Review: Inconsistency (But Updated Later)
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2012
This gets 2 stars because the description says "No more store-bought cardboard or freezer roll dough!"  However, the recipe for Double Peanut Cookies calls for 1 (16.5 ounce) package refrigerated cookie dough, well chilled.  Yeah, it's one recipe out of the list and you are adding things to it, but it's such an inconsistency with the description and the title of the book that it just really soured me on the book and I won't be keeping it.**UPDATE:  The author has revised the book to remove the inconsistency noted above; please see the discussion in comments below.  I have not changed the star rating because I did not buy the book to do a full re-review.**However, there were some positive points about the book.There is a linked table of contents, and the author gives us a "cookie baking 101" section that has good information in it.  I was somewhat amused to see the text regarding using butter instead of shortening if one feels that is healthier - I remember a time when one was advised that using shortening could be healthier.  (Personally, I use both - sometimes all butter, sometimes all shortening, sometimes half and half.  No margarine, though, for me.)  There is helpful information about how the different fats create different results.There are a few errors here and there:"often cause the cookies for be tough and flavorless""do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifies to do otherwise""If the butter or the nuts are salty enough, skip the salt or add slightly less keep the cookies sweet and flavorful""feel free to decrease the amount of chocolate chips that you can live without"The recipes themselves contain information regarding difficulty level, prep and cooking time, estimated servings, and nutrition information.  This, to me, generally indicates recipes that are widely available, since recipes passed down through a family rarely contain this sort of information.  Due to the inclusion of this information and the font size chosen, the recipes frequently had a page break in the middle of the ingredient list, which I didn't really care for.  Recipes are preceded by a description and followed by a tip generally specific to the recipe.As always, reviews are a "your mileage may vary" as far as opinions, preferences, etc.  To me, the book just wasn't unique or special enough in terms of recipes or included tips to get past the glaring inconsistency and the format of the book.