Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich [Paperback]

Alice Medrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 2010

 2010 IACP Baking Book of the Year

With recipes organized by texture! Flaky, gooey, crunchy, crispy, chewy, chunky, melt-in-your-mouth . . .

Cookies are easy, enticing, and fun. Yet as the award-winning baker Alice Medrich notes, too often, home cooks cling to the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips, when so much more is possible. “What if cookies reflected our modern culinary sensibility—our spirit of adventure and passion for flavors and even our dietary concerns?” Medrich writes in her introduction to this landmark cookie cookbook, 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 such delicious riffs on the classics as airy meringues studded with cashews and chocolate chunks, palmiers (elephant’s ears) made with cardamom and caramel, and rugelach with halvah. Butter and sugar content is slashed and the flavor turned up on everything from ginger snaps to chocolate clouds. From new spins on classic recipes including chocolate-chip cookies and brownies, to delectable 2-point treats for Weight Watchers, to cookies to make with kids, this master conjurer of sweets will bring bliss to every dessert table.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Medrich presents a compendium of exciting and enticing cookie recipes that reflects every aspect of our widening culinary landscape. Whole-grain flours as well as wheat-free alternatives are becoming more and more prevalent, and people are more often exposed and open to exotic spices and unique flavor combinations. Nibby buckwheat butter cookies, golden kamut shortbread, honey hemp bars, and whole wheat biscotti showcase whole-grain flours, while wheat-free versions of rugelach, toffee bars, butter cookies, and caramel cheesecake bars (just to scratch the surface) aim to please an increasing number of gluten-intolerant dessert lovers. There's a good chunk of dairy-free cookies as well as lower-fat versions (two Weight Watchers points, to be exact). Comfortingly, there are also homey recipes for classic peanut butter cookies, cakey brownies, and rocky road bars. Flavor combos are intriguing, as in the wheat-free grapefruit and basil butter cookies, aniseed and almond shortbread, and nutty cocoa cookie bark with Parmesan and sea salt. The recipes are organized by texture, hence the title, but there's also a section grouping cookies into categories like those containing whole grains, those that keep at least two weeks, ridiculously quick and easy cookies, and cookies to make with kids. This book has redesigned and reframed the often-overlooked cookie and is a boon to the modern, conscious baker. (Dec.)
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From Booklist

Textures, as her title shouts out, drive Medrich’s latest, more-than-130-recipe-filled cookie collection. Crispy? Try ginger Florentines and lavender tuiles. Crunchy means biscotti and nut slices. Oatmeal and honey hemp stands for chewy. As for gooey, flaky, and melt-in-your-mouth? Check out brownies in many flavors, rugelach, and the resurrected French macarons. Medrich sets the table by insisting (insofar as the written word can) that readers first review the user’s guide, a handy compendium of critical FAQs (e.g., how soft is softened butter?), an index of categories (e.g., whole grain, quick and easy, etc.), and troubleshooting details (e.g., the biggest issue with not-great cookies: too much flour). She carefully prepares bakers for success, including upgrades for most recipes (read variations) and notes about specific types, such as biscotti, tuiles, phyllo dough, and macarons. Last is her tech-support chapter, which wraps up her teachings on ingredients, equipment, and resources. It’s time to turn on the oven. --Barbara Jacobs

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Artisan (November 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579653979
• ISBN-13: 978-1579653972
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.1 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Cookies

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My New Favorite December 13, 2010

By Ken M. Bleile

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is my new favorite baking book. How do I love it? Let me count the ways. First and most importantly, the recipes produce absolutely astonishingly good cookies. Try My Chocolate Chip Cookie to see what I mean. Second, many recipes make use of innovative techniques and ingredients. For example, I was amazed at how using melted butter in oatmeal cookies could produce such a wonderful buttery crisp-chewy texture. Third, the recipes are clearly written with short introductions that evoke food well without being gushy, self promoting, or too cutesy. Fourth, the book is beautiful printed and illustrated. Fifth, you get all this for under $20, an almost unheard of low price among high quality baking books. Who might not enjoy this book: someone looking to learn cookie decoration or a very casual baker wanting something "semi homemade." But for someone who loves baking and for whom spending time in the kitchen is a reward rather than a chore, this book is the year's best find.

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book has Everything from Traditional to Unusual to Wheat-Free to Weight Watchers-friendly Cookies December 10, 2010

By k8inut

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book starts off with an explanation of terms used in the recipes. Then, it moves into a FAQ section covering a variety of topics, such as pan preparation, cookie, storage, and choosing/preparing the ingredients.

The sections in the book are divided by the topics in the title (crispy, crunchy, chunky, chewy, gooey, flaky, and melt-in-your-mouth). At the end, there are a couple of other informative sections. There is a component section with various things like fillings, frostings, cookie icings, and crusts. There are also ingredient and equipment explanatory sections.

Some of the dry ingredients in the recipes, such as flour, sugar, and nuts, are given in both volume and weight measurements. Many of the recipes have an "upgrade" (variation) section following the recipe. There are also mini tutorials throughout the book. For example, there are a couple pages devoted to tuiles. The mini tutorial talks about tuile basics, how to make and use a stencil for tuiles, more efficient tuile baking, and how to make ice cream cones from tuile batter.

There are a variety of recipes in this book. There are a few traditional stand-bys like chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles. There are also more unusual recipes, such as honey hemp bars, pebbly-beach fruit squares, breakfast biscotti, spicy carrot masala macaroons, and alfajores. Also, macarons are becoming popular, and there is a recipe, with variations, for French macarons.

One note for people looking for recipes for individuals with food sensitivities or special diets - there is a guide at the back of the book the lists recipes for wheat-free cookies, dairy-free cookies, cookies made with whole grains, and less fat and 2 (Weight Watchers) point treats. Each of the cookies in the point section lists how many cookies you can have for the points. For example, melting chocolate meringues - 2 cookies for 2 points. Other listings include doughs that freeze well, cookies that will keep for at least two weeks, and quick and easy recipes. For some reason, the listings don't have page numbers with the names of the cookies, but the index immediately follows the listings.

There aren't very many pictures in the book - only about 2 to 4 recipes in a chapter are pictured. I find that a little disappointing because I love to see what I'm about to make.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's cookie time! December 21, 2010

By Christine Cadorette

Format:Paperback

I received this book as part of a cookie class (demo) with Alice Medrich at our local Central Market. The book is beautiful, with wonderful pictures and great organization. I can vouch for the cookies that Alice graciously baked for us during our class time...they were all delicious, as well as the macaroon topped brownies that I made the other day. A great book to have on hand while you do your holiday baking. And if, like me, you missed out on an opportunity to purchase the now out-of-print Cookies and Brownies, you'll be happy to have this collection in its place. The recipes are clear, with great instructions given to complete each step, and weights are provided for the ingredients in addition to the normal "cup of flour" that can lead to varied results between batches even with the same baker at the oven. I'm a cookie hound with a full collection of cookbooks and holiday cookie magazines and I can say that this book is pushing it's way to the top of my favorites based on the first few cookies tried.