Food52 Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake [A Baking Book] (Food52 Works)

This cookbook has quickly become my new favorite. The recipes are not only incredibly delicious but also surprisingly easy to follow. Each one is broken down with clear, step-by-step instructions and beautiful photos that make you excited to get into the kitchen. I've tried several dishes so far, and they have all turned out perfectly, tasting exactly like they do in the restaurant. Beyond the recipes, the book is filled with great tips on techniques and ingredient substitutions, which has helped me feel more confident and creative with my cooking. It's more than just a collection of recipes; it's a guide that has truly inspired me to try new things and find more joy in preparing meals at home.

I just finished the first recipe, and just tasted the first cookie, and that recipe -- Buckwheat and Cocoa Nibs Cookies -- is going into my permanent repertoire. If that's the only recipe that makes it for me, then this was a good book. But that won't be the only one. Next I try the Almond Thank You Cake. I have a feeling that recipe will also be a winner. And they aren't just good recipes, they're good *really interesting* recipes. They're creative. They seem like they are done by people who know *a lot more than I do* about food. And yet my first impression is, I will not need to hire Himalayan sherpas to hunt down exotic ingredients for me. The ingredients look pretty reasonable, but the combinations are very interesting. If I lived to be a thousand, I would never have invented Buckwheat and Cocoa Nibs cookies, and after tasting the first one they are already one of favorite things ever. I think this might be a really good book. I'll come back & update.... ----------------------------------------------------------- *Second* recipe is a big winner. OK, I made the Almond Cake, and it is really incredible. It behaved *exactly* as they said it would, it tastes great, looks great -- just like the picture -- and once again, the only slightly unusual ingredient was almond paste, which was easy to find at my grocery store. (I remember looking at a (very different) cookbook a year ago and thinking "OK, so where do I get, um, sumac? And pomegranate molasses?" If I ask for pomegranate molasses at my grocery store, I think they will call the cops.) I am deliberately choosing the plainer-looking recipes in the book, and there are a good number of them. What I mean is -- I am tired of deserts that are (or should be) called names like "Diabetic Stroke Chocolate Sugar Bombs". I like chocolate as much as the next guy. More, maybe. The picture on the cover of the book is of a chocolate cake. OK. But there is a limit to how much chocolate I need in this life, and I am approaching it. I want some deserts that taste -- more sophisticated, I guess. These first two recipes are delivering that -- while being straightforward to create, and the *recipes work right*. OK! Two home runs in a row. Favorite dessert book ever. Could a dessert book win the Nobel Peace Prize? Let's make it happen.

A couple of months ago, I found and made two recipes from the Food52 website: Ten-Minute Lime Cracker Pie and Dorie Greenspan's 3-ingredient Almond Crackle Cookies (both also included in this book). The pie alone was so wonderful that I would make it every week if my hips could handle it. The recipes' success inspired me to order the cookbook for my British daughter-in-law, an avid baker. I gave it to her while they were visiting over Thanksgiving. She immediately cracked the book open, and we both oohed and ahhed over the stunning photos and drool-worthy recipes. The pages are filled with helpful tips, and Kristin Milgore's recipe intros are interesting and fun to read! My daughter-in-law weighs all her ingredients on a scale, so she also appreciated the metric measurements, as it can be hard to find cookbooks that fluidly move between American and European kitchens. Anyway, while at our house last week, Jo made Meme's Blackberry Batter Cobbler (wildly popular!) with the last of my frozen boysenberries and a decadent, chewy, whipped-creamy, let's-all-have-seconds Chocolate Cloud Cake. During that same time, I also tried out Stella Parks' No-Stress Pie Dough, which was a snap to make and an absolute dream to work with. The result was a flaky and wonderful crust for the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. Once back in England, Jo wasted no time whipping up a batch of Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars, a cookie she proclaimed to be both speedy and delish. (The photo she sent me this morning was accompanied by this caption: "Because obviously, jet lag is a good excuse to try out another bake from Genius Desserts!") This is a gorgeous cookbook filled with recipes both familiar and unusual. With six out of six successful experiments under our belts, including pies, cakes, and cookies, together we give it the five stars it so justly deserves. Clearly I need to get my own copy, because the book I've grown to love is now in its new home across the Pond. And ... because dessert is always a good idea.

This is a fun and practical cookbook! I have tried many of the recipes and have loved most of them. I am not a white flour fan so I have substituted whole grain or alternate flours to many of the recipes. I fine that the sugar volumes are too high in most of the recipes, so I cut them back successfully. This is the main reason that I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5. The tips and directions are excellent and precise. I love the combination of the short stories and the recipes. Definitely recommend this cookbook.

I have been cooking/baking for over 50 yrs , have a collection of cookbooks, cooking magazines, and vintage recipe cards that is easily over the top. My son is a chef, Cordon Bleu trained, who is a madman in the kitchen, now deciding Southern BBQ on a truck is next! Cooking is playing with food in forgiving amounts...baking is Chemistry that is not so forgiving, needing recipes. Just got this book and can easily be a food editor, able to read a recipe and tell if good, works, or not worth it. This book is a very well organized baking semester written by a woman who wants to share creative approach to baking, building confidence, and loving the results. Equipment needed, ingredients that are easy to get, and how to avoid disasters, desserts are grouped in front not in the back of the book. It is a Great read, presented leading one by the hand into some very uniquely creative recipes. She makes it nearly impossible to fail to get fabulous results, appealing to novice and experienced bakers alike. I can’t recommend it highly enough...have to get another because my Chef son STOLE my book!

The Book is well made and appears it will last. It is also part of a Cook Book series so my Grandson can collect them if he chooses. Lots of Sweet recipes.

I got this cookbook and the first weekend made 4 different cookie recipes from it. My family loved them all, and they are all very different and interesting (in a good way). I cook for a living and NEVER buy cookbooks but this one really fit the bill for being useful and offering some new techniques and or flavors. Love it. Lots of good explanations and tips too.

Have loved cooking through this book this past month - every recipe I've tried has worked, which is what I typically find on Food52.com. The recipes in this book ( Parsley Cake! Cacio e Pepe Shortbread! ) as well as the the introductions to each, are interesting. Doable recipes, usually with a unique twist, and attainable ingredients make this really worthwhile and enjoyable addition to my cookbook collection and baking repertoire.

Be warned the recipes in this book are devine and totally addictive 🤣

exactly what I wanted. thank you

Returned for replacement, was a used book!

Fabulous recipes but also a plethora of technical information. If you like to bake or make desserts this one is for you.

This book is a hidden gem. I was uninspired by the photos and didn't use it right away. One day, needing something different I chose 1 recipe to try. Easy and delicious. So another was tried and another all with the same results. The recipes are simple, easily made, well laid out and everything turns out wonderfully. I would definitely buy another by this author.