The crisp fall air seems to give us permission to officially declare it baking season, with recipes for pumpkin this and apple that everywhere you turn. But there shouldn’t be a season — sweets treats and breads should be baked into our routine year-round.

As soon as the calendar flips to September, we have cookies on our minds, thanks to the Star Tribune’s annual cookie contest. Come October, we’re fully obsessed as we watch readers’ recipes light up our inbox and decide which ones will move on to the testing round.

The arrival of “The New Cookie” from America’s Test Kitchen came at the sweetest time. Billing itself as offering “creative takes on the classics you love,” it’s more than 400 pages of recipes and baking tips — all with the authority and detail you’d come to expect.

While earmarking enough recipes to keep us baking well into 2027, we stopped at these seven simple steps that every baker should keep in mind. While some aren’t new, and we have our own opinions, they are great reminders on how to elevate even the most basic recipe:

Weigh ingredients: A digital kitchen scale is nonnegotiable, something our baking experts reinforce every year at our Cookie Wonderland event. Baking is a science; getting the proportions correct is key to success.

Collect cookie scoops: Not only do you get the right amount of dough for the recipe, but it’s not as messy. ATK recommends stocking #16 (¼ cup), #20 (3 tablespoons), #30 (2 tablespoons), #60 (1 tablespoon). No one has to tell me twice to shop for more kitchen tools.

Get used to browning butter: Try it, you’ll like it. Brown butter gives the cookie more depth. “As the butter is gently cooked, the milk solids separate, caramelize, and take on the flavor of toasted nuts,” ATK reminds us. Sold.

Choose chocolate with care: From baking chocolate to cocoa powder, the type and quality matters. Learn when to use chips vs. cutting chunks and about cacao percentages. If that requires sampling, so be it.

Buy parchment in sheets: I used to scoff at this, but am now a convert; not having to wrestle with curled parchment is really nice. This is also a reminder that you can and should reuse parchment sheets during baking.

Keep flake salt close: ATK maintains that a sprinkle of salt “punctuates the flavors, it awakens the palate and it adds an irresistible little crunch.” But know thyself, and thy family. Not everyone has embraced the salted everything phase.

Learn your doneness cues: Knowing when to pull cookies from the oven is a skill. Crunchy cookies need to be baked until they’re adequately dried out; chewy cookies need to retain moisture. Also learn to trust your gut — not to mention the recipe and your oven.

Now try what you’ve learn with these three recipes from “The New Cookie.”

Ube Crinkle Cookies

Makes 24 cookies.

In a visit to New Orleans Vietnamese bakery Dough Nguyener’s, we found a delicious, stunning violet-colored crinkle variation that features Southeast Asian purple yam (known as ube) that is increasingly popular as a flavor for sweets. Ube extract and ube halaya (a Filipino ingredient that is essentially a cooked-down, concentrated jam of sweetened ube) are the most convenient forms for American cooks, and we add both to our crinkles for the strongest flavor. Note: Ube jam (also known as ube halaya, or ube spread) and ube extract are available in well-stocked Asian markets and online. We developed this recipe with Tropics Ube Halaya (Purple Yam Jam) and McCormick brand ube extract. From “The New Cookie,” America’s Test Kitchen (2026).

2 ¼ c. (320 g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. table salt

1 ½ c. (297 g) granulated sugar, plus ⅓ c. (66 g) for rolling

¼ c. (75 g) ube jam (see Note)

8 tbsp. (114 g) unsalted butter, melted

¼ c. (53 g) vegetable oil

1 large egg

2 tsp. ube extract (see Note)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ c. (57 g) powdered sugar

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in bowl.

Whisk 1 ½ (298 grams) cups granulated sugar and ube jam together in large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, oil, egg, ube extract and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated.

Spread powdered sugar and remaining ⅓ cup (66 grams) granulated sugar in ­separate shallow dishes. Working with 1 ½ tablespoons dough at a time, roll into balls, then drop in granulated sugar dish. Roll to coat, then transfer to ­powdered sugar dish. Roll to coat, then space evenly on 2 parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheets (12 balls per sheet). Using bottom of drinking glass or dry measuring cup, press each ball to ¾‑inch thickness. Using fine-mesh strainer, dust tops of cookies evenly with remaining powdered sugar from shallow dish (about 2 tablespoons per sheet), using all of the sugar.

Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until puffed and cracked and edges are just set, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.

Easiest-Ever Marbled Butter Cookies

Makes about 65 cookies.

