
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- To view this video download Flash Player
-
-
4 VIDEOS
-
Follow the author
OK
The Perfect Cookie: Your Ultimate Guide to Foolproof Cookies, Brownies & Bars (Perfect Baking Cookbooks) Hardcover – Illustrated, August 29, 2017
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAmerica's Test Kitchen
- Publication dateAugust 29, 2017
- Dimensions8.91 x 1.19 x 10.32 inches
- ISBN-101940352959
- ISBN-13978-1940352954
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together

More items to explore
Editorial Reviews
Review
“The Perfect Cookie . . . is, in a word, perfect. This is an important and substantial cookbook . . . If you love cookies, but have been a tad shy to bake on your own, all your fears will be dissipated. This is one book you can use for years with magnificently happy results.” -- Huffpost
"...your one-stop shop for cookies." - "Our 6 Favorite August Cookbooks." RealSimple.com
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : America's Test Kitchen; Illustrated edition (August 29, 2017)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1940352959
- ISBN-13 : 978-1940352954
- Item Weight : 3.5 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.91 x 1.19 x 10.32 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #12,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10 in Cookie Baking (Books)
- #17 in Christmas Cooking
- Customer Reviews:
Videos
About the author

The mission of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Founded in 1992, the company is the leading multimedia cooking resource serving millions of fans with TV shows (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation), magazines (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), cookbooks, a podcast (Proof), FAST channels, short-form video series, and the ATK All-Access subscription for digital content. Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK has earned the trust of home cooks and culinary experts alike thanks to its one-of-a-kind processes and best-in-class techniques. More than fifty full-time test cooks, editors, and product testers spend their days tweaking every variable to find the very best recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this cookie cookbook to be an amazing resource, with clear recipes and helpful tips about baking techniques. The book is well-written and worth the money, making it a perfect gift for baking enthusiasts. They appreciate the variety of recipes, including no-bake cookies and candies, and one customer notes the comprehensive gluten-free section.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers love this cookie cookbook, finding it an amazing resource that contains hints for making the best cookies. One customer describes it as an encyclopedia of America Test Kitchen's recipes.
"...excited to find a CB that contained a lot of tested, well know cookie recipes in one place. At first glance, the book layout is fantastic...." Read more
"...Not only are the hundreds of cookie recipes incredible, there is so much information about baking techniques, utensils, ingredients and supplies...." Read more
"...marmalade or girl scout cookies--but there's still a large number of cookies to make even if you skip those..." Read more
"Got this for my daughter who likes to bake! This is a great book and we liked the many options...." Read more
Customers find the recipes in this cookbook well-explained and easy to follow, with detailed instructions that help with ingredient selection and baking techniques.
"...It also covers in detail core baking techniques, equipment and tools, staples, chocolate, manipulating texture, storing shipping and sharing and of..." Read more
"...is so much information about baking techniques, utensils, ingredients and supplies...." Read more
"...For the most part the ingredients lists are relatively short and when there's an unusual ingredient like pumpkin or dulce de leche the book will..." Read more
"...This is a great book and we liked the many options. There are recipes for the more advanced baker and easier recipes for a beginner" Read more
Customers appreciate the book's content, particularly its detailed explanations of baking techniques and science, along with helpful hints and tips throughout.
"...hundreds of cookie recipes incredible, there is so much information about baking techniques, utensils, ingredients and supplies...." Read more
"...Every cookie in the recipe book is pictured and includes a short write-up on why certain ingredients and proportions were chosen...." Read more
"...Overall, I highly recommend this book. It has kicked off my new-found baking habit which I'm sure will keep my cabinet in regular use and keep me..." Read more
"...Test Kitchen has almost 25 years of experience in the art and science of cookie baking, and now you can find all of that wisdom in one beautiful..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and well written, with good explanations throughout.
"...cookbook in my library of cookbooks and I really like that I have a concise, well-tested resource for so many cookie recipes...." Read more
"...The layouts are easy to read and are all on one page. There is a photo of every cookie, which will tempt you to bake some immediately." Read more
"...Methods are well arranged, make sense and often expanded upon for the perennial subjects crisp vs chewy, ect...you know how the Test Kitchen operates..." Read more
"...This book includes great pictures, directions, and explanations...." Read more
Customers appreciate the variety of cookies in the book, including no-bake recipes, mint and chocolate treats, and gluten-free options.
