Rating: 
Summary: Lets you bring home the wonderful smells of Magnolia Bakery!
Review: I never miss a trip to Magnolia Bakery in NYC's Greenwich Village whenever I am in town. It smells amazing and the cupcakes and icebox pies are to die for!!! You do have to crowd into this little shop for quite a while to wait your turn but it's worth it!This book lets you make all of these wonderful, old-fashioned treats at home with simple ingredients and not a lot of effort. I don't even have a sweet tooth but some of the recipes are downright tempting! If you make nothing else, try the recipes for their famous cupcakes (I like the chocolate ones especially) - makes the book worth getting.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: I purchased my copy of this book from the bakery on a trip to New York. My family is from the south and I was intrigued by the idea of the book and the bakery. I have not been disappointed. The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow and each one I have tried has turned out beautifully. I have made many of the cheesecakes and cookies, the pies, and cakes/frostings and they seem to be fail proof. I am giving the book out as gifts due to the many requests for the recipes. I think it is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: great!
Review: I really liked the recipes from the book because they are easy to follow (and also the one from the Buttercup Bakery Cookbook). While in New York during Christmas, I begged my cousin to take me--rather, go with me on the subway--to the actual bakery. Unfortunately it was closed until after New Years (and I was going to be home by then). I wish I could have had one of the actual treats, but for now, the book will suffice!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: I wish there were more pictures - but the recipes are surprisingly pretty good. I was definately satisfied with this purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Negative Reviews
Review: I'm puzzled by the handful of negative reviews below. Everything I made from the book came out FABULOUS. I wonder if it's the matter of taste. "Old-Fashioned" is the key word. Old-fashioned desserts are simple, plain, and sugary. Perhaps we become spoiled by todays so-called "improved" pastries that we find at markets and cafes...it's been so long since I had my grandmother's bundt cakes and icebox pies. Every time I bake from the book, it's like visiting my grandmother's kitchen..reliving my fond memories of finding delicous simple just-baked pastries on my grandmother's counter when I was a child. Another thing - the pastries you find at local supermarkets are loaded with preservatives and chemicals...so using the Magnolia Bakery recipes, you will end up with old-fashioned sugary American treats from scratch. The only drawback is that the book is not Baking 101.. its just a collection of recipes with a few tips. If you are new to baking, seek other books such as Baking 101 by Lora Brody or any books by Elinor Klivans and Maida Heatter. I'm very excited to say that the second book by the same author is coming out very soon - The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook. Can't wait to impress my loved ones with new pastries for the upcoming holidays.
Rating:
Summary: Negative Reviews
Review: I'm puzzled by the handful of negative reviews below. Everything I made from the book came out FABULOUS. I wonder if it's the matter of taste. "Old-Fashioned" is the key word. Old-fashioned desserts are simple, plain, and sugary. Perhaps we become spoiled by todays so-called "improved" pastries that we find at markets and cafes...it's been so long since I had my grandmother's bundt cakes and icebox pies. Every time I bake from the book, it's like visiting my grandmother's kitchen..reliving my fond memories of finding delicous simple just-baked pastries on my grandmother's counter when I was a child. Another thing - the pastries you find at local supermarkets are loaded with preservatives and chemicals...so using the Magnolia Bakery recipes, you will end up with old-fashioned sugary American treats from scratch. The only drawback is that the book is not Baking 101.. its just a collection of recipes with a few tips. If you are new to baking, seek other books such as Baking 101 by Lora Brody or any books by Elinor Klivans and Maida Heatter. I'm very excited to say that the second book by the same author is coming out very soon - The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook. Can't wait to impress my loved ones with new pastries for the upcoming holidays.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing....
Review: I'm very disappointed with many of the recipes..I dont know if there are misprints or if thats the way they make at the Greenwich village bakery. I made the Apple Crumb Pie which came out very boring...and the Iced Molasses Cookies were disgusting (they tasted like the ones you d find at the Winn-Dixie markets...and the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread ended up with the texture of "grass seeds", probably from the chopped peanuts. This is one very sad cook book...it appeared very delicious but the results were disasterous. And I consider myself a professional baker (working at the Disney World's bakeries for 5 years).
Rating:
Summary: It's an attractive cookbook
Review: I've made several recipes out of my Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and I'd say that I was happy with about half of them. I honestly think that is pretty good odds for a cookbook though. It all comes down to opinion, because some of the recipes that I've not cared for, other people have absolutely loved the results. I'm really attracted to the book's presentation - I think that it looks lovely. I also purchased the Buttercup Bakery cookbook and find that one to be about the same quality. As for the Magnolia cookbook, I think that it is a bit expensive for the size of it but I collect baking cookbooks and I wanted this one to add to my collection no matter what the price. I think it makes an attractive gift and I think that it's fine for baking beginners. The recipes are simple and made with basic ingredients. Plus, it's different than those massively printed cookbooks that everyone owns - that's a nice change.
Rating:
Summary: Just like the real thing!
Review: Magnolia Bakery is in my neighborhood and I know the taste of their cupcakes very well. The recipe in the book tastes exactly like the cupcakes in the bakery and suffice to say I am shocked--thrilled, but shocked. I don't know what I was expecting--I guess I assumed that they'd alter an ingredient or two, but clearly they did not. I've only made the cupcakes and the chocolate chip cookies, but hell, who needs anything else?
Rating:
Summary: Magnolia Vs. Buttercup
Review: Most cake-loving New Yorkers know that Jennifer Appell co-founded Magnolia then left to found Buttercup Bake Shop, but beware. As is usually the case, the sequel never matches the caliber of the original.
The Magnolia bakery and cookbook are true delights to any sweets lovers! Buttercup, on the other hand, features dry cakes with mounds of crusty icing, and the recipe book is filled with some real head scratchers (12 tbsp. of Crisco to top a coffee cake? Trust me, it's terrible!)If you can't decide between the Magnolia or Buttercup cookbooks, go for the original Magnolia recipes!
There are 2 things I couldn't put down. This book and my cup of S o y f e e. It's made from organic soyabeans which you brew just like coffee. No caffeine and I don't miss it either. Look for on the web at www. S oycoffee.com.
Great book. I promise you won't be disappointed!!
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