American Cookie: The Snaps, Drops, Jumbles, Tea Cakes, Bars & Brownies That We Have Loved for Generations

by Anne Byrn

Each of America’s little bites—cookies, candies, wafers, brittles—tells a big story, and each speaks volumes about what was going on in America when the recipes were created. In American Cookie, the New York Times bestselling author and Cake Mix Doctor Anne Byrn takes us on a journey through America’s baking history. And just like she did in American Cake, she provides an incredibly detailed historical background alongside each recipe. Because the little bites we love are more than just baked goods—they’re representations of different times in our history. 

Early colonists brought sugar cookies, Italian fig cookies, African benne wafers, and German gingerbread cookies. Each of the 100 recipes, from Katharine Hepburn Brownies and Democratic Tea Cakes to saltwater taffy and peanut brittle, comes with a lesson that’s both informative and enchanting.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Reference

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2018

Reviews

[Sassy Katt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the author gives you a little history lesson with each recipe!

[Julie Durnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful cookbook, both photographs and the historical background anecdotes that are included with each recipe. Several times I wanted to pick up the phone and call my mom to discuss a particular recipe and it's history-she would have loved this book too!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the recipes but don't think her Sand Tart recipe makes a proper Sand Tart. Her description indicates that it is a semi thick and somewhat crunchy sugar cookie. While it is in the sugar cookie family, when rolling the dough out you should be able to read through it without tearing it. They are basically a potato chip that has a sandy texture if mixed correctly. I learned how to make them from a recipe that is now being passed down to a fourth generation as well as the proper rolling technique. My grandmother learned from her mother. She taught my mother. My mother taught me. My brother now teaches his daughters.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the historical context that accompanies these recipes! And lots of recipes I can't wait to try.

[Leslie Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history behind the many baked goods in this book was fascinating. Byrn added enough to keep things interesting without bogging down with too much detail. The recipes themselves make me want to try most of them and explain techniques very well. The author gives very helpful tips when needed.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun history of the cookie to thumb through.

[Kim Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at the library and will be buying a copy. It’s packed full of unique and historic American cookies, and treats, and it is so much fun learning the history of the cookies. This would make an amazing gift for any baker and history lover. I love it!

[Ethan Sleeman]

Mostly things I either know how to make or don’t care to make, But it’s a very cool read for the history piece and the background on all the classic cookies. I Did copy the lemon bar recipe though because they’re the perfect cookie.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

American Cookie: The Snaps, Drops, Jumbles, Tea Cakes, Bars & Brownies That We Have Loved for Generations is a compilation of recipes by cookbook author Anne Byrn. Most of the recipes contained within these pages have existed for years and can be easily found by exploring the internet. The parts that made this book interesting to me are the tidbits of history that the author scatters throughout the pages. The origins of the particular cookie are explained before each recipe, which I also found interesting. From the original Ruth Wakefield Chocolate Crunch Cookie (which became the famous Toll House cookie), to the Mrs. Nesbitt's Honey Drops (served by Eleanor Roosevelt during her many teas while her husband was in office), the book contains all of the iconic recipes that have spanned generations. I was disappointed in American Cookie because I was hoping for original recipes, not cookies that I have made many times before. Readers looking to have all of their family favorite cookies, candies, and bars in one cookbook may like American Cookie.

[Camilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Bryn sums up my feeling about cookies in her introductions. "[Cookies] are expressions of love, small squares of a nostalgic place in time, stains in a beloved old family cookbook, remembrances of cookie jars and a childhood past, little dots connecting the holidays in our life" (pg. viii). I don't often eat the cookies that I bake, but I love to bake for friends and family, especially if there is a story to them.

Her chapters include: Drop Cookies Past & Present; Cookies Shaped, Rolled, & Remembered; Wafers, Icebox Cookies, & Planning Ahead; Bars, Brownies, & Baking for Others; Tea Cakes, Politics, & Conversation; and Candy, Fried Cakes, & Culinary Artistry. What fun! And sprinkled in with all the deliciousness are history lessons. For instance, she writes that wartime cookies tell a story. She explains, "If your favorite cookie contains oats, prunes, coconut, dates, or is made without eggs - like a gingersnap - it's probably a wartime cookie. ...World War II put a strain on cookie baking because sugar and butter were rationed. What was available was molasses, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, margarine, and vegetable shortening. And dried fruit" (pg. 10).

I cannot wait to try her homemade fig newtons as those are my favorite! Stay tuned for that.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVE Anne Byrne, and AMERICAN CAKES was masterful, but this book was a letdown. It was so poorly designed that it was exceptionally hard to read. The design was not only ugly but made the book almost unusable. Rodale press is not doing Byrne any favors!

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually fabulous. As someone who is really into history and just really discovering a love of baking (especially cookies), this is such an interesting combination. Byrn, with every cookie, describes the history that we know about it. For some, it's a longer explanation and for others, it's a bit more "we don't really know where this originated," but that's fun too. And that was by far my favorite part of it, though the recipes are nothing to brush past either.

