I am a devoted baking purist and have always disdained cookie mixes as something used only by people who don’t care enough to invest the effort to produce a quality product. HOWEVER, I recently tried the Jacques Torres Mudslide Cookie Mix from King Arthur Flour. Absolutely incredible. The mix includes two kinds of top-quality Belgian chocolate and results in a sort of Toll House-meets-Godiva perfection. The cookies are so rich, I recommend making them much smaller than the size suggested on the box. Probably best suited to adult tastes, these made an amazing hit with our friends. Purchase online through King Arthur Flour — $12.95 a box.

– Charlie Jeanne Klumpp