cookbook review: Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes

author: Joy Wilson
publisher: Hyperion
soft cover: 246 pages
photos: yes - photographed by Joy - beautiful

chapters/sections:  joy the baker kitchen tips - pancakes pancakes pancakes - i need a hug or a brownie. maybe both - oh, happy day! - i think i just ate chocolate for dinner - have dessert, will travel

fun features:  I love Joy's introduction in which she talks about her approach to baking, how she started her blog, and how you should use this book.  Her first section/chapter on kitchen tips is fantastic for the beginning baker...okay, even some of those who've been baking for a while.  She shares some of her own helpful tips that have saved her an extra trip or two to the grocery store such as making buttermilk in a pinch, what to do if you're out of brown sugar, unveiling the mystery that is cake flour, when and why you should sift your flour, the size of eggs, making the most of citrus zest, and getting that beautiful bundt cake out of its pesky pan.  Not to mention seasoning a cast-iron skillet, how to make your own vanilla extract, how to brown butter successfully, and some butter talk (why to use cold in some recipes and how to soften it quickly for other recipes).

(a few of the many) recipes destined for my kitchen: Bacon Black Pepper Waffles, Coffee Bacon, Chocolate and Black Pepper Goat Cheese Truffles, Chocolate Malt Bread Pudding, Avocado Poundcake, Lavender Lemon Bars, Browned Butter Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats, Strawberry Cookie Dough Ice Cream, Blueberry Orange and Almond Pancakes w/ Orange Maple Glaze, and last (but definitely NOT least) Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies (which my mom snagged the recipe for, made, and brought to work w/ reported fantastic success)

my thoughts/review: Basically, I love this book.  I love picking it up and looking at the beautiful, colorful pictures.  I love swooning over a different recipe every day depending on my mood.  I love sharing it with friends and family who come over and seeing them have the same reactions that I do.  You will find everything from pancakes, waffles, coffee cake, and quiche to cookies, brownies, cake, and frosting to crackers, biscuits, and biscotti to smoothies, shakes, and ice cream amongst the pages.  Each section and each recipe within the section is introduced in true "Joy" fashion - inviting fun, playfulness, and grumbling bellies.

I find Joy's recipes very approachable, but that said,  I know that I am not a beginning baker...which is one reason I'm so fortunate to be able to host Cookbook Spotlights like I did for Joy's book.  While I know that I'm in love with this book and every single thing (no joke) I've made from it so far, I do see that I take for granted having made my fair share of crackers, biscuits, and even frosting over the years.  I also love being able to see 20-some other people's approach to baking the same recipe.  Or seeing which recipes they choose to make that I did not.  Overall, I've felt a great outpouring of love for Joy's new cookbook...from everybody involved.  Some people (comfortable bakers) couldn't get enough.  Other people who may have been more timid or inexperienced enjoyed the chance to step out of their comfort zones and maybe make crackers or biscuits or buttercream for the first time.

So.  What I'm saying is - this book has earned a permanent spot on my working bookshelf.  That's the one in my kitchen.  The one that gets the most use.  I seriously may wind up cooking my way through the entire 100 recipes before too long.  Heck, 18 down already. Technically, I guess it's actually 20, because the Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting on the birthday cake and the Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting on the Brownies are recipes all in and of themselves.  So.  If you'd like to hear more opinions about Joy's book, please check out the main page of our Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off, where you'll find links to all the participant's posts including recipes and reviews throughout our four week period cooking with Joy!

recipes I have already tried:

Chocolate Fudge Brownies w/ Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Cornmeal Molasses Pancakes w/ Blackberry Vanilla Sauce

Flax Seed & Cracked Pepper Crackers

Giant Cinnamon Rolls w/ Buttermilk Glaze

Kale, Spinach, Banana, Peanut Butter Smoothie

Mini Chamomile Cakes w/ Honey Frosting

Peanut Butter & Jam Milkshake

Peanut Butter Birthday Cake

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sauce

Pineapple Malted Milkshake

Toasted Oat Smoothie

Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

Crunchy Cocoa Roasted Nuts

Extra Crumb Coffee Cake

Leek and Asparagus Quiche

Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles

Avocado Fries

Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread

about the author:  Joy Wilson is a self-taught cook who lives in L.A. In 2008, she began the Joy the Baker blog, which has been named Best Baking Blog by Foodbuzz and was nominated for Best New Blog in the Bloggies. It was named one of the Top 50 Food Blogs by The London Times.

