Maida Heatter - Happiness Is Baking

Happiness is baking cookies.

Happiness is giving them away.

And serving them, and eating them,

talking about them, reading and

writing about them, thinking about them,

and sharing them with you.

The one time I saw Maida Heatter was at Lincoln Center in New York City. The occasion was a James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony, and while I cant remember the specific reason she was being honoredthe possibilities for celebrating her are manyIll never forget the moment. She accepted her award, then moved to the edge of the stage, her white hair gleaming under the lights, her smile as broad as one of her crescent cookies, reached into a bag shed brought with her, and began throwing brownies to the adoring crowd. I didnt get one, but had I, Im sure I could have taken a quick look and told you which one of her many brownies it wasand I might even have been able to recite the recipe. Thats how well I knew her work.

In our house, Maida Heatter, who might as well have been a kitchen god, was always given full title, as in, Is that another Maida Heatter recipe? Or, This is so wonderful, it must be a Maida Heatter recipe. Or, most often, Another fabulous dessert from Maida Heatter. Long before the internet, long before people cooked or baked their way through a book and shared their adventures with their followers, I baked my way through Maida Heatters Book of Great Desserts and shared everything I baked with my husband, my friends, my workmates, and the men who ran the elevator in our apartment building. Everyone was grateful and, soon, discriminating. When I offered something that wasnt perfect, theyd say, This isnt a Maida Heatter recipe, and theyd be right. Teach me for straying.

Maida Heatter helped make me a baker. When I got the first of her books, I was married, working, and going to graduate school. No matter how busy the day, I came home and baked. I didnt know much about the craft then, but I wanted to learn, and it was Maida Heatter who taught me. Her instructions were so good, so complete, and so meticulous and superbly thought out that it was easy to follow her and right to trust her. Her directions were also encouraging. As I worked my way through each recipe, I had the feeling that she was cheering me on.

Whenever someone tells me they want to start baking, I tell them to turn to Maida Heatter. I cant even count how many of her books Ive given to beginning bakers. And now, there is this new edition, its recipes culled from Maida Heatters archives and chosen by people who, like me, have been touched by her work. It makes me indescribably happy to know that a new generation of bakers will have the pleasure of being guided by this knowing and generous teacher.

One day, I hope that bakers will look back on this book and find, as I have in all of my Maida Heatter books, the notes that they scribbled alongside each recipe. My notes say things like, Fantastic! Delicious and easy to make. Make again! A knock-out! Yours will too.

Dorie Greenspan

Years ago I heard a doctor talking on television about the dangers of stress. It can kill you. It can cause a heart attack or a stroke. The doctor listed ways of coping with stress. Exercise. Diet. Do yoga. Take a walk.

I yelled, Bake cookies.

I often talk to the television. I yelled it again and again. The doctor went on with his list of 12 ways to reduce stress and he never once mentioned my surefire treatment.

Baking is a great escape. Its happiness. Its creative. Its good for your health. It reduces stress.

If you are reading this book, chances are you know what I mean. You have probably baked something delicious. You could probably tell me a thing or two about what fun it is. But if you have not baked even cookies, then let me tell you: Bake some cookies! Happiness is baking cookies.

The one question I am asked most often is, What do you do with all the desserts you make while writing a cookbook? Frankly, we eat an awful lot of them. And we have friends and neighbors, and delivery men, garbage men, gardeners, mailmen, and the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker who hope I never stop testing recipes.