Note: Using the mixer to marble the chocolate and vanilla doughs makes a complicated-looking cookie super simple to execute. If you’re looking for color, you can substitute gel food coloring for the melted chocolate chips and cocoa powder. We like the classic flavor of vanilla here, but you can use ¾ teaspoon coconut extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract instead. Black cocoa powder produces the darkest color chocolate dough, but you can substitute Dutch-processed cocoa. The dough will need to chill at least 90 minutes, so plan accordingly. From “The New Cookie,” America’s Test Kitchen (2026).

2 ¼ c. (320 g) all-purpose flour

½ tsp. table salt

16 tbsp. (228 g) unsalted butter, softened

¾ c. (149 g) granulated sugar

½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar

2 large egg yolks

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (see Note)

3 tbsp. semisweet ­chocolate chips

2 tbsp. black cocoa powder (see Note)

Directions

Whisk flour and salt together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add egg yolks and vanilla and continue to beat until well incorporated, about 1 minute longer. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture; and mix until cohesive dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove half of dough from mixer and set aside.

Microwave chocolate chips in bowl at 50% power until melted, 1 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add melted chocolate and cocoa to remaining dough in mixer and beat on low until fully combined and no streaks remain, about 1 minute, scraping down paddle and bowl halfway through. Break reserved blond dough into a few pieces and add to mixer; beat on low speed until dough is swirled but not homogeneous, about 5 seconds.

Transfer dough to counter and divide in half. Roll each piece of dough on lightly floured surface into 1½-inch-wide log, about 10 inches long. Wrap logs tightly in plastic wrap and twist ends tightly to seal; refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. (Dough logs can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before slicing and baking.)

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Working with 1 dough log at a time, trim ends of log, then slice crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds, rotating dough as you slice to prevent any flat edges from forming; space dough rounds evenly on 2 parchment paper–lined baking sheets (30 per sheet). Bake until just beginning to turn light golden and firm to touch, 18 to 20 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Triple Citrus Gingerbread with White Chocolate

Makes about 30 cookies.

These gingerbread cookies are perfectly soft and chewy but enlivened with bright, surprising flavor from lemon, lime and orange zests. Dipping them in two tones of white chocolate gives them a striking, modern look; the white chocolate tempers some of the punch and pucker. Note: Let the melted butter cool before adding it, or the dough will be too sticky to work with. Because we roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper (no additional flour is added), the scraps can be rerolled and cut as many times as necessary. Use your color of choice, but be sure to use oil-based gel food coloring, not water-based food coloring, or the chocolate will seize. The dough will need to refrigerate at least an hour before baking. From “The New Cookie,” America’s Test Kitchen (2026).

3 ¼ c. (462 g) all-purpose flour

¾ c. packed (149 g) dark brown sugar

2 tbsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. table salt

12 tbsp. (171 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¾ c. (233 g) molasses

2 tbsp. milk

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp. grated orange zest

1 tbsp. grated lemon zest

1 tbsp. grated lime zest

1 ½ c. (255 g) white ­chocolate chips

3 tbsp. refined coconut oil

Gel food coloring (see Note)

Directions

Process flour, sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in food processor until combined, about 10 seconds. Add melted butter, molasses, milk, fresh ginger, orange zest, lemon zest and lime zest and process until soft dough forms and no streaks of flour remain, about 20 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead until dough forms cohesive ball, about 20 seconds. Divide dough in half. Form each half into 5-inch disk, wrap disks tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Working with 1 disk of dough at a time, roll dough between 2 large sheets of parchment to ¼-inch thickness. (Keep second disk of dough refrigerated while rolling out first.) Peel off top parchment sheet and use 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Peel away scraps from around rounds and space rounds ¾ inch apart on 2 parchment paper–lined baking sheets. Knead dough scraps to bring back together, then repeat rolling and cutting.

Bake until cookies are puffy and just set around edges, 9 to 11 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Microwave white chocolate chips and coconut oil in bowl at 50% power until melted, about 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving. Remove from microwave and stir until completely smooth. Transfer half of melted chocolate to second bowl and stir in food coloring until desired shade is reached.

Working with 1 cookie at a time, dip partially into colored chocolate, then transfer to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate cookies on sheet until coating is set, about 5 minutes. Working with 1 cookie at a time, dip partially into bowl of white chocolate, overlapping first coating by about half. Return dipped cookie to wire rack and let sit until coating sets, about 15 minutes, before serving.

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