Okay, that's a really shabby "about the author" when it comes to fabulous Joy.  Please take a few minutes to check out the page on her blog entitled Meet Joy.  Read the words.  Enjoy the pretty pictures.  And if you're anything like me, cry like a baby at the video.    And if by chance you don't tune in to Joy's awesome podcast Home Fries with Tracy of Shutterbean every week - might I recommend it?  I always get a good laugh and endanger my laptop of projectile liquids shooting from my nose while listening.  You know.  Just for reference.

further info: blog | facebook | twitter


*I received a free copy of this book to review from the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

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Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sauce {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

It's a funny thing.  With all three pregnancies, I craved different foods.  With both of my boys I craved comfort foods.  And fried foods.  But couldn't stand the thought of chocolate.  With my first...bear with me, I always tell this story...I once ate Long John Silver's everyday for an entire week.  And I wanted everything.  I had to have chicken, fish, shrimp, hushpuppies, fries, and coleslaw on my plate and a bottle of malt vinegar its side.  A full week.  Man, I could not get enough of that stuff.  Plus, I started liking pickles again.  I know, so totally stereotypical, but true.

Skip to child number three.  More comfort food.  From meatloaf to chicken sandwiches to burgers to tacos and chilaquiles.  And big, tall glasses of milk.  And again, I wasn't really feeling the chocolate.  It was mostly ice cream when I had a craving.  And lots and lots of cheese.

But my point today is child number two.  My sweet girl.  My drama queen.  I don't know if it's the fact that I was constantly active, working in busy kitchens until I was so big I could barely reach the grill over my belly.  Or that the majority of my pregnancy stretched through the warm parts of the year (Spring-Fall).  But I ate so incredibly healthy with this pregnancy.  I craved mango and pineapple and had it pretty much on a daily basis.  Big, heaping plates of it.  I enjoyed salads and foods that seemed to fall on the healthier side, along with my normal Mexican fare.  So yes.  Completely healthy.  Well, almost.  I craved two less-than-healthy things on a fairly regular basis as well.  One was Cherry Coke.  Crazy because I hadn't had a drink of "dark" soda in years. YEARS I say.  Well, or coffee...but that was nothing new.  I needed caffeine with this one, even though I knew it probably wasn't the best thing for me. It was my one vice throughout the pregnancy.

But what I really wanted to talk about was less-than-healthy craving number two. That would be vanilla ice cream drizzled with a fat glob of warm peanut butter sauce with banana slices scattered over that and a smattering of chocolate chips to top it all off. As much as I craved my tropical fruit and salads, I equally craved this. And I don't know if it was the hormones or what, but the peanut butter sauce was THE best thing in the whole wide world. I used to eat it at work. It came in a tub. I was never able to duplicate it. Of course, I never really tried...so...no wonder. I would always just scoop a big heap of peanut butter from the jar and plop it on my ice cream. We're talking post-pregnancy (this would be the past nine and a half years.

UNTIL NOW! I had a little conniption when I turned a page and saw Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sauce in the Joy the Baker Cookbook. And then I made it and had a huge conniption. IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME AS I REMEMBERED. No. Actually. IT WAS BETTER! There's only one problem. Now I can make it anytime I want. Which means I can eat it anytime I want. And more times than not, the little devil on my shoulder shoves the angel into the peanut butter just to shut it up.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sauce

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: condiment dessert vegetarian peanut butter butter birthday ice-cream American

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Ingredients (~½ cup)

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• ½ c. creamy natural peanut butter
• ¼ c. powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs. heavy cream

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Once heated through, peanut butter mixture should be smooth and easily pourable.

Pour over scoops of vanilla ice cream. And whatever else suits your fancy. Enjoy. Immensely!

ever-so-slightly adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

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*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

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Giant Cinnamon Rolls w/ Buttermilk Glaze

I consider myself a bit of a cinnamon roll slash sweet roll slash sticky bun connoiseur.  I've talked about them before.  Talked about finding the perfect bun.  Tender on the outside.  Gooey on the inside.  Sweet, but not cloyingly so.  Cinnamon-sugar filling, citrus-scented, raisin and/or nut-studded....thick icing, thin glaze, no glaze at all...a layer of sticky, caramely nuts or not...I'm willing to give all forms a try.  

So.  When I opened my copy of the Joy the Baker cookbook, you can bet that one of the first things that I fastened a sticky-tab on was the page featuring a mouthwatering pan of giant cinnamon rolls.  With a buttermilk...oh yeah, buttermilk...glaze.  I almost wanted to set the book down right then and there and start making the dough.  But I waited until I'd made my way through the whole book.  And then I waited a few more days for the weekend to get here.  You know - so that I'd have other people in the house when they came out of the oven.  So that I wouldn't be tempted to eat them all.  Okay, not that I actually could, because these babies are HUGE.  And rich.  And absolutely, fantastically delicious.  Plan on these being your meal.  And have a tall, cold glass of milk within your reach.  And maybe a bed.

Leek and Asparagus Quiche {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

This has been an extremely easy-going and comfortable weekend.  I haven't really been plugged-in.  I did check in once yesterday...but only momentarily to weed out the 100+ new emails screaming at me from my inbox, threatening to rile up my relaxed mood.  And then I turned off the screen until now.

