C is for (more) cookie, that's good enough for me

New books and new recipes from two fave bakers: Edd Kimber and Ben Mims

Bonjour! Bonjour!

I think I first heard the term Cookbooktober from Jenny Hartin of Eat Your Books, and ever since I’ve thought of this month as the four weeks when the most cookbooks are published, when the saying, SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME, dances in my brain and when all I want to do is put up an OOO message and stay home and read and cook and bake on repeat.  

I’m working on my annual cookbook list — the one that’s more higgledy-piggledy than organized — but in the meantime, I’ve still thinking about cookies. A couple of weeks ago, I shared two really good cookie recipes from two really good books by two really good authors: Cheeziest Biscotti from Jessie Sheehan’s Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes, and Poppy Seed Cookies from Zoë François’ Zoë Bakes Cookies. And this week, I’ve two more great recipes from great books for you. Presenting Grasmere Gingerbread from Edd Kimber’s Small Batch Cookies and Walnut Meringues from Ben Mims’ Crumbs, which is just out today! Thank you to both authors for allowing me to share their stellar recipes with you.

But First, A Little Paris in Pictures

Small Batch Cookies with Big Flavor

I’m an Edd Kimber fan — have been for a very long time (Are you a subscriber to Edd’s newsletter? I am and I love it!) Edd was the winner of the very first Great British Bake Off season (available for streaming on Roku) and the author of seven cookbooks, each of which is a delight. Over the years, Edd has become the king of simple baking. There was One Tin Bakes — a brilliant idea. Then Small Batch Bakes — did you make his lovely popcorn choux buns from that book? (Here’s the recipe from the archives, paywall removed for the next 30 days!)

And now we have the very smart Small Batch Cookies. Given how many of you have asked me how to cut recipes down, I think Edd’s onto something. Although, when it came to the Grasmere Gingerbread cookies, both Mary Dodd and I made them and said the same thing: Next time we’re going to double the batch!

Photo (of Edd): Simon Kimber. Get your copy of Small Batch Cookies on Bookshop.org or Amazon

As soon as I saw that Edd had a recipe for Grasmere Gingerbread, I pounced on it. Well, I pounced after I jumped for happiness. Grasmere is a small village in the English Lake District, and while it must be famous for many things, one reason to visit is to have Sarah Nelson’s gingerbread, invented in 1854 — you can read all about it here. Sadly, I’ve never been to Grasmere, but a friend brought me the gingerbread years ago and I’ve never stopped thinking about it. As Edd explains, the recipe is guarded like a state secret, so he created his own version. Make it — it’s a simple dough that you use to press into a pan and then to crumble on top — and you’ll thank Edd. I did.

Gingerbread in Paris

I made Edd’s cookies for dessert the other night — served them with chocolate ice cream — and everyone wanted seconds (sorry, friends), including Edd’s friend and mine, Jane Bertch.)

Ben Mims’ Definitive Work on Cookies

I’m convinced that if every school kid were given a copy of Ben Mims’ Crumbs, they’d love — and learn — geography. The book’s a tour of the world cookie by cookie. We learn about what grows where and how people around the globe use their local harvests. We learn about rituals and festivals, traditions and ingredients. And all the time, we’re savoring cookies. It’s a course we can all love.   

Photo (of Ben): Taylor Miller. Get your copy of Crumbs at Phaidon.com using CRUMBS20 to save 20% on your purchase.

There are 300 hundred recipes from over 100 countries — think of it as a cookie-pedia or a cookie atlas. It’s arranged geographically and it’s fascinating. Ben is a lovely writer and his introductions to each recipe are gems — also marvels of research. There’s so much to discover! I loved the differences from country to country and culture to culture, but I also reveled in the similarities. I was delighted to find a cookie from Iran that reminded me of one I had as a child in New York City. The cookie that Ben has offered us is celebrated in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but so similar to one beloved in France. It’s a walnut meringue crescent cookie that’s like a French dacquoise. It’s easy to make, elegant and delicious. A treat that I think would be appreciated anywhere in the world.

Walnut Meringue Crescents, left (Photo: Mary Dodd) // Sesame Anise Cookies I made in two fun shapes, right

**And here’s another treat: Readers of xoxoDorie can use code CRUMBS20 at checkout on Phaidon.com to save 20% off your order. Valid until December 31, 2024!**

Bake on — I will. And be in touch. You can always reach me on Instagram or Facebook and, of course, right here — I love reading your comments.

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📚 You can find more recipes in my latest book, Baking with Dorie.

GRASMERE GINGERBREAD

• Adapted from Edd Kimber’s Small Batch Cookies from Kyle Books

• Get your copy at Bookshop.org or Amazon

Photo: Edd Kimber