I first met Tina Casaceli years ago when she was the director of Pastry Studies at the French Culinary Institute in New York. We were judging a pastry competition together, along with a few others, and had to taste over twenty different desserts in a span of a few hour. By the sixth or seventh one, we started to giggle a bit,
trying hard to maintain our professionalism. By number twenty, however, we were downright punch-drunk. (I defy anyone to taste twenty desserts and remain sober.) Anyhow, from the moment I met her, I really liked her, and we’ve been fast friends ever since. Tina has since moved on to open her own business, an adorable
cookie shop in Greenwich Village called Milk and Cookies Bakery. Here you can order milk shakes, brownies, sundaes and ice cream sandwiches, or have cookies with customized ingredients baked for you on the spot. Milk and Cookies Bakery is a huge success, mostly because Tina’s an incredibly hard worker and
knows just how to run a small business (she grew up working in her family’s restaurant). Tina has also just released her first book, aptly named Milk & Cookies (Chronicle Books, 2011; $24.95). Full of comforting cookie and bar recipes from her bakery, it’s an irresistible book that you’re bound to turn to again and again. I was
hard-pressed to choose a recipe to bake (so many were my favorites) but I was able to narrow it down to two, Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. With a hint of maple flavor and bursts of sweet blueberry, Tina’s oatmeal cookies were chewy delishness. I loved them. I also liked the peanut butter cookies, but they were very tender and light, and I’m not accustomed to that. I think I like my peanut butter cookies dense and chewy, but you might prefer them this way. At any rate, I know you will love this book and its myriad recipes. You'll also love Tina, if you get the chance to stop by her charming bakery. Milk and Cookies Bakery is located at 19 Commerce St., New York, NY; 212-243-1640.