We hadn't seen my mom or my brother since the holidays (Christmas eve, to be exact), so when they arrived from out of town on Friday evening, we had plenty of good comfortable family time to catch up on.  And hubs and I actually went out for the evening sans kids.  On Saturday we all woke up pretty early (well...teenagers not included) to a cozy kitchen warmed by the smell of freshly brewed coffee.  We gathered 'round the table and solved brain-twisters, browsed the new magazines that were hanging out waiting to be perused, talked food and music and movies.  Mom fell head-over-heels for the new Joy the Baker cookbook.  Because it is out and being used in full-force around here as you've witnessed.

It was inevitable, really.  I'd found some long, slender stalks of asparagus at the market last week that found their way into y basket without argument.  I almost used them for dinner a couple of times over the days that followed.  But when I found out that we'd have house guests, I decided to save them.  There was a quiche that was calling my name and I knew that aside from hubs and I...mom and bro would love it, too.  So in the midst of loud chatter, steaming mugs of coffee, brain-teasers, laughter, and pajamas, I chopped, sautéed and folded that asparagus into a cozy, rustic quiche that would wind up adding to the intoxicating atmosphere of our kitchen that morning.  Add the requisite cast-iron skillet of bacon popping on the stove.  And McBeggerson cats rubbing your ankles.  And the sun rising high outside the windows.  And the stirring of teenagers.  And the patter of small feet gaining their energy for the day.  Even the sound and swishing of the washing machine winding it's way up the basement stairs.

It's been a good weekend.  The weekend included spicy garlic wings, Ghost Rider in 3D, two haircuts, 8 loads of laundry, two pairs of new shoes, two pairs of colorful knee-highs and two pairs of stripey and polka dotty tights, girl scout cookies, fusbol, and the ripping and sharing of magazine pages.  And now I'm off to tie-dye with the kids in honor of an upcoming school concert  where the kids are singing Beatles songs.  I'm gonna sleep well tonight.

Leek and Asparagus Quiche

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cook Time: 45-60 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast entree vegetarian eggs asparagus spring

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Ingredients (serves 8-10)

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 c. leeks (white & pale green parts), thinly sliced
• 2 c. asparagus, cut in ½" sections
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but cold
• 1¼ c. whole milk
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• freshly grated nutmeg
• ~1 c. grated Gruyere, Swiss, or a combination
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Heat a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil and leeks sauté until just translucent, ~4 minutes. Toss in asparagus and continue to sauté for a few more minutes until they've turned a bright green. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Unfold the cold puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out about an extra ½" per side using a lightly floured rolling pin. Set into a deep-dish 9" pie plate*. You can trim the edges of the dough that hang over the sides to about a ¼" lip, if you like...but I don't. I think the extra crust is a total bonus! Place in refrigerator to chill while whisking up the filling.

Place milk, cream, eggs, salt, and a good grating of nutmeg in a large bowl and whisk together. Whisk in half of the cheese.

Remove pie plate from fridge and tip in the reserved veggie mixture. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies. Scatter the remaining cheese as evenly as you can over the top. Grind some black pepper over the whole thing, using ~¾ tsp., or to taste.

Slide into preheated oven and bake for 45-60 minutes (my oven leans toward the longer baking time) or until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and let rest for an hour (if you can) before serving.

Good warm or cold. Will last well wrapped in fridge for up to 3 days.

*note:

This mixture fits perfectly in a deep-dish 9" pie plate or a "regular" capacity 10" pie plate. If you only have a "regular" capacity 9" pie plate, it will still work...you'll just have a little extra egg mixture left over. Discard it or scramble it up, as you like.

slightly adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

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*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

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Mini Chamomile Cakes with Honey Frosting

Okay.  Let me give you a little glimpse into the way my brain works.  I see something with the title "mini chamomile cakes with honey frosting" and promptly pull out my mini-cupcake pans.  Mind you, I did this with my advanced-advanced copy of this glorious cookbook.  And, fancying myself a considerate host, I decided to let 21 other people know that they should dust off their mini-cupcake pans, as well.  Yup.  Feelin' good.

So I stir up this simple batter.  Simple, yet packed with the glorious, green, and grassy notes of dried chamomile.  Life is good.  Yet I think ...hmmmmm?  This looks like an awful lot of batter for something that is supposed to only just fill 12 cups.  Halfway.  Sure enough, I fill 12 of my mini-cupcake cups. And then I fill 12 more.  And I still have a lot of batter left.  So I do what any space-case would do and put some more batter into each cup.  This means the "holes" are a good two-thirds of the way full.  And yet...there's still more batter.  Lucky for me I have yet another mini-cupcake pan.  So I fill that one too.  And then I lick the good amount of batter still left in the bowl.  I must be good. I've really stretched that batter!

