Cookbooks for Bakers, The 2012 Gift Guide

I like to think that you can never go wrong with giving someone a book as a gift because there is a book out there for everyone, from comic books to mysteries to histories. I would say that this is especially true of cookbooks, because no matter what you like to make (or eat!) there is a book out there for it – and unlike other books which you may read just once or twice, a cookbook is one that you will come back to again and again. With this list, you should be able to easily find something for the baker in your life, whether they want to get serious about artisan breads or play around with Jell-o. I’ve posted about each of these during the course of the year, too, so you can follow the link at the end of each book to read more about them before you pick one out.

Bouchon Bakery is a beautiful book that would look just as good on your coffee table as in your kitchen. In fact, it will probably look better on the coffee table because there is no risk of covering it with flour or butter, as there is when you are baking your way through the many wonderful recipes in it. The book covers breads, pastries, candies, cookies, muffins and anything else you might like to bake. The recipes range from fairly simple to quite complicated, but the instructions are incredibly detailed by following carefully you can make some truly impressive goodies. (more)

Flour Salt Water Yeast is for bread bakers, or those who want to become bread bakers. The book gives a comprehensive course in everything you need to know about baking artisan-style breads at home.Each chapter is designed to build on the one before it, so that you really build up an extensive knowledge base by working your way through the book. The recipes range from simple while breads to pizza doughs to sourdoughs. (more)

A Year of Pies is a lovely cookbook that covers more than 60 pie recipes, all according to season. Each seasonal chapter starts out with a list of what is in season for that time of year, then you get into both sweet and savory recipes that include all of those fruits and vegetables The book also spends a fair amount of time talking about crust theory, so you get a good foundation for all the pies in the book and any pies that you might make in the future. (more)

The Daily Cookie is for cookie-lovers. It has a unique recipe for every single day of the year – and gives you plenty of reasons to do a little baking by naming all the holidays, big and small, that might warrant a batch of homemade cookies. You will also appreciate the fact that there is a photo of each of the 365 treats in the book, so you can actually browse simply by the look of the cookie, not just by the flavor. (more)

Desserts in Jars were one of the most fun baking trends of the year, as people discovered that changing up the presentation of something as simple as a cupcake or pudding can turn a classic dessert into something new and innovative. The desserts are easy to make and look just as good at a dinner party as they do at a bake sale – plus, you can get pretty creative with presentations without having to spend a lot of time with frosting and fondant, as you would for more traditional cakes. (more)

The Homemade Pantry is a cookbook that gives you the inside scoop on how to make all kinds of things yourself that you might otherwise buy at the store. It covers a wide variety of foods, from homemade ketchup to homemade toaster pastries, and most of the things you can make end up either tasting better or being less expensive than versions you can buy at the store. You may not end up restocking your whole pantry, but the odds are good that you are going to find some new favorites that you will make frequently in here. (more)

Hello, Jell-o! is a book that is all about the wonders of jiggly, fruity jell-o desserts. Jell-o isn’t exactly known for being a gourmet item, but the desserts that you can make with it are actually very impressive, and they’re so unusual nowadays that they can truly steal the show at a party or family event. The book is a lot of fun, with fantastic photos and vibrant colors everywhere that quickly make you want to try making some of the recipes. (more)

Marshmallow Madness almost looks like a kids book, with a puffy, marshmallow-y cover. But instead of a childrens’ story, you’ll find sugary recipes for the kid at heart. The book has all kinds of marshmallow recipes and treats that you can make with homemade marshmallows. The hardest part is deciding where to start – but once you have the basic techniques down, marshmallows might become a staple of your repertoire. (more)

Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts is the newest book from Alice Medrich, one of my favorite cookbook authors. The book gives you streamlined recipes for luscious desserts, cutting down on the amount of prep work that it takes to make both new and classic recipes to save you time in the kitchen. After all, the less time you spend working on one recipe, the more time you have to bake two. (more)