Betty Crocker's Cooky Book
by Betty Crocker Editors, Eric Mulvany

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Book Reviews of Betty Crocker's Cooky Book

Book Review: A Treasure for Bakers
Summary: 5 Stars

The 2002 reprint includes only two short paragraphs of introduction on the title page. The new paragraphs provide warnings about today's ingredients and food safety concerns. They encourage you to ask your mother or grandmother how to make them if you don't understand the ingredients or the recipes. What a great way to share a family heritage, by baking cookies together!

The cookbook is divided into 6 sections: Cooky Primer, Holiday Cookies, Family Favorites, Quick `N Easy Cookies, Company Best Cookies, and Betty Crocker's Best Cookies. The Cooky Primer section includes instructions on how to "measure flour by dipping," Necessary Utensils (including a "rotary egg beater"), Baking Hints, and a Q&A section which covers self-rising flour, correcting cooky dough, and how to prevent soft cooky dough.

The Cooky Primer section includes a color picture at the bottom of each page, showing the finished cookies and brownies. On page 11 of the Cooky Primer is a recipe for Butterscotch Brownies. This recipe is my husband's favorite. All the recipe calls for is butter, brown sugar, an egg, flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and walnuts. This brownie recipe spells out the secret to baking perfect brownies: "Do not overbake!". My Uncle Glen is a commercial chef, and he taught me that little gem at the precocious age of 10. These brownies have a wonderful butterscotch flavor, and come out of the oven chewy and golden brown.

In the Heritage Cookies section, I baked the Old-Fashioned Sour Cream cookies on page 79. This recipe is a little more complex, it calls for shortening, sugar, an egg, vanilla, flour, baking powder, soda (that's baking soda, not tonic), salt, nutmeg, and "commercial sour cream." These little cookies retain their shape beautifully, without using parchment paper! Their delicate texture is accented with a touch of nutmeg, making them a wonder for lovers of spice cakes. One batch made 53 individual cookies.

The authors truly saved the best for last with this cookbook. The final section, Betty Crocker's Best Cookies, features favorite cookie recipes over time. Betty Crocker's time begins with Hermits from 1880! Starting with 1880, the cookie recipes move in 10-year increments. For example, 1890-1900 Cinnamon Jumbles. 1920-1930 Brownies. 1930-1935 Molasses Crinkles. These heritage recipes are accented by historical highlights and humorous anecdotes such as "the first brownies were a fallen chocolate cake." This section is made for cookbook lovers of all ages. If you ever wondered what children ate for cookies in 1900 when they got home from school, you'll find your answer here. Cinnamon Jumbles!

Summary of Betty Crocker's Cooky Book

Cookies Books

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