COOKIE SWAP COOK BOOK BKCS

From Publishers Weekly

Review

This creative book has become my new gold-standard guide to cookie decorating. Talented baker Julia Usher provides foolproof recipes and teaches us decorating techniques, from the simplest bar cookie to elaborate showpieces. Her whimsical designs and ideas make this book as fun as it is informative. Open it to any page-you're bound to be inspired. — Tish Boyle, Editor, Dessert Professional (formerly Chocolatier) and author of The Good Cookie and The Cake Book

(Trish Boyle Dessert Professional 20091203)

"Julia Usher's lovely cookies will inspire you to become a dedicated cookie decorating hobbyist."
Nick Malgieri, Author of The Modern Baker, How to Bake, and Cookies Unlimited

(Nick Malgieri Author of The Modern Baker, How to Bake, and Cookies Unlimited )

A cookie is one of life's most precious, delicious gifts. Swapping them with friends is all the better. Julia Usher's gorgeous and doable ideas inspire us not only to trade cookies at holiday time but the whole year through. Filled to the brim with mouthwatering recipes and delectable photographs, Cookie Swap is a sweet treat to savor and celebrate. Nancy Wall Hopkins, Deputy Food and Entertaining Editor, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
(Nancy Wall Hopkins Better Homes & Gardens )

Julia Usher is one smart cookie . . . and luckily, we can now all be invited to her Cookie Swap! Her new book has it all: complete basics for beginners, everything a home baker needs to perfect the simple art of "something out of nearly nothing," and imaginative creativity for pros. Well-tested recipes are reliable, fun, and scrumptious; photos are enticing; and party ideas are both practical and budget conscious. Essential for all bakers, this excellent guide to year-round cookie swap parties is a winner. Susan G. Purdy, author of Pie in the Sky
(Susan G Purdy author of Pie in the Sky )

Julia Usher's over-the-top cookies and detailed, theme-inspired swaps promise joyful sharing and sweet memories for year-round entertaining. Flo Braker, author of Baking for All Occasions, The Simple Art of Perfect Baking, and Sweet Miniatures
(Flo Braker author of Baking for All Occasions, The Simple Art of Perfect Baking, and Sweet Miniatures )

Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year
Julia M. Usher. Gibbs Smith, $19.99 paper (160p) ISBN 9781423603788
Encouraging Christmastime cookie swappers to up the ante with plans for eight themed swaps-including Valentine's Day, bridal shower, garden party and Halloween (plus Christmas)-Usher produces a wealth of eye-catching bakery, decoration and entertainment ideas for hosts of all experience levels. Recipes are helpfully categorized by skill level, time commitment and type, allowing readers to decide quickly if they're up for the task of Eggnog Cheesecake Streusel Bars, a one on Usher's scale (meaning novice-appropriate), or the mini Chocolate Chai Burgers on Sesame Seed Buns, a considerably more complicated recipe that merits a three. The result is a book that bakers can come back to as their experience and confidence grows, with at least one recipe worth tackling in each theme. Usher's suggestions for transporting cookies via vintage lunch box or Christmas ornament box, and party ideas like dish towels imprinted with vintage postcards, are easy and ingenious, sure to appeal to fans of the Barefoot Contessa and Martha Stewart (no surprise from the designer dessert maker whose work has appeared in Chocolatier, Better Homes and Gardens, Bon Appetit and Modern Bride). (Aug.)

"No wonder Usher - who grew up to get a degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University, earned an MBA from Stanford University and at 47 is an accomplished pastry chef and cookbook writer - is intent on drawing folks back to the kitchen. She knows, firsthand, the heart-filled connection that's sparked there. And she has just the ticket to get us all baking the honest-to-goodness way."

(Barbara Mahany Chicago Tribune )