Cookie Jar Classics

Photo: Tara Striano

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

All bakers know one thing, says Stacy Adimando: When their plate of cookies hits the table, they'll be the most popular person in the room. In her book, The Cookiepedia: Mixing, Baking, and Reinventing the Classics, Adimando tells us how to make the classics—and change them up if the mood strikes. For Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, her advice ranges from achieving the perfect craggy texture (hint: don't skimp on the oatmeal) to trying interesting new ingredients (she likes dark chocolate chunks and dried cherries instead of raisins).

Get the recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Photo: Tara Striano

Animal Cookies

By keeping their subtle cinnamon flavor, Adimando stays true to the original animal crackers that come in a little box with a string handle, but hers have frosting and sprinkles. Although some experts will tell you to use two layers of parchment paper to roll out dough, Adimando's approach is easier and foolproof: Find a surface that's smooth, won't move and that you don't mind covering with flour. She uses a butcher-block island, but a cutting board is fine too—just put a damp kitchen towel underneath it so it doesn't slide.

Get the recipe: Animal Cookies with Frosting and Sprinkles

Photo: Tara Striano

Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Cookies

A mix of sweet add-ins, like peanut butter chips, coconut flakes and dark chocolate chips, and salty snacks, such as Fritos, potato chips and pretzels, make this one hefty cookie. As Adimando says, "If the thought of a crunchy, salty bite blended into this soft, sugary dough doesn't speak to you, well, you have some thinking to do." Her list of other possible additions ranges from Cool Ranch Doritos to wasabi peas to cheese puffs to whole espresso beans.

Get the recipe: Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Cookies

Photo: Tara Striano

Dried Fruit Cookies

Prunes get a bad rap thanks to their popularity among grandmothers and health nuts, but Adimando finds them luscious, flavorful and juicy—and loves putting them in cookies with cinnamon and other dried fruits such as apricots and cranberries. They'll win your heart—and a place in your cookie jar, says Adimando, "before you even have time to realize that, yes, I just said prunes."

Get the recipe: Dried Fruit Cookies

Photo: Tara Striano

Snickerdoodles

On its own, cinnamon can be smoky, spicy or bitter; only when it's paired with sugar (as it is in this beloved cookie) does it taste sweet and familiar. How could they possibly get any more delicious? Peanut butter, says Adimando. She chops or smashes a few pieces of mini Reese's cups into each cookie or mixes peanut butter chips into the batter. Her best idea, though: Make a spread from butter, peanut butter and sugar, and sandwich it between two cookies.

Get the recipe: Snickerdoodles

Photo: Tara Striano

Almond Biscotti

These not-too-sweet biscuits get a double baking: first when they're shaped into loaves, and a second time when they've been cut. Adimando says there are a few things you can do to make neat slices. When you're making the dough, chop the almonds finely, since the fewer large chunks there are, the easier it will be to get a clean cut. Then, after the first bake, slice them in one quick motion—no sawing. But even if your biscotti look less than perfect, they'll still taste good. "If there's a big chunk missing, so be it," the author says. "Imperfection can be beautiful."

Get the recipe: Almond Biscotti

Photo: Tara Striano

Poppy Seed Squares

Little blue-gray beads add a nutty flavor and a crunchy texture to shortbread-style dough in this cookie. Adimando dips them about one-third of the way into a bowl of sweet melted chocolate; you could also then sprinkle them with sesame seeds or chopped, toasted almonds. To make these treats suitable for stacking in a cookie jar, let them sit out overnight to make sure the chocolate's completely set.

Get the recipe: Poppy Seed Squares with Chocolate Tips