Luxury Experience - Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats

We love cookies, but then again, who does not? Cookies are perfect eat any time, take along treats, and the holidays would not be the same without offering our guests a wide variety of cookies to enjoy. Always on the prowl for new recipes to tempt our guests' palates, as well as our own, we were delighted to "discover" the perfect cookie cookbook, Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats written by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin. This delectable cookbook has 100 recipes perfect for any holiday, but why wait?

Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats written by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin has a great Introduction and Getting Started section followed by eight delectable chapters with recipes for Bar Cookies, Drop Cookies, Rolled Cookies, Slice-and-Bake Cookies, Filled, Stuffed, and Sandwiched Cookies, Piped, Shaped, Molded, and No-Bake Cookies, Savory Cookies, and Fillings and Other Additional Fillings. The cookbook includes a Flavor Index, Sources, and Index for ease in finding your favorite recipe.

The book has many creative recipes, however, here are a few highlights. From the Bar Cookies chapter, the Mango Sunshine Bars will take your taste buds on a tropical holiday, and Salted Caramel Sugar Cookies are just downright delicious. From the Drop Cookies chapter, the recipe for Next-Gen Peanut Butter Cookies, Mocksies, and Blush and Bashful piqued our palates into trying them. From the Rolled Cookies chapter, Chris and Paul had us salivating just reading the recipes for Coffee Bean Crunchers, and Banana Pick-a-Chips. From the Slice-and-Bake-Cookies chapter, the Grapefruit and Pistachio Stained-Glass Slices are gorgeous and will definitely brighten up a cookie tray. Also interesting from the same chapter is the recipe for Elderflower Dainties which uses rice flour and elderflower liqueur in the tantalizing recipe.

From the Filled, Stuffed, and Sandwiched Cookies chapter, a few of the delicious recipes include Moonstrucks, Mai Tai Cremes, Modern Mincemeat Pockets, and for everything-pumpkin lovers, there are Pumpkin Spice Latte Thumbprints. From the Piped, Shaped, Molded, and No-Bake Cookies chapter the Bananas Foster Churros caught our immediate attention, as did the Smoked Almond and Caramel Cookie Crunch. Prefer savory over sweet? In the chapter on Savory Cookies, there are wonderful recipes for Cherry Chevron's, Thin Crust Pepperoni Slices, Smoketown Cheese Coins, and Major Grey (Mango Chutney) Thumbprints that are perfect to serve with cocktails.

With 100 creative and mouthwatering recipes plus helpful tips to guide you, Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin is destined to become our favorite go-to cookie cookbook. We cannot wait for the holidays to create very impressive and creative cookie trays to serve at parties and to give as gifts. Of course, since the holiday season is a few months away, we will just have to start practicing, because as the saying goes, practice makes perfect!

Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin.

"At one time, boxes of Ritz crackers always had a recipe card on the back for mock apple pie. The recipe's claim was that you could boil(!) some buttery crackers in water and add cream of tartar and a few spices to create a faux apple pie that was nearly as good as the original. As devoted (and award-winning) pie bakers, that claim seemed absurd to us. Could this possibly be true? How could a pile of wet crackers create the illusion of apple pie? The secret is in the cream of tartar. We keep that white powder in our pantries for adding just a pinch to our stiff- peaked egg whites. Turns out that when used in larger quantities, it is not only a convenient source of acid but a flavoring agent that is close enough to the taste of a tart apple to provide an ideal basis for the deception. With the addition of some nuts and a sprinkling of fall spices, the mirage is . . . close flavor-wise, but should never actually fool anyone who is remotely familiar with an actual apple pie. Here we used this surprisingly effective deception to make mock apple pie cookies. With a satisfying crunch, we've transformed this back- of- the box sorcery into a 21st- century delight."

Method: Position two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350°F. Line two 18- by- 13- inch baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Place the crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are small crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl. Add the pecans to the food processor and coarsely grind them as well. Add the ground nuts to the bowl with the cracker crumbs. (Alternatively, the crackers can be crushed by hand directly in the bowl and the pecans can be chopped by hand.)

Add the brown sugar, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl. Mix these dry ingredients together by hand, using a silicone spatula. Add the egg white, lemon juice, and melted butter and mix until the dry ingredients have all been moistened and the mixture has formed into a cohesive clump. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes before scooping.

Portion 1 tablespoon (18 grams) of dough, using a #60 scoop, roll into balls, and evenly arrange 13 portions on the first baking sheet. Flatten the balls slightly with your fingertips. Repeat with the remaining dough and arrange on the second baking sheet.

Bake until cookie edges are set and just beginning to brown, 13 to 17 minutes. Halfway through baking, rotate the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. After cooling, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

Note: "For most of the recipes in this book, we call for using toasted nuts. Toasting brings out more of the delightful nutty flavor. The nuts must be toasted and cooled before adding to the cookie dough or batter, or the nuts will lack flavor in the finished cookie. Be mindful that roasted nuts (like most of the canned nuts sold in the supermarket) are not the same as toasted nuts. Commercially roasted nuts often have additional salt and oil added as part of the roasting process. Toasted nuts are raw nuts that are toasted to a light golden brown. To toast nuts, spread raw nuts in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until the nuts are fragrant and light brown, about 7 minutes. Nuts can also be toasted in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat."

Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin are accomplished scientists and bakers. Their cookbook, The New Pie (2019) was nominated for an IACP award. They live in Atlanta. Want to learn more about the creative duo?

For more information on Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin please visit the website: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781682686591

Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin can be purchased online at W.W. Norton, and Barnes & Noble as well as in bookstores.

Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next-Generation Treats by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin
ISBN: 978-1-68268-659-1
USA: $25
Canada: $34

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