Table of Contents
Foreword x
Introduction 1
Baking Rules & Assumptions 5
Genius Baking Tools 9
Road Map to all of the Genius Tips 12
Cookies & Candy 15
The Brownie-Chocolate Chip Family
Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies from François Payard 17
World Peace Cookies from Dorie Greenspan Pierre Hermé 18
Best Cocoa Brownies from Alice Medrich 22
Blondies from America's Test Kitchen 25
Secretly Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Agatha Kulaga Erin Patinkin 26
Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle from Shauna Sever 29
Gloriously Chewy
Coconut Custard Macaroons from Danielle Kartes 30
Skinny Peanut Wafers from Maida Heatter 33
Nonfat Gingersnaps from David Lebovitz 34
Peanut Butter Sandies from Julia Moskin & City Bakery 37
Coconut Slice from Sarit Packer Itamar Srulovich 38
Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats from Deb Perelman 41
Magic Potions 42
Roasted Sugar from Stella Parks
Ground Croccante from Marcella Hazan
Toasted Milk Powder from Ideas in Food
Chocolate Magic Dust from Jami Curi
Lemon Square Cookies from Anita Jaisinghani 45
Pistachio Millionaire's Shortbread with Coriander Butterscotch from Max Falkowitz 46
Crisp-Crumbly: The Bake-Ahead Dream
Nibby Buckwheat Butter Cookies from Alice Medrich 49
Thin & Crispy Black Sesame Oatmeal Cookies from Sandra Wu 50
Pains d'Amande from Flo Draker 53
Cacio e Pepe Shortbread from Charlotte Druckman 54
Biscottini from Heidi Swanson 57
Douglas's Whole Wheat Jam Thumbprints from Faviken 58
Erna's Lace Cookies from Marian Burros 61
Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars from Karen Demasco 62
Easy Baklava from Einat Admony 65
Cookies, Now! 66
Cinnamon Toast Cookies from Molly Wizenberg
Almond Crackle Cookies from Dopie Greenspan
The World's Easiest Cookies from Elizabeth Barbone 66
Candy For Non-Candymakers
Easiest Peppermint Patties from the Joy Kitchen 69
Three-Ingredient Coconut Fudge (Topra Pak) from Meera Sodha 70
Wonder Dough: Pistachio & Rose Water Meringues from Yotam Ottolenghi Sami Tamimi 73
Meringue Spin-Offs 76
Pavlova
Layered Meringue Cake
Fragilité
Eton Mess
Croccante from Marcella Hazan 79
Peanut Marzipans (Mazapanes de Cacahuate) from Fany Gerson 80
Marzipan Butter from Molly Yeh 80
How to Turn a Loaf of Bread into Dessert 83
Apricot, Nectarine & Plum Bruschetta from the River Café
Toasted Bread Crumb Ice Cream from Emily Luchetti
Sugared Croutons from Jeni Britton Sauer
Raspberry Ripple Sandwich from Nigel Slater
No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies from Alexandra Stafford
Cakes 87
Lazy Cakes
East 62nd Street Lemon Cake from Maida Heatter Toni Evins 89
Brazilian Carrot Cake (Bolo de Cenoura) from Danielle Noce 90
Olive Oil Cake from Maialino Rachel Binder 93
Dark Chocolate-Marzipan Scone Loaf from Molly Yeh 94
Almond Cake from Amanda Hesser 97
Weird & Wonderful Banana Cake from Lucy Cufflin 98
Rhubarb Buckle with Ginger Crumb from Cory Schreiber Julie Richardson 101
Blueberry Snack Cake with Toasted Pecans from Brooke Dojny 102
Show Cakes
Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte from Robe Levy Beranbaum 105
Chocolate Cloud Cake from Richard Sax 109
Hazelnut-Brown Butter Cake with Sautéed Pears from Suzanne Goin 110
Rum-Scented Marble Cake from Nick Malgieri 114
All-Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake with Neoclassic Buttercream from Rose Levy Beranbaum 118
Coffee Cardamom Walnut Cakes from Claire Ptak 122
More Layers & Frostings 124
Superstable Fruity Whipped Cream Frosting from Stella Parks
White, Milk, or Dark Chocolate Mousse for Layer Cakes from Joanne Chang
Two-Ingredient Sweet Potato Frosting from Genevieve Ko
Rogue Cakes
Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake with Superfluffy Frosting from Anita Shepherd 127
Whole Orange Cake from Sunset Stephanie Spencer 131
