Chocolate Slice Cookies - Chokladsnittar - Sweden. Photography: Simon Bajada

It’s official - Ben Mims has the best job in the world

The author of Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World researched and ‘tested’ cookies for years, in order to create our latest food bible

Think of your absolute dream job. However long you hold that thought though, you'll probably not come up with anything quite like the dream job Ben Mims has had for the last few years. Because Ben has been studying cookies. At length. Every which way. From every continent and pretty much every country in the world: From American Ginger Molasses Cookies to Arabic Sesame Anise Rings; from Chinese Walnut Cookies to Finnish Gingerbread; from Venezuelan Shortbread to, whisper it, Nigerian Coconut Balls.

crumbs rough Jam-Filled Cookie Cut-Out Sandwiches - Linzer Augen - Austria. Photography: Simon Bajada

In Ben’s new book, Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World the self-confessed cookie obsessive details 300 authentic recipes from 100 countries, an extraordinary collection of wafers, shortbreads, tea cakes, cookie sandwiches, gingerbreads, and thumbprint cookies, to name just a few of the tempting treats on the table.

crumbs rough Persian Raisin Cookies - Shirini Keshmeshi - Iran. Photography: Simon Bajada

Mims has a wealth of culinary experience, having worked as a food columnist, editor, and recipe developer for the Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Saveur and Lucky Peach among others. He spent years researching Crumbs, and his meticulous research, along with an evocative writing style, make our latest food bible so much more than just a collection of recipes.

crumbs rough Fried Whole Wheat Biscuits - Thekua - India, Nepal. Photography: Simon Bajada

For starters, each of those recipes has a headnote, shedding light on that particular cookie’s history – exploring its culinary and cultural significance, while drawing connections between the various recipes throughout the book.

crumbs rough Dulce de Leche-Filled Butter Cookies - Alfajores - Argentina. Photography: Simon Bajada

Starting in the region once known as Persia, considered the ‘birthplace of cookies,’ the book travels to each corner of the globe, with every chapter focusing on a distinct geographical region or a set of countries that share a culinary heritage. You can literally bake your way round the world with this book.

crumbs rough Almond and Sugar Cookie Bars - Jan Hagel Koekjes - Netherlands. Photography: Simon Bajada

Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World also celebrates the unique characteristics of each region’s specialities and ingredients. So there are honey-soaked delicacies from Greece and Turkey; European spiced gingerbreads, South American cookies made with guava; American chocolate chip cookies, cardamom cookies from Somalia, and southeast Asian cookies with tapioca and coconut.

crumbs rough Welsh Griddled Currant Cookies- Pice Ar y Maen - Wales. Photography: Simon Bajada

There’s also expert advice on essential equipment, techniques, and ingredients, explanations of baking basics (including methods of preparing dough), along with the secrets of chilling, rack position, and batch cooking.

crumbs rough Piped Butter Cookies - Spritzgebäck - Germany. Photography: Simon Bajada

Each recipe is accompanied by our now familiar Phaidon home cookbook icons, that tell readers whether a recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian, and whether a recipe is five ingredients or fewer, or can be made in thirty minutes or under.

crumbs rough Swirled “Pig’s Ears” Cookies - Bánh Tai Heo - Vietnam. Photography: Simon Bajada

Finally, Mims explains the types of ingredients necessary to make the cookies in the book, and explores their cultural and country-specific differences.

crumbs rough Chocolate Chip Cookies - United States. Photography: Simon Bajada

Take a closer look at Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World in the store here and do some of your own gorging, er, researching, today.

crumbs rough

Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the WorldBen Mims

Price AUD$69.95 Price CAD$64.95 Price £34.95 Price €39.95 Price USD$49.95 Price T49.95

'A rare and special book that you’ll find yourself reading and baking from for many years to come.' – Edd Kimber, baker and cookbook author

'The most well-researched and diverse cookie book I have ever encountered … An instant classic.' – Hetty Lui McKinnon, cookbook author and food writer

