Tue, 11/26/2019 - 3:13pm
Looking for some inspiration for your holiday cookie baking (or perhaps for the SPL cookie swap at Remnant Brewing on 12/23)? Here are thumbnail descriptions of some great cookie books in the Somerville Public Library's collection! Newest books are listed first. Gluten free titles are at the end of the list. Click on the title to find the book in the library catalog, or stop by the book display on the second floor and pick one up. Happy holiday season, and happy baking!
Martha Stewart's Cookie Perfection, by Martha Stewart, Clarkson Potter, 2019
Classic recipes take on new life with delicious updates such as Lemony Brown-Butter Crinkle Cookies and Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies. Get inspired by cultures around the globe with Brazilian Wedding Cookies and Stroopwaffels; and celebrate with beautifully decorated holiday treats, such as Easter Egg Puzzle Cookies and Snowball Truffles! Photos throughout.
Kawaii Sweet World, by Rachel Fong, Clarkson Potter, 2019
Kawaii is Japanese for cute, and the cookies and other treats in this book are the cutest of cute! The cookies chapter includes oatmeal bears, cupcake pinatas, peanut butter lions, chocolate monkeys, lemon emojis, cloud macaroons, fall leaves, owl snickerdoodles, and more. Christmas-themed cake pops, too! Photos and illustrations throughout.
American Cookie, by Anne Byrn, Rodale Books, 2018
Like some history with your recipes? Byrn (American Cake; The Cake Mix Doctor series) explores the origin and significance of several dozen cookie recipes, including drop, shaped, icebox, wafer, and bar cookies. Sidebars offer baking suggestions and historical notes, and each recipe is introduced with a brief anecdote about its origins. Photos throughout.
The Cookie Book: Decadent Bites for Every Occasion, by Rebecca Firth, Page St Publishing, 2018.
Food writer and photographer Firth (displacedhousewife.com), whose recipes have appeared in Bake from Scratch magazine, delivers a debut of extravagant cookie recipes with ingredients that are readily available. Firth's easygoing style leads the baker through each step of a recipe and includes many tips that enhance the baking process. The holiday cookie swap chapter includes truffles, bars, snaps, sandwich cookies and more. Photos throughout.
Bake From Scratch, V. 2, Bryan Hart Hoffmann, 83 Press, 2018
All three volumes in the Bake From Scratch series have cookie recipes, but volume two has a ton of holiday cookies, sandwich cookies, shortbreads, ornament cookies, 3-D cookies, and more, with great photos for decor inspiration. Recipes are collected from the second year of Bake from Scratch magazine.
Taste of Home 365 Days of Cookies, Taste of Home Books, 2017
A compendium of ccokie recipes organized by season. Tons of color photos, lots of inspiration for decorating, packaging, and presentation.
Dorie’s Cookies, by Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016
James Beard Award-winner for Best Baking and Dessert Book 2017. Cookies for every taste and occasion here. There are company treats like Portofignos, with chocolate dough and port-soaked figs, dozens of choices for holiday cookie swaps, including Little Rascals (German jam sandwich cookies with walnuts), Italian Saucissons (chocolate log cookies studded with dried fruit), and Snowy-Topped Brownie Drops. Photos throughout.
Cookie Love, by Mindy Segal, Ten Speed Press, 2015
Fun interpretations of classic recipes for drop cookies, shortbread, sandwich cookies, egg white cookies, spritz and thumbprints, twice-baked cookies, rugelach & kolachkes, plus bars and basics. How fun? How about Brown Butter with Hickory Smoked Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies, Creme de Violet Snickerdoodles, Citrus, Brown Butter, and Graham Cracker Shortbread with Framboise Preserves and Hibiscus Sugar Rugelach? Inspired!
Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, by Alice Medrich, Artisan Books, 2010 (2010 IACP Baking Book of the Year)
Alice Medrich's landmark cookie cookbook is organized by texture, from crunchy to airy to chunky. An inveterate tester and master manipulator of ingredients, she draws on the world's pantry of ingredients for delicious riffs on the classics, such as airy meringues studded with cashews and chocolate chunks, palmiers (elephant's ears) made with cardamom and caramel, and rugelach with halvah.
Martha Stewart’s Cookies, by Martha Stewart, Clarkson Potter, 2008
Another good cookie book orrganized by texture. Chapters include Light and Delicate (Cherry Tuiles, Hazelnut Cookies, Chocolate Meringues); Rich and Dense (Key Lime Bars, Chocolate Mint Sandwiches, Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies); Chunky and Nutty (Magic Blondies, Turtle Brownies, White Chocolate-Chunk Cookies); Soft and Chewy (Snickerdoodles, Fig Bars, Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies); Crisp and Crunchy (ANZAC Biscuits, Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti, Almond Spice Wafers); Crumbly and Sandy (Cappuccino-Chocolate Bites, Maple-Pecan Shortbread, Lemon-Apricot Sandwiches); and Cakey and Tender (Lemon Madeleines, Carrot Cake Cookies, Pumpkin Cookies with Brown-Butter Icing). Full color photos and helpful tips and techniques for baking, decorating, and storing, as well as lovely gift-packaging ideas in standout Martha Stewart style.
King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion, Countryman Press, 2004.
A solid how-to guide to cookies that will appeal to beginners and advanced bakers alike. Technique illustrations appear throughout. A glossy insert of photo pages provides decoration examples. All the essentials are covered, with lots of holiday cookies in the mix.
The All-American Cookie Book, by Nancy Baggett, Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
Baggett celebrates regional cookies from every corner of the country. Lots of holiday-ready cookies throughout, with a "Cookie Decorating and Crafts" chapter that includes Chocolate Gingerbread Bears and a pattern for a gingerbread house. A delicious nugget of history accompanies each recipe.
Gluten-Free Baking at Home, by Jeffrey Larsen, Ten Speed Press, 2019
Includes a cookie tutorial and practical, helpful tips for success in baking gluten-free cookies. Chocolate chip cookies, rolled cookies/gingerbread, snickerdoodles, thumbprints, shortbread, sugar cookies, s’mores, and more. Designed to be accessible to amateur bakers willing to follow its guidelines regarding weights, temperatures, and selection of quality ingredients. Photos featuring technique and presentation throughout.
The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook, by America’s Test Kitchen, 2014-2015. Recommended by gluten-free bakers on our staff! Tested, reliable, recipes with ample photo illustrations.
Volume 1 features cookie recipes that use King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free mixes, including chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar, peanut butter, shortbread, holiday cookies for decorating, and more.
Volume 2 features a variety of cookie recipes made using a homemade flour blend developed by ATK - great if you prefer to prepare your own.
Gluten-Free Baking Classics, by Annalise G. Roberts, Surrey Books, 2008.
Expanded second edition. Recommended by gluten-free bakers on our staff! The cookie chapter contains more than 20 recipes including gingerbread people, sugar cookies, butter cookies, gingersnaps and other holiday favorites.
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