These recipes are so interesting. Some are easy, some are complicated, but they all come with an interesting history lesson. She talks about the original Tollhouse cookies (chocolate chip), gingerbread, and other classics while also introducing some very interesting ones like Forgotten cookies (which, if I understand correctly, you were supposed to leave in the oven for a bit with it off like you'd "forgotten" them). She goes into the history of vanilla wafer with her 1886 Vanilla Wafer recipe, the bizarre past of The Neiman Marcus $250 cookies (which seem to have nothing to do with Neiman Marcus nor cost $250), and talks about the legacy of Katharine Hepburn's brownies. I mean, there was always something different and interesting with every cookie and I love that.

Some of the cookies are super complicated or the overall cookie just isn't something I'm interested in, but I absolutely love the concept of this book and I had to share.

[Deestarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the companion book to "The American Cake" and it is very similar in that it goes into the history of the "cookie" in the United States and covers a brief history of when the recipe first appeared why it became popular and whether or not and how it was adapted from cake or biscuit recipes in the countries that the people of the United States have immigrated from (willingly or via slavery and indentured servitude).. Many of these recipes are cookies that I have baked since I was a young girl, and coming from a mixed European American and Native American family with European roots going back to the 16th century when the French first began settling Canada many of these are very close to the cookie recipes that have been in my family over 100 years. Overall I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in the history of food and culture, or interested in baking historical recipes

[AntKathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

American Cookie by Anne Byrn is a wonderful collection of some of America's most treasured as well as earliest and most unusual cookie recipes. Each recipe is accompanied by a history of its origin, as well as tips for making it just right. Some of the recipes are as old as American as we know it, dating from the Dutch settlers of the 1600s. Other recipes are more current, featuring cookies from recent decades. Byrn explains how baking was affected by various wars and economic eras in the USA's history as well. Delicious, no-fail recipes with plenty of pictures of the finished products, and gorgeous quality paper and photos to boot. Fire up the oven, and get baking -- American Cookie is a hit!

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay...a little disappointed with this book. I guess I expected more oomph. Maybe because the type of cookies was mainly about historical cookie making I shouldn't be disappointed. I did however like the recipe for the Forgotten Chocolate Cookie because they remind me of a cookie I like from Zaros, NYC that I never could figure out what it is about. I'm gonna try making it just to see if the taste and texture are what I think it is. I also liked the chocolate Madeleines recipe....another to try. Outside of these two recipes, there wasn't much else with the cookies that made me want to go and try as soon as I could. Pictures a little bland and too pale...whites, browns, and tan...not very exciting cookie images.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love cookbooks. I collect cookbooks.
Who can resist picking up a cookie cookbook that has a stack of Peanut Butter cookies and a jug of milk on the cover? On a blue plate. Inside the book doesn't fail my expectations. Anne Byrn has followed up her American Cake cookbook with American Cookie cookbook and she should get a metal of some sort. Each cookie recipe has a little history story making the book an excellent read as well as an excellent cookbook.
As usual with cookbooks, I borrowed this book from my local library to see if I wanted to add it to my
collection. It's not on the shelf as yet because it's still in the kitchen. The Peanut Butter cookies were great.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd really give this a 4 1/2 stars - it's got everything but nutritional information. This is really a history of the cookie in America, with a recipe for each entry. Bryn's tone is very easy to read, and if you enjoy history this is also a very interesting read! The back story for each recipe is generally a few paragraphs, and even difficult recipes are broken down into easy to understand steps. No recipe is more than two pages. There are pictures of groups of cookies at the end of chapters and every few pages - I do wish the pictures were a little bigger and more clear.

If you like to bake, or you're interested in food history, this is a book you've got to check out.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book blends the history and lore of cookies in such a way that you forget you're actually reading a cookbook. Following a brief history or story of the cookie, Byrn presents the recipes in an easy-to-follow manner. If you are or know a cookie monster, you should definitely consider this book.

I received a free copy from Harmony Books and Rodale Books in exchange for a free and unables review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like American Cake, of which Byrn is also the author, this book has historical notes and stories with every recipe along with baking tips. You could read it cover to cover and, unlike the cake recipes, which I will never make, I might actually bake some of these cookies. There's a recipe for the original Girl Scout cookie...

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family has enjoyed the recipes I have tried to far, especially the cornmeal pistachio cookies! Long list of recipes earmarked for future baking days. Wonderful recipes, great photos & clear discretions. Perfect format for a cookbook.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cookbook! Such a fun and informative look back at the history of many of America's favorite treats! I baked my way through this cookbook and the history of each cookie helped to make the whole experience that much richer.

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is impossible to read through this book of stories and recipes without getting hungry and making a mental list of what to bake as soon as you have the chance. If you enjoy American history and baking, this is a fantastic read, and the recipes promise to be delicious.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent cookie recipe book. This book encompasses a history of cookies in the United States. Each cookie recipe also mentions where and when the cookie originated, giving a bit of it's history. Good resource if you are looking for an old recipe for a particular type of cookie

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book will make you want to preheat the oven and get the cookie sheets out! There are so many recipes I want to try from Kathryn Hepburn's brownies to Zucchini Bars!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because the recipes in this book are classics, few were new to me (but I am going to try the date cheddar cookies...). The appeal was in the bits of history the prefaced each recipe.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories. I wasn't actually reading it for the recipes, but they looked good too. I needed my reading glasses for the print.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook with the history of the cookie with each recipe.

[Rebecca Berinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

History and cookies, a wonderful marriage!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent bakery cookery book! If I had room for it, this one would be on my shelf.

[Paula Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The recipes were great and I liked learning the history behind them.