Cookies: The New Classics: A Baking Book

by Jesse Szewczyk

100 bold cookie recipes that take the gold-star standards beyond what you’ve ever knownONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE The New Yorker • ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE The New York Times, Food52, Salon, The Kitchn • “Jesse Szewczyk is nothing short of a cookie mastermind.”—Food52 Move beyond the same-old chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal cookies with Jesse Szewczyk’s collection of 100 brand-new, boldly flavored, and intriguing yet familiar recipes. Sophisticated and approachable—many don’t even require an electric mixer—these new classics are divided into chapters by flavors and attributes such as Chocolaty, Boozy, Fruity, Smoky, and Savory.Unexpected combinations like Malted Brownie Biscotti, Key Lime Pie Meringues, Smoked Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Chewy Blueberry Muffin Sugar Cookies, and Pretzels & Stout Cookie Bars will become your go-to treats for stealing the show 
at bake sales, gift exchanges, and holiday cookie swaps. Jesse’s trustworthy recipes and pro baking advice deliver sweet satisfaction to anyone looking to up their cookie game.

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

490 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2021

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cookies. The title says it all. As soon as I saw this book for review, I thought "who doesn't like cookies?". But when I picked it up, my second thought was "how is this going to be different?" With skepticism, I began reading. At one of the first images, I rolled my eyes and thought "well, that doesn't look very different". But Jesse Szewczyk opens with acknowledging that so much has been done when it comes to cookies and that he wanted to focus on classics but add a modern spin. And boy did he deliver.

With each page turned, the sensations of flavor that rolled through my brain and tickled my tongue astounded me. I'd never been so excited about a Snickerdoodle in my entire life. And it wasn't just the breakdown of the refreshing recipes, but the imagery that went along with it. For each cookie listed, there was one photograph that felt like a shot at a fancy dinner party in the 1950s, except from the future. The recipes and photos were pieces of art, and I worked my way through the entire book gobbling everything up with my eyes and imaginary taste buds, as I hadn't yet even attempted a recipe. I am happy to say that there are even a few in there that I'm afraid to try. And I mean that as a high compliment. As someone who does her fair share of experimentations in the kitchen (raw ginger ice cream, anyone? trust me, it's delicious), I offer the highest praise for such daring ventures in a seemingly stale field.

I, for one, am already daydreaming of bringing one of Szewczyk's creations to a fabulous holiday party and watching as people first fall into a nostalgic flavor and then fiddle around trying to figure out just what is it that is bringing that chocolate cookie to life on their tongues? My hat's off to you, Jesse, for making this gluten free gal froth at the mouth in anticipation of wanting to make (almost) every recipe in your book. And don't worry - I'll figure out the gluten free versions. These are just too good to pass up.

[Brenda Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to bake cookies and I was thrilled to receive an advance copy to read and review. I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
COOKIES: THE NEW CLASSICS is a beautiful book filled with recipes and pictures of each cookie. The recipes include new takes on traditional and not so traditional cookies.
My goal is to eventually bake each recipe. So far, I have made BLACK COCOA SANDWICH COOKIES WITH VANILLA BEAN BUTTERCREAM (to die for) and BROWN BUTTER BROWNIE COOKIES (a chocoholic's dream). Both were excellent and simple to make.
The book is divided into several types of cookie chapters that include CHOCOLATY, TART, SAVORY, BOOZY plus chapters regarding ingredients, tools and equipment and more.
Jesse Szewczyk has written a cookie lover's dream cookbook.

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just need to buy this one already, after spilling more than a little flour on the library copy as I’ve worked my way through 5 recipes already.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been so excited to receive a cookbook since the first Smitten Kitchen cookbook released years ago. This book is beautiful and it's almost overwhelming how absolutely delicious every single cookie sounds! I think there are maybe less than 10 cookies in the whole book I don't plan to make, solely because the flavor profile isn't my thing, but rest assured the rest are on the list. I've yet to make any, so I reserve the right to come back and lower this rating if it turns out they all look and sound better than they taste, but I can't imagine that will be the case and I am SO excited to get baking!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Faves:
Pg 42 Brown Butter Brownie Cookies,
Pg 128 Black and White Tahini Cookies,
Pg 144 Peanut Butter Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread,

Other Peoples Faves:
Pg 28 Black Cocoa Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Beam Buttercream,
Pg 45 Chocolate Tahini Bars,
Pg 49 Chocolate Hazelnut Wedges,
Pg 96 Cornbread Thumbprint Cookies with Strawberry Jam,
Pg 107 Berry Blast Marbled Sugar Cookies,
Pg 156 Pink Grapefruit Soft Sugar Cookies,
Pg 195 Cinnamon Sugar Speculoos Squares,
Pg 226 Cacio e Pepe Slice and Bakes,

[Panda Urban · Rating 2 out of 5]

These recipes are pretty bizarre and it’s not exactly obvious from the title or cover photo. I was caught off-guard by the categories- Smoked Cookies is a whole section? Savory Cookies? Never a good sign when the author says they set out to “figure out what I could add to the conversation that hadn’t already been said”. Faulty premise. This will be a return. Beautiful photographs though.