Bake your way around the world with the ultimate collection of 300 irresistible, authentic, and delicious cookie recipes from nearly 100 countries

Whether enjoyed at breakfast, with afternoon tea, on holidays, or as a late-night snack, cookies are a universally beloved treat. In Crumbs, food writer, recipe developer, and self-confessed baking obsessive Ben Mims takes home cooks on a delicious tour across countries and cultures, presenting a sweet and satisfying guide to crumbly, crunchy, chewy desserts – from Snickerdoodles, Date-Filled Maamoul, and Almond Macaroons to Cardamom Biscuits, Italian Waffle Cookies, and Okinawan Brown Sugar Shortbread.

Organized geographically, Crumbs is chock-full of old-world and modern classics, and intriguing local recipes from more than 100 countries. Each begins with a fascinating origin story, followed by clear, step-by-step instructions and notes on regional variations.

Beginners will appreciate Mims’s introduction to essential equipment, ingredients, and techniques such as shaping, rolling, and slicing, while bakers of all skill levels will find inspiration in the bounty of recipes, each carefully tested and perfected for home kitchens. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, the book features gorgeous photographs and special icons designating dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan recipes, as well as approachable, easy-to-make options that come together in 30 minutes or less.

Recipes include: Chocolate-Glazed Elisenlebkuchen, Danish Pepper and Spice Cookies, Egyptian Stuffed Eid Cookies, Filipino Powdered Milk Shortbreads, French Macarons, Icelandic Gingerbread, Malaysian Milky Cashew Cookies, Nigerian Coconut Macaroon Balls, Pakistani Cumin Seed Cookies, Portuguese Biscoitos, Puerto Rican Guava and Almond Thumbprint Cookies, Rugelach, Spanish Almendrados, Shrewsbury Biscuits, Speculaas, Sri Lankan Crunchy Sugar Cookies, Syrian Sesame and Pistachio Cookies, Thai Rolled Wafer Cookies, Venezuelan Shortbread Cookies, and Welsh Griddled Currant Cookies, plus international variations on wedding cookies, Christmas cookies, and other sweet treats for special celebrations.

Specifications:

Format: Hardback
Size: 270 × 180 mm (10 5/8 × 7 1/8 in)
Pages: 432 pp
Illustrations: 125 illustrations
ISBN: 9781838668860

Ben Mims is a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and food writer. He has worked as a food columnist, editor, and recipe developer for major media outlets including: the Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, Lucky Peach, and Buzzfeed’s Tasty. He has written three cookbooks, and his work has appeared in the annual anthology Best Food Writing.

‘Loaded with delicious-looking gems … A love letter to cookies from around the world.’ – SimplyRecipes

‘A classic in the making; Ben has traced the journey of the cookie from LA to Budapest, Tokyo to London. No stone has been left unturned in his hugely ambitious undertaking to document the cookies of the world, shining a light on the history of each cookie, the traditions they spring from and of course how to recreate each delicious cookie at home. A rare and special book that you’ll find yourself reading and baking from for many years to come.’ – Edd Kimber, baker and cookbook author

‘Crumbs is the most well-researched and diverse cookie book I have ever encountered. Traveling through time and across cultures and lands, this is a unique and dynamic investigation of what the small-but-mighty cookie means to different people. Ben Mims has written an instant classic.’ – Hetty Lui McKinnon, cookbook author and food writer

Praise for Ben Mims’s previously published dessert book:

‘I wanted to make practically every one of Mr. Mims’s original, modern and often whimsical takes on classic Southern desserts.’ – New York Times

‘Each recipe is presented with an eye for technique and a borderline obsessive attention to detail – a mark of his pastry chef background – plus plenty of his irresistible Mississippi charm.’ – Saveur

‘Whether he is writing about watermelon gelatin or sweet potato cake, Mr. Mims approaches his subject with kitchen know-how and contagious enthusiasm.’ – Wall Street Journal