Let's just say - I'm not good.  Think Mount Vesuvius erupting and the lava that has flowed over the edge then left to form a crust over the top of, say, a parking lot full of cars.  Now imagine trying to pluck the cars from that parking lot.  Yeah.  Not a pretty site.  Much like my highly anticipated pans of mini-cupcakes.

Whole Wheat Honey and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

I'm having an affair.  With goat cheese.  In all forms.  The soft, creamy spreadable mild version is my perfect warm salad mate.  The herb-laced version loves to perch atop my crackers and crusty bread.  And aside from the crumbles that make their way directly into my mouth...the harder, tangier version has budged its way into my pestos, my eggs, and now my biscuits.  Goat cheese wears the pants in this relationship.

Flax Seed & Cracked Pepper Crackers {Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off}

Much like a good loaf of bread, I can make a meal out of some good crackers.  Pair them with a tasty cheese or two and some fruit...perhaps some sort of artisan salami and a good bottle of wine.  Oh yes.  That's totally my kind of eats.  And for some reason, it makes me feel cool.  Like I'm Italian.  Or French.  Okay, that happens more with bread, but crackers aren't a far cry.

And really.  If you've never tried making your own crackers?  Remedy that situation.  Soon.  Crackers are good for munching, but homemade crackers will make you infinitely cooler.   And they'll taste better; they'll be better.  You know.  For your body.  Because you'll know exactly what is in them.  And that's totally cool.

Might I recommend you start with these?  Silky golden flax seeds that you'll want to run your fingers through.  Peppercorns that you've cracked and mashed in your little mortar.  Tangy buttermilk.  Oh yeah, it's like that.

They rock when topped with a shmear of goat cheese.  Herby or not.  I kinda like topping them with some ragged shards of Parmesan.

Let's talk logistics.  Number one.  Don't be afraid to adjust the consistency of the dough once you've kneaded it together.  I added an extra splash or two of buttermilk.  Because on this day, in my kitchen, it needed it.  

Number two.  Put some muscle into it...roll, Roll, ROLL!  Get it thin.  Dust it with flour if it sticks.  And invest in a bench scraper.  Because then, even if it sticks to the board, you can slide that baby underneath and lift the dough off with ease. 

Number three.  Understand that cookbook authors are only human.  As are cookbook editors.  And accept that even though the cracked pepper was left off the ingredient list in the book, you can simply ask.  Or guess.  A half a teaspoon is how it should read.  And if you want to add a little extra just because?  Do it.  It'll give you this little underlying current of heat that makes you smile each time you take a bite.  

And number four.  Don't ditch your scraps.  Re-roll them.  And wind up with 3 dozen more crackers than the recipe calls for.  The crackers are worth it.  You're worth it. 

If you haven't done so yet, be sure to head over and check out my interview: 9 Questions with Joy the Baker ...and add your 10th question for a chance to win your own copy.  Trust me, you need this book in your life.  Submissions will be accepted until Monday 2/20!

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Flax Seed & Cracked Pepper Crackers

by Heather Schmitt-González (slightly adapted from Joy Wilson)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12-18 minutes

Keywords: bake side snack appetizer sugar-free vegetarian flax

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Ingredients (~7 dozen crackers)

• ¼ c. golden flax seeds
• ¼ c. ground flaxseed meal
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• ½ c. all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ~½ tsp. cracked black pepper
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
• ½ c. buttermilk

Instructions

Whisk together flaxseed, flaxseed meal, flours, baking soda, salt, and cracked black pepper in a medium bowl.

Add the butter and quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients, using your fingers. Some of the butter will resemble oatmeal flakes while some will be the size of small pebbles.

Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the buttermilk and use a fork to bring all of the ingredients together. Make sure that every bit of flour is moistened by the buttermilk. The dough will be shaggy. Adjust consistency with a bit more buttermilk as needed.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead together about ten times to bring dough together. Wrap in plastaic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.

Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat to 325° F. Line baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. Remove dough from fridge and cut in half. Put half back in fridge while you work with the other half.

Place dough on a floured work surface and roll out as thinly as possible using a floured rolling pin. Don't be afraid to sprinkle on some more flour if it seems to stick. Roll just thinner than ⅛" - the thinner the dough, the crisper the cracker. Use a 1½" round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out circular crackers. Alternately, use a pizza cutter or bench scraper to cut 1½" squares. Or use a small cutter of any shape in about the same size. Prick each cracker with the tines of a fork and place on prepared sheet. I was able to fit 24 circles of dough this size per tray.

Bake crackers for ~15-18 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Depending on your oven and how thinly you rolled the dough, you may want to check sooner. I had a couple of batches ready at around 12 or 13 minutes.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

slightly adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

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*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

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