"Nancy Silverton baked a brioche so perfect that it brought Julia Child to tears. . . Nancy showed us how to strip away the extras and spotlight the essentials. She’s still doing that and we’re all still learning from her." —Dorie Greenspan, author of Dorie's Cookies

Nancy Silverton made her reputation as the original pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck's restaurant Spago. Two years ago, Silverton bit into a particularly delicious peanut butter cookie and had an epiphany: every single thing we bake should taste this good. And so she decided to return to her roots, and set to work perfecting the rest of the American baking canon.

From Lattice-Topped Apple Pie to Carrot Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (the secret? Carrot puree) to Cornbread (is it too much to ask that it actually taste like corn?), she shares recipes for the platonic ideals of our most beloved baked goods. Alongside the classics—Lemon Bars, Key Lime Pie, Layered Buttermilk Biscuits—Silverton includes a handful of her own inventions: Double-Decker Chocolate Cookies (double the fun!), Iced Raisin Bars (a better fig newton), and Chocolate Brandy Cake (chocolate and brandy!)—all sure to become future classics. With more than a hundred perfected recipes, The Cookie That Changed My Life is a veritable encyclopedia of the very best things to bake.

Other cookbooks by this author

• 100 Ways to Be Pasta: Perfect Pasta Recipes from Gangivecchio
• 100 Ways to Be Pasta: Perfect Pasta Recipes from Gangivecchio
• 100 Ways to Be Pasta: Perfect Pasta Recipes from Gangivecchio
• Bar Chef: Handcrafted Cocktails
• The Best of Taste (Williams-Sonoma): A Compilation of Inspired Recipes from the Williams-Sonoma Food and Travel Magazine
• Bowls of Plenty: Recipes for Healthy and Delicious Whole-Grain Meals
• Bowls of Plenty: Recipes for Healthy and Delicious Whole-Grain Meals
• Chi Spacca: A New Approach to American Cooking
• Cooking from Your Pantry: Delicious Meals in 30 Minutes or Less, with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes
• Desserts
• Desserts
• Desserts by Nancy Silverton
• Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin
• The Food of Campanile: Recipes from the Famed Los Angeles Restaurant
• The Food of Campanile: Recipes from the Famed Los Angeles Restaurant
• The Food of Campanile: Recipes from the Famed Los Angeles Restaurant
• The Food of Campanile: Recipes from the Famed Los Angeles Restaurant
• A Good Bake: The Art and Science of Making Perfect Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Breads at Home
• Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton at Home: Two Chefs Cook for Family & Friends
• Mozza at Home: More Than 150 Crowd-Pleasing Recipes for Relaxed, Family-Style Entertaining
• The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
• The Mozza Cookbook
• The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles's Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
• Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery
• Nancy Silverton's Pastries: From The La Brea Bakery
• Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery
• Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery
• Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--From Thursday Nights at Campanile
• Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--From Thursday Nights At Campanile
• Once Upon a Tart...: Soups, Salads, Muffins, and More from New York City's Favorite Bakeshop and Café
• Once Upon A Tart...: Soups, Salads, Muffins, and More from New York City's Favorite Bakeshop and Café
• Once Upon A Tart…: Soups, Salads, Muffins, and More from New York City's Favorite Bakeshop and Café
• One Pot (Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series)
• Sara Foster's Casual Cooking: More Fresh Simple Recipes From Foster's Market
• Taming the Feast: Ben Ford's Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking
• A Twist of the Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes: A Cookbook
• A Twist of The Wrist: Quick Flavorful Meals With Ingredients From Jars, Cans, Bags, And Boxes
• Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World: New York: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World