Lebanese Baking – Quick Bites and Cookbook Giveaway
October 13, 2025 by JennyEnter our US/Canada giveaway to win one of two copies of Lebanese Baking: More Than 100 Recipes for Sweet and Savory Baked Goods by Maureen Abood. The author has events planned and those can be found on our Calendar.
Maureen Abood’s gorgeous and authoritative cookbook celebrates the delicious baked goods of Lebanon with traditional recipes and Lebanese American innovations. Learn how to simplify and streamline, with time-saving tips for preparing baklawa and how to make saj bread without a dome oven. Gorgeous food photography highlights the warmth of Abood’s kitchen, and helpful process shots guide you, step by step, through tricky techniques. Recipe variations include vegan and nut-free options, and a helpful glossary and pronunciation guide round out this mouthwatering collection.
There are thirteen online recipes to try now.
Maureen Abood is the author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, a Michigan Notable Book and IACP Award finalist. Her writing and recipes have appeared widely, including in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Saveur, Food52, and NPR. She teaches Lebanese cooking through her popular website and social media channels, and she lives in Harbor Springs and East Lansing, Michigan.
Q: What first triggered your interest in cooking/baking and what is your first cooking memory.
My mother was a real maker of all kinds of things, from sewing to knitting to cooking and baking. She kept me close and took me along for all of it. My first kitchen memory that pops to mind is sitting on the counter eating chocolate chips while my mom made cookies. She had a wonderful sweet tooth and baked often. Maybe I was three. My earnest interest in baking was greatly influenced by the baking that went on in our basement where we kept a second oven, and where my mother and grandmother baked Lebanese flatbread (saj bread). It was dim in there and so cozy. I always woke up early to make the dough with Sitto (my grandmother), and here I watched her pat the dough with lots of flour, roll it a little, then toss it from hand to hand before flipping onto a hot steel sheet in the oven. The resulting bread is foldable, chewy, and delectable.
Q: If you had to describe your style, what would it be?
I’d love to say that my style is easy, breezy. I like to make it look easy, and I like to streamline every recipe in ways that help us bake more efficiently. But I do love a project and the secrets that get unlocked when you dive into something completely unfamiliar. My most recent experiences with that in writing Lebanese Baking include homemade French macarons and homemade phyllo dough. I love getting through the unknown to the revelation that it’s do-able, understandable, and a joy.
Q: Are you a cookbook collector? If so, tell us about your collection – number of books, favorite genre, favorite author? What you look for in a cookbook. (If possible, can you share a photo of your collection?)
So many cookbooks, so little time! From my younger years taking excursions to the bookstore on Saturday afternoon until now, I have always been drawn to cookbooks. My collection is heavy on baking books and of course any and every book on Lebanese cuisine, from vintage books and church spiral bound books to the very latest releases (of which there were very few for many years). I also have a deep interest in chocolate making, a legacy from my grandfather who was a confectioner for a time (“Geo. Abowd, Confectionery) in his little shop in Fostoria, Ohio. So candy-making books are here too! I probably have 1000 cookbooks, spread out in a couple different rooms at home (kitchen, office) and in our cottage up north in Michigan too. I look for different things depending on why I’m getting the book—certain things if it’s a gift, tailored to the friend’s interest, other things if it’s for me. I always love to get books that my friends in the food world have written, plus anything Mediterranean, plus all things baking from around the world. A sumptuously photographed book is such a draw, and so is a well-organized book. I also adore a cookbook with meaning, story, and the emotion and “why” behind a recipe or collection.
Q: What is the best part of your job? Do you sometimes feel like working with food all day keeps you from wanting to get creative in the kitchen?
I never tire of being in the kitchen! If anything, I wish I could have more time to try out new recipes that are way outside the sphere of what I’m doing for my own work. I’d love to establish a sourdough bread baking practice, for example. And I get so hungry for Asian flavors, but rarely make the recipes that deliver those because, well, there’s only so much time and so I often make for dinner what I can do without even thinking about it, and get it done fast.
Q: What is your go-to for a quick dinner (and for dessert)?
Lebanese Chicken and Rice Pilaf, or hushweh, is the IT meal at our house. My husband would eat it every day. Everyone from babies to the elders to the dog loves Hushweh! It is so savory and flavorful but comes together very quickly and easily. My go-to dessert, believe it or not, is a pan of baklawa. With my quick-make method (thank you Aunt Rita!), the assembly comes together pretty swiftly. We can enjoy crisp, buttery pieces plus give some away to adoring friends.
Tell us about your new book:
First: it is beautiful! The team at Countryman Press and the photography team with Kristin Teig made a knockout of a book. That’s gratifying because it’s like an engraved invitation to the party, saying “please come, honored friend, and enjoy it all; it is here for you.” It was a thrill for me to dive so deeply into all aspects of both savory and sweet Lebanese Baking recipes, with entire chapters dedicated to Baklawa, Knafeh, Fatayer, Savory and Sweet Yeast Breads, plus cookies and cakes galore. I did so much research to be sure to include as many of the traditional recipes as possible, while also including my own inspired takes. Bakers will find a great variety of recipes, from ultra-simple treats like Mocha Cardamom Snack Cake and Pistachio Cookies to fun and adventurous baking projects such as Fatayer hand pies, Manakeesh flatbreads with various toppings, and even Za’atar Croissants. We included lots of process photos with my hands showing how-to, so I can be right there with bakers every step of the way. Success, joy, happy memories, and deliciousness await!
Follow Maureen on social media here: Instagram: @maureenabood TikTok: @maureen_abood YouTube: @maureenabood
Special thanks to the publisher for providing two copies of this title in our promotion open to US/CA Members. Entry options include answering the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the Index would you like to make first from this book?
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