"...sandwich, brownies & blondies, bar, no-bake, Christmas and gluten free cookies.... and that's just the recipes...." Read more
"...There are all types of cookie recipes including a fantastic section on gluten free cookies...." Read more
"...I have a few quibbles. While there is a (very useful) gluten free section, there is no vegan section which frustrates my sister and the value in the..." Read more
"...rich and chewy brownies, delicious bars, fancy treats, and no-bake cookies and candies...." Read more
Customers find the book worth the money, with one mentioning that the pictures are particularly valuable.
"...is an amazing recipe, a little more work than a regular recipe but so worth it!..." Read more
"...Some of my favorites include the mint and chocolate cookies, Millionaire shortbread, holiday cookies, smores blossom cookies, and the perfect..." Read more
"...Really nice book for the price. I love it! Planning to bring the 2nd one to my bestie this week so she can drool over all the recipes too!" Read more
"...It may be a bit more complicated, but always worth the extra effort! Thank you ATK. Keep them coming!" Read more
Customers find the book makes a perfect gift, particularly for loved ones who enjoy baking.
"...This would be a great gift for both the new baker or more experienced...." Read more
"...Love their hints! Great gift for the baker!" Read more
"This is a must have cookbook for any cookie lover! Great gift during the holidays too!" Read more
"This was a gift for my granddaughter in law. She really likes the book." Read more
Reviews with images

Need a one stop resource for your cookie recipes? Don't miss this cookbook...
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2017NOTE: I purchased this book on Dec 1st and there are no print issues in the front of the book so I'm assuming ATK has fixed the print issue that many refer to in their reviews.
I'm a huge ATK fan and have watched the show for years as well as own many of their stand alone cookbooks as well as the annual editions. They are one of the first places I go to check if they've got a recipe. With that said, I've made plenty of their cookie recipes with rave reviews with many of recipes found in different CB or on the web. So... I was very excited to find a CB that contained a lot of tested, well know cookie recipes in one place. At first glance, the book layout is fantastic. It covers, drop, slice & bake, sandwich, brownies & blondies, bar, no-bake, Christmas and gluten free cookies.... and that's just the recipes. It also covers in detail core baking techniques, equipment and tools, staples, chocolate, manipulating texture, storing shipping and sharing and of course cookie troubleshooting. But the absolute most wonderful thing they did for this book was include a picture of EVERY cookie they showcase as well as tell you why the recipe works. I adhered closely to the instructions of the placement of the pans in teh oven, rotation of the pans in the oven and the bake time they recommend. I used silicone baking sheets as well as parchment paper.
So as the 2017 Christmas season approached, I scouted four or five recipes to try.
Chocolate Chewies (pg 63): These were one of the easiest to bake and turned out perfect. Really rich chocolate taste with a fudgy brownie like consistency. Only eight ingredients in this recipe. Came together quickly using my stand mixer and made exactly 25 cookies. Will definitely bake again.
Salted Peanut Butter-Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies (pg 71): I picked these cookies because my family is a huge fan of peanut butter "anything" and I've always loved the "sweet and salty" thing. The taste of these cookies were great. They had a nice play between the chocolate/peanut butter and the pretzel. One thing I did wrong however was double this recipe which made the batter dry because I wasn't able to get all the ingredients incorporated thoroughly. I made a note in the book not to do that next time. These are drop cookies and you form the dough in 2TB balls and then press each ball using a greased dry measuring cup. Some of the balls crumbled and I had to pinch them back together. It worked and they came out fine however, I probably caused more work for myself than needed. Also, I had to add a minute or two to the time. Adhering to their time suggestion, the first batch tasted slightly raw. Once I got the time down for my recipe, all turned out great. Will try again making only one recipe.
Swedish Walnut Fingers (pg 109): My note in the book was these are "very hard to make". That's because I'm a novice at rolled and pressed cookies. But... this recipe is AWESOME!!! My husbands absolute favorites. This recipe contains a LOT of butter so you have to work quickly and there is quite a bit of chilling to do. Once the dough is pressed into 1/2 thick 10x8 rectangle, you have to use a floured fork to make this "washboard" design in the dough. If it's not chilled enough (my case) the design become a mess not resembling any kind of lines... I had to add another chill step before I could use the fork. Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, the washboard design works. Secondly, I wasn't sure how much these spread during the baking process. I got them too close and they ended up touching each other during baking. Will definitely bake again!
