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Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito’s 2008 Baked was published to national critical acclaim and raved about across the blogosphere. Since then, their profile has gotten even bigger, with continued praise from Oprah and Martha Stewart; product availability in every Whole Foods across the U.S.; and a new bakery in Charleston, South Carolina, with even more traffic than their original Brooklyn location.
Now, in Baked Explorations , the authors give their signature “Baked” twists to famous desserts from across the country. Here is their take on our most treasured Banana Cream Pie, Black & White Cookies, Mississippi Mud Pie, and more—from the overworked to the underappreciated. Readers will love this collection of 75 recipes from breakfast treats to late-night confections and everything in between.
Praise for Baked
"They might look like another pair of fresh-faced Brooklynites (retro tie and mustache? check), but Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, the owners of the Baked sweet shops in Brooklyn and Charleston, are media-savvy butter fiends . . . Those whoopie pies? Four sticks of buttery fun. Oh to be young, decadent and baked in Brooklyn."
-The New York Times
"Lewis and Poliafito take on more underappreciated desserts, giving beloved treats like black-and-white cookies and whoopie pies a modern makeover."
- New York Daily News
Now, in Baked Explorations , the authors give their signature “Baked” twists to famous desserts from across the country. Here is their take on our most treasured Banana Cream Pie, Black & White Cookies, Mississippi Mud Pie, and more—from the overworked to the underappreciated. Readers will love this collection of 75 recipes from breakfast treats to late-night confections and everything in between.
Praise for Baked
"They might look like another pair of fresh-faced Brooklynites (retro tie and mustache? check), but Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, the owners of the Baked sweet shops in Brooklyn and Charleston, are media-savvy butter fiends . . . Those whoopie pies? Four sticks of buttery fun. Oh to be young, decadent and baked in Brooklyn."
-The New York Times
"Lewis and Poliafito take on more underappreciated desserts, giving beloved treats like black-and-white cookies and whoopie pies a modern makeover."
- New York Daily News
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
240 people are currently reading
2687 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 28, 2010
this book will aid me in my quest to weigh 10 thousand pounds. Really though, I'm making the Mississippi Mud pie no. 2 but the cookie recipes make cookies that are too big for me to make for xmas presents.
January 5, 2011
So far, I've made the Stump de Noël and the Mississippi Mud Pie. Both of which I absolutely loved. This is not a book for the baking inexperienced though. As I read through it, I know what's going on, but they kind of expect you to know whats what. This isn't the book to walk you through the basics. For me, it was an excellent birthday present, but if you're looking at it you should definitely pick it up and give a glance through before you decide if it's for you.
February 12, 2014
I checked this book out of the libary and it did not take long before I realized this was one of those "keeper" cookbooks that I just had to own!
Recipes in this book are categorized into: tarts/pies, cookies, cakes, other pastry, and even breakfast. And I have to say, I have seen many a recipe for doughnuts, but never have I been so inspired to make them until I saw the recipe for them in this book!
The baked treats in this cookbook are familiar but with a twist that is sure to impress. They look elaborate and yet they are surprisingly simple to make.
The book inludes a chapter on tools, equipment and brand recommendations that is refreshingly brief, straightforward, relevant and helpful.
Recipes in this book are categorized into: tarts/pies, cookies, cakes, other pastry, and even breakfast. And I have to say, I have seen many a recipe for doughnuts, but never have I been so inspired to make them until I saw the recipe for them in this book!
The baked treats in this cookbook are familiar but with a twist that is sure to impress. They look elaborate and yet they are surprisingly simple to make.
The book inludes a chapter on tools, equipment and brand recommendations that is refreshingly brief, straightforward, relevant and helpful.
October 2, 2018
Some appealing sounding recipes.
June 15, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What a great cookbook! This would be a great one to have in physical copy. As expected, there is a lot of chocolate and a lot of rich desserts, but I wasn't disappointed. I've noted a number of recipes down to try, and can't wait to give them a go and taste. Recipes like Brownie Cookies, Banoffee Pie, cheesecakes, loafs and classic American recipes that I didn't realise change between states and cities. The recipes were easy to follow and I enjoyed the vivid pictures.
