Delish Insane Sweets

August 5, 2019
This second cookbook from the eponymous food media company (after Delish: Eat Like Every Day’s the Weekend) is another fun collection of recipes that readers will be eager to try. In addition to dessert staples like chocolate chip cookies, vanilla cupcakes, and fudgy brownies, there are plenty of creative twists on classics, such as chocolate chip cookie dippers, Rolo-stuffed blondies, and frappuccino cupcakes. Some of the desserts are infused with alcohol, most notably the Moscow mule cupcakes, Kentucky screwdriver brownies, and mini eggnog cheesecakes. There are also recipes inspired by pop culture, such as Sorting Hat cupcakes from Harry Potter and Leg Lamp cookies inspired by A Christmas Story. Also appealing is a chapter devoted to oversize desserts—including s’mores skillet cookies and a giant Oreo cake. The recipes are simple to follow and include helpful tips that bakers of all levels will appreciate (“These cookies have a tendency to stick to the parchment... be sure not to skip greasing it”). Delish fans will appreciate this tasty addition to the brand.

October 1, 2019

Following on the heels of their first book, Delish: Eat Like Every Day's the Weekend, Saltz and the editors of Delish.com have compiled familiar dessert recipes into a new cookbook, including a combination of from-scratch recipes and semihomemade ones that use cake mixes or cookie dough as shortcuts. Chapters feature appetizing and easy-to-make cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and blondies, mimicking the website by providing straightforward recipes of familiar favorites with a twist that don't require hard-to-find ingredients or specialty kitchen tools. All but ten of the recipes are available on the Delish.com website, though 18 are slightly adapted from the website for clarity or to change the yield. Images of finished treats appear with every dish; a handful also have photos showing the baking process, though strangely, the more technical ones don't have procedure photos. VERDICT A straightforward compilation of treats that will appeal to novice and experienced bakers alike.--Danielle Williams, Univ. of Evansville

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2019
The first sweets-only cookbook from Saltz and the editors at Delish.com includes a mix of baking hacks (some use pre-made cookie dough or boxed cake mix), Instagram-ready treats (rainbow cheesecake bars, Christmas light cupcakes), and desserts that "broke the internet" with their viral success (pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, Santa's trash, the alarming but allegedly delicious Cheeto macaroni). In fact, most of the recipes can be found on the Delish website, but this book is a useful compendium of recipes for home bakers who want a creative challenge without relying on crazy ingredients or devices (except for two cr�me br�l�e-inspired recipes, which both require a kitchen torch). Still, with basics like best-ever chocolate chip cookies and vanilla cupcakes, drink-inspired cupcakes in frappuccino, Moscow mule, mimosa flavors, and multiple iterations of the flavors of s'mores, banana pudding, and snickerdoodles, there is something here for every taste, including one or two gluten-free treats. Most recipes fit on one page, and this easy-to-use cookbook is trendy enough to entice patrons and useful enough to keep them coming back for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)