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| The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion: The Essential Cookie Cookbook | 
 enlarge | Author: King Arthur Flour
Publisher: Countryman Press
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $19.85
You Save: $15.15 (43%)
New (32) Used (10) Collectible (1) from $19.85
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 21208
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 536
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 10 x 8 x 2.1
ISBN: 0881506591
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.8654
EAN: 9780881506594
ASIN: 0881506591
Publication Date: November 9, 2004
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| Customer Reviews:
 One of the Best! September 9, 2006
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
Fantastic cookbook! There are over 300 recipes in this volume and you'll want to try all of them. The 30 page "Getting Started" section is invaluable and has many useful illustrations and handy tips. Ditto on the "Ingredients" section in the back of the book - although that section would have been better placed in the front. A nice plus is the wipe-clean cover underneath the dust jacket. The recipe titles and text fonts are easy to read and the overall design of the book is logical and practical to use. While the book is large, it's not heavy owing to the choice of paper. Save the wrist-breaking heavy glossy enamel stock for the coffee table books!
The section on Biscotti alone is worth the price of the book, which is a bargain in any case. Lots of ethnic cookies, too, including Zimsterne, Pizzelle, Hamantaschen, Rugelach, Kourabiedes, Springerle, Chrusciki, Krumkaka, and Ossi da Morto, among others. The Cherry-Nut Rugelach is marvelous! All the old time favorites are included as well, many with variations. I prefer the Triple Brownie recipe from Cook's Illustrated, however, but that's a matter of taste. The Lavender Cookies are unusual - a taste of Provence! As a person of Swedish heritage, I find that the Cardamom-Almond Cookies don't include enough Cardamom for my taste, but that's easily remedied.
One drawback of this otherwise superb book is that the temperature of the butter is not specified. In most cases when making cookies, the butter should be malleable - at room temperature. There are exceptions, of course, but they are rare. Experienced bakers know this fact - but beginners will find it frustrating. The recipe for "Almond Joyfuls" directs you to have the butter at room temperature, but the others do not. This is odd, especially given the fact that quite a bit of information is given on butter in the "Ingredients" section. It appears to be a major oversight.
Recipes are given for both "Chewy" and "Crunchy" Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oatmeal Cookie versions include recipes for "Chewy" "Crunchy" "Crisp" or "Soft". Similar versions are given for Sugar Cookies, so there's something for everyone.
There are 22 color photographs giving the reader an idea of how a finished cookie should look. Even more helpful are the many tips in the gray tinted boxes addressing such issues as "The Chocolate Grating Challenge"; "How do I know when they're done?"; "Changing a plain biscotti's taste, texture, or crust"; "The easiest way to spread batter evenly"; "Measuring molasses"; and "Can I use brown sugar and granulated white sugar interchangeably?"
One caveat: As with the recipes contained in the other three King Arthur Cookbooks, you'll get the best results using King Arthur Flour - especially true in the case of their yeast bread recipes. You can use Pillsbury, Gold Medal, or Ceresota for these recipes but the KA bakers test their recipes with their own brand of flour. Flours are NOT all the same. Gold Medal All-Purpose Unbleached Flour is NOT the same as King Arthur All-Purpose Unbleached Flour. Flours differ in protein levels which affect the outcome in terms of structure. Cake Flour which is ALWAYS bleached, even KA's Cake Flour) has the lowest protein content; Bread Flours have the highest. The good news is that King Arthur Flour is now widely available at Jewel/Albertson's, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and other outlets. You'll find KA All-purpose Unbleached, KA Whole Wheat, KA Bread Flour, and KA White Whole Wheat. Their other specialty flours can be found through their catalog and website. I often use Gold Medal and Ceresota Flours interchangeably and sometimes use them for KA recipes. Generally the differences won't be critical to the success of any of these cookies - but pay attention to the suggestions on how to accurately measure flour, which can substantially affect the finished product.
This book is essential for bakers at all levels and is especially welcome during the holidays. Buy it along with Carole Walter's "Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets" and cookiewise you'll have virtually every cookie recipe you'll ever want.
 Add This One to Your Cookbook Library September 3, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I attended an event at our local bookstore, which hosted one of the editors of this book from King Arthur. I thought the session would be fun, but was determined that I was not going to buy another book with cookie recipes. That was until the editor let us sample several cookies from the book, including Magic in the Middle (chocolate filled with peanut butter), and Salty Oatmeal (the best oatmeal cookie I have ever eaten in my life, although others may find the slightly salty taste a bit odd). After biting into these, I immediately bought three copies, one for myself and two for holiday gifts.
While not every recipe in here is a star, there are some real winners here. I have been making biscotti for fifteen years, and the King Arthur base dough recipe is the best I've ever worked with; it's simply foolproof and delicious. The book also has wonderful tips that I continually use, including the one to spray the biscotti with water five minutes before cutting them so that they don't fall apart. It works every time.
In my view, any cookbook that has even a couple of recipes you will use for years to come is worth its weight in gold. This one has a good many I have added to my permanent collection.
King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion July 9, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
A superb book. Excellent basic and reference manual. Just what one would expect from the King Arthur Flour company.
 Disappointed... June 19, 2006
19 out of 27 found this review helpful
I thought this book would be great and was really looking forward to making some of the recipes, but I have to admit I'm disappointed with the recipes and with what I've baked from it so far. I was surprised that so many of the recipes called for vegetable shortening instead of or in addition to butter. I know the book itself explains that shortening is used to achieve a certain texture, but I have read in other baking books that shortening is a crutch and doesn't deliver the flavor punch of pure butter.
So I was a little skeptical, and then reading through the recipes, although they are very clearly written, there aren't a lot of extra tips on technique or anything for individual recipes. The book already assumes a level of competence.
I made three recipes from the book: the essential chewy sugar cookie, the essential chewy chocolate chip cookie, and the Fudgy Brownies. All three recipes tasted delicious, so I can't complain there, but the brownies came out a little tough for my tastes, and both the cookies spread too much -- way too much, and I even refrigerated the dough for the sugar cookies. I consider myself to be an intermediate baker and have made these cookies from other recipes in the past with better results, so right now I'm wondering if I should even try any more of the recipes in this book or just give up. I think it's okay for a "base" cookie recipe book, but you would need to look elsewhere for better techniques or to tweak the ingredients.
If you only get one cookie book, this is it June 12, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is incredibly handy. I've been baking for 16 years and still found enough use for it that I decided to buy it. It has all the basic cookie recipes, from chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies to the ones that are not so well-known, such as Rugelach and Hamantaschen. There are several variations of different types of cookies, as well as sections for drop cookies, roll-outs, no-bake cookies, and even bars. There is a final chapter just for glazes and icings. I've not had such a complete collection of cookie recipes before.
Besides all that, though, there are many useful tips throughout. From easier pan greasing to easier icing. The recipe directions are all laid out as simple as possible, too. There are often points in baking something new when the cook might wonder if this is supposed to have a certain consistency or look to it, but these directions even point that out. "The batter will seem very curdled to you. Keep mixing it, though, and it will be smooth." Or, "The batter may feel very dry, but keep pressing it out until it is level." These are little tips that don't sound like a big deal, but can be very helpful and encouraging. This is a good book to buy someone who is new to baking. They will get really good results. The book includes a section on the different pans and tools to bake with that anyone can find useful, as well as a chart for measurements and weight. The recipes and tips are so thorough, though, that it would make a good buy for the seasoned baker as well.
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