Reviewed by annieb123 on
100 Cookies is a tutorial and recipe collection for everyday and fancy baked goodies developed and curated by Sarah Kieffer. Released 25th Aug 2020 by Chronicle Books, it's 304 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a definitive and extensive collection of recipes with something for everyone - from classics (chocolate chip cookies, brownies) to fairly fancy and innovative (olive oil sugar cookies with blood orange glaze, lavender cookies with white chocolate - créme fraîche glaze). These will gladden the heart of anyone who has ever searched in vain for a cookie recipe to take to a family gathering or other event. This will become a staple for every cook who enjoys holiday baking.
The introduction (indeed the whole book) is written very clearly and covers everything from tools to supplies to "how-to" tutorials and techniques. The recipes are grouped roughly thematically: the classics, brownies & blondies, fruitextravaganza, the next level (fancy!), time to play, pan banging cookies (special technique for getting crispy edges and gooey centers), and mix & match. The author has also included a generous selection of affiliated baking and ingredient recipes including pie dough, puff pastry, brown butter, pastry cream, lemon curd, and others.
The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard with metric measurements in parentheses (yay!). Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. Yields, description, and prep time are included in a header bar. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store.
The book also includes a short author bio and conversion charts, along with an index including an ingredients index. There is a short bibliography and links for sourcing specialized ingredients and equipment. The recipes themselves are varied, and represent a wide variety of holidays and occasions to celebrate. They're tasty and many are simple and easy to prepare, requiring few ingredients and little prep time. Other recipes are *very* fancy and will impress even the most jaded tastes. I am definitely going to take the sugar cookies with blood orange glaze to our departmental cookie meet-up this winter (assuming we're allowed to gather by then).
Five stars. This is a winner collection.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 30 August, 2020: Finished reading
- 30 August, 2020: Reviewed