Cupcakes and Cookies
Frances McNaughton and Lisa Slatter

Search Press
18 February 2011 (US 1 July 2011)/ ISBN 9781844486632
Nonfiction / How-To Books/Sugarcraft
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

This is a hardbacked compilation of two previously published books: Decorated Cupcakes by Frances McNaughton and Decorated Cookies by Lisa Slatter. Both were from the Twenty To Make series and if you already have these books you probably won’t want to buy them again. However, if you don’t have them and want to make some great-looking cookies and cupcakes to really wow your guests then I can recommend getting this book.

For one thing it opens out flat and is a lot larger, therefore easier to read and work from. This is not a recipe book but a book of beautifully photographed projects for decorating cookies and cupcakes, and one recipe of each type is given along with some alternative flavoring ideas. Each project contains a page-sized photo of the item, often with another variation beside it. The facing page tells you what equipment you need, the ingredients and quite detailed instructions.

These projects do not feature staged photos, but I think that most of them are simple enough for a sugarcrafter who has mastered the basics to tackle. The challenge is going to be making them look as perfect as the pictures in this book! Ideas include a duck, clown, pirate, gilded castle, flower, butterfly, shamrock, Easter duck and bunny, the inevitable teddy bear, Halloween witch, wedding cake, new baby and christening, and various Christmas projects such as holly leaf, snowman and Christmas tree. Amongst the more unusual can be found an edible family tree for those family reunions, cupcake like a box with an engagement ring peeping out and rose bouquets with numbers on for landmark anniversaries. All are detailed and quite stunning; so much so that perhaps eating them would be a shame, but if you are like me you just hate to waste good food…on second thought, maybe getting this is a good plan even if you do have the earlier Twenty To Make editions…