‘Tis officially the season for baking!
Thanksgiving means showstopping pie, Hanukkah means tasty treats like rugelach and Christmas means lots of cookies, —not to mention cakes, breads and so much more.
Here are some baking books released in the past couple of years, and available at your Library, which will be perfect for bakers of all levels eager to explore new techniques, discover fresh flavors, and bring their baking game to the next level. Grab your apron, preheat the oven, and dive into these delicious reads that will have you baking like a pro in no time!
Another Bundt Collection : Because You Can Never Bake Too Many Bundts
The iconic Bundt pan and its many variations inspired more than 100 recipes, techniques, and tips in this collection. Whether you’re looking for classic creations in new shapes or new flavors in familiar pans, this cookbook is full of beautiful and delicious recipes you’ll turn to for years to come.
Bake Club : 101 Must-Have Moves For Your Kitchen by Christina Tosi
Covering all the categories of the baking universe-from Glazed Pumpkin Pie Bars to Blueberries and Cream Muffins, Cheesy Lava Love Cakes to Caramel Apple Pie Apples-these are recipes designed to empower home bakers to have fun in the kitchen and to dispel all baking misconceptions: I don’t have enough time, I don’t have the right ingredients, I don’t have a standing mixer, and I’m a terrible baker. That means no fancy ingredients or equipment are required-and modifications are very much allowed! Disarmingly doable yet show stoppingly impressive, the 100-plus recipes that make up Bake Club are classic Tosi creations-simple, inviting, and eminently bakeable.
Bake From Scratch : Artisan Recipes for the Home Baker by Brian Hart Hoffman
This latest collection of over 300 recipes from the editors of Bake from Scratch magazine features step-by-step tutorials, tried-and-tested recipes, and stunning photography. This cookbook will have you mastering yeasted breads, layer cakes and so much more in no time. Showcasing fresh, seasonal ingredients and celebrating tradition and history, this edition offers something for every baking skill level from novice to expert.
Bake Smart : Sweets and Secrets From my Oven to Yours by Samantha Seneviratne
Break free from common baking myths, fears, and fussy procedures, with this book filled with Sam’s tips and warm reassurances plus 100 achievable, mouthwatering recipes that are surprisingly effortless to put together for any home baker. Contains the baking secrets of industry pros: You can soften butter in a microwave in seconds, without melting it. Don’t bother sifting flour. No stand mixer? No problem-you can mix it by hand. Test the doneness of a cake without toothpicks (who actually has those?). Make a custard with a dump and stir method.
Baking for Fun : 75 Great Cookies, Cakes, Pies & More
Whip up 75 extra-fun, zero-stress recipes for cookies, bars, cakes, cupcakes, and pies in this family-friendly baking book from Food Network Magazine. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you’ll find great new recipes-all with a full-page photo-for any time you’re in the mood to bake. Dozens of helpful tips from the chefs in the Food Network Kitchen (like did you know a -teaspoon measuring spoon makes the perfect indent for thumbprint cookies!).
The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Providing countless solutions and tips for commonly encountered baking problems, this updated and expanded cake cookbook provides precise instructions for baking and decorating spectacular special-occasion cakes of any size.
The Christmas Baking Cookbook : ‘Tis the Season for 100+ Festive Treats
Unleash the magic of baking this holiday season with 100 Christmas classics and unique indulgences. From traditional gingerbread cookies to sweet innovations such as the eggnog-flavored cupcake, this cookbook is guaranteed to elevate your festive candies.
Cookies & Crumbs : Chunky, Chewy, Gooey Cookies for Every Mood by Kaja Hengstenberg
Whether it’s classics like Milk Choc Chip, Peanut Butter and Chunky Double Choc, or new favorites – think Coffee and Cardamom or Melt-in-the-middle S’mores – you’ll find endless options for baking cookies at home with these unforgettable flavor combinations, as well as an array of unbeatable vegan and gluten-free recipes. In this fun-filled, fresh-out-of-the-oven celebration of everyone’s favorite sweet treat, Kaja Hengstenberg keeps things simple, guides you through the basics and presents delicious, doable recipes.
Dolci! : American Baking with an Italian Accent by Ronato Poliafito
Recipes that capture the flavors of la dolce vita, from Bologna to Brooklyn-Italian and Italian American-ish cakes, cookies, pies,pastries, desserts, tarts, savories, and breads from the James Beard Award-nominated brains behind one of America’s best bakeries.
The Great British Baking Show: Comfort Bakes
Paul, Prue and the 2024 bakers explore comfort in all its forms in these delectable, warm, cozy recipes. These include cakes for cheery family get-togethers; recipes with a sense of nostalgia; hearty and warming bakes for cozy nights; and low-effort and quick concoctions that are an immediate balm. You’ll find rhubarb upside-down cake, served with lashings of custard; butterscotch shortbread–the perfect dunking biscuit; cheesy, salty crumpets that couldn’t be easier to make; a moreish malted chocolate and honeycomb layer cake, and so much more.