What a great cookbook! This would be a great one to have in physical copy. As expected, there is a lot of chocolate and a lot of rich desserts, but I wasn't disappointed. I've noted a number of recipes down to try, and can't wait to give them a go and taste. Recipes like Brownie Cookies, Banoffee Pie, cheesecakes, loafs and classic American recipes that I didn't realise change between states and cities. The recipes were easy to follow and I enjoyed the vivid pictures.
February 14, 2021
A Nice Bunch Of Recipes
It has a nice bunch of recipes. Lots of notes and easy to follow. It had some pictures but not for every recipe. It needed more pictures and they need better angles. They came off flat and didn't show the food to it's best view. Overall though it's a good book.
It has a nice bunch of recipes. Lots of notes and easy to follow. It had some pictures but not for every recipe. It needed more pictures and they need better angles. They came off flat and didn't show the food to it's best view. Overall though it's a good book.
December 9, 2021
Haven't made as many things from this book as the original, but anything I have made has been amazing. The Aunt Sassy Cake (aka Pistachio cake with Honey Vanilla cooked frosting) is absolutely to-die-for and one of my favourite cakes to make for any birthday where nut allergies aren't an issue.
June 8, 2022
Unlike the other books from these authors, so many of these recipes caught my eye. And the pie recipes!!! Hello! But Nutella Scones…these are my daydream. I still don’t see myself owning this, but I’m so grateful that the libraries have them.
September 2, 2017
One of my favorite baking books.
September 29, 2017
4 stars
- Ms. Jenn
- Ms. Jenn
October 6, 2018
Can't wait to get started baking -beautiful book!
June 21, 2019
fantastic reinvented recipies
July 25, 2020
The photography is very evocative of classic Americana in an understated and tasteful way. The recipes, while not to die for, are well curated and some are unique (to me).
April 27, 2021
Loved this
I love to bake and this book was amazing. It had so many recipes and techniques it was just great.
I love to bake and this book was amazing. It had so many recipes and techniques it was just great.
December 31, 2021
really beautiful book
November 30, 2022
Everything in here looks amazing and the recipes are simple and elegant
January 17, 2025
Cereal Bars!
December 1, 2012
Bakery owners Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito's dream was simple: they wanted to create a classic American bakery. Their flagship Baked store opened in Red Hook, Brooklyn in 2005, and the second opened in Charleston in 2009. In their first cookbook Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, Matt and Renato focused on recreating classic American desserts like cobbler, red velvet cake, apple and pecan pies, and diner-style desserts tempered with more modern touches like matcha (green tea powder), chipotle, and generous sprinklings of fleur de sel. Chocolate stout milkshakes and green tea smoothies rubbed elbows with espresso martinis. It was main street diner meets Dean and DeLuca's, and added numerous crowd-pleasers to my repertoire, including the classic Baked brownie and the pumpkin chocolate chip loaf.
In their second cookbook "Baked Explorations," Matt and Renato focus on comfort foods rather than innovation; there's a much more retro feel in the photography and recipe selection, one that pays tribute to grandma's kitchen and heirloom recipes in general. It's like a culinary time capsule: the PB&J bars taste like grade school lunches, the no-bake peanut butter cookies bring back memories of time spent "cooking" with Mom in the kitchen, while the orange Creamsicle tart will take you back to childhood summers spent drinking orange soda (pop, Coke) on the front steps. Classic shortbread cookies, thumbprint cookies, and grasshopper bars (my grandmother used to make a very similar confection) conjure up memories of "high tea" with grandma and her neighborhood friends. That's not to say that you won't find any surprising combinations in here; there's always the chocolate salt-`n'-pepper sandwich cookies, tomato soup cupcakes with mascarpone frosting, or rosemary apricot squares.
