The Sophisticated Cookie

The Sophisticated Cookie does an excellent job with a tricky subject: cooking with booze. While it is perhaps a fallacy that "all the alcohol bakes out;" at least most of it does, and we are frequently left with flavor that is, well, sophisticated. You might find your liquor cabinet woefully understocked for some of these delicacies; on the other hand, you might be inspired to finally reach for some of those neglected aperitifs you've been so carefully sheltering all these years. Thanks, Jeanne Benedict, for raising the humble cookie to its rightful place in the pantheon of ciusine.Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com

I make between 100 and 150 cookies each week for the S.C. House of Representatives of which my husband is a member. This is my fifth year of making the cookies and I never repeat a recipe, so I'm always on the lookout for good cookie recipes. I made the Wild Walnut Wheels this week and they were a huge hit. I was amazed at how good the Kamikaze cookies were - who ever heard of a lime cookie? This is the first cookie cookbook I have owned that truly has some new and different recipes. Highly recommended!!!!!!!!

I have made thousands of cookies in my life. I find this book a fresh new idea to Christmas baking as well as all times of the year. The techniques are easy to follow and are beneficial to everyone from begininner baker to the expert. I have sampled many of the recipes and found them delicious and have gotten rave reviews from the tasters. Ms. Benedict has a great idea and I can't wait for the next volume of sophisticated cookies. Thanks for the book and keep baking!!

What a fabulous concept! Taking old favorite cookie recipes and jazzing them up with liquors and liquers is just the thing to enliven a goodie basket or gift box. This entertaining and easy-to-follow cookbook is filled with amusing anecdotes and very specific instructions and tips. This book and a tray of cookies...the perfect holiday gift!

A totally new concept . Coctails in a cookie and you do not get the alcohol, just the flavor. There are even ideas for displaying, mailing and making different kinds of gift basket for your friends. The chapter on the WEll STOCKED Bar was very informative. I have tasted the brownies and the citrus shortbread which are without comparison. Just reading the titles will make you yearn to have some.Where else could you find cookies with names like B52, Golden Cadillac and Screwdriver Spritz? If you bake cookies this book should be in your cookie library. A welcome addition.