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Book review of

“Rose’s Christmas Cookies”

by Rose Levy Beranbaum

I don’t know anyone who can go through the holiday season without baking cookies. There are the beloved treasures that are part of every family’s heritage passed on to the younger generation. Then, on occasion, there is time to add a few new cookies to the repertoire.  Since 1990, when Christmas meant baking 1500 cookies for the holiday catering season, I have reached for my well worn “Rose’s Christmas Cookies” book to inspire me in cookie baking. Rose Levy Beranbaum has several classic books she has written: “The Cake Bible”, “The Pie and Pastry Bible” and most recently, “The Bread Bible”. All of them are in depth, well researched and approachable books for all levels of cooks.

            But it is “Rose’s Christmas Cookies” book, with a small picture of each cookie on the bottom corner that I would take with me to the North Pole to use when baking with Mrs. Claus.

              I was first drawn to the book because of its easy to read format. The ingredients are highlighted in their separate section, divided into columns with measures of volume as well as weights in ounces and grams. Depending on your type of ingredient measurement, this is invaluable when making single batches or multiplying the recipe. There also is an easy to find equipment list as part of the recipe and how to proceed using either the food processor or electric mixer method. Either way, the dough is ready for baking and finishing for both methods. There are “smart cookie” suggestions that can cover unique ingredient ideas, variations, and baking tips.

            My cookbook is filled with lists of cookies we prepared for the season. I always look for a variety of textures, flavors, and a dough that will freeze easily and present beautifully. A standard is “peanut butter and jelly jewels” which can be filled with the classic Hershey kiss or - our favorite - seedless raspberry jam. We also are fond of “Mom’s coconut kisses” that can be used plain or with one side dipped in chocolate. Another standby that we look forward to making is the “Ginger Pennies”.  Not quite gingerbread cookies nor gingersnaps, but little rounds with a very intense, spicy ginger flavor. I always think it is the perfect cookie “chaser” for the classic ‘Mexican Wedding Cakes”, a pecan powdered sugar cookie dusted again in powdered sugar as decoration. My family always makes “Spritz Butter Cookies” but with Rose’s suggestion to use a pastry bag and tips instead of my mother’s manual cookie press, we’ve improved on the original recipe. Rose’s “Meringue Mushrooms” adorn our bûche de noël logs and “David Shamah’s Jumbles” have year round appeal.

            There is one recipe I don’t like (not bad in a whole book!). The “Lion’s Paws”, a generic flavored cookie molded into a rounded triangle with almond slivers as the lion’s claws, has never worked for me. And although the “Stained Glass” cookies recipe works well, I find the detail too painstaking.

            This is one of those cookbooks that truly have too many wonderful recipes to mention. After all of these years it has become my cookie book of choice and one that I will pass down to my daughter.

            Have a wonderful holiday season!

Judith Bishop