Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple

Five-time James Beard Award winner Greenspan (Dorie’s Cookies) offers in this superlative volume a tantalizing medley of bakes, ranging from familiar favorites to inventive twists on classics. In her inviting and assured tone, she gives readers a peek into her recipe developing process with how-tos and gentle nudges, such as a reminder to keep ingredients at room temperature. Greenspan lives part-time in France, and the country’s cuisine is apparent in her affinity for brioche-based creations and in recipes including her Peanut-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Paris-Style (which mirror the nut-topped type flaunted in Parisian shop windows with a peanut praline finish). The author marks her favorites with hearts, but there is much more to love in here that reflects Greenspan’s extensive travels, such as her dense-brownie-like Lisbon Chocolate Cake and cheese swirl babka buns—a savory riff on the sweet New York classic. Other standouts include a sumptuous lemon meringue layer cake, and caramel crunch–chocolate cookies, prepared in muffin tins instead of a baking sheet to achieve its caramelly flavor. Meanwhile, basics such as pie crusts, curds, and pastry creams are corralled into one handy chapter. This sweet trip around the world will leave bakers with much to savor. Agent: David Black, David Black Literary Agency. (Oct.)