• ValeCooks
  • Posts
  • Second Cookbook Club = Big Cookie Win 🍪

Second Cookbook Club = Big Cookie Win 🍪

March 23, 2025

I just attended my second cookbook club and came back home with a big smile 😃. I’m really loving being around people who get just as excited about recipe successes 🎉 and love to nitpick recipe details as much as I do.

This Month’s Cookbook:

Recipes I Tried From The Book:

  • Pine Nut Hummus

  • Horchata

  • Browned Butter + Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • No-Churn Nutella Ice Cream

  • Crispy Roasted Potatoes

  • Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

  • Cast-Iron Naan

  • Papa's Crispy Rice

  • Ricotta Ravioli with Lemon Sauce

I made 9 recipes from the book, and only three were recipes I would make again. The rest? Not my thing at all. 🙃

I didn’t want to be the first to say it at the cookbook club (thankfully, I wasn’t 😅), but I did not enjoy this book. Even though I found three recipes I liked, the ones I didn’t like—I really didn’t like. The instructions could use improvement too. For example:

  • I had way too much leftover filling from the ravioli 🫠

  • The naan dough was so thick and didn’t taste great 🫣

  • The crispy rice was bland—just not it

At the cookbook club, we go around and share our thoughts on the book. I gave my (honest) review, then introduced what I brought: Browned Butter + Chocolate Chip Cookies. 🍪 And guess what? Everyone loved them! I had zero leftovers. We even joked that the author tried to prove me wrong by making the last recipe I tested the best one. 😂

Final Thoughts:

The book is beautiful, filled with amazing images, and has a wide variety of recipes. It definitely aligns with the idea that "anyone can cook," as the title suggests. But when it came to actually executing the recipes, it just didn’t work for me. 🤷‍♀️

You can check out my thoughts on each specific recipe below! ⬇️

I can’t wait for the next cookbook club! 📚✨

Recipes Made So Far This Year:

Goal: To try seven new recipes each week 🗓️, aiming for 365 this year!

Number of Recipes Made This Week: 22 ✅ 

Number of New Recipes Tested as of 3/9: 121

Weeks Achieving Seven or More New Recipes: 10 out of 10

This Week’s Recipe Test Summary

Impress Someone🌟

Nothing this week.

Would Make Again 👍

🥓 Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Red Cabbage – NY Times Cooking by David Tanis
This pasta is so comforting and super easy to make. Cooking the pasta in bacon fat? Game changer!

🍢 Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce – The Woks of Life
Definitely making this again! H said the peanut sauce was like catnip—he couldn’t get enough.

🌰 Pine Nut Hummus – Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
This hummus takes patience, but the slow-making process is worth it! Super creamy and flavorful. I’m rotating this hummus with my classic hummus recipe.


🥤 Horchata – Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
A classic horchata recipe that turned out really good. First horchata recipe I’ve saved!

🍪 Browned Butter + Chocolate Chip Cookies – Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
These cookies are Levain-style, meaning big, chunky, and packed with chocolate 🍫. I’ve tried similar cookies before, and they never turned out right—but these did! They were a huge hit at the cookbook club—people even asked to take some home. Not for everyone, but if you love a rich, chocolate-heavy cookie, this one’s for you!

🍰 Financiers (Almond-Browned Butter Cakes) – America's Test Kitchen by Lan Lam
I had leftover egg whites from baking and didn’t want them to go to waste (eggs are expensive nowadays!! 🥲). I searched for “egg white” recipes and found these. We had friends over for breakfast, and I made them quickly—none were left. This is now my go-to for a side with tea or coffee ☕.

Would Not Make Again 👎

These recipes didn’t live up to expectations or weren’t to my taste


🍪 Bulla Snickerdoodles – Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
Too much cinnamon and spice—a bit overpowering.

🍌 Tiffany Cromwell's Banana Bread – Running on Veggies: Plant-Powered Recipes for Fueling and Feeling Your Best
It burnt on the outside but stayed gooey inside.

🍦 No-Churn Nutella Ice Cream – Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
I think I just don’t love no-churn ice cream—the texture isn’t the same.

🍪 Cookie Brittle – Delish
Would’ve loved this in high school, but now it’s just meh.

🍪 Madeleines – Sugar Spun Run
Not bad, but it doesn’t taste like a true Madeleine.

🍞 North Fork Biscuits – Delectable: Sweet & Savory Baking by Claudia Fleming
They were great fresh out of the oven, but not good cold.

🥖 Cast-Iron Naan – Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
The dough was way off, and the taste was bad too.
 
🍚 Papa's Crispy Rice – Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
Took forever to make and ended up tasting like straight-up oil.

🍝 Ricotta Ravioli with Lemon Sauce – Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
We made the pasta from scratch, and it turned out too thick once cooked. The sauce was a no.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or any recipe requests you might have. Just respond directly to this email.

See you next week. Keep cooking! 👋 

Vale from ValeCooks

Reply

or to participate.