as you read this, i am most likely flagging a cab into the city from la guardia, to start my weekend NYC/NJ teaching gig. i won’t be home until monday. erica will fill in with another post on sunday, but i thought that for today, it would be fun to leave you with something to dream on—weekends are, after all, full of possibility.
and what possibility could be more alluring than that of cookies??
it might be a little too warm already where you live to be firing up the oven, but if it is one of the last temperate weekends, it could also be a good time to bake several batches and freeze them to eat over the summer when it’s really just too hot to even consider baking.
just a thought.
but if you find that thought really, REALLY appealing, you might be interested in this book—cookies, another volume in the at home series produced by the culinary institute of america.
as with the other at home books, this one includes a well-rounded combination of both instructional content and recipes.
a quick lesson at the start in appropriate equipment and ingredients to have on hand with an explanation of why they are right for cookie baking will get you off on the right track.
this is all really good stuff to know and if you haven’t heard it before, worth exploring before you go shopping.
why spend money on stuff you don’t need, only to end up trying to store it in space you don’t have? better to spend that money on good ingredients.
i also love the illustrated explanation of techniques—if you didn’t learn to cook at home or in school, these basics can really help pull together the concepts of baking—the bonus for reading this stuff is that many of these techniques apply in other areas of cooking and you’ll be adding to a growing stock of knowledge.
you can read these parts of the book at a separate time, well before baking day—no need to plod through them when you are ready to get your hands in flour.
once you get past the science, the book just gets more and more fun. first, a chapter about packaging and decorating—who doesn’t love that?
handmade baked good can be the loveliest of gifts, but if you plan to go this route, presentation makes a difference.
this chapter is full of great ideas for preparing gift packages that are a cut above for holidays or for any time.
included as well are some baking projects that can be tackled alone or in a small group, to learn a new technique and/or create something out of the ordinary.
after this, we get into the recipes; as with many other books, these are divided into sections according to cookie type—drop, bar, rolled, pressed, shaped, etc
included are many, many recipes for old-fashioned favorites, the every day cookies favored by many bakers for their ease of preparation and universal appeal.
most of my own favorites fall into this category; i’m not as attracted to fancier cookies as i am to good old drop cookies and bars.
what’s nice is seeing a few variations on these recipes that elevate easy-to-bake favorites into fussy-looking results, with a minimum of actual fuss. for instance, these cream filled sandwiches made with drop cookies.
of course, if you enjoy fussing, you will not be left out—there is plenty here to choose from.
get a load of these
or these.
and if that’s not fussy enough for you, i can put you to work sorting out my yarn room—that should keep you busy for a while.
the last chapter is very interesting and one that you don’t normally see in a cookie book—savory cookies.
from what i can tell, this mostly means crackers and other unsweet thins that act as vehicles for cheeses and toppings.
irresistible, yes?
i especially like the inclusion of this chapter in the book.
throughout the book a nice layout style is used that will help keep your eyes on the important material as you move from book to task and back again. clean, bright graphics accent the chapter changes and gorgeous photography supports the instructional segments as well as the recipes. the large, wide format allows the book to lay open in a relaxed way to the page of choice.
so what do you think? are you now the hopeless hostage of thoughts that circle back to cookies every five minutes or so? maybe you need to succumb and bake yourself up a batch or two. just a thought . . .
if this book has you all lathered up to shop for flour, butter, and nuts on the way home, then this next port is for you—leave a comment at the end of this post by 9pm EDST on monday night, for a chance to win your very own copy of cookies, generously provided by the culinary institute.
we will draw a name and let you know who the winner is in my next post, probably tuesday morning. happy baking!
289 thoughts on “who wants cookies?”
This SO makes me want to bake cookies! Would love a copy of the book.
I want this book! Everything looks amazing!
Oh yummy! My Mom always loved to bake, so I suppose that I followed suit since I loooove a good cookie – snickerdoodles, chewy oatmeal raisin, some tartly sweet and fresh lemon bars, pillowy whoopie pies. Oh I could go on and on! I would love to try the CIA’s recipes and would likely share the baking with my collegiate son, since that is lacking in his culinary education. (He’s far surpassed my savory cooking skills-it just comes naturally to him).
Thanks for holding the giveaway,
Betsy in the overcast gray Seattle suburbs.
OK, now I want cookies… good thing there are chocolate chips in the cupboard! I’d love to expand my repertoire, though, with a copy of the book…
Yum, I can fel them on my hips already!
Looks like a great book. I love to bake. I’ve tried the macarons a few times with decent taste but not the same texture as those you buy.
