The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook: Recipes from the World-Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen [Deckle Edge] [Roughcut]

Jennifer Appel (Author), Allysa Torey (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 3, 2009

• Solid backlist titles: The books in hardcover have netted 150,000 total, and each continues to net approximately ten thousand per year..

• Updated package: Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and More from Magnolia are integrated into a new format (paperback with flaps) that includes a fresh design, a new introduction, and a new cover..

• Nationally recognized brand: The bakery, which made a memorable appearance on Sex and the City , was sold in 2007 and there are now three New York City locations, all of which regularly have lines that stretch out the door and down the block..

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

.

Allysa Torey and Jennifer Appel are the founders of the Magnolia Bakery in New York City, which now has two additional stores.  In 1999 Jennifer Appel left to open Buttercup Bake Shop, which has two locations in Manhattan, where she resides with her husband Hernan and her daughter Isabel. Allysa Torey sold Magnolia Bakery in 2007, and currently lives with her son Wilson Henry in upstate NY, where she spends her time writing, cooking, gardening, and taking long walks through the hayfields with her collies Sam, Daisy and Honey.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

When we first opened the Magnolia Bakery, we imagined a cozy, old-fashioned shop where people could come for a cup of coffee and something sweet. We expected our customers to include some local regulars and lots of neighborhood families. We thought we'd close at seven each evening so we could go home and make dinner. We never expected that Magnolia would turn into a city-wide hangout, much less that on weekend nights there would be lines out the door!

The Magnolia Bakery came into being over a brunch conversation during which Jennifer and I expressed for the umpteenth time our mutual frustration with our jobs and lifestyles. We finally decided that something would be done about it and opened up a wholesale baking business in early 1996. We soon received very positive feedback from our customers. When a retail space became available in our favorite neighborhood, we grabbed the opportunity. New York City's West Village seemed ideal. It was low-key and family-oriented, a place where we could do what we loved where we loved it. Over the course of two months and with the help of an adept construction crew, we transformed an empty shell into a warm cozy kitchen.

Our customers would stop by as much for the feel of the store as they did for the desserts. With its vintage American decor and desserts, customers often told us that walking into the bakery was just like stepping back in time to their grandmother's kitchen. They would come in for a slice of cake and end up with a little piece of their childhood. Over the years, people have wanted to meet us to say thanks for making the red velvet cake they remembered from church picnics or the banana pudding just like their mom used to make. While the business itself was fast paced and hectic at times, our original aim and values remained the same: we simply did everything the oldfashioned way, using the best and freshest ingredients, and took the time to produce delicious homemade treats.

A few years into business together, Jennifer left Magnolia to open up her own bakery, The Buttercup Bake Shop in midtown Manhattan. After the publication of The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, many people suggested that I do a second book. While working full time at the bakery, the idea of writing another cookbook seemed impossible. Finally, after putting together a committed staff at the shop, I was able to move full time to my country house, and I could really consider the idea, knowing that I would have the time and energy necessary to write the book I wanted to write. I created the recipes for More From Magnolia in an old-fashioned style, but with new ideas and different combinations of ingredients to keep things interesting and fun.

As the unexpected popularity of our cupcakes grew, the bakery got busier and busier and the lines got longer and longer. After ten wonderful years at Magnolia, I decided to sell the business to stay home full time with my growing family. The new owners have opened more Magnolia Bakeries and continue to be successful.

This collection of recipes brings together all of the recipes in both Magnolia cookbooks -- classic American desserts reflecting the sensibilities of the bakery and my home.

Allysa Torey

Introduction copyright © 2009 by Allysa Torey --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Roughcut: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Original edition (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439175640
• ISBN-13: 978-1439175644
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Desserts

More About the Author

Allysa Torey is the proprietor of the Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village, New York. Torey lives in New York City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good treats, but lots of repeats. January 10, 2010

By J. R. Pulley

Format:Roughcut|Amazon Verified Purchase

I saw this cookbook in a bookstore and promptly purchased it off amazon that evening. I have since made several items in the cookbook and have enjoyed most of them (although, surprisingly not the cupcakes. Mine turned out dry. I'll keep trying though). The brownies I've tried have been spectacular and they did not last long at all.

I really only have two complaints: First, none of the pictures line up. There are several pictures of treats, but you won't find them on the same page (or even near the same page) as the recipe. So if you see a picture you like, you have to scramble to find the recipe. Not a big deal, but slightly annoying. My second, and most significant, complaint is that the recipes repeat themselves! Page 91 and 97- same vanilla cupcake/vanilla birthday cake recipe. Page 92 and 98 same Devil's food cake recipe and another Devil's food on 104 that's only slightly different. 108/112 same chocolate cake recipe. And on and on. Sometimes the recipe is named with an icing (i.e., Devil's Food cake with Seven Minute Icing) and the icing is on a different page as well. I suppose I could see giving variations on the same page (i.e., "to make cupcakes do this:" "to make a 3 layer cake do this") but I don't understand why they decided to list the same recipes multiple times. I think that's in poor taste and it definitely discourages me from buying another Magnolia Bakery cookbook. If they ran out of recipes in one, why would I purchase a second one?

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Skip this if you're a Magnolia fan February 17, 2010

By I. Gutierrez

Format:Roughcut

Let me explain... if you're a fan of the previous two books, like I am, chances are you already own them and bake from them often. My family enjoys the treats from this bakery so much that when I saw they had a new book, of course my husband gave it to me for Christmas. Well, I'm sorry to say it went back for a refund. Now, don't get me wrong, the recipes are as delicious as ever, it's just that it's practically the same two previous books just made into one! The same recipes, even the very same photos. There just wasn't enough new material to warrant buying this new book. So many repeats of the other books AND of the recipes in this book itself as well as the fact that they didn't more or less imply this in the description or blurbs, just makes me think that they were trying to make a quick buck off of the fans.
However, if you're trying out the Magnolia recipes for the first time, then definitely go for it.

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars No Original Recipes! January 20, 2010

By Brian D. Leister

Format:Roughcut|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have previously purchased the other two Magnolia cookbooks, and just recently got this one....only to find out it's the SAME recipes that are in their other two cookbooks - and the same photos from the previous books.

What a rip off!!! This book is going back for a refund!

If you have the other Magnolia books - don't waste your money on this one.