Summary

Shortcut baking can be easy and sophisticated -- for novices, experts, and everyone in between!

More than 800 quick and delicious recipes from the winner of The Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown--including the $25,000 winning recipe!

Beginning with a box of cake mix, brownie mix, refrigerated cookie dough--or opting for an equally easy no-bake cookie--is not only easier than pie, but also leads to sweet success time and time again.

Home bakers have always taken advantage of newly available shortcuts, whether in the form of pre-shelled and chopped nuts, shredded coconut, measured sticks of butter, or the uniform bits of chocolate we know so well as "chips." Making quick, easy, and delicious desserts using store-bought mixes and other shortcuts is not about abandoning traditional cookie and dessert recipes, but about celebrating a host of new options.

Each recipe in this collection has been streamlined for easy, everyday baking--if you can wield a wooden spoon, you have all the skills necessary to start turning out any of these mouth-watering treats.

Go from Humble Beginnings to Scrumptious Endings With These Clever Shortcuts:

A roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough becomes Decadent Chocolate-Dipped Toffee Chippers

Start with applesauce and a package of devil's food cake mix to make Devil's Food Whoopies with Cocoa Fluff Filling

With quick-cooking oats, a few minutes, and no oven, you can make German Chocolate Cookies

Start with fresh pears and a package of vanilla cake mix to make Fresh Pear Cookies with Browned Butter Icing

A package of spice cake mix becomes Chai Spice Cookies

With miniature candy bars and a roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough, you can make Candy Bar Cookie Pops

Using a package of brownie mix you can wow your guests with Bananas Foster Chocolate Upside Down Cake

And over 800 others...including the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown $25,000-winning cookie recipe!