American Cookie: The Snaps, Drops, Jumbles, Tea Cakes, Bars and Brownies that We Have Loved for Generations

Byrn (the Cake Mix Doctor series) turns her attention from cakes to cookies with 100 delightful recipes, many of which harken to an earlier America. Byrn begins with a “A Baker’s Dozen Cookie-Baking Tips” (e.g., “measure flour by spooning”), as well as advice on stocking a baking pantry and choosing the right pan for the job. Options include snickerdoodles, School Lunch Peanut Butter Cookies, lemon squares, ginger snaps, and icebox wafers made from benne seeds and dating back to 18th-century South Carolina. President-inspired recipes abound, such as Lady Bird Johnson’s Peanut Brittle, Mrs. Nesbitt’s Honey Drops (created by the head of the White House kitchen when Franklin Roosevelt was in office), and Thomas Jefferson Savoy Cakes, which Jefferson wrote down after a trip to France. Literary fans will delight in Emily Dickinson’s Rice Cakes, “shortbreadlike cakes” that her family made in her hometown of Amherst, Mass.; and filmgoers can host a movie night and recreate Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies, which was once printed in the New York Times. Byrn also includes an adaptation of the “1922 Girl Scout Cookie,” buttery creations originally packaged in wax paper and tied with string. Byrn’s cookbook is as enjoyable to read through as it is to cook from. [em](Aug.) [/em]