Jane’s Patisserie : Deliciously Customizable Cakes, Bakes & Treats by Jane Dunn
Discover how to make life sweet with 100 delicious bakes, cakes and treats from baking blogger, Jane. Jane’s recipes are loved for being easy, customisable, and packed with your favorite flavors. Covering everything from gooey cookies and celebration cakes with a dreamy drip finish, to fluffy cupcakes and creamy no-bake cheesecakes, Jane’s Patisserie is easy baking for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a salted caramel fix, or a spicy biscoff bake, this book has everything you need to create iconic bakes and become a star baker.
Let’s Bake! : Over 100 Recipes for Gifting & Giving by Gail Sweeney
This vibrant collection showcases a gorgeous assortment of cakes, cookies, pastries, and pies–each recipe a gift to share, whether for friends, fundraisers or special occasions. From exquisitely textured shortbread layered with chocolate to a tasty raspberry-topped lemon tart, these delectables will delight.
Milk Street Bakes by Christopher Kimball
From PBS television’s popular Milk Street cooking series comes an inventory of its recipes for baked goods in one volume. Home bakers will find this comprehensive collection to be both fun and challenging. Preceding the recipes, extraordinarily useful tables cover ingredients and measurements. Meticulous advice on adjusting recipes to fit different baking-pan sizes will be particularly helpful. Kimball doesn’t settle for the commonplace in home baking. Peanut butter cookies appear here, but they include miso to boost saltiness and amplify these cookies’ bracing savor. Spices like allspice, cloves, cardamom, and cayenne give breads, cookies, and cakes unique perfumes. These baked goods have diverse origins, from Portland, Maine, to Berlin, Germany.
One Bake, Two Ways : Fifty Bakes With an All-Plant Option Every Time by Ruby Bhogal
Great British Bake Off finalist Ruby Bhogal is here to delight us with a flexible approach to baking tasty, sweet treats that give you double helpings of temptation. She brings us 50 like-for-like recipes, with a plant-based and non- plant-based version for each bake.
100 Afternoon Sweets : With Snacking Cakes, Brownies, Blondies, and More by Sarah Kieffer
100 recipes for the most crave-able pick-me-ups, from easy one-bowl snacking cakes and even easier no-bake bites to more involved weekend projects like Giant Pop Tarts or Sunken Chocolate Whiskey Cake.
Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes : 100 Easy-Peasy, Savory Recipes for 24/7 Deliciousness by Jessie Sheehan
Eschewing marshmallow creme in favor of pimiento cheese, Sheehan bakes up scrumptious, savory treats that are perfect for a snack board, offer sustenance for game night, and can easily stand in for lunch or grace the table at brunch. Think Hot Pepper Jelly and Cream Cheese Stuffed Muffins, Smash Burger Hand Pies with Cheese, Pepperoni Pizza Galette with Ricotta, or some Butter Crackers with Melty Cheese and Sour Pickles.
Sift : The Elements of Great Baking by Nicola Lamb
An essential guide to baking that takes away the fear of baking failure by combining easy-to-follow, science-based advice with 100 reliable and delicious recipes for both novices and more experienced bakers–from a renowned pastry chef. Lamb begins with the foundational ingredients that underpin great bakes–flour, sugar, eggs, fat–before delving into the techniques that bring recipes to life: texture, color, how things rise, and a technical overview. 100 tested, tried, and true recipes follow and are organized by difficulty and time commitment, ranging from easy 30-minute cakes to spectacular showstoppers you can devote a weekend to.
Sweet Tooth by Sarah Fennel
Stunning, delicious, minimal effort: Meet your new favorite go-to baking book for all things sweet and nostalgic by social media star and viral baker Sarah Fennel of Broma Bakery. In her first cookbook, she divides 100 recipes for easy bakes into chapters like Elevated Nostalgia (Peanut Butter + Jelly Swirled Blondies), Inventive Sweets (Espresso Martini Cake), Brunch Bakes (Raspberry Croissant Bread Pudding), Almost Too Pretty (Salted Caramel Pot de Cremes), and Holiday Baking (Coconut Cake Snowballs). Her fans also love single-serve sweets, so in Sweet Tooth, they get a whole chapter of them-like Molten Lava Cakes for Two and Small-Batch Blueberry Muffins.
Sweet Treats : From Brownies to Brioches : 10 Ingredients,100+ Recipes by Melodie Asseraf
Chef Melodie ‘Mel’ Asseraf is a two-time champion of Food Network’s hit show, Chopped, and was trained in classical French cuisine in Paris. Mel demystifies French techniques and shows you how to use them, along with ten basic ingredients, to make everything from simple cookies, biscotti, bars, and the best brownies you’ve ever tasted, to impressive French pastries and celebratory desserts.
Taste of Home: The New Bakeshop Classics
Filled with a vast array of decadent delights, this sweet collection of the best recipes and step-by-step techniques from the pros at the Taste of Home Test Kitchen includes layer cakes, brownies, Danishes, cake pops and more classic treats!
Magazines and Online Courses
For more baking ideas and inspiration check out these magazines available via Libby.
Courses on baking, bread baking and pie baking are available on the online resource Universal Class for Livingston Library cardholders.
-Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian