This is a legitimately good cookbook that happens to be perfect for families. The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen's obsessive testing means you're not gambling on Pinterest fails, and the 4.6 Amazon rating backs that up.

What makes it work: the range. You've got easy sugar cookie decorating for a rainy Saturday with a 7-year-old, but also show-stopping stuff like cookie shooters and homemade ice cream sandwiches that'll impress at a potluck. The cultural recipes (hamantaschen, Persian rice cookies) are a bonus—you're learning something while you bake.

It's enriching in the best, most practical way: kids learn to follow instructions, understand cause-and-effect (too much butter = flat cookies), practice patience, and experience the pride of making something from scratch. Plus, you end up with cookies, which is never a bad outcome.

The only caveat: this requires actual parenting bandwidth. You can't hand a kid this book and walk away. But if you've got the time and supervision to make it happen, it's a winner.