Rugelach with Raisin-Walnut Filling (pg 198) I was on the Kitchn website and they had an article saying, "the best cookie you'll ever bake". It happened to be a rugelach cookie so my last cookie for the baking season was this raisin-walnut filled rugelach from this CB. I got the most complements from friends about this cookie. Friends raved how good it was and I have to admit it was my favorite for the year too. Rugelach is a Jewish party snack that is a cross between a cookie and a pastry. The wonderful thing about this cookie is I had enough dough to use four different filling. The dough has cream cheese in it so it bakes up very tender and flaky. I used raisin and dates/ chocolate and peanut butter/ walnut, pecan and brown sugar and lastly, apple jam and walnuts. Their instruction for the rolling of the dough was not clear so using the instruction from the Kitchn recipe too, I rolled the dough into a 8in to 10in circle about 1/4" thick and filled and then cut like a pizza and rolled the cookies from the outside of the circle in.... creating the crescent shape the cookies are well known for. They were absolutely delicious and I will make again.
I'm excited to have this cookbook in my library of cookbooks and I really like that I have a concise, well-tested resource for so many cookie recipes. Looking through I can't think of one cookie that they haven't covered. Highly recommend if you don't have a one stop cookie cookbook on your shelf.
5.0 out of 5 starsNOTE: I purchased this book on Dec 1st and there are no print issues in the front of the book so I'm assuming ATK has fixed the print issue that many refer to in their reviews.Need a one stop resource for your cookie recipes? Don't miss this cookbook...
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2017
I'm a huge ATK fan and have watched the show for years as well as own many of their stand alone cookbooks as well as the annual editions. They are one of the first places I go to check if they've got a recipe. With that said, I've made plenty of their cookie recipes with rave reviews with many of recipes found in different CB or on the web. So... I was very excited to find a CB that contained a lot of tested, well know cookie recipes in one place. At first glance, the book layout is fantastic. It covers, drop, slice & bake, sandwich, brownies & blondies, bar, no-bake, Christmas and gluten free cookies.... and that's just the recipes. It also covers in detail core baking techniques, equipment and tools, staples, chocolate, manipulating texture, storing shipping and sharing and of course cookie troubleshooting. But the absolute most wonderful thing they did for this book was include a picture of EVERY cookie they showcase as well as tell you why the recipe works. I adhered closely to the instructions of the placement of the pans in teh oven, rotation of the pans in the oven and the bake time they recommend. I used silicone baking sheets as well as parchment paper.
So as the 2017 Christmas season approached, I scouted four or five recipes to try.
Chocolate Chewies (pg 63): These were one of the easiest to bake and turned out perfect. Really rich chocolate taste with a fudgy brownie like consistency. Only eight ingredients in this recipe. Came together quickly using my stand mixer and made exactly 25 cookies. Will definitely bake again.
Salted Peanut Butter-Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies (pg 71): I picked these cookies because my family is a huge fan of peanut butter "anything" and I've always loved the "sweet and salty" thing. The taste of these cookies were great. They had a nice play between the chocolate/peanut butter and the pretzel. One thing I did wrong however was double this recipe which made the batter dry because I wasn't able to get all the ingredients incorporated thoroughly. I made a note in the book not to do that next time. These are drop cookies and you form the dough in 2TB balls and then press each ball using a greased dry measuring cup. Some of the balls crumbled and I had to pinch them back together. It worked and they came out fine however, I probably caused more work for myself than needed. Also, I had to add a minute or two to the time. Adhering to their time suggestion, the first batch tasted slightly raw. Once I got the time down for my recipe, all turned out great. Will try again making only one recipe.
Swedish Walnut Fingers (pg 109): My note in the book was these are "very hard to make". That's because I'm a novice at rolled and pressed cookies. But... this recipe is AWESOME!!! My husbands absolute favorites. This recipe contains a LOT of butter so you have to work quickly and there is quite a bit of chilling to do. Once the dough is pressed into 1/2 thick 10x8 rectangle, you have to use a floured fork to make this "washboard" design in the dough. If it's not chilled enough (my case) the design become a mess not resembling any kind of lines... I had to add another chill step before I could use the fork. Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, the washboard design works. Secondly, I wasn't sure how much these spread during the baking process. I got them too close and they ended up touching each other during baking. Will definitely bake again!
Rugelach with Raisin-Walnut Filling (pg 198) I was on the Kitchn website and they had an article saying, "the best cookie you'll ever bake". It happened to be a rugelach cookie so my last cookie for the baking season was this raisin-walnut filled rugelach from this CB. I got the most complements from friends about this cookie. Friends raved how good it was and I have to admit it was my favorite for the year too. Rugelach is a Jewish party snack that is a cross between a cookie and a pastry. The wonderful thing about this cookie is I had enough dough to use four different filling. The dough has cream cheese in it so it bakes up very tender and flaky. I used raisin and dates/ chocolate and peanut butter/ walnut, pecan and brown sugar and lastly, apple jam and walnuts. Their instruction for the rolling of the dough was not clear so using the instruction from the Kitchn recipe too, I rolled the dough into a 8in to 10in circle about 1/4" thick and filled and then cut like a pizza and rolled the cookies from the outside of the circle in.... creating the crescent shape the cookies are well known for. They were absolutely delicious and I will make again.
