Indulge Your Adult Appetites this Holiday Season with “Cookies for Grown-ups” by Kelly Cooper

Dec. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Red Rock Press is proud to announce the release of Cookies for Grown-ups by Kelly Cooper, the critically-acclaimed cookbook sensation of unique and easy cookie recipes that yield sophisticated flavors for the mature palate. I would love for you to have a review copy. With the holidays fast approaching, Cookies for Grown-ups has something for everyone – it’s the perfect way indulge your adult appetites this year (http://redrockpress.com/delicious.html#cookies). Try one of these delicious cookies for yourself – the recipe for a fantastic new take on a Christmas cookie, Remembering, (an irresistible ginger, molasses, and spice creation), is at the bottom of this release.

Food critic Sylvia Carter says that no baker creates better savory cookies than Kelly Cooper does. The upcoming Cookies for Grown-ups is also praised by critic Gael Greene, Gramercy Tavern pastry chef Nancy Olson and San Francisco food writer Chris Milano (see below).

Not only does this book offer dozens of extraordinary cocktail cookies, it also offers original breakfast cookies and uniquely sophisticated coffee-break and dessert cookies, such as a chocolate-thyme concoction called Dark Desire. Each cookie is paired with a cocktail, wine, beer or other grown-up drink. Cookies for Grown-ups is so rich in both new concepts and tastes that it’s bringing people together across the country to enjoy amazing new flavors in a totally new take on cookies. Its California-based author will be doing events on both coasts as well as the Southwest and West, including signings and cooking demonstrations.

The book is already receiving advance praise from culinary critics around the country!

“Kelly Cooper’s Cookies for Grown-ups is bold and quirky, savory yes, but sweet, too, and full of surprises. Her creations pair with cocktails and wine; one sandwiches a chocolate habanero after-kick between orange-vanilla layers, another links pear and blue cheese.”

— Gael Greene, InsatiableCritic.com

“Ms. Cooper’s inventive names and unique flavor combinations beckon us to dive into her book and begin baking. Her recipes are a map to a baking adventure as rewarding as eating the little treasures at its end.”

— Nancy Olson, Pastry Chef, Gramercy Tavern, New York City

“Kelly Cooper isn’t the first baker to come up with savory cookies but she might do it best, for example, in kebab cookies or in one that combines the flavors of pesto. Her sweet cookies also dazzle taste buds with unexpected flavors: chili in a chocolate-hazelnut confection or pumpkin seeds in a spice cookie. The proof is in the baking, and the eating.”

— Sylvia Carter, ex-Newsday columnist, dining guide, Raleigh/Durham

“Baking cookies isn’t known as the manliest thing to do in the kitchen but with the flavor combinations that Kelly Cooper has put together, Sundays at my house are now all about football, beer and . . . grown-up cookies!”

— Chris Milano, Foodie Adventures, San Francisco

This one-stop guide to indulging your adult cookie cravings, sweet or savory, has arrived in ample time for the holidays. Each recipe pairs a cookie with an adult beverage, such as a wine, beer, cocktail, coffee, or tea.

Cookies for Grown-ups is available at an opening discount for just $19.99 through Red Rock Press on the web at http://redrockpress.com/delicious.html#cookies, by phone at 1-212-362-8304 or by fax at 1-212-362-6216. It's also available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstore. Please contact Dan Kleinman at Daniel@RedRockPress.com or 443-682-8750 for a review copy of the book, art, or more information. Happy holidays and bon appétit!

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REMEMBERING

Ginger, molasses, and spice

This simple ginger cookie satisfies solo, topped with a slice of Brie or sandwiched with vanilla ice cream. It’s soft enough to blend nicely in the mouth, but crisp enough on the edges and bottom to really taste the baked ginger and cinnamon-sugar glaze. This recipe never fails to evoke, “This is my most favorite cookie ever” comments which is why you’ll probably find yourself craving it at 2 a.m.

Pairing: Riesling

INGREDIENTS:

● ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
● 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
● 1 large egg
● ⅓ cup molasses
● 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
● 2 teaspoons baking soda
● 1 teaspoon ground ginger
● 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
● ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
● ½ teaspoon salt

FOR GLAZE:

● 3 tablespoons sugar
● 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
● Small amount of water

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and molasses. Beat until well blended.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl and add to butter mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Refrigerate 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375° F. Scoop or drop by 1 teaspoon size balls, roll in your hand until smooth, and place 1. inches apart on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet. Flatten balls slightly with fingers.

4. To make the glaze, stir sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Add a small amount of water –– start with 1 teaspoon –– to create a thick glaze. Brush a light coating of glaze onto the top of each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Watch edges as they begin to crisp; take out of the oven before you see a darkened sugar burn. The center will be chewy. Let sit for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Yields about 4 dozen