Life's Sweetest Moments

Named one of Food Network's Best Baking Books of 2024!

From legendary and award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel, a baking cookbook of more than 40 simple dessert recipes paired with heartwarming stories celebrating life’s sweetest moments.

It’s been more than 10 years since Chef Dominique Ansel opened the doors to his eponymous bakery and took the world by storm with the Cronut®. Along the way he’s discovered that behind every dessert, there’s not just a recipe, but a story to share. From marriage proposals over a cup of hot chocolate, to the many first dates in the line outside his bakery, Ansel has come to realize that when there is pastry, there is a special moment behind it.

In Life’s Sweetest Moments, you’ll find 42 heartwarming and uplifting stories of Chef Dominique’s loved ones and regulars, paired with simple, achievable, but no less indulgent pastry recipes for desserts and baked goods perfect for home bakers of all levels, including:

• Crème Brûlée
• Hazelnut Cake
• Earl Grey French Toast with Orange Blossom Maple Syrup
• The Ultimate Cookie
• Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Mascarpone Icing
• Tiramisu
• Hot Chocolate with Pink Champagne Marshmallows
• Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake with Homemade Sprinkles

In this charming and beautiful book, the most accessible of Ansel’s to date, you'll discover moving stories—like that of the two regulars, one an older woman who visited the bakery to buy a financier for her husband every morning, and the other an older man who every evening purchased after-dinner dessert tarts for his wife. It took years for Chef Dominique to realize they were, in fact, married to each other. When they requested a special dessert to celebrate their wedding anniversary, Chef Dominique combined their regular orders and created a Strawberry & Financier Fruit Tart.

Even when there’s no grand occasion or a specific holiday—you can sprinkle in a little bit of love to the day with Life’s Sweetest Moments, just because.