Happiness Is Baking: Cakes, Pies, Tarts, Muffins, Brownies, Cookies: Favorite Desserts from the Queen of Cake

So I was so excited about this book coming out from the famous Maida Haetter, a very well-known cookbook author of desserts, cookies, cakes and anything sweet. This book is a compilation of the famous and popular recipes coming from many people who thought that her recipes really work, unless you enjoy reading her books as a guide to help you through successful baking.Maida Haetter is one of those cookbook authors that gives great emphasis and technical knowledge why she uses a particular technique to make these treats a success. A recipe requires precision, updated modern techniques that still works in her recipes, have all ingredients in an organized order and read the recipe all throughout until you reach the end. Then you are ready to bake. What I really enjoy about Maida is her high attention to detail, a unique technique and the final result are so delicious. Furthermore, this book list most of the popular recipes that people often requests or bakers that have baked it and the results gives astonishing results because it creates food memories of many people who have her recipes. From reading this cookbook, she probably got it from her mother's talents of cooking. Although she went to Pratt Institute and graduated with a major in fashion design and illustration. Her recipes have been followed by numerous chefs, home cooks all over because of her technical knowledge, wisdom, and some notes that will be part of our baking repetoire when we liked the recipe.But anyway, I have tried several recipes already from her past books like the Big Sur Choco Chip Cookies, Neiman Marcus Choco Chip Cookies, Buttermilk Spice Cake, Chocolate Intrigue (this is one chocolate cake you have to try- so delicious especially when you make a dark chocolate sauce and served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream). On this book, I am going to try her last chapter - Pies, Tarts, Brownies, Bars and More.Also I like how she writes and talks how she does it in a specific way. Sometimes her stories are so funny which is true. You're almost listening while she is baking with you while reading the book. That's how I felt while reading the book, yet I enjoyed it! Can you also believe that she is 101 years old? She is still alive and kicking.

This is a collection of the wonderful recipes that taught a couple of generations how to bake. Maida's recipes are famous because they work and they are impossible to improve. Younger pastry aficionados may find the book quirky,. Rather than hand Mrs. Heatter another deserved bouquet, I want to point out these caveats, which in no way should stop anyone in their right minds from buying this book. Maida believes that sifted unbleached flour makes the best desserts, so most recipes start with double-sifting and the flour and measuring by the spoon-and-sweep method. If you are the kind of baker who weighs flour, my test showed 125 grams per cup of flour. (You are welcome.) The weights for other ingredients are all easy to find online these days. If you are used to, say, the in-depth explanations of Stella Parks, you won't find them here. Just follow the precise recipes and you will be fine. I know. I learned the hard way. For many years, I worked in the test kitchens of the big food magazines, and baked countless versions of her recipes. I remember once, with the blind confidence of youth, I blithely changed Maida's directions to line a Bundt pan with dried crumbs and used my standard butter and flour. I don't have to tell you that the cake stuck to the pan. When, cursing, I made another batch with her instructions intact, the results were perfect--I have used bread crumbs ever since. And don't expect photos. Maida's books were always illustrated with line drawings (usually by her late daughter), and these have charming color graphics instead of over-styled photos. I am thrilled to have all of her best recipes in one place. New fan or old, if you are a cook who wants to serve top-notch desserts, buy this book.

It seems like Maida Heatter has been a part of my baking life for most of my life. I'm lucky enough to still own several of her delightful baking books, some long out of print, that are old and dear friends. No worries, though. Maida, now 102, has put together a brand new collection of her most treasured, tried and tested recipes in Happiness is Baking and I'm delighted to own a copy!Many of these recipes are old friends. Key Lime Pie, the very pie that Maida once baked for presidents, is a treasure I have produced hundreds of times. Her brownies are legendary (try the Cream Cheese Brownies!) and the Fudge Cake With Fudge recipe you'll find on page 77 is the original Wellesley Fudge Cake, a cake I often made when my eldest was small. This very rich, very chocolate cake is luscious. My young husband, a chocolate lover, would take every opportunity to sit down with that cake, a fork and a gallon of milk straight from the farm to polish off the lot. (I could wish for that metabolism.) And right this very minute I've a batch of Florida Lemon Squares in the oven. (My kitchen always has lemons and oatmeal and brown sugar.) If you like lemon meringue pie, you will go mad for Florida Lemon Squares.Whether you are an experienced baker or looking for a gift for a 10 year old who wants to learn to bake, I couldn't recommend Happiness is Baking more highly. With 276 pages of Maida Heatter's very best recipes this is a book you will treasure for years. The book features a retro cover, hand painted illustrations and print big enough to read even without reading glasses.Grandma's $0.02 - 1000 Thumbs Up! The "must have" of the year!

Having read good reviews on this book I decided to order it but was slightly disappointed as the recipes are given in a mix of ounces and cup measurements and I am use to using grams so will need to convert every recipe... also I did not like cartoon type pictures of the finished cakes, I like to see a photograph of finish cakes.... it does have a recipe for making dog biscuits which will be good ti make to give to friends with dogs at Christmas time...

I was really pleased to receive Happiness is Baking by Maida Heatter from my family for my birthday! This hard cover book is a beautiful compilation of Heatter's greatest baking recipes. I appreciate that there are recipes to suit every occasion and, every level of home baker -- something for everyone. I loved reading through the recipe head notes because Heatter has something interesting to say about each recipe! What makes this book special is the wonderfully written forward by Dorie Greenspan, as well as the striking illustrations by Alice Oehr. Oehr's vintage-inspired style of illustration really suits this cookbook. My family is huge fans of Heatter's "The $250.00 Cookie Recipe" which I've bake quite a few times for them since getting the book. This cookbook would make a great addition to any cookbook library.

Love Maida Heatter and Dorie Greenspan. This is a great collection of baking recipes with desserts for all occasions and skill levels.

Good addition to Kitchen bookshelf as a good compilation of baking recipes. I wished they had photos instead on very simple illustrations .

I already owned 3 of her cookbooks. Happiness in Baking did not contain many recipes that were not in the other 3 books.