Gifts Cooks Love

While the title Gifts Cooks Love might sound like it is a catalog of baking gadgets and cooking tools, but it is actually a book of homemade gifts that you – as someone who loves to cook or bake – can make and give as gifts for any occasion, from housewarmings and birthdays to holiday parties. The recipes range from the simple to the gourmet, but you’ll find plenty of things in here that you might want to make as gifts or simply try first and keep around the house.

The book begins with a few introductory chapters that cover equipment you might use, ingredients you might need and all kinds of decorative packaging techniques to make sure your presentation is just as good as what you’re presenting. Because the focus is on foods that should be given as gifts, the recipes include many individually sized goodies – such as brownie pops and mini loaves – as well as many preserved gifts – homemade ketchups, jams and sauces. This means that some of the techniques aren’t things that you might always find in your other cookbooks where the focus is probably on eating your creations and not giving them away!

The recipes in the book are detailed and not difficult to follow along with. Many of them are gourmet twists on simple recipes that stand out as something special, not to mention that it emphasizes the fact that you can’t buy these things in a store. The photos are beautiful and by the end of the book you might find yourself wondering who else needs to go on your holiday gift lists. But even if you’re not planning to do much gift giving, there are lots of great recipes and techniques in the book for everyday cooking. And you can always give a copy of the book itself and hope to get some of the goodies in return!