Customer Reviews

The Cookie and Biscuit Bible

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First, this book has hundreds of different recipes that are easy to follow and the ones that I have tried have come out really great. I would recommend this book to anyone who has been baking for years and those who are just starting out. For nearly fifty pages (or more) the authors have included instructions and methods needed for their recipes. They also describe the different ingredients that you will need and how you can duplicate any that you cannot find in stores (particularly in the US).

I think this is a fantastic book for those in many different countries. All the ingredients and methods are listed in metric, ounces, and US measurements which makes it easier for different nationalities to understand the measurements. Also, oven temperatures are given in degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit (and different levels of Gas...I'm not sure what this means).

In addition to the clear and concise recipes, there are wonderful pictures of each and every recipe. The recipes range from easy to difficult, and there are many different types of each for any level of baker. I very much recommend this book to anyone looking for some great new recipes or some classic variations. I really love this book. The one and only qualm I have with this book is that it doesn't lay flat since the book is not bound with a spiral spine. However, I do think this is a must-have for all bakers.

So far, the only redeeming quality about this book is that it has pretty pictures. Anything past that is terrible. The recipes don't work - it's like the authors thought of some good ingredients and didn't really try it out to see if it works. For example, the corn flake chocolate clusters don't work the way the recipe reads and just jumble up once you add the corn syrup. The triple chocolate cookies turn out dry and gritty. So far, I haven't found a recipe that works the way it's supposed to. Get recipes from your older relatives and don't waste money on this book!

I purchased this book at a local bookstore in the bargain section. I can see why it was in the clearance section. I tried the triple chocolate cookie recipe and the cookies came out grainy and crumbly. All the other recipes I read on the internet indicate that you should add eggs to the recipe and this one omits it. It seems as though they did not even proof read or test their own recipes. I bake quite a bit and would not recommend trying the recipes in this book.

I have tried using this book for a few recipes, and they only worked when I:
- Modified the recipes (i.e., mixing corn syrup into an recipe later instead of at the same time as the rest of the ingredients as the book instructs)
- Change the temperature on my oven (by +/- 50 degrees) and cook time
- Tried the recipes more than twice and wasted a lot of time and money driving back and forth to the grocery store to try to get them to turn out well.

I do not recommend this book unless you have a lot of time and money to waste. When you want to make some cookies the day before a gathering, it's not helpful to mess them up and have little or nothing to bring because a cookbook didn't give instructions that are up to interpretation.

Bad book.

Maybe I'm just used to old fashioned/layman's terms for recipes but this was in some jargon that I did not understand. I tried it anyways.

First cookies were the Cappuccino Swirls. I was expecting some major tastiness but then I realized it didn't use eggs so I got a bit concerned but went through with it anyway. I mixed the ingredients together as it said [so I believe] and then the dough came out really crumbly which comparing to the picture it did not look like that. So what adds moisture to cookies? Butter or eggs. I added butter until it looked like what was in the picture b/c it shows the actual dough. I popped them in the oven only to find them 10 minutes later all nasty looking and well scary! They looked somewhat like lace cookies but with the swirls in the middle that I had carefully constructed [honestly looked like my cat had diarrhea all over the cookie sheets haha]. Very disappointing! And super oily and greasy! But there was no way to put the original ingredients on a cookie sheet. It was as if I had left the dough out for days and practically all the moisture was gone. Maybe I read it wrong? But I doubt it.

I'm still going to try one more cookie but I'm a little concerned b/c I don't want to waste anymore ingredients. This is for Christmas cookie tins for friends and family! Very disappointed. This book was a birthday gift over the summer and I didn't try it until now because I was a bit scared with the jargon and lack of time. I wouldn't bother with this if I were you unless you understand all the odd terms that probably only people who go to culinary school will understand. This is a hobby not a profession and they do not make the cookies easy to make!

I disagree with those who say the recipes don't work. Everything we've tried has been fabulous. And it is a bible - just about everything you can imagine is included. Our favorite so far - the tiramisu cookies.

An excellent book, simply laidout, simple to understand with a wealth of useful information which should be on everyone's shelf.
Ten out of ten

I was thrilled when I bought this book. I went home and started to look at the recipes right away. The book had many beautiful pictures so I can see the final results of the cookies, whick I love.

But then I noticed the strange measuring system. I wish they stuck to one way of measurement. They had grams, ounces, and cups all in one row making it hard to tell how much of an ingredient you would need. I made the peanut butter cookies since my family loves them, but they came out really dry and the peanut butter you could barely taste.

I tried to make some other cookies to see if they would turn out tasty but they still came out dry. When making the Sugar-topped Vanilla Cookies the dough was very dry and would not stick together when trying to roll it out.

This book uses measurements and methods that I am not used too. Even though the cookies in the pictures look delicious and fun to eat, actually making them is confusing and not fun at all.

I just love shopping at Amazon. I have always received my purchases fast. They are in excellent condition. They are true to their sellers discriptions. If you have never shopped with Amazon, you are missing out on a truly reliable and reputable site.