with jelly and coconut). The recipes are direct and generally simple; there's a generous choice of unbaked cookies, good for when helping hands are small (or impatient). The concept of fixing only a third to a quarter of the usual yield will surely appeal to home bakers with small families and not a lot of time, to those who try to limit temptation and to others who crave just a small taste of a freshly made sweet treat. Kostelni, a reliable guide who owns two Virginia cooking schools, is on to a good thing here. (Oct.)