An excerpt from
Exquisite Exandria:
The Official Cookbook of Critical Role

Lord Eshteross’ Maple Ginger Cookies with Turmeric

In our travels, word reached us of an accomplished amateur baker among the Jrusarian nobility. Lord Ariks Eshteross, though he was surprised to hear from us, proved to be a gracious host* and an enthusiastic instructor. Of his creations to date, he is proudest of these maple ginger cookies. He would like us to pass along to you that the longer you mix the dough after adding the egg and maple syrup, the more lovely crackles the cookies will develop as they bake. He also implores you not to skip the chilling step, as warm dough will spread too much on the baking sheets.

*Especially once the various trapdoors, swinging maces, and springblades between the front door and the kitchen had been disarmed.

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups / 420g all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) / 165g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups / 250g packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup / 80ml maple syrup
1/2 cup / 100g turbinado sugar

Instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. (Alternatively, use a large mixing bowl and electric handheld mixer.) Beat on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the egg and maple syrup. Mix on medium speed until fluffy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until combined and a soft dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Wrap the mixing bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Set 2 oven racks at the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line 3 baking sheets (or as many as you have) with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Place the turbinado sugar in a medium mixing bowl.

Using a 1 1/2-inch / 4cm cookie scoop (or 2 rounded tablespoons), portion out the dough and roll into balls. Roll the balls in the turbinado sugar and place at least 3 inches / 7.5cm apart on the prepared baking sheets (6 per tray).

Bake two pans at the same time, swapping the top sheet to the bottom rack and bottom sheet to the top midway through baking, until the tops crack and the cookies are lightly browned around the edges, 13 to 14 minutes. Bake the remaining tray on either rack. (If reusing one of the baking sheets, let it cool for at least 15 minutes before reusing.) Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Find this recipe and more in the official Critical Role cookbook!

Exquisite Exandria: The Official Cookbook of Critical Role

By Liz Marsham, with recipes by Jesse Szewczyk, Susan Vu, and Amanda Yee

Foreword by Quyen Tran and Sam Riegel

Featuring sixty delicious recipes from across the world of Critical Role, every Critter will find something to whet their appetites in this official cookbook.

Join a party of culinary adventurers in search of the fabulous flavors and delightful delicacies that make Exandria so exquisite. Here, they present their bounty: sixty dishes collected from each continent!

Start in Tal’Dorei, where you can nab a trio of pastries from the Slayer’s Cake, a staple of Whitestone’s patisserie scene. Journey next to the birthplace of civilization, Issylra, and devour some absolutely divine Highsummer Honey Polenta. Travel to Marquet and explore Jrusar’s Core Spire while enjoying some street meat. And finally, end in Wildemount, where you can unwind with a famous Ruby of the Sea Cocktail.

The recipes from these diverse dives are accompanied by the histories of each land—and stories of iconic culinary capers by Vox Machina, the Mighty Nein, Bells Hells, and more. Enjoy Percival de Rolo’s Revenge Pasta, stuffed with enough garlic to ward off even the strongest vampires, and blackberry and lemon hand pies inspired by Scanlan’s favorite spell. Prepare for battle with Jester’s Sweet Feast, a platter of pastries made complete with a dash of cinnamon and a covert sprinkle of the Dust of Deliciousness. And as the night comes to a close, settle down with Lord Eshteross’s Maple Ginger Cookies.

With a foreword by Quyen Tran and Sam Riegel, gorgeous illustrations and photography to accompany mouthwatering recipes, and lore from each corner of Exandria, this is a must-have cookbook for every Critical Role fan.