Everything Cookies & Brownies Cookbook

I first "met" Marye Audet via her blog Baking Delights and the incredible phenomenon that is The Daring Bakers. We became foodie friends more recently through Presto Pasta Nights....just to let you know that Marye is as great a cook as she is a baker.

Now, I must admit... I have always been intimidated by baking. Perhaps because my mother was THE baker in the family (she was one of seven siblings) and I have never felt that I measured up. Cooking is something I do easily, free-spirited as the mood takes me. Baking on the other hand, usually has me stressed (unlike so many that head to the kitchen to bake whenever the world is a little too much to handle)...sweating over things like "did I knead it too much?/not enough?"... I'm getting stressed just thinking about it.

That's not to say that I don't bake...I do, but mostly cookies and brownies and squares...very easy to conquer. So you can imagine how excited I was to have Marye send me a copy of her new book The Everything Cookies and Brownies Cookbook . And if you're like me, fretting over techniques, Marye's first chapter - Cookie Baking Basics, will have you feeling confident in no time. Even the titles work for me...like "The Zen of Measuring & Mixing" and the highlighted notes and tips.
I couldn't wait to flip through the book and ...lucky for my family I had all the ingredients to whip up a batch of Chipotle Brownies that had quite the kick to them....and so good that they didn't even let the brownies cool completely. This was the best photo I could get, given the greedy little fingers grabbing these amazing brownies. My Honey said they were the best ever...and he's a brownie fiend.
And since I'm still hunting for Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder and Vietnamese cinnamon for the Aztec Chocolate Chip Cookies (I already have the dried chipotle chilis and everything else), I couldn't help myself....I had to make these Chewy Brownies with Pecans. Now My Honey voted THESE as the best ever brownies. Can't wait to hear what he says about my next endeavor.

In addition to brownies, squares and drop cookies (my starting point, but I will venture forth, Marye makes it all so simple), there are the more delicate holiday cookies, baking for and with kids. I'll definitely be doing some of that. I mean, Boaz was making cookies before he was two! And I love, love, love the holiday gift giving section, complete with shipping instructions and my fave...cookie and brownie mixes in a jar!

The book came out perfectly timed for the holidays, so run, don't walk to get your copy. I know several people who'll be getting some special gifts this year.