Crazy for Cookies, Brownies, and Bars: Super-Fast, Made-from-Scratch Sweets, Treats, and Desserts by Dorothy Kern

 
Crazy for Cookies, Brownies, and Bars: Super-Fast, Made-from-Scratch Sweets, Treats, and Desserts by Dorothy Kern
My Rating: ★★★★★

If you’re looking for a good variety of recipes ranging from cookies to various bars, this is the book for you! Growing up, my mom and I would have mommy and me baking sessions where we would make various baked goods from scratch. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a mommy and me baking session, but I still have a deep love for baking and have been looking for the perfect, chocolaty brownie recipe for some time. Have I finally found the recipe I’ve been looking for? I think I might have! While I haven’t baked anything from this book before I review it, I fully plan on baking some cookies and brownies in the future. I’ll be taking this book with me to buy the ingredients I don’t have and get baking as soon as I’m able to.

One of the things that I like about this book is that it talks about what ingredients are interchangeable vs which ones must stay the same. Ingredients and measurements are extremely important with baking, or it’ll change the consistency, flavor, and even overall texture. It’s not always fully explained what could happen if one switches out an ingredient that cannot be changed, so it was nice to see it listed here, which helps make this a good book for new and experienced readers alike.

Another thing I noticed is that there’s an entire section on freezing baked goods. I was raised believing that freezing freshly baked items is a no go, which is something I never questioned even though frozen baked items are sold all the time, whether cooked already or just ready to bake. That said, I think the tip on using paper towels solves the issue of why my family doesn’t like to freeze freshly baked goods. The paper towel tip is something I’m looking forward to trying out so that I can bake things and freeze them for later.

All in all, I think this is a great book full of beautiful pictures for each recipe along with many recipes that are easy to read and follow. I’m looking forward to checking out Dorothy Kern’s other cookbooks, especially the one on pies!