It’s Not Just Cookies: Stories and Recipes from the Tiff’s Treats Kitchen

The husband and wife duo behind Texas’s Tiff’s Treats cookie franchise share their recipes for success and some sweets in this exhaustive outing. The Chens (self-proclaimed creators of the warm-cookie delivery industry) begin by charting their company’s origins as a “two-person operation” based in their college apartment in Austin, Tex., and trace how they survived “a gauntlet of misadventures” (floods, financial losses, evictions) to parlay their business into a tech-savvy, mission-based empire with more than 70 stores across the South. Randomly sprinkled throughout are recipes from the company’s vaults—tweaked for home kitchens—including such highlights as their gooey s’mores cookies; cookie spins on classic cakes (such as carrot, molten lava, and red velvet); and their “Trio dessert bar set,” featuring, most notably, their toffee-topped salted caramel blondies. Home bakers will appreciate the no-nonsense tips (use parchment paper, avoid overmixing, know one’s oven), but may find the Chens’ forays into such topics as parenting and glib pointers on how to navigate working with one’s spouse (“first step is to see if your personalities and talents are complementary”) out of place. Nevertheless, those willing to overlook the clumpy narrative will enjoy these simple riffs on classic cookies. (Feb.)