“One Dough Fifty Cookies: Baking Favorite and Festive Cookies in A Snap” by Leslie Glover Pendleton

I have now been a parent for 21 years. This baffles me some times because the first 11 years felt like a “slow, reluctant march into enemy territory,” as Henry James once said. Days were long, nights were tough and I felt every minute that I would make a big, awful mistake. The second decade of raising my twin daughters, by comparison, has felt much calmer and brighter, and really quite delightful. I am so thankful for Lily and Charlotte. What made the difference? Asking for help. If there is one thing I have learned about parenting multiples, or children with a disability, or really any child at all, is that you must learn to ask for help. There is no glory in going it alone and the benefit about asking for help is that you learn something new. Since 1995, I have worked with at least 20 different classroom aides, tutors, bath helpers, support teachers and general jacks-of-all trade babysitters. And I have to say except for one loose cannon named Lola, each one of them has made me a better parent, certainly much better than I could have been on my own. So to all of those wonderful women, I thank you! (I’m not being sexist but there were no men.) One of those lovely women told me about today’s book: “One Dough Fifty Cookies: Baking Favorite and Festive Cookies in a Snap” by Leslie Glover Pendleton. The concept of this book is brilliant but simple - you make one master dough, and then that dough serves as the launching board to make a variety of different cookies that are completely different. You can even freeze the dough and use it another time. I have a particular passion for jelly filled thumb print cookie, but no matter your passion, there is a cookie recipe in here to please you. I’m don’t typically have the patience for baking, but this book made even my cookies look impressive. Also, it is a small book so might make a nifty stocking stuffer. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.