[.ca] Cookies Unlimited (ISBN 0060192852)

From Amazon.com:
All traces of willpower dissipate somewhere between the rich, moist, and chewy Cheese Cake Brownies; the delicate, crispy Palm Beach Lemon Cookies; and the flaky, tender Portland Fig Cookies, bursting with an unbelievably decadent filling of dried figs, currants, walnuts, and spices. Trust Nick Malgieri, award-winning author, James Beard nominee, and director of the baking program at Peter Kump's Cooking School in New York, to gather a collection of more than 350 cookie recipes that we can't live without. Each mouthwatering recipe begins with a short introduction. Sometimes Malgieri tells us what the cookies will look and taste like, sometimes he tells us a bit about their origins, and sometimes we meet the people who first shared the recipes with him. In each case he is sure to pique interest. If Malgieri says that nothing is homier or more comforting than his old-fashioned moist Currant Squares, how can we not make them on the next cold, rainy Saturday that comes along? And if he says he helped Pierre Hermes (the famous Parisian pastry chef) make his extremely delicate Orange Tuiles, and that it wasn't difficult, that should be enough impetus for us to make them just to impress our friends. Malgieri has divided the book into chapters by type of cookie (bar, drop, refrigerator, rolled, molded, piped, filled, etc.), just what we'd expect from a great teacher like him. The chapters begin with hints and tips for the kind of cookie and recipes follow. If we had lots of time, and plenty of hungry friends, we could work our way through the book and arrive triumphant, at the end, master cookie makers, but we're probably more likely to skip around a lot--everything sounds so tempting! From "heavenly" Caramel Pecan Cookies and "elegant" French Vanilla Sables to "delicately flavored" Little Italy Pine Nut Macaroons and "nutty, fragrant" Almond and Hazelnut Biscotti, Malgieri's enthusiasm for his subject is contagious. Most of the recipes fit on one page, a detail anyone can appreciate because there's no need to mess the book with sticky, buttery fingers. The instructions are detailed when they need to be, such as the exact Ateco plain tube number to use for the piped Butter Almond Fingers, and are beautifully clear and simple when that's all that's necessary, such as with the quick, easy Golden Coconut Macaroons. Even if you think that the last thing you need is another cookie cookbook, think again, because this one is simply chock-full of recipes you'll make, and make again. --Leora Y. Bloom

Not worth the money:
A beautiful looking cookbook, certainly. I was very excited to try the recipes after receiving the book for Xmas. But what a disappointment. Tried 14 different recipes with fellow baking friends over the course of a week. They weren't bad, but we six bakers let out collective "ho-hums" with each.

Mediocre:
I am a professional pastry chef and I found that most of Mr. Malgeri's recipes are avaiable in many other books ...in other words they are neither unique or unusual ...and many of the recipes are just not very good representatives of their "TYPE"...I would not recommend this book. I would recommend "The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle...better recipes and better writing!

to the reader who wished they never met Nick:
Don't take Nick Malgieri and his bad behavior personally. He is a miserable human being and everybody in the industry knows this about him. You were not the first and certainly not the last to be dissed by him. However, being a former professional student of his, I can tell you that he really knows his stuff and his recipes are great. I graduated his cooking school with high honors, yet he made me and my classmates feel like complete imbeciles during the time he personally instructed us. Ironically that was the "cookie" part of our petit four training. So take heart in the fact that you are not alone and actually among the numbers of many professionals who suffered the same experienced. His recipes are great - so get back at him by using them! And if we all send him a little prayer every time we do, perhaps he will become a little kinder, which i'm sure will drive him crazy!

Wish I never met him:
I took a cooking class that he gave in my area. I was really exicted to meet him. I was looking forward to baking the cookies in his book and then reporting to you all how some of them turned out. When it came time to buy books, I readily bought one so that he could sign it. When it came time for him to sign my book, he signed it as he was looking away talking to somebody else. He never said a word to me or thanked me for buying his expensive book. Not only was that rude, but I was extremely hurt. You know how some cookbook authors you really want to meet? Well, I wish I had never wasted my time at the class or wasted my money on the book. I have never been able to bake any of the cookies he has in the book because I was so hurt. I will throw it away someday if I ever find it. I conveniently lost it. I have more than 600 cookbooks, love to cook, but never with his books ever again. If he comes to your town, don't waste your time. Go see somebody nice that will appreciate that you are spending your hard-earned money to buy their book and taking your time away from other things you could be doing to see them. Also, during the class he complained about Martha Stewart when he was on her show how mean she was to her employees. What a tattletale. That's the thanks she gets for having him on her show. Hope he never gets his own show. I wouldn't waste my time. Save your money.

Disappointing...:
I had high hopes for this book and was impressed by the variety of recipes it contained. However, the four recipes I've tried so far have been disappointing: Jan Hagels (Dutch slice-and-bake almond cookie), icebox chocolate chip cookies, sour cream drops and the gingersnaps (not very flavorful). I wouldn't make any of them again.