Cookbook Club Results and Reminder #1: Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas and Carrots with Mint, Yogurt, and Turkish Chili Butter (Patreon)

Hi Cookbook Club Frienjis!,

Before we get into the numbers and stories, a quick thank you. Sixty Cookbook Club members (8% of the club!) cooked, shared, and took the time to write thoughtful, funny, and insightful feedback on our very first test recipe in the very first week. That kind of participation is rare in the online world, and we’re so grateful.

If you haven’t had a chance to cook the Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas and Carrots with Mint, Yogurt, and Turkish Chili Butter, don’t worry! There’s plenty of time and we can’t wait to see the dataset grow. 

The Spice is Right

86.7% of testers said the ingredients were easy or very easy to find. The biggest challenge? Urfa Biber and Aleppo pepper. Some ordered online, others improvised, and many discovered a new favorite local shop in the process.

Lauren found both at her neighborhood spice store and said, “We were able to get really high-quality Aleppo and Urfa and it was a game changer.” Carolynn G tracked down Urfa Biber at a Mediterranean market she’d never noticed before and said it “felt like finding a secret ingredient.” I absolutely love that this online community is getting folks to connect with their local communities and forge connections they may not have otherwise.

John Heemstra ordered both peppers online and declared it “an easy investment for big flavor.” And Bogatyr, who used black Urfa chili from a trip to Turkey, called the “buttery-smokey contrast with the yogurt outstanding.” This reflects the feeling I had when I tasted Urfa Biber chile for the first time in Turkey and immediately found a spice vendor and bought a supply to bring home.

For those who couldn’t find those spices, cayenne, smoked paprika, and chili flakes filled in nicely—no one was left out. I love this, because I frequently swap chiles from different regions of the world for different dishes. I make my pasta sauce with roasted Thai chilies, or sprinkle my pizza with crushed ancho. It changes the experience, but as long as the fundamental balance is there, it's always a happy time.

Pantry Check & Prep Confidence

Every single respondent had all the equipment they needed, and nearly 80% already had half or more of the ingredients in their pantry. A few people picked up new staples—Andrew said, “I had to stock up on a few pantry basics, but now I’m ready for round two.” Tyler Eberle appreciated that “it didn’t require any weird gadgets—just trust and a hot oven.”

And for Jaime, the recipe felt both familiar and inspiring: “It fit right into my weeknight flow but still pushed me to try something new.”

Freestyling Flavor

Some cooks made small adjustments—more chickpeas, more carrots, or extra yogurt for serving. Lauren said she’ll “double the herbed yogurt right out of the gate—it’s too good not to.” Cilantro proved divisive, with several skipping it entirely, while Brian Cobb swapped in parsley and still found the result “bright and balanced.”

A few adventurous cooks took liberties with the sides, serving the dish alongside naan, pork chops, or grilled lamb. Carolynn G wrote that they “had it with chicken thighs, and the spice blend tied everything together—it felt like one composed meal instead of two separate dishes.” I love to see this kind of experimentation.

For me, this is one of those flavor combinations—yogurt, chili, mint, and cumin—that I keep in my back pocket as it works with so many different ingredients. In Turkey you'll find it with grilled meats or with manti (little meat-stuffed dumplings). I love it on grilled zucchini or roasted squash, or with a cucumber salad or lamb meatballs.

Taste Talk

Acidity drew the most debate—some wanted more, others less—but everyone agreed it brought great balance once dialed in. Only one or two testers said they wouldn’t make it again, and even then they offered thoughtful notes that help us refine flavor balance for future recipes. I love the raves, but don’t hold back the roasts—that’s how we get better.

Overall, the response leaned enthusiastic and inspired: this was a weeknight dish that felt special without being complicated.

Dispatches From the Frienji Frontier

Porcini wrote:

“I’ve never really been a sheet pan roasted veg kinda person, but I think this recipe made me realise I’d actually been doing it wrong. I trusted the process, and the veg really stood up to the heat and came out lovely and sweet. I’m gonna roast more veg in the future—and smother them in sumac :)”

High heat and caramelization are the friend of many vegetables! It triggers chemical reactions that increase their sweetness while driving off excess moisture to concentrate their flavor.

Tyler shared a personal milestone:

“This was the beginning of my new journey after working so hard to lose 80lbs. This hit so many flavor desires while keeping things within my calorie and macro goals.”

Congratulations Tyler—here's to many more goals reached!

Brian found joy in the process:

“Many of the steps were simple enough for my 6-year-old to help! That was really fun.”

Sharing a meal with the family is great, but sharing the cooking with them is something even more special, I think.

And Stephanie discovered a new favorite shop:

“This recipe was the catalyst that got me through the doors of Allspicery, a spice shop I have driven past many times but never visited. My hubby said, ‘This is something special—this needs to be on the Christmas menu.’”

I'm curious what other spices you discover in there now that you've stepped inside.

The Roasting Playlist

Cooking playlists ranged from KEXP and Led Zeppelin to Cage the Elephant, witchy podcasts, and audiobooks. Some preferred the silence of sizzling butter—Andrew said he “liked hearing the butter sputtering more than any playlist.”

Our favorite response: “Just the rain and my cat huffing over not getting more for dinner.”

I'm personally typically a podcast or Youtube listener while I cook. Music ends up distracting me too much, unless it's a mindless task.

Moral of the story: whether it’s Zeppelin or sputtering butter, if it makes you hungry, it’s the right playlist.

Meanwhile, in Your Kitchens...

The season is showing in your kitchens. November means soups, braises, and Thanksgiving prep galore. Andrew is still chasing the perfect gluten-free stuffing:

“We’ve got the spatchcocked turkey dialed in, but I still haven’t made a good gluten-free dressing… maybe it doesn’t exist?”

Jaime is building a weeknight system:

“I’m exploring base sauces that are easy to freeze and testing different recipes that use them—trying to make weeknights easier without feeling like I eat nothing but leftovers.”

And Porcini tracked down sour cassava starch to make pão de queijo “the traditional way, finally.”

A Big Thank You

This is an amazing global test kitchen powered by your  curiosity, generosity, and great taste. Thank you for your time, thoroughness, and good humor. 

Keep your ovens hot—the next test recipe is coming soon.

See you in the kitchen,

Kenji & the Cookbook Club Team