I would love, love to have this book. I’m known for my baking.
this book would seriously put a dent in my diet, but I want it anyway. =)
YUM.
Yay! Nothing’s better than a cookie post on a knitting blog. I love baking, expecially getting my hands in it. 🙂
I love cookies. They used to be my biggest baking output. Thanks to a bad run with hypermobility syndrome and having lost custody of my stand mixer, I make more cakes these days–batter is easier to manage by hand than dough–but I still do one or two big cookie baking weeks a year.
Yum now I want to make some cookies!
I’d love to win this book for my daughter, the cookie-maker in our family. Pick me, pick me!
I would love to add this book to my collection. I love to make cookies! Thank you for the opportunity to put my name into the drawing.
Oh my, my mouth is watering at the thought. I may have to look for this one no matter what! It really looks like a keeper.
I love cookies!
The info pages in the front seems to be what sets this book apart and makes it a keeper.
mmmmmmmmmmmm Cookies!
We only get biscuits!
This book looks YUMMY! I’ll have to look into the rest of the series – a lot of good, inspirational information even for a grandma!
I would love to bake these cookies for when the grandkids come in for a 3week visit in June.
Cookies are my FAVORITE! Tied with yarn; seriously, I love them. Great book and great giveaway!
Yummy! My girls and I love baking cookies!
One word – YUM! Americans really do do cookies better than biscuits here in the UK…
I’m drooling…..cookies are one of my very favorite things to eat….right up there with pie!
I adore cookies! In fact, a book of Canadian cookie recipes is what I usually take to gift to my host/ess when I travel. Wanna invite me over? 🙂
I love cookies. I try to make a batch at least once a month. This looks like a great book. I’m especially intrigued by the savory cookie section. Those would be great for party apps. Thanks much for a fantastic giveaway.
Yum!
I love to bake cookies and that book looks like great inspiration!
When I grow up, I want to be a pastry chef!
I LOVE baking cookies, and this book looks like a must, any way you cut it:))
Oh, YUM. Those cookies look incredible, especially those carrot cake ones!
Love. love, love cookies. And it looks like it’s not just the French who have the monopoly of baking irresistible cookies…
I love to bake and I love cookbooks of any kind. I have yet to purchase any of the CIA series–because my budget is being saved for knitterly items. This looks like a fabulous cookbook and a real keeper.
Well now, aren’t you just a little bit evil? 😉
Lots of divine looking stuff there, including Whoopie Pies which have been on my ‘To Try’ list for a while. And I second the vote for Savory Cookies – think cocktails, people! Or a little nibble when you don’t want sweet.
Oooh, that looks like a lovely book! I like the idea of lollypop cookies. That’s probably a great idea for a children’s birthday party, as party favours for the kids!
YUM!!!!
I have been hankering after homemade cookies for the last two weeks, in fact, there is a cookie cookbook open on my counter right now; after reading your post, I am seriously in need of a fix. Those chocolate dipped biscotti in the last photo may be my undoing. Thanks for the great give-away.
Yummy! Thanks for the visual review of this great new book. Sounds like a very thorough overview of all things cookie and love the idea of savory crackers as well.
I love cookies enough that I made myself birthday cookies this week instead of a birthday cake… cake just isn’t as easy to munch whenever you feel the urge.
I especially love the idea of savory cookies… can’t tell you how many ‘cracker’ recipes I’ve tried (wouldn’t it be nice to not have to buy the ones with preservatives in them?) only to get disappointing results. I trust that these would come out great!
Drooling…need cookies NOW!!!
Sweets and savories and toppings, oh my!
Yum! Have fun in NYC:)
Looks like a great book…hoping they have a few whole wheat flour versions. mary in Cincinnati
Me! Me! I love cookies. I love baking cookies. And I love the Culinary Institute. Although I have never had their cookies.
…. Right before dinner. My mouth’s watering!
I LOVE this cookie cookbook. I think I gained weight from just looking at the pictures, but what the heck, it’s worth it! I’d love to win it.
I think I gained 5 pounds just from looking at the pictures…yum!!
Thanks for the opportunity.
Yes, I want cookies!!! How beautiful…and mouth watering!
Ooh, sign me up! Those look yummy!
What a great suggestion! Bake cookies now, while it’s cool, and eat them later when it’s too hot to bake! 🙂 The cookie book looks great!
I’m a cookie fiend and would love a copy of this book!
Have a glorious time in NYC and NJ!!
(did you bake before you left?)
Yum, Yum. Cookies and knitting. What could be better?
Have a great time in NYC and NJ.
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