The Cookie That Changed My Life: And More than 100 Other Classic Cakes, Cookies, Muffins, and Pies that Will Change Yours

Nancy Silverton bakes and serious bakers pay attention. In this case, inspired by a cookie from Mother Grains, which she felt was everything one could ask for in a cookie, Silverton set out to develop what she calls “the absolute best version of the familiar baked goods that we all know and love.”

Despite its attention to the familiar, this is a rigorous baking book, informed by the precision that someone who has been baking professionally for more than thirty-five years brings to the game. Silverton’s recipes are detailed and helpfully anticipate contingencies: “If you think the nuts are on the verge of being overtoasted, transfer them to a plate so they don’t continue to cook from the residual heat of the pan.”

She’ll also ask you to do work that other recipes won’t. Her corn muffins require grating fresh ears of corn and cooking the resulting liquid down until thick before adding it to the batter. Her cinnamon rolls are made from Japanese milk bread dough. Her walnut sandies are shaped by patting dough into a disk inside a round cutter. The carrot cake requires roasted carrot puree, plus brown butter in the cream cheese frosting.

So the distinctive qualities of the recipes in this book are not really the flavor ideas, but the techniques. If you need a fast-and-easy baking book, this is not for you. But if you ever wondered if something more could be done with lemon bars, bread pudding, and linzer cookies, then this book could be just what you’re looking for.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.