Bake and Make Amazing Cookies has more specialized appeal than Eat It Up!, and not just because it zeros in on cookies and squares. Judging by its design elements (bright pink endpapers, butterfly and flower accents) and Martha Stewart-like emphasis on fancy gift boxes, this book is clearly aimed at girls. We’re talking neat, detail-oriented girls, here: the hall monitor types. Take, for instance, the introductory blurb to the recipe for Slowpokes: “These cookies look like slow, pokey turtles. Perfect for a friend who’s always late.”

The upside of all this neatness is that the book is well organized, with recipes that are fairly easy to follow and pleasing to the eye. There is a table of contents and a brief introduction with measuring and safety tips. The chapters are divided by occasion: Holidays; For Special People; Seasons; and Just for Fun. Each recipe features two brightly coloured illustrations: one of the finished product, and the other of a preparation stage. The collection includes such standards as chocolate chip cookies and brownies, but also imaginative creations such as Groundhog Day Earthquakes (resembling scorched earth but still, somehow, mouth-watering).

Apart from the decorations, there is little to distinguish these cookie recipes from the ones in general cookbooks. There are a few concessions to fledgling bakers, such as the reliance on regular salted butter, brought to room temperature for easy mixing without an electric beater. Still, kids at the lower end of the recommended age range (8 to 12) will almost certainly have to work closely with an adult when following this book.