The All-American Cookie Book [Hardcover]

Nancy Baggett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

For this trailblazing collection of America’s favorite cookies, Nancy Baggett crisscrossed the nation, visiting small-town bakeries, chic urban cookie boutiques, rural inns, bed-and-breakfasts, farmers’ markets, and the homes of locally renowned cooks. She combed through community cookbooks and searched out long-lost heirloom recipes, sure-handedly reworking every recipe in her own kitchen.
THE ALL-AMERICAN COOKIE BOOK celebrates regional gems from every corner of the country: Pennsylvania Dutch Soft Sugar Cookies, New York Black and Whites, New Mexican Biscochitos, Key Lime Frosties from Florida, and Mocha Espresso Wafers from Seattle. A sophisticated hazelnut chocolate sandwich cookie that was the closely guarded secret of an Oregon hostess is here, and so is a delightfully crisp (and easy to roll out) old-fashioned gingerbread cookie recreated from a handwritten 1880 notebook.
Homespun classics abound: Chocolate Whoopie Pies, Caramel Apple Crumb Bars, Chocolate Chunk Brownies, and Caramel-Frosted Brown Sugar Drops. The collection also features devastatingly delicious contemporary creations like Chewy Chocolate Chunk Monster Cookies and Cranberry-Cherry Icebox Ribbons. For children and adults alike, one of the most exciting chapters will be the lavishly illustrated “Cookie Decorating and Crafts,” which includes everything from simple projects like Christmas cookies and Chocolate Gingerbread Bears to an elaborate gingerbread house. As Nancy Baggett tells the story of America’s heritage, she slips in fascinating bits of history, showing the evolution of our homegrown baking traditions.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nancy Baggett went on a culinary journey in search of the best American cookies. Amazed by the remarkable repertoire of American bakers, Baggett spent several years researching and baked nearly 30,000 cookies for The All-American Cookie Book. Every American cookie you can think of is here--more than 150 of them--from luscious Black Bottom Mini Brownie Cups and chewy Chocolate Thumbprint Crackles to Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies and crisp, spicy Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies. More-unusual regional favorites include Savannah Chocolate Chewies, Chocolate Whoopie Pies from Pennsylvania, and Floridian Ambrosia Cookies made with coconut and pineapple. Avid bakers will appreciate the bits of cookie lore and history in this brilliant collection. Baggett also gives interesting insight into how American cookies evolved, and how different ingredients and techniques were introduced. Mouthwatering photographs tempt and delectable descriptions convince you to try nutty, fruity, chocolaty concoctions, every one of them made in America. --Leora Y. Bloom

From Publishers Weekly

Baggett (International Cookie Cookbook) has spent the last few years searching this country for great cookie recipes, and enthusiasm over the results (such as Fudge Brownies Supreme) characterizes every page of Baggett's wonderful new cookie compendium. Her first chapter covers the basics, though other useful how-to's emerge throughout the book, such as shaping cookie dough in a loaf pan for Cranberry-Cherry Icebox Ribbons. The next nine chapters, mostly divided into flavors (chocolate, fruit, spices, etc.), reveal America's wide-ranging cookie bounty, from Vermont's Maple Sugar cut-outs and Kentucky's Bourbon Fruitcake Cookies to Coffee-Pecan Crunch Bars from Texas and Hazelnut-Chocolate Chip Cookies from Oregon. Enlivened by quotes from old cookbooks, each straightforward recipe tells the story of its heritage, whether it's a simple Mrs. Porter's Improved Jumbles from the 1800s or a contemporary "Chubby" weighing in with one pound of chocolate. (Oct.)Forecast: As a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, these cookies will reach the hands of many an American.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First Edition edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395915376
• ISBN-13: 978-0395915370
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #524,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nancy Baggett is one of America's most respected baking teachers. She is the author of the best-selling All-American Cookie Book, The International Cookie Cookbook, and The International Chocolate Cookbook, which was named the best dessert cookbook by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Her work has appeared in Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Ladies' Home Journal. She has demonstrated her recipes on many television shows, including Good Morning America and CBS This Morning.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only own one . . . January 25, 2002

By Nicole Harpe

Format:Hardcover

If you only own one cookie book in your life, make it this one. I know Maida Heater and Nick Malgieri and others have great books out there, but this book presents so many delicious cookies made with accessible ingredients (mostly) and each cookie has been just delicious. My favorite is the Chocolate Malt Cookie with Chocolate Malt Cream Cheese filling. Boy! It's worth searching out malt powder (the only ingredient that may be hard to find.) The Cranberry Ribbon Cookies are really tasty (though I changed the cherry preserves to orange marmalade).

The directions are well-written and I appreciated the advice on how to freeze the cookies and how long the cookies will stay fresh. When you're cooking for a party or a holiday, it's good to have that information. I also liked to see all the photos. You know what the end product is supposed to look like. That kind of help is also appreciated.

I think you will get a lot of enjoyment out of making and eating the cookies in Ms. Baggett's book. Buying this book is not a risk. It's the surest bet out there.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Variety and Interesting Facts January 5, 2002

By J. Chernoff

Format:Hardcover

I loved Nancy Baggett's book; I am a professional chef and cooking teacher myself and I've made probably fifteen recipes from this book, several of which I've used in classes during the holiday season. Particularly delicious were the Black-Bottom Mini Brownie Cups, Iced Cranberry-White Chocolate Drop Cookies, Ginger-Spice Crinkles, and the Coconut-Banana Chews (to which I added 2 tablespoons of cocoa with the dry ingredients-yum). I've given many copies of the book as gifts this year and will continue to do so. I found the book to be well-researched and user-friendly. The pictures (by photographer Alan Richardson) are gorgeous.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Yummy Yummy Yummy January 16, 2002

By feysidhe VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The cookies in this book (at least the ones I have tried) are incredible. As a warning, some of them are a little on the difficult side, but some are easy as...well, not pie since pie is difficult, but easy! A couple of warnings:

1. READ THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK. Even if you're an expert, you need to read the introductory information. Nancy Baggett is very specific in the beginning about certain things like the way she wants you to measure flour, etc. This also goes for the directions within the recipes about things like the temperatures of various ingredients. If you take your eggs out of the fridge and use them in the chocolate meringues, you'll be very disappointed in the cookies! If you're careful, however, you'll find them very delicious.

2. Know your oven. My oven, for example, takes a little longer than the ovens in *any* cookbook, even though I have had it tested for temperature. If you don't bake frequently, you'll want to test your cookies so you don't either undercook or overcook them.

Basically, this is an excellent book with detailed information, fascinating tidbits of cookie history great pictures and delicious cookie recipes for both the beginner and the expert.