The breakfast section features the lion's share of recipes, with guest appearances by monkey bubble bread, pumpkin cheddar muffins, farm stand buttermilk doughnuts, Nutella scones, malted waffles, crumb cake, baked French toast, and baked cheese grits. For those who prefer their breakfasts to induce sugar comas, you'll find oatmeal chocolate chip cake with cream cheese frosting and the sinfully decadent double-chocolate loaf with peanut butter cream cheese spread. Imagine biting into a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for breakfast, and you've got the general idea, although this is gussied up with Valhrona cocoa powder and Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. I found that the included amount of sugar for the peanut butter cream cheese spread was a tad too much for me (1/3 cup for 5 oz. cream cheese), so you may want to start with ¼ cup of sugar and sweeten to taste.
Regional desserts, especially those rescued from the musty depths of community cookbooks, are featured prominently, including offerings from the Northeast (Maine's Joe Froggers, NYC's black and white cookie), buckeyes and heartland turtle bars from the Midwest, and strawberry Jell-o salad (even before I became a vegetarian, gelatin and I were on dubious footing). Southern cuisine gets a definite nod, with honey corn muffins, buttermilk pie, cowboy cookies, pudding bars, lady praline chiffon cake, and burnt sugar Bundt cake with caramel rum frosting. To appease the various factions of mud pie purists, there are two different versions of Mississippi Mud Pie; the first is a chocolate-drenched, bourbon-laced coffee ice cream tart, while the second, Muddy Mississippi Cake, is a flourless chocolate cake "inside a cookie crust topped with a layer of silky chocolate pudding and whipped cream." Both are good enough to make you jump up and witness.
As with their previous cookbook, "Baked Explorations" is beautifully laid out on high-quality paper. The endpapers are printed in a gorgeous gold-accented design that brought to mind Lomonosov porcelain. The eye-catching photography by Tina Rupp really pops, and this time around there are staged vignettes featuring antique china, vintage books, weathered bakeware, and various antiques scattered about. Reading each recipe's introduction is part of the fun; ingredients and instructions are clearly laid out and broken into manageable steps, while Baked notes and variations are also featured. You'll find a handy metric conversion chart and list of sources at the back, while helpful hints on ingredients, preparation, and storage can be found throughout. One note of warning: Matt and Renato don't believe on skimping on quality ingredients, so you'll see recommendations for Valrhona cocoa and other premium items. Use the best you can afford (or find), and your recipes will turn out memorably.
This is one cookbook that more than lives up to the high expectations of its predecessor, and will make the perfect gift for any foodie on your list.
(Review copy generously provided by Abrams)
In their second cookbook "Baked Explorations," Matt and Renato focus on comfort foods rather than innovation; there's a much more retro feel in the photography and recipe selection, one that pays tribute to grandma's kitchen and heirloom recipes in general. It's like a culinary time capsule: the PB&J bars taste like grade school lunches, the no-bake peanut butter cookies bring back memories of time spent "cooking" with Mom in the kitchen, while the orange Creamsicle tart will take you back to childhood summers spent drinking orange soda (pop, Coke) on the front steps. Classic shortbread cookies, thumbprint cookies, and grasshopper bars (my grandmother used to make a very similar confection) conjure up memories of "high tea" with grandma and her neighborhood friends. That's not to say that you won't find any surprising combinations in here; there's always the chocolate salt-`n'-pepper sandwich cookies, tomato soup cupcakes with mascarpone frosting, or rosemary apricot squares.
The breakfast section features the lion's share of recipes, with guest appearances by monkey bubble bread, pumpkin cheddar muffins, farm stand buttermilk doughnuts, Nutella scones, malted waffles, crumb cake, baked French toast, and baked cheese grits. For those who prefer their breakfasts to induce sugar comas, you'll find oatmeal chocolate chip cake with cream cheese frosting and the sinfully decadent double-chocolate loaf with peanut butter cream cheese spread. Imagine biting into a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup for breakfast, and you've got the general idea, although this is gussied up with Valhrona cocoa powder and Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. I found that the included amount of sugar for the peanut butter cream cheese spread was a tad too much for me (1/3 cup for 5 oz. cream cheese), so you may want to start with ¼ cup of sugar and sweeten to taste.
