The Cookie Bible is a really comprehensive collection of cookies and small bakes by baking maven Rose Levy Beranbaum. Due out 9th Nov 2021 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, it's 448 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
There are a number of truly perennial cookbooks like The Joy of Cooking, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Cake Bible (also by Beranbaum) and Fannie Farmer's classic to name just a few. This is one for *every* lover of small bakes and cookies.
This book really does have it all. There are cookies which are familiar and beloved of everyone - so it gets an A+ on completeness (a whopping huge book). There are classics both easy and challenging for all occasions. There are also beautifully presented exotic cookies with unexpected twists: soft or fruity centers, candied peel, unexpected pairing of sweet and savory and more. There are many (many!) with an international background including lebkuchen, macarons, pizelles, pepparkakor (Scandinavian gingerbreads), and so many more. I am a huge cookie/cake fanatic and I couldn't think of a single cookie which isn't represented here in one form or another.
The recipes are grouped roughly thematically: hand rolled, dropped/piped, shaped by hand, rolled & cut, holiday cookie cutouts, bars & cake cookies, meringues & candies, and extras including the author's own recipe for candied citrus peels includes enough thorough instruction, extra hints and tips, and clear photographs to likely make it alone worth the price of the book. Each recipe includes an introduction, yields, description, equipment, ingredients listed bullet-style in a sidebar with metric and American standard measures included, and step by step specific directions which are clear and easy to follow. Alternatives and special info is included in "baking gems" which are highlighted in text bars at the end of each recipe.
The photography is superb. This is a classic and comprehensive collection and will be a perennial go-to. Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
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