Food52 Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake
By Kristin Miglore
(Ten Speed Press; $35)

IfGenius Dessertswere a recording, it would be titled Now That’s What I Call Baking. A collection of fantastic classic, crowd-approved recipes,Genius Dessertscompiles the best of the best from the popular food websiteFood52. Browsing the recipes in this book made me envision an amazing cocktail party with all of the contributors as guests: Oh my, it’s Maida Heatter and Alice Medrich! Hey, there’s Erin McDowell and Stella Parks!

When I’m reviewing a book, I like to make a few recipes to ensure that the content works. ForGenius Desserts, that wasn’t imperative because I’ve made so many of these recipes before: Heatter’s simple and delicious East 62nd Street Lemon Cake; Medrich’sBest Cocoa Brownies; Karen DeMasco’s Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars; Jeni Britton Bauer’s Hot Fudge; and more. Just to keep myself honest, I tried Brooke Dojny’s Blueberry Snack Cake with Toasted Pecans, one recipe I hadn’t tried before, and—no surprise—it was genius-level delicious.

Whether you’re a novice baker or have lots of experience, you’ll have a great time baking your way through the greatest hits ofGenius Desserts.

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