How to Make Your Own Cookbook

The Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The middle rack works best.
2. Cream together 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup white sugar, and 1 cup packed brown sugar. Don't melt the butter! This makes cookies go flat. Mix to combine well but take care not to over mix the butter- again this will leave you with flat cookies. And do your tastebuds a favor and use real butter, not margarine.
   
   And save the butter wrappers to rub on the cookie sheet instead of using cooking spray.
3. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. If you like chewy cookies, an extra egg will do the trick.
4. Add 1.5 tsp vanilla and mix well. Use the good stuff, no imitation, for a better tasting cookie. And measure carefully; too much vanilla can make your cookies flat and crunchy.
5. Here is where I break from conventional cookie making and add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp baking soda. I know this is usually mixed in with the flour and then added but mixing it in now actually helps it to mix better.
6. Slowly add in 3 cups flour. This works well if you do it about a cup at a time. Make sure flour isn't sitting at the bottom of your bowl.
7. After the flour is completely mixed in, add 2 cups chocolate chips. It's important to mix these well so you don't end up with some cookies having 20 chips and other cookies having none.
8. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you know your oven bakes things hotter in the back, rotate the sheet at about 6 or 7 minutes.

Step Four: Type them all up

Time to get them in print!

Ok, so this is the boring part. But if you're going to make a book, all the entries need to be typed. Yes, this means hours spent in front of a computer typing up ingredients and instructions. It sounds like a good punishment to us. But there are ways to make it a little easier.

• Search for and download recipes online. If you've chosen any recipes from a popular magazine or cookbook, chances are you can find the recipe online. You may have to search a little bit, but often free recipe sites include recipes taken from cookbooks.
• Get your friends and family to email you the recipes you want. Instead of copying a recipe card or taking down notes over the phone, ask your family to email you the recipes you want from them. This lightens the burden on you. And they may have some already typed up.
• Ask around. If you use many of the same recipes as other family or friends, see if they have any already typed. If they do, you can have them emailed to you or save them on a disk to put on your computer.
• Work with someone else. Putting together a recipe book can be a big job. Having a partner allows you to split up the work.
• Have your kids type them as punishment. OK, so maybe we're half kidding about this one. But it would have worked on me when I was a kid!

Step Six: Choose A Divider System

Time to get organized

• Copier Tabs. If you have a high speed copier or laser printer, this is a a great way to personalize index tabs for your project. These come in both collated and uncollated options and allow you to print on both the tab as well as the divider itself.
• Customizable Tabs. These allow you to print with a regular inkjet or laser printer. There are many colors and options available.
• Preprinted Index Dividers. These are printed either with numbers or letters and come with a corresponding table of contents already designed. With preprinted index tabs, all you need to do is design your table of contents sheet and insert the dividers.
• Insertables. Insertable dividers enable you to change the divisions at will. Simply write or print on the insertable labels and slide them into plastic divider tabs. Along this same line is also erasable tabs; these allow you to rub off pencil or pen (non-permanent ink only) and re-label as needed.
• Custom Index Tabs. The easiest way is to just have someone else do it for you. With custom index tabs, you can choose exactly what you want printed, how many tabs you need, and what color you want along with a few other options. They are printed off and shipped directly to you for your convenience.

Step Ten: Choose a Binding Method

Time to bind

• Three Ring Binder. This is the simplest choice. You can customize a three ring binder or print your own inserts for the front, side and back of a clear view binder. With this method, we'd suggest using page protectors to prevent damage from spills or splatters. Alternately, you could laminate your pages before entering them. Dividers are available pre-punched, making them easy to add to a binder. And you'll have the added benefit of being able to insert (or remove) pages as often as needed.
• Comb Binding. These machines are often seen in schools and are a great way to quickly bind documents. You can customize the side of the combs to reflect your personal cookbook.
• Coil Binding. This refers to the type of binding seen in spiral notebooks. The machines themselves can be found under $200 and offer a more secure bind than plastic combs. Coils come in a wide variety of colors from plain black to neon pink for fun customization. Toss is some pre-punched paper and coil binding is a snap.

Step Eleven: Choose a Binding Cover

• Clear Covers. These are great for anyone wanting to customize their cookbook with their own title page. A clear cover offers protection while displaying your printed sheet. They are available in a variety of thicknesses and sizes to accommodate any need.
• Regency Covers. Also known as Composition, Leatherflex, Leather-Look, Flexi-Grain, and Leatherette covers, these offer a professional look. They are made of heavily coated paper stock for quality and durability. You can find them in many different colors and sizes. Some offer a view window or customizable foil embossing for a more personal look.
• Frost Poly Binding Covers. These Frosted Polyethylene Covers give you strength and durability with the added elegance of a frosty opaque cover. They are tear-proof and customizable, come in a variety of colors, sizes, and thicknesses, and are also available in an eco-friendly option.