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Note: Melissa Kirsch is off this week.
I’ve always had a sweet tooth; I have memories of stirring heaps of extra powder into my chocolate milk when I was a child, until it was lumpy and stunningly sugary. But my love of desserts didn’t actually extend to making them, even as I got older. I found baking in particular to be a frustrating and messy exercise, and unsatisfying too — after the haphazard measuring and beating, with my counters a crime scene of spilled cocoa powder and splattered egg, the recipe rudely wouldn’t turn out right. (Even back then I understood the problem wasn’t the recipe. It was the baker.)
At one point, I told Dorie Greenspan, the cookbook author and queen of home baking, that I found baking to be more dif…
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Note: Melissa Kirsch is off this week.
I’ve always had a sweet tooth; I have memories of stirring heaps of extra powder into my chocolate milk when I was a child, until it was lumpy and stunningly sugary. But my love of desserts didn’t actually extend to making them, even as I got older. I found baking in particular to be a frustrating and messy exercise, and unsatisfying too — after the haphazard measuring and beating, with my counters a crime scene of spilled cocoa powder and splattered egg, the recipe rudely wouldn’t turn out right. (Even back then I understood the problem wasn’t the recipe. It was the baker.)
At one point, I told Dorie Greenspan, the cookbook author and queen of home baking, that I found baking to be more difficult than cooking. No, she said, sage and kind, baking is easier than cooking! In baking, you just have to follow the directions.
In that spirit — and in honor of Cookie Week, New York Times Cooking’s annual holiday baking spree, with seven new recipes and videos to match — I have some directions and advice for you. Try them and I promise that you’ll be happier in the kitchen. These days, I bake a lot, and I’ve found a kind of bliss in the process, and the same childhood euphoria that comes from that first sweet bite (or in the case of that chocolate milk, the first sweet sip).
Read the recipe all the way through before you start baking. I know this is boring, an assignment in English class when you’re ready for recess. Do it so you’re not caught off guard when, for instance, a recipe calls for you to chill the dough for three hours, but the party starts in 20 minutes.
Measure and prepare all your ingredients first. This is also a little dull. But once you start moving through the recipe, you’ll find how amazing it is to have everything you need at hand so you can glide through the steps, no pausing to frantically search for the salt. And, if your cookie recipe calls for room temperature butter (many do), take it out of the fridge to soften as soon as you’ve decided to bake.
Cookie dough generally freezes well; make extra. Freeze the dough in individual portions if you want to be able to bake a single cookie on a whim. (You can easily double recipes using our new scaling feature. You’ll need to be in the Cooking app on Android or iOS; click on the little icon at the top right of the ingredients list.)
It’s better to underbake than to overbake. You can’t unbake a cookie any more than you can unsalt a soup. So take the pan out of the oven when the cookies look just done; they’ll firm up as they cool. (And if you take them out of the oven and they’re still raw, just put them back in for a minute.)
Really, follow the directions, especially if you’re making a recipe for the first time. If the recipe says to leave two inches between the cookies on the baking sheet, do it. If it says not to move the baked cookies until they are completely cool, listen.
And now, the cookies. Here are three from this year’s delicious batch.
Mint chocolate cool
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Credit...Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
My favorite ice cream flavor, reborn as a cookie. Eric Kim’s recipe is easy to make and has such a fun and striking appearance, with its green angles and chocolate curls. You don’t even need an electric mixer, though it’s helpful to have an offset spatula to spread the melted white chocolate (tinted green with food coloring) that coats the shortbread base. If you don’t have an offset spatula, a regular rubber one or even the back of a spoon works fine.
Coffee and spice
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Credit...Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Melissa Clark funnels the signature flavors of Vietnamese coffee — espresso and condensed milk — into the hypnotic swirls of a marbled brownie. I learned something new from this recipe, which is that the neatest way to cut brownies once you’ve baked them is to chill them in the pan for at least an hour, flip the whole slab out upside down, and then slice them that way.
Ginger, lime and a bit of a buzz
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Credit...Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Dan Pelosi’s Dark ’n’ Stormy Cookies have dark rum in the dough and the glaze, inspired as they are by the cocktail made with ginger beer, rum and a bright slash of lime. This is a festive cookie for an excellent party (but maybe not one for the school volleyball team’s bake sale).
THE LATEST NEWS
In the Courts
The Supreme Court agreed to review the constitutionality of President Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship.
A judge ruled last week that Lindsey Halligan, a federal prosecutor appointed by Trump, was in the job illegally. But she has still not left her post.
A federal judge in Florida approved the release of grand jury documents from an investigation of Jeffrey Epstein nearly two decades ago.
Trump Administration
A federal vaccine committee voted to end the longstanding recommendation that all newborns be immunized against hepatitis B.
A video of the U.S. military’s Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean shows the survivors waving overhead, according to people who saw it. Some interpreted it as an attempt to surrender.
FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, awarded Trump with a new peace prize after its leader had publicly lobbied for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Other Big Stories
Vanity Fair will not renew its contract with the journalist Olivia Nuzzi, extricating itself from the controversy over her relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The E.U. fined X, Elon Musk’s social media company, $140 million for violating a law that regulates digital content.
The New York Times sued Perplexity, an A.I. start-up, claiming that Perplexity repeatedly used its copyrighted work without permission.
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Frank Gehry
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Frank Gehry at his studio in Los Angeles in 2021.Credit...Erik Carter for The New York Times
Frank Gehry, a titan of architecture who designed some of the world’s most recognizable buildings, died at 96.
Many of Gehry’s projects, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, are regarded as masterpieces. See 12 projects that show the scope of his work.
Netflix-Warner Bros. Deal
Netflix announced it would acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business for $83 billion.
The deal, which includes TV and film studios as well as HBO Max (but not CNN), would give Netflix even more leverage over Hollywood — and a greater presence in theatrical releases.
Film and TV
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Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) in “Zootopia 2.”Credit...Disney/Disney, via Associated Press
The animated couple from “Zootopia” has its own fandom, some of which hails from the furry community. The love runs deep.
The race for this year’s Academy Award for Best Picture has five sure bets. What about the other slots?
Theater
At least six stage productions this year have a homophobic slur in their titles — sometimes to shock or provoke, but also to reclaim the word. Does that make it OK?
The authorities in Japan said Jeremy O. Harris, the Tony-nominated playwright and actor, was arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle illegal drugs.
More Culture
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Gellért BathCredit...Stephen Hiltner/The New York Times
In Budapest, political disputes and aging infrastructure have led to cascading problems at some of the city’s beloved baths.
Brasses roared with punitive force; strings attacked notes as if lashing them. The Pittsburgh Symphony, playing at Carnegie Hall, sounds exactly how an orchestra should sound, writes David Allen.
A new $40 million exhibit at the National Archives, opening nine months after Trump fired the chief archivist, uses technology to explore the items in its vaults.
CULTURE CALENDAR
**📺 “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix): **The third installment in this whodunit series, featuring Daniel Craig’s drawling detective Benoit Blanc, hits the streaming service on Friday. The mystery this time concerns “a very 2025 case” our critic Alissa Wilkinson writes: a murder in a church with a charismatic preacher who has been radicalizing his flock against the evils of modernity. And while the film takes on some big ideas around religion, Alissa writes, it does so with “a remarkably light, affectionately irreverent touch.” Read our review.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
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Credit...Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Kharra masala fish (fish with onions and tomatoes)
If a fragrant seafood dish seems like just the thing for this cold December weekend, make Zainab Shah’s speedy kharra masala fish. She starts by seasoning tomatoes and onions with whole spices — coriander, cumin, mustard seed and dried chiles. Then she adds fillets of white fish (any kind you like), letting them steam and absorb all the rich flavors. A garnish of fresh ginger, green chiles and cilantro gives it all a pungent freshness. Serve with rice, roti or by itself for a saucy, savory meal.
REAL ESTATE
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Jeff Allyn, left, and David Barenholtz.Credit...Philip Cheung for The New York Times
**The Hunt: **A pair of business consultants looked for a low-maintenance place near Palm Springs, Calif., to spend the winters. Which home did they choose? Play our game.
What you get for $975,000 in Missouri, Florida and New Mexico: a Tudor Revival near a university; a bungalow in West Palm Beach; and an adobe farmhouse close to art galleries and skiing.
**Not-so-smart home: **A fight over who can control the garage has opened up a wider debate about consumer rights.
T MAGAZINE
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Credit...Drawing by Chris Ware
ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER
Limited space? Add some mirrors.
Typically, to create spaciousness, we have to take things away: objects, clutter, walls. But adding a mirror is an often-overlooked way to make a space feel bigger. Any of Wirecutter’s favorite mirrors can help facilitate this optical illusion — with some strategic placement, that is. Tight hallway or entryway? Try hanging your mirror on a wall across from a light source so the glow reflects into the rest of the room. Or try two instead of one: Mirrors placed on opposite walls can create a sense of infinity. And consider height. A tall mirror can have the effect of raising your ceilings. — Ivy Elrod
GAME OF THE WEEK
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Indiana’s quarterback, Fernando Mendoza.Credit...Doug Mcschooler/Associated Press
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana, Big Ten championship: Is this the most important college football game of the year? Is it basically pointless? Might it be both?
Why it matters: For powerhouse Ohio State, an undefeated season is just another year. For Indiana, it’s once-in-a-lifetime. Before Coach Curt Cignetti arrived and performed something of a college football miracle, Indiana had more losses in its history than any other program. The Hoosiers have never played in a Big Ten championship game, and they haven’t beaten Ohio State since the 1980s.
Why it doesn’t: There was a time when this game — between two undefeated, major conference teams — would decide who plays for a national championship. But no longer. These days, college football greatness is determined by a 12-team playoff, and both of these teams are comfortably in that field. The winner today will get a first-round bye. The loser might, too.
Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern on Fox
NOW TIME TO PLAY
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