108 Asian Cookies: Not-too-sweet Treats from a Third-Culture Kitchen

For a limited time, we have bookplates signed by Kat Lieu

108 Asian Cookies is what happens when tradition meets bold curiosity—and flavor gets pushed in exciting new directions. Kat Lieu, founder of Subtle Asian Baking, takes classic techniques and ingredients from across the Asian diaspora and folds them into unexpected treats designed for today’s adventurous baker.

You’ll find cookies made with miso, soy sauce, taro, sambal, ube, and more, plus surprises like furu (fermented bean curd), haw flakes, butterfly pea flour, and even MSG, featured in a standout savory chapter called Umami Unleashed. There’s nothing else quite like it.

This isn’t a “sweetest-cookie-on-the-plate” kind of book. As Lieu puts it, not too sweet is often the highest compliment in many Asian kitchens. The result? Desserts that are playful, inventive, and balanced — like bourbon and fish sauce cookies, fudgy soy-sauce chocolate chip cookies, and pandan amaretti that somehow feel both new and nostalgic.

Whether you grew up with these flavors or are encountering them for the first time, this book invites you to explore, experiment, and taste something refreshingly different.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.