Oh, I’m so very excited! Miette, my absolute favorite San Francisco bakery, has finally released a cookbook – and it’s out today! Complete with recipes for each and every one of my favorite treats, mouth-watering photos and the sweetest of all: scalloped edges to each and every page!

Now, fair warning: this cookbook is not for the faint of heart. One cake recipe cautions that it takes three days to complete. But some of the recipes are simpler – like my favorite thing in the shop: their graham crackers. They’re nothing at all like the graham crackers you know. They’re crumbly and dense, packed with butter and cinnamon. They’re amazing by themselves, but they turn a s’more into a religious experience. Also, I’d have sold my firstborn to get the recipe for their fluffy, marshmallow-like boiled icing…but now, I only need $15. Much more reasonable.

{All photos kindly provided by Chronicle Books}

If you’re into cakes (their old-fashioned cupcake with boiled icing is unparalleled) and confections (including marshmallows that are simply otherwordly), are looking to test your baking mettle, or if you just like pretty, pretty cookbooks, this one needs to be on your shelf.

A little bit of bonus good news: the publishers of Miette kindly offered to let me share that delicious graham cracker recipe with you! Get your bake on…after the jump:

miette’s graham crackers

{Excerpted from Miette: Recipes from San Francisco’s Most Charming Pastry Shop, with permission from Chronicle Books}

We created this graham dough for the lime meringue tart, but when we rolled it out a little thicker and punched cookie shapes, we discovered a superior version of this classic American cookie. Graham is a type of whole-wheat flour that tends to have a coarse, uneven texture, so we don’t use it. Instead, we make our dough using regular whole-wheat flour to produce a smooth, crisp, buttery cookie, flavored with a touch of honey. This dough might be the most versatile in the bakery. The Miette Cheesecake calls for these cookies crumbs in its crust. The Lime Meringue Tart calls for the dough to be rolled out (like a tart dough) and pressed into the pan before baking off. You can wrap extra dough in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.

Makes about twenty-four 3 1/4-inch cookies, two 7-inch tarts or a dozen 3 1/2-inch tartlets.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Generous 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey

Sift together the flours, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar, and honey and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, beating just until combined after each addition. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling, or for up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unwrap the dough and place between two sheets of waxed paper. On a clean work surface, roll out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Using a 3 1/4-inch round cookie cutter with a scalloped edge, cut out the graham crackers. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1/2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. They should snap crisply when cooled.

Gather up the dough scraps, reroll, and cut out to make more cookies. Bake as directed and let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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