With its tree-lined streets and beautifully preserved buildings dating back to the American Civil War, Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill is one of the Big Apple’s most charming neighborhoods. It’s also home to the Sweet Melissa Patisserie, hailed by Food & Wine as “one of the best pastry shops in all of New York.”

Melissa Murphy is the founder of the popular bakery and she dates her love of desserts to the day she was born. She came into the world on a Thanksgiving Day when her mom refused to go to the hospital until the two pies she had baked had been served. To the delight of her shop’s loyal devotees, Melissa brings a passion equal to her mom’s to the sweet treats she bakes for her customers. Using a French-influenced, American-style baking approach, she puts a fresh spin on familiar desserts and pastries, making them more delicious than ever.

Melissa’s new book, “The Sweet Melissa Baking Book” (Penguin Group USA) is filled with recipes for simple, homespun confections that everyone will enjoy, and a number for those seeking a bit more of a challenge. Whether you’re a home chef who wants to take on the Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake with Blackberry Glaze, or bake up some chocolate chip cookies with the kids, Melissa’s book offers the chance to serve mouthwatering results.

Besides being a terrific compendium of sweet recipes, the book is filled with warm anecdotes from Melissa’s life as a baking enthusiast. Her early memories include family visits to farm orchards to climb trees and pick the best apples. Those farm fresh apples would then get baked into pies by Melissa and her mom. There’s a recipe for North Fork Peach Raspberry Pie inspired by her family’s tradition of buying just such a pie at the farm stand at Briermere Farm on eastern Long Island.

We can’t think of a better plan for serving delicious desserts than selecting recipes from “The Sweet Melissa Baking Book” and baking in fresh ingredients from local farms.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of Melissa Murphy’s delightful book go to: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book