Book: “Cox Cookies & Cake; 160 pages, $19.99, by Eric Lanlard and Patrick Cox. Published by Octopus Publishing.

About the book: Desserts go high-fashion when master patisser Eric Lanlard (author of “Cake Boy”) pairs up with footwear designer Patrick Cox.

In their own words: “I see everyday objects, such as shoes, handbags or cakes and want to make them sexier, inject them with glamour and make them shine!” — Patrick Cox

“I hope this book enables you to bake a little of this excitement in your own home and put happy faces on your friends and family alike.” — Eric Lanlard

What you get: More than 75 recipes for cupcakes, cookies, bars and biscotti. Snowflake (P. 116), Christmas Tree Bauble (P. 118) and Holy Leaf Cupcakes (P. 120) would be perfect for a holiday open house. But that’s just the beginning of themed desserts. Bunny Cupcakes (P. 94) would be great for Easter, and Black Skull Cakes (P. 106), Poke-in-the-eye Cupcakes (P. 112) and Pumpkin Biscotti (138) would be sure please the ghosts and goblins at your next Halloween party. There are even bare-chested Man Cakes (P. 108) to make any bachelorette party wildly fun. For something exotic, try Chai Tea Cookies (132). For those with food allergies, there’s Gluten-free Provencal Orange Cupcakes (82). But the next ones on my list to try are Rhubarb Cupcakes (P. 50) and White Chocolate Mendiants (P. 148).

What we made:

Espresso Brownies with Candied Ginger (P. 140)

Makes 12 brownies

1¾ sticks unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

7 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

4 eggs

1 cup golden superfine sugar

2 tablespoons espresso or very strong instant coffee

1½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose four, sifted

3 ounces candied ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, and line a 10 x 8-inch baking pan with buttered parchment paper.

Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the surface of the water. Heat, stirring until smooth and completely melted. Remove from the heat and half-cool.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar, ideally using an electric hand mixer, until the mixture is pale. Beat in the espresso followed by the half-cooled chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour followed by the ginger.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crisp on top but still slightly gooey inside. Leave to cool completely in the pan then cut into bars.

Our assessment: The name of these brownies is a bit misleading. If you like gooey fudgy brownies, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, they’re really a cross between brownies and gingerbread, with a caffeine kick. Many tasters were delighted by the fact that the brownies weren’t overly sweet and were packed with flavor. Non-coffee drinkers, however, said the first flavor they experienced was coffee, which was a huge turnoff for them.

Variations: These brownies are very dense and cut cleanly. They would be lovely cut into 25 smaller squares, served in pretty holiday foiled cups and lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar.