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

by Alice Medrich

This is at once a witty and delightful and masterful collection of recipes that combines upgrades on all the classics, riffs and variations on the basic recipes, and surprises for even the savviest home bakers. Alice Medrich is a master manipulator of ingredients. She makes it possible for any home cook to achieve any end in sight, whether fragrant, fruity, nutty, moist, dry, airy, dainty, or dense.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Adult

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2010

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of wish that Alice Medrich would consent to be my best friend, and have me over for the Earl Grey tea cookies.

This is a really beautifully photographed book, and the intro that explains some of Medrich's methods and reasoning is nicely broken down. Sometimes I feel like cookbook authors take a patronizing tone when they explain things like this. What I really like about this book (in addition to the awesome cookie recipes) is that Medrich takes a conspiratorial tone, like you're an old friend who asked to tell you a little bit about cookie making.

My only complaint is that the index is unbelievably difficult to navigate. Somebody get that girl a librarian.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few nice ideas here, but in general these are not mommy cookies. The author goes to extreme lengths at times, using rinky-dink ingredients, (which I will either not be able to find or not be able to afford) complex instructions--just unnecessarily complicated. I don't know if I lined up a bunch of these cookies and a bunch of midwestern mommy cookies, which would be "preferred" but out here, I tend to think probably the normal cookies. I did get a few ideas, but will probably adapt them heavily to what I have the time and money to do.

[Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a self-taught home-baker, and cookies are my achilles heel. Breads and muffins I can handle, but 8 out of 10 cookies I make will come out wrong (somehow). I've tried 5 random recipes from this book and all of them came out perfect. The collection of cookies are pretty comprehensive, you'd probably be set for a while if you work through every single one of them. There are also some brownies and bars in the mix.

Favorites (so far): Almond Biscotti, Crunchy Seed Cookies, Whole Wheat Sablés.

Yes, her instructions might be fussy, but I rather have too much instruction than too little. At least if you ever decide to skimp on a particular step, you know what you're getting yourself into.

Love:
- Recipes organized by texture. So you know right away what end-result you'd be getting, versus after half a day of working away in the kitchen.
- Ingredients listed with weight measurement. Yes, it matters. This will make or break a recipe, especially when it comes to baking.
- Most recipes come with possible variations and ingredient substitutions.

Not-so-loving:
- Some recipes require you to flip between pages. I'd much prefer if the whole recipe fits within two pages side-by-side. (Hence the 1 star deduction)

[Maze Branch Oak Park Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our What's Cooking group tasted 9 different cookies from this cookbook, and we liked them all!

The tasty selections were...

- Honey Hemp Bars
- Chocolate Espresso
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Eggnog Butter Cookies
- Pannelets
- Maya's Lemon Thins
- Pecan Tassies
- Macadamia & White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Goldies

Despite our enjoyment of the cookies, we were unable to give this book a higher rating because we prefer more pictures, more concise instructions (limited to 2 facing pages, and less fussiness with instructions (e.g. rotating baking pans). One of our participants found that the chilling time for the dough was too long for the Chocolate Espresso cookies. Even though the recipe said that the dough could be chilled overnight, it proved to be too long and resulted in very hard dough. Other recipes with the same chilling time guidelines did not have the same problem however.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first encounter with Alice Medrich's impossibly verbosely titled book was when I combined her ginger cookie recipe with two others to make some fall-flavoured ginger cookies for Thanksgiving dessert and I honestly wasn't that impressed. (With the book, the cookies were a hit.)

A second, more-thorough read-through has completely changed my mind: the organization by texture is genius, the variations at the end of each recipe are both fabulous in and of themselves and an insight into how to tweak any recipe (which ingredients need to be adjusted and why are fully explained, and flavour combinations from a variety of culinary traditions are included), and the methods at which I initially turned my nose up turn out to be the result of extensive testing and research.

Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies has found a place next to Christina Tosi's Milk Bar as a cookie bible, and that is high praise indeed.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a lovely book, without a hard cover. alice is always exceptional. i wish the recipes fit onto one page but then it wouldn't have looked so phenom. haha. i am going to try the snickerdoodles of all things. for some reason her description of "delicately crunchy rounds of cinnamon-topped French toast" speaks to me. she also exhorts to chill the dough overnight for almost all cookies. i concur!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted some new cookie recipes for the holidays and this book is full of easy to follow recipes and lovely photographs. I love the biscotti recipes - delish and a great gift! I like that some of these recipes have reduced sugar options. The only negative for me about this book is its size - it's huge and weighs a ton - not really easy to have out on the kitchen counter while baking.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was not enough new or different recipes in this book. I was looking for some recipes not already in my recipe file. I do plan on trying the Caramel Cheesecake Bars. Many of the recipes seem fussy to me. I have similar cookie recipes that I can make with lots less effort but are still chewy and gooey.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this cookbook. The chocolate chip cookies are fantastic but I have to admit I am terrible at following recipes exactly and they have turned out runny more than once. Some of the recipes are more complicated, but there are so many cookie choices you will find a recipe for everyone. I have scaled back on my baking but whenever I make a treat this is the book I go to!

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a newbie to baking, this book is frustrating. Pictures are important for guidance and there are only a handful sprinkled through the book. There are wheat-free recipes, but nothing for people allergic to dairy.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had like 5 pictures in the whole book. That really burns my "cookies". It is had to get excited about anything when there is not a picture to look at to wet your baking skills. This was a let down. I didn't find anything that would induce me to bake anything from here.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've seen a lot of these recipes in her other books. There were some good wheat-free versions of cookies that I'm going to keep around in case I need them.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had very few pictures and as I'm a big fan of pictures I couldn't give it a higher rating. There were only a few recipes in this book that leaped out at me to try.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too complicated!

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas, but for some reason, I wasn't very inspired by any of them.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made two cookies from this book: Honey snaps and Rose Tuiles, both lace style cookies. The instructions were great but the cookies weren't all that. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood?

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

click here to be taken to a blog with my review

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

IF YOU LIKE TO MAKE COOKIES, THIS IS A MUST SEE COOKIE BOOK. LOTS OF RECIPES FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF COOKIES. THE BOOK, PRINTED IN CHINA (?!!!) IS A VERY WEIGHTY TOME!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much fun to read as I expected, but some good inspiration. I might have to try macarons!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cookies are my favorite thing to bake. Love this cookbook.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

First up, the name of her book is delicious. Next, just make her brownies. 'Nuff said (:

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon first glance, this cookbook doesn't seem revolutionary. However, all the recipes seem extremely delicious, and I've already bookmarked about half of the recipes in the book.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

Haven't tried the recipes yet but the book is interesting and informative. Has good information on technique and ingredient choices.

[Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nom nom cookies nom!
Dying for the weather to not be 1000 degrees here to try these, they look amazing!

[Kile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good recipes. Not enough pictures.

[Dawn (& Ron) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not over enthused with the recipes. i tried several reciprd and this book really didn't offer much new to me. i can see it being more helpful to newer bakers.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some excessively fussy recipes and not enough chocolate!

[Marcie Brooks-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

We haven't gone wrong with these recipes.

[Ariste Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent recipes with wonderful new techniques

[Marnie Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were very few photos which for me is important in recipe books