[Kelly Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

ate and left no crumbs, literally and figuratively

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the span of a month, I made half a dozen cookie recipes from this book. I still have a long way to go to try all 100 recipes, and that sentiment in itself is why this cookbook is so good. The few recipes I've tried have all turned out amazing, and I'm so excited to try the dozens of others I've already dog-eared. My favourites so far are the Campari Shortbread Cookies and the Pecan Sandies. This is one book I know I'll be reaching for for years to come.

[Aasinathena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookie book left me speechless! I took a while to read this book slowly because there are so many new ingredients I have to think through before buy (quince paste,Abisinthe etc.), but the bright festive food photography had me at almost every recipe! I love baking but cookies are something I hardly attempt. This book should be a start! I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review. Thank you.

[Lubna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed this book from the library and I used it to make some great cookies. I love how the book is organized by flavour profile, there are chocoatey, citrusy, savoury etc. recipes for cookies. Lots of fun recipes and ideas.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook, I've never made a bad cookie out of it.

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird. No classic recipes here. The author sets out to create 100 "unapologetically modern" cookie recipes. Categories are: Chocolaty, Boozy, Fruity, Nutty, Tart, Spiced, Smoky, and Savory. Many of them require ingredients I don't normally keep on hand or would have to special order just to try a recipe. Lots of allergens. Not for me. Returning to library.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookies! Great detail in the recipes too.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the easy to follow recipes and the layout of the book. There are symbols that let you know if you need the oven or mixer which is helpful when it is hot outside and you don't want to turn the oven on. I made the black cocoa sandwich cookies with vanilla buttercream and they taste just like an oreo but not sweet. The chocolate tahini bars, a no bake option, were easy and tasty. I plan to check this book out again from the library once it becomes cooler to bake more. Dropped my star rating from 5 to 4 because I was making the Mocha Chocolate Chunk cookies and it lists eggs in the ingredients but doesn't mention them in the recipe steps, not sure if this is the only miss by the editor.

[Sierra Bibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know those albums where you’re listening and like “damn, every track is a banger.” This is that in cookbook form. Everyone recipe that I’ve made so far is the best cookie I’ve ever had in my life.

[Elizabeth]

As heard on BA Bake Club:

Hold onto your piping bags, Bake Club! In September, Jesse set bakers a showstopper-worthy challenge in his Banana Pudding Paris-Brest. In this episode, he and Shilpa break down the many worthwhile steps for making this "drag queen of French desserts." They're also joined by superstar baker Zoë François (of the ZoëBakes newsletter) to answer a listener question about conventional vs convection ovens.

Recipes & Links:

Pictures: Jeannine's choux tire, Elyse's choux ring, Katy's bananas

Zoe's Raspberry Paris-Brest

Join us on Substack!

You can find all the BA Bake Club recipes, including this one, here.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_56...

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely fun compendium of cookies. This is such a practical book—it’s organized well, and it’s designed so every recipe fits on a single page. No flipping!

There are some creative flavor combos, and he gives helpful ingredient sourcing tips, but some of them might be more an expensive experiment and not likely to be tried in my kitchen (wood smoke chips, maple sugar, lavender).

I’m especially intrigued by the savory chapter, which includes a wealth of cheesy, salty, umami cookies or perfect for cocktail hour (or book club!).

One minor downside is some recipes are written to make HUGE (1/4 scoop) cookies, but I’m sure they would scale down for less bake time. He does give great visual indicators of when to take the trays out of the oven.

So far I’ve tried the Brown Butter Bourbon Snickerdoodles (half a batch, so it’s only a tablespoon of booze), and they spread far more than I’d prefer. But I followed the recipe, which didn’t have a chill time unless you wanted to make the dough ahead. So I knew it would happen, but I was impatient. They still tasted great, just not as chewy as I wanted.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you thought we had enough cookie cookbooks in the world, you thought wrong.

Jesse Szewcyzk's COOKIES: THE NEW CLASSICS reimagines 100 cookie recipes, creatively sorted into categories ranging from the tried and true (like Chocolaty and Spiced) to the unexpected and unconventional (like Boozy and Smoky). Ingredients are given by volume and weight, and the book is chock full of gorgeous photographs. Every recipe includes a photo -- some recipes even have two!