Parsnip Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream from Peter Meehan Mary-Frances Heck 132
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting from Fine Cooking Jeanne Kelley 135
Parsley Cake from Roberta's Katy Peetz 137
Guinness Stout Ginger Cake from Claudia Fleming 138
New-Fashioned Apple Cider Doughnuts from Ideas in Food 141
Wonder Dough: Sponge Cake (& Cookie) Base Recipe from Alex Raij 145
Cake & Cookie Spin-Offs 147
Migas Dulces
Cookie Trifle
Custards, Puddings & Frozen Things 149
Puddings & Other Comforts
Greek Yogurt Chocolate Mousse from Maria Speck 151
Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding from Molly Wizenberg 152
French Toast Crunch from Anthony Myint 155
Mango Cream with Berries (Crema de Mango con Moras) from Roberto Santibañez 156
Ten-Minute Lime Cracker Pie from J. Kenji Löpez-Alt 159
Butterscotch Budino from Nancy Silverton Dahlia Narvaez 160
Apple Granita with Créme FraÎche Tapioca from Nicole Krasinski 164
Tiramisu from Brooks Headley 168
Mostly No-Churn Ice Creams
One-Step, No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream from Nigella Lawson 172
Chocolate Sorbet from David Lebovitz 175
Sweet Pistachios in Olive Oil from Suzanne Goin 175
Best (& Easiest) Frozen Yogurt from Max Falkowitz Ethan Frisch 176
XL Granola Crumbles from Alanna Taylor-Tobin 176
No-Churn Fresh Lemon Ice Cream from Dori Sanders 179
Coconut "Ice Cream" with Lime & Mango from Julia Turshen 180
Dueling Chocolate Sauces 182
Hot Fudge from Jen Britton Bauer
Olive Oil Chocolate Sauce from Brooks Headley
Lazy Cold Treats
Tahini Semifreddo from Michael Solomonov 185
Sweet Tahini Fondue from Engin Akin 185
Cardamom & Rose Water Kulfi from Meera Sodha 186
Grasshopper Shake from Jeffrey Morgenthaler 189
Meringue Gelato Cake with Chocolate Sauce from Nigella Lawson 190
Frozen Lemon Cream Sandwiches from Grace Parisi 193
More Saucy & Crunchy Toppers 194
Instant Aged Balsamic from America's Test Kitchen
Candied Sesame Seeds from Estela
Double-Chocolate Cookie Crumbles from Nicole Krasinski
Pies & Tarts 196
Seriously Easy Pies
Atlantic Beach Pie from Bill Smith 199
Italian Jam Shortbread Tart (Fregolotta) from Cindy Mushet 200
No-Bake Persimmon & Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Louisa Shafia 203
Flaky Vessels For Fruit
Wonder Dough: No-Stress Pie Dough from Stella Parks 204
Pie Dough Spin-Offs 209
Pie Dumplings
Worms
Cobbler Toppers & Pandowdies
The Fruitiest Peach (or Nectarine or Apple) Pie from Rose Levy Beranbaum 211
Apple Galette from Canal House 215
Fried Apple Peek from Paula Wolfert 215
Slab Pie from Martha Stewart 216
Piekies from Jeni Britton Bauer 219
Double Blueberry Tart from Mindy Fox 220
Cranberry Sage Pie from Four & Twenty Blackbirds 223
Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crunch from Yankee Magazine 224
Fancy Tarts
Almond Tart from Lindsey Shere 227
Obsessive Ricotta Cheesecake from Gina Depalma 231
Egg Tarts from Yank Sing With Rachel Khong George Mendes Genevieve Ko 233
Chocolate Caramel Tart from Claudia Fleming 237
French Lemon Cream Tart from Pierre HermÉ 241
Mostly Fruit 243
Cobblers, Crisps & Shortcakes
Four-Ingredient Strawberry Shortcakes from PJ Hamel Of King Arthur Flour 245
Meme's Blackberry Batter Cobbler from Virginia Willis 246
Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust from Renee Erickson Susan Kaplan 249
Apricot-Raspberry Crisp with Almonds from Jim Dodge Via Russ Parsons 250
Fruit Dressed Up
Poached Nectarines in Rosé from Diana Henry 253
Baked Caramel Pears from Lindsey Shere 254
Fried Stuffed Dates (Khajoor Ka Meetha) from Madhur Jaffrey 257
Slow-Roasted Strawberries from Michelle Polzine 258
Yogurt Whipped Cream from Saveur 258
Pumpkin Butter from Paul Virant 261
A Handy Formula to Memorize: Fruit + Cream + Sugar + Heat 262
Thank-Yous 264
Genius Tipsters 267
Index 268