How sweet it is.

Genius Desserts is—let’s be clear—the book that every person needs. When you’re not a baker, but you need the birthday cake. When you’ve tried every chocolate mousse but haven’t found one that sticks. When you’re short on time and want your efforts in the kitchen to count.

—Amanda & Merrill, Co-founders of Food52

Consider Genius Desserts your handy guide to over 100 of the smartest and most iconic dessert recipes of our time—for all the birthday parties and cookie swaps and just-because moments in between.

Drawing from the biggest names in desserts and the wisdom of the Food52 community, our creative director Kristen Miglore has unearthed the beloved recipes that will change the way we bake, plus the genius tips, mini-recipes, and riffs to make them your own. Each recipe is photographed by our own James Ransom and features the lively stories and takeaways that make it stand apart in a sea of cookies, cakes, puddings, and pies.

In Genius Desserts, you’ll find a mix of greatest hits from the James Beard Award-nominated Genius Recipes column (hello, Alice Medrich’s best cocoa brownies) and new favorites you never dreamed of (welcome, Nigel Slater’s raspberry ripple sandwich!). Dessert masters and novices unite: Genius Desserts is here to help you become a smarter baker (and a very popular one, at that).

Your copy of Genius Desserts will come with a bookplate signed by Kristen Miglore, the author.