Brown butter features heavily in this book, for good reason, and although the recipes are creative, Jesse doesn't rely too heavily on specialized ingredients. For items that are not as commonly found in pantries, there are notes included for where one might source them. None of the recipes are too complicated, either, and some of them don't even require a mixer or oven.

All in all, well worth the hype!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a keeper. I love cookies and there are loads of new recipes in here. The best sections by far are boozy (the chocolate and red wine cookie) and savory. I didn't like smoky, and oddly enough, the cookies he seemed to get most excited about (the lavender chocolate chip cookie on the cover, for example) didn't appeal at all.

But there is a lot to find appealing. The instructions are accurate and easy to read; there are some exotic ingredients but not in every cookie. The flavor combinations are really different and generally appealing. I wish cooking times and difficulty had been included; oven free and mixer free are indicated (though I didn't realize that mixer-free was a method). If you like to bake cookies, check this out.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't buy a lot of cookbooks anymore, because space is a premium. So I try cookbooks from the library, and if I test several things out and love them (to the point that I can see making them again), then I add the book to permanent collection. I bought this one on the strength of Malted Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars (which were devoured by everyone I offered them too) and Triple Berry Swirl Sugar Cookies (which are pretty and delicious). The Oatmeal Rum Raison Cookies were also solid, and there's still a long list of promising things to try.
If you want something with some creative twists on classic styles of cookies, this one is worth checking out.

[Reading Fool · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that the subtitle of this book is "The New Classics" - aptly titled since Jesse Szewczyk has presented new twists to traditional recipes (e.g., with Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, malted milk powder is added to the chocolate chip cookie recipe, giving it a unique, different flavor - loved it!). Even the chapters are unexpected: Boozy, Spiced, Smoky, Savory, to name a few. There are so many I want to try before I get revved up for holiday cookie baking season.

I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

[Erica Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a year of reading cookbooks for work I'm starting to have opinions on what makes a good cookbook. This one, for example, includes a photo for every recipe (as a good cookbook should) as well as helpful tips for making the recipe work (also good) and icons to tell you when you don't have to bake or use a stand mixer (handy). Plus, there are some interesting twists on classic cookies. I've made two of the recipes and will be making a third soon, plus sampled many more courtesy of the people in my cookbook club. Overall 8/10.

[Tia Malkin-fontecchio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new favorite! Add this book to your collection. I love the fact that there is an entire chapter of savory cookies. We really enjoyed both the cacio pepe and the loaded baked potato cookies. Both are great with wine as a pre dinner snack. Both are also very simple to make. You can keep a premade roll in the freezer for emergencies. Great for taking to parties. I also made the Chewy Apple Cider Sugar cookies as part of my Christmas cookie boxes this year. They were were a nice addition, although the apple didn't come through as much as I would hope.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very impressed with this book. Every recipe had pictures and the categories were unique, particularly the ones for fruity, smoky, and savory cookies. The fruity ones in particular caught my attention; I'm going to be trying a few. The only thing I'll say is that I was surprised at how long each recipe is. Every one has at least a full page of instructions in what seems like a smaller-than-standard font size.

[Lia Marcoux · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was absolutely simmering with resentment when partway through one recipe I had used three bowls, two whisks, a sieve, and a saucepan, for cookies!! Which are typically a one-bowl recipe!! But then the finished cookies (the brookies) were actually good, with a unique texture. So now I'm simmering with grudging respect.

I wouldn't consider this a must-own, but it was fun to borrow from the library to try some of these unnecessarily complicated twists.

[S Vanorse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing really wants me to run to the kitchen and say bake me now, I have to taste this. I also hate cookbooks that don’t lay open flat if you do want to cook from it, this one is really bad, book closes no matter what page you are on. Recipes are clear, easy to read and directions are good, photography is nice.

[Kristin Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic cookies, modern spin. The recipes are very good and have so far been delicious for this novice baker. The tools needed are also listed so you can browse based on that. I have used a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer and it has worked out, at least to me. I originally got this from the library and then purchased. I will attempt the "fancier" cookies soon.

[Tamera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful cookbook with pictures of every recipe. It is divided into chapters by flavors and attributes such as Chocolaty, Boozy, Fruity, Smoky, and Savory. I love the various takes on classic cookies as well the classics themselves. I will be buying a copy for myself of this gem of a cookbook!

[Kate]

I think this is worth owning, potentially. Made the chewy pistachio cookies, one of two gluten-free recipes I bookmarked (the other being the matcha amaretti, made with ground hazelnuts). I don’t bake often enough to have completed more than one recipe before needing to return this, but I found a lot of the recipes here very interesting.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best cookie books I've ever read. Unique recipes that aren't fussy but use unusual ingredients in creative combinations. Already made the Buckwheat & Blackstrap Molasses Chocolate Chunk Cookies and can't wait to try more.