Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World

Bake your way around the world with the ultimate collection of 300 irresistible, authentic, and delicious cookie recipes from nearly 100 countries

Whether enjoyed at breakfast, with afternoon tea, on holidays, or as a late-night snack, cookies are a universally beloved treat. In Crumbs, food writer, recipe developer, and self-confessed baking obsessive Ben Mims takes home cooks on a delicious tour across countries and cultures, presenting a sweet and satisfying guide to crumbly, crunchy, chewy desserts – from Snickerdoodles, Date-Filled Maamoul, and Almond Macaroons to Cardamom Biscuits, Italian Waffle Cookies, and Okinawan Brown Sugar Shortbread.

Organized geographically, Crumbs is chock-full of old-world and modern classics, and intriguing local recipes from more than 100 countries. Each begins with a fascinating origin story, followed by clear, step-by-step instructions and notes on regional variations.

Beginners will appreciate Mims’s introduction to essential equipment, ingredients, and techniques such as shaping, rolling, and slicing, while bakers of all skill levels will find inspiration in the bounty of recipes, each carefully tested and perfected for home kitchens. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, the book features gorgeous photographs and special icons designating dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan recipes, as well as approachable, easy-to-make options that come together in 30 minutes or less.

Recipes include: Chocolate-Glazed Elisenlebkuchen, Danish Pepper and Spice Cookies, Egyptian Stuffed Eid Cookies, Filipino Powdered Milk Shortbreads, French Macarons, Icelandic Gingerbread, Malaysian Milky Cashew Cookies, Nigerian Coconut Macaroon Balls, Pakistani Cumin Seed Cookies, Portuguese Biscoitos, Puerto Rican Guava and Almond Thumbprint Cookies, Rugelach, Spanish Almendrados, Shrewsbury Biscuits, Speculaas, Sri Lankan Crunchy Sugar Cookies, Syrian Sesame and Pistachio Cookies, Thai Rolled Wafer Cookies, Venezuelan Shortbread Cookies, and Welsh Griddled Currant Cookies, plus international variations on wedding cookies, Christmas cookies, and other sweet treats for special celebrations.

Review

‘There is a deeply human impulse to make delicious, and beautiful, things. Crumbs is full of them.’ – Eater, Best Cookbooks of Fall 2024

‘These recipes offer elegant forms … [and] all the spice the season calls for.’ – Wall Street Journal

‘Loaded with delicious-looking gems … A love letter to cookies from around the world.’ – SimplyRecipes

‘This book is stunning, from the elegant cover to the beautiful photography inside.’ – Brit + Co

About the Author

Ben Mims  is a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and food writer. He has worked as a food columnist, editor, and recipe developer for major media outlets including: the Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Saveur, Lucky Peach, and Buzzfeed’s Tasty. He has written three cookbooks, and his work has appeared in the annual anthology Best Food Writing.