Regional desserts, especially those rescued from the musty depths of community cookbooks, are featured prominently, including offerings from the Northeast (Maine's Joe Froggers, NYC's black and white cookie), buckeyes and heartland turtle bars from the Midwest, and strawberry Jell-o salad (even before I became a vegetarian, gelatin and I were on dubious footing). Southern cuisine gets a definite nod, with honey corn muffins, buttermilk pie, cowboy cookies, pudding bars, lady praline chiffon cake, and burnt sugar Bundt cake with caramel rum frosting. To appease the various factions of mud pie purists, there are two different versions of Mississippi Mud Pie; the first is a chocolate-drenched, bourbon-laced coffee ice cream tart, while the second, Muddy Mississippi Cake, is a flourless chocolate cake "inside a cookie crust topped with a layer of silky chocolate pudding and whipped cream." Both are good enough to make you jump up and witness.
As with their previous cookbook, "Baked Explorations" is beautifully laid out on high-quality paper. The endpapers are printed in a gorgeous gold-accented design that brought to mind Lomonosov porcelain. The eye-catching photography by Tina Rupp really pops, and this time around there are staged vignettes featuring antique china, vintage books, weathered bakeware, and various antiques scattered about. Reading each recipe's introduction is part of the fun; ingredients and instructions are clearly laid out and broken into manageable steps, while Baked notes and variations are also featured. You'll find a handy metric conversion chart and list of sources at the back, while helpful hints on ingredients, preparation, and storage can be found throughout. One note of warning: Matt and Renato don't believe on skimping on quality ingredients, so you'll see recommendations for Valrhona cocoa and other premium items. Use the best you can afford (or find), and your recipes will turn out memorably.
This is one cookbook that more than lives up to the high expectations of its predecessor, and will make the perfect gift for any foodie on your list.
(Review copy generously provided by Abrams)
February 21, 2017
I would eat everything in this book, and when I say everything I mean everything. Downside? There are not many pictures, and most of recipes involve ALOT of ingredients. But Yummm.
February 22, 2013
Lewis, Matt & Renato Poliafito (text) & Tina Rupp (photogs.). Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented. Stewart, Tabori & Chang. 2010. 208p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781584798507. $29.95. COOKING
Those who liked Lewis and Poliafito's first cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, are going to love this one. The owners of Baked, with locations in Brooklyn, NY, and Charleston, SC, have received national media attention and were recently featured on Oprah and Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. This highly anticipated new compilation of favorite desserts with spins is sure to inspire both novice and old pros. Included are some of the authors' most requested recipes, which are superbly photographed with a nostalgic feel of grandma's kitchen. The authors share the social aspects of the recipes as well as geographical variations and baking notes to make this collection truly original. There's plenty of chocolate—e.g., their most requested recipe, Sweet and Salty Brownies—as well as nonchocolate creations like Orange Creamsicle Tarts, New York Style Crumb Cake, Baked French Toast, and Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie.
Verdict As enjoyable to read as it is to bake from, this will be a welcome addition to any baking section.—Jane Hebert, Orange Cty. Lib. Syst., Orlando, FL
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home...
Those who liked Lewis and Poliafito's first cookbook, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, are going to love this one. The owners of Baked, with locations in Brooklyn, NY, and Charleston, SC, have received national media attention and were recently featured on Oprah and Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. This highly anticipated new compilation of favorite desserts with spins is sure to inspire both novice and old pros. Included are some of the authors' most requested recipes, which are superbly photographed with a nostalgic feel of grandma's kitchen. The authors share the social aspects of the recipes as well as geographical variations and baking notes to make this collection truly original. There's plenty of chocolate—e.g., their most requested recipe, Sweet and Salty Brownies—as well as nonchocolate creations like Orange Creamsicle Tarts, New York Style Crumb Cake, Baked French Toast, and Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie.
Verdict As enjoyable to read as it is to bake from, this will be a welcome addition to any baking section.—Jane Hebert, Orange Cty. Lib. Syst., Orlando, FL
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home...
