Julia M. Usher's Ultimate Cookies

Food & Drink Reference Cookbook Baking Culinary Arts DIY Crafts Hobbies

Julia M. Usher’s Ultimate Cookies (2011, Gibbs M. Smith) is the cookie-decorating bible that home bakers, culinary students, and Etsy sellers keep within arm’s reach. At 271 oversized, lay-flat pages, this 267 mm × 248 mm paperback is stuffed with step-by-step photography and templates for more than 130 designs—ranging from wedding monograms to 3-D cookie castles—so you can move straight from dough to show-stopper without hunting for extra resources. Every technique (royal-icing flooding, hand-painting, air-brushing, stencilling, stamping, moulding, and even building tiered cookie cakes) is graded by skill level, making the book friendly to beginners yet still challenging for seasoned decorators looking to add couture finishes to their repertoire.

What sets this copy apart is its pristine, very-good condition: crisp, unmarked pages, no dog-eared corners, no smoke or kitchen odours, and a tight binding that will stay open on your counter while you pipe. Because the title has been out of print for several years, clean copies are increasingly scarce; grabbing one now means you secure the original 2011 release with all the vintage templates and colour formulas that later reprints sometimes omitted. The generous trim size and heavy 1.3 kg paper stock make the photos pop and ensure the template pages survive repeated photocopying for icing guides or classroom hand-outs.

Beyond the recipes, Usher packs the book with professional troubleshooting charts, flavour-pairing suggestions, mail-order packaging tips, and a comprehensive resource directory—turning the volume into a reference you’ll consult long after you’ve mastered the basics. Whether you need Pinterest-worthy favours, a cottage-business product line, or simply want to wow the neighbours at the next bake sale, this copy of Ultimate Cookies delivers restaurant-quality results without the culinary-school price tag.

Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.