Booklist Review

Many a recipe that has become a family tradition often began as a marketing ploy, printed on the side of a package of chocolate chips or a box of vanilla wafers. Food journalist and cookbook author McLaughlin has not only found such original recipes, he also suggests variations (which he modestly calls "gilding the lily"). After all, can Lipton's California dip or Ritz crackers' mock apple pie really be improved upon? Here's a source for many recipes no longer available (except in corporate archives) and for many enduring favorites (e.g., Toll House cookies). ~--Denise Perry Donavin