Cookbook Review: Dorie's Cookies

Peanut Brownie Sables

Combining sable and brownie
batter for the Peanut Brownie sables

I was of two minds about getting Dorie's Cookies, Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook that's exclusively dedicated to my favorite treat. My reasoning was simple - I've got three of her books already - Baking, Baking Chez Moi, and Around My French Table - and even though I love them and they have excellent cookie recipes, I thought that another thick book dedicated just to cookies would be excessive. I live in a New York apartment, for Pete's sake! But then a good friend was kind enough to gift me a copy for my birthday last month...and my life hasn't been the same.

Chocolate chip cookies

So Dorie's Cookies is more than just a big, thick book about cookies - it's about combining old and new methods, flavors, and ideas.  I've made four recipes so far - My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie, Lavender White Chocolate Sables, Peanut Brownie Sables, and basic Sugar Cookies - and they've all been delicious. What's more, while some of the recipes have had more than once step, nothing's been onerous.

Sugar cookies (pre-icing)

I'd like to spotlight the Peanut Brownie Sables, which were exceptional and also very fun to make. The recipe seemed like a bit of a hassle at first - you have to make a sable dough and then a brownie dough and combine them - but it was actually pretty simple and didn't take much longer than a standard drop cookie. And the results were amazing, even though I didn't have any peanuts on hand.

Lavender white chocolate sables

The other recipe I loved was the Lavender White Chocolate Sables, which I made mainly because I'm not really a big fan of white chocolate and wanted to force myself to try something different. These were also exceptional, with that nice, gritty sable texture next to the citrus flavor of the lavender and the white chocolate. Also, it's really fun to rub lavender into sugar!

In general, the doughs were really nice and easy to work with and the recipes were clear and easy to follow. One particularly intriguing method is Greenspan's recommendation of baking some of the sable-type cookies in baking rings, which apparently create really amazing edges. I've ordered a set and they should be here soon!

Ingredients: Mainly standard and easy to source. 
Pictures: Not as many as I would like but I was able to use my imagination.
Skill level: Definitely good for beginners but there are real challenges for experienced bakers. 
Keep or cull: Definitely a keeper.