I'm excited to have this cookbook in my library of cookbooks and I really like that I have a concise, well-tested resource for so many cookie recipes. Looking through I can't think of one cookie that they haven't covered. Highly recommend if you don't have a one stop cookie cookbook on your shelf.
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2024This cookbook is unbelievably wonderful! Not only are the hundreds of cookie recipes incredible, there is so much information about baking techniques, utensils, ingredients and supplies. There are all types of cookie recipes including a fantastic section on gluten free cookies. I bought one for all my friends as Christmas gifts and they all said it is the best cookie cookbook they have ever seen.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2019I was given this cookbook for my birthday a bit over a year ago now and have made something from it pretty much every week since. There's an excellent mix of recipes from the standard ice box sugar cookie to florentines to brazilian brigadeiros (albeit much more chocolatey than our neighbors used to make) along with advice on things like making your own vanilla extract, the differences between butter and shortening, and tools recommendations. Every cookie in the recipe book is pictured and includes a short write-up on why certain ingredients and proportions were chosen.
This was my first set of cookie recipes that weren't from Grandma or Great Auntie May or clipped out of an ancient newspaper, which meant that I had no idea brown sugar came in multiple varieties or vanilla beans could be an actual additive (the caramel turned out delicious). The book is always happy to tell me that they used dark brown sugar instead of light for a darker flavor and using egg whites instead of yolks helped them cram in more chocolate without sacrificing texture.
For the most part the ingredients lists are relatively short and when there's an unusual ingredient like pumpkin or dulce de leche the book will tell me how and why its used. Certain recipes will request something I don't have--store bought caramels or orange marmalade or girl scout cookies--but there's still a large number of cookies to make even if you skip those (I ended up making my own orange marmalade from an online recipe).
For these recipes even if I do something slightly off--didn't have a thermometer so the fudge was taken off the heat too late and ended up slightly oily--it still tastes delicious and the results do inspire me to keep trying. If I'm feeling like a gingerbread cookie or a peanut butter cookie or a molasses cookie, all I need to do is turn to the proper page and I have faith it will turn out beautifully.
I have a few quibbles. While there is a (very useful) gluten free section, there is no vegan section which frustrates my sister and the value in the test authors' trials is completely lost when the egg substitutions start. There also isn't any quick indication of how long a recipe will take (most I can do on a work night, but not all) or how to store the finished cookie and how long they keep (the cream cheese in the frosting for red velvet cookies led to a lot of googling). There also was at least one recipe where preheating the oven was positioned before making the dough and chilling it for a half hour--rearranged those steps, but definitely need to read through the recipe before starting.
All in all really thrilled with this book!
- Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2025Got this for my daughter who likes to bake! This is a great book and we liked the many options. There are recipes for the more advanced baker and easier recipes for a beginner
Top reviews from other countries
- xReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
tried out some recipes and followed exactly - great results!
-
ChiaraReviewed in Italy on December 28, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Molto bello
Il libro è fatto molto bene. Oltre alle ricette (tantissime e spiegate nei minimi dettagli), c’è una parte di “teoria” molto interessante e utile con la spiegazione dell’uso dei diversi ingredienti, tecniche e attrezzature. La filosofia del volume è infatti la ricerca e la prova di tante diverse opzioni per arrivare a un risultato ottimo.
Le ricette sono americane, il libro è in inglese e le unità di misura in cups e spoons.
- Don MartinReviewed in Canada on November 13, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Educational
The front section of the book is what makes America’s Test Kitchen stand out. Their research into the science behind cooking methods are so informative.
-
yoReviewed in Spain on April 15, 2025
4.0 out of 5 stars Al gusto estadounidense
Recetas muy estadounidenses como les gustan a ellos. Está bien tenerlo para hacerlas alguna vez pero sigo prefiriendo las tradicionales europeas. El libro era de segunda mano pero estaba en muy buenas condiciones.
-
Nat BCReviewed in Mexico on November 29, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buenas recetas
Por fin un libro con rectas que si salen bien, muy bien explicado y salen justo como en mi foto !
It’s a must have
Nat BCMuy buenas recetas
Reviewed in Mexico on November 29, 2018
It’s a must have
Images in this review