December 1, 2010
I was intrigued by a recipe I saw for Tomato Soup Cupcakes. I tried them, and they were so good that I got the book. It is a fun read, and the recipes seem accessible even for those of us who are not pros in the kitchen. The recipes are interesting takes on "classic" desserts, often ones that are regional. There are so many things that I'd like to make. Nutella scones? Malted waffles? Red velvet whoopie pies? Sweet and salty brownies? Yes, please!
The photographs are charming and have a nostalgic quality, which is fitting for the book. Not all of the recipes include a photo, though, and I wish they did.
Of note, the Speculaas recipe includes cardamom in the instructions but not in the ingredient list. I only noticed because I was contemplating that recipe and read it through. I am hoping there aren't other errors like that. [ETA: I got an answer from Matt Lewis about the Speculaas recipe: "we decided the cookies were much better without the cardamom so we axed it from the ingredient list, but it somehow ended up in the directions." There you have it!]
The photographs are charming and have a nostalgic quality, which is fitting for the book. Not all of the recipes include a photo, though, and I wish they did.
Of note, the Speculaas recipe includes cardamom in the instructions but not in the ingredient list. I only noticed because I was contemplating that recipe and read it through. I am hoping there aren't other errors like that. [ETA: I got an answer from Matt Lewis about the Speculaas recipe: "we decided the cookies were much better without the cardamom so we axed it from the ingredient list, but it somehow ended up in the directions." There you have it!]
January 14, 2012
I have made so many Baked recipes over the past two and a half months. I love their Chocolate Coffee Cake. I have made it twice for birthday occasions. The first time I made it I became so excited to put it together that I put on all three layers of the cake without any frosting in between them. I was practically in tears. I thought I ruined it. In the end after many hours of repair the cake turned out great. The second time I made it went much smoother. I took my time and paid close attention to details. Everyone loved the cake. I had a few critics there too. I just love how the dark chocolate tastes with the rich chocolate cake and the coffee butter cream frosting;they help each other out. It's perfect!
July 6, 2014
I liked the first book better. Not that this isn't good, it's just a bit too fancy for my taste. For example, a lot of crusts made out of cookies in a food processor. Sounds amazing but alas many of us do not own a food processor. Anyway it has great pictures and may be better for others.
My only advice for the next book would be way more chocolate/peanut butter combos. I only found one recipe for it.
My only advice for the next book would be way more chocolate/peanut butter combos. I only found one recipe for it.
June 29, 2011
There were many more recipes in this book that I was interested in trying out than in the first book, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. I think the focus of this book, on classic American desserts, was clearer, and the book was more focused on recipes than techniques.
September 29, 2012
My teen-aged son jokingly calls this the "pretentious cookbook" because some of the ingredients are only available at a specialty grocery, and the recipes are so labor-intensive. However, we keep coming back to it, because every recipe we have tried has been unquestionably delicious! A fun book to look at and read, as well.
March 10, 2015
This is my favorite of the 3 Baked books, in that it has the most recipes that I have made or want to make. This is a good cookbook, with a nice mix of recipes and beautiful photography. As with all the Baked books, the writing is filled with a high level of food snobbery and the recipe directions could stand to be simplified.
March 9, 2015
Though their reinventions aren't quite as exciting, I still enjoyed looking through this cookbook. I found a couple exciting recipes for myself, and I probably would eat anything made from this book.
July 22, 2012
The photography was superb.
The recipes were not bad - but not really outstanding. The food writing was a bit too self- consciously blasé. A food author should ALWAYS be excited to share his creations with his readers.
The recipes were not bad - but not really outstanding. The food writing was a bit too self- consciously blasé. A food author should ALWAYS be excited to share his creations with his readers.
July 19, 2014
I really appreciated this book. It seems to make a good amount so I'd have to make it for a gathering but the recipes were interesting and varied and I liked the back stories behind them.
I wish every dish had a picture.
I wish every dish had a picture.
January 8, 2011
yay! I got this for xmas 2010 and if the recipes are as lovely as the pictures, it's going to be good times around my house
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews