Ryan Alvarez and Adam Merrin of Husbands That Cook have a new cookbook titled That Takes the Cookie: 85 Tasty Treats for Every Occasion. Out on November 12, the cookbook features 85 delicious cookie recipes for every occasion, all year round, along with tips and information about ingredients and tools. We recently caught up with Ryan and Adam to talk about their creative process, working together, and more.
Congratulations on the new cookbook! Whatโs the inspiration behind it?
Thank you so much! Itโs interesting how this book came about. Our publisher, Simon Element, came to us with the idea for a Christmas cookie book. They wanted us to write a proposal with 25 Christmas cookie recipe ideas, along with 4 or 5 full recipes each with photos. Well, we came up with 90 recipe ideas and put together a really cute proposal. They loved it so much that they wanted us to turn it into a book that people could cook from all year round, not just during the holidays. So, we kept a few of our favorites, and had to tweak most of our other ideas to make them less holiday-centric.
We usually come up with the initial recipe titles in one sittingโthatโs what we did with our first book, Husbands That Cook, and it seems to work well. Thereโs so much inspiration and lots of love that went into creating That Takes the Cookie. Weโre so excited for people to start cooking from it. Itโs so colorful and fun, and the recipes are insane! I mean, have you ever tried a Tiramisu Cloud Cookie!? We also pride ourselves on making our recipes easy to follow, so anyone can cook alongโthat is something that has always been important to us.
This is your second cookbook โ not to mention your popular blog and social media. How do you find fresh material and recipes to share?
We love what we do! We wouldnโt do it if we didnโt enjoy it. We have so much fun coming up with new recipe ideas, and that gratification is the source of our inspiration. If it were a chore, the ideas wouldnโt be as creative. But since we love the process so much, we can dig deeper within ourselves and not hold back. Itโs fascinating to see how each recipe evolves during testing. Sometimes we donโt change a thing from the original concept, and other times, the recipe doesnโt work out and we have to scrap the idea altogether.
We love that you do this as a team – what is the best thing about working together?
We feel so lucky to work as a teamโmost authors and bloggers have to handle everything on their own. Since there are two of us, we can divide and conquer tasks according to our strengths. For example, Ryan may have more hands-on experience in baking, but Adam is more comfortable with the camera and photo editing. In terms of writing, Adam usually handles most of the creative parts and fun headnotes, while Ryan does the technical recipe writingโand we both edit each otherโs work. When it comes to recipe creation and taste-testing, we always do it together. And before we share a new recipe with the world, it must get an enthusiastic โyes!โ from both of us.
Along with some great recipes, you have lots of tips and information about ingredients and tools. Why was it important to you to include these?
Our goal is always to make cooking fun and easy. Many people feel unsure or intimidated by baking, so in our Basics chapter, we share all the information you need to feel confident in the kitchen. This chapter includes a list of every ingredient and tool needed to make every recipe in the book, along with helpful tips to ensure success every time. We’ve also included ingredient weight charts for accurate baking, information on gluten-free recipes, and even a scannable QR code to help readers find any ingredients or tools they might be missing. We want to make baking cookies as easy, fun, and approachable as possibleโฆ then you can enjoy Cinnamon Crumble Apple Blondie Bars anytime the inspiration strikes!
Whatโs the main takeaway you hope readers get from That Takes the Cookie? Is there a recipe you love most?
The main takeaway from That Takes the Cookie is joyfulness. We want people to smile as they read the fun and playful recipe headnotes. We hope the treats that people bake and share with their friends and family will spread happiness. The world can be a difficult place sometimes, so we always look for ways to encourage kindness and joy. And what better way than through cookies made with love? Every single recipe in this book was created with that same intention, so itโs impossible to pick which one we like mostโour favorite cookie is whichever one weโre enjoying at that moment.
What next for you both โ and Husbands That Cook?
Weโre excited to get out there and promote That Takes the Cookie! We want as many people as possible to bake from it. Itโs such a cute book and makes a perfect gift. Weโre always working on something new. We actually just submitted a proposal for a third cookbook, so maybe the next time we chat, weโll have a new book to share! We canโt say what itโs about yet, but if you check our website at www.husbandsthatcook.com and follow us on Instagram (@husbandsthatcook), we promise to keep everyone updated.
