Monday, October 14, 2013

Better Homes & Gardens Baking (Cookbook Review)

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary copy of the book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book:

This all-new and gorgeous edition of Better Homes and Gardens Baking (the first major all-purpose BH&G baking title published since 1998) is a compendium of irresistible cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, cobblers, pastries, and breads—from everyday sweets to special-occasion show-stoppers. It has everything you need to bake fuss-free and with delicious results for bake sales, cookie swaps, birthday parties, holiday tables, or just because you’re in the mood to bake. You'll find:
More than 400 recipes for luscious baked goods such as Cinnamon Rolls (with four fun shape variations), Raspberry French Silk Pie Bars, and Herbed Boule More than 250 photos showcase the recipes and clarify techniques Chapter-opener features with classic recipes that teach secrets to baking success Make-It-Mine recipes with choices to help you adapt to your taste, convenience, and occasion Make-It-Mini guides to help bakers turn out scrumptious sweets in smaller sizes This will surely be the go-to baking reference and inspiration for years to come.

My thoughts:

There is pretty much nothing I would rather be doing in my free time than baking, so an entire book from Better Homes & Gardens devoted to just that was right up my alley. I love to bake anything- cookies, pies, cakes, breads or whatever else- I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and this book is full of any kind of baking recipe you could possibly think of. Not only does it contain endless recipes for desserts and other baked goods, there are also tips and techniques offered to help you make the best of your time baking. I am sure we have all been there- a sheet of cookies are flat when they are supposed to be round and chewy or something didn't rise the way it should have- Better Homes & Gardens Baking offers advice on why you need to do what with each ingredient needed and how to bake at your very best. I love that the very first chapter breaks down everything about baking and how to get the results you want with what you've set out to accomplish in the kitchen. The following chapters are very well organized with fourteen different chapters included everything from your run of the mill cookies, cakes, and cupcakes to down home favorites like pies and tarts and specialty categories such as breads and holiday baking. Something I always find helpful in cookbooks is pictures so I know what the final product should look like and this cookbook definitely does not disappoint in that arena. Not only are their pictures of the final products of the recipes, but there are pictures in the techniques chapter to break down exactly what you need to do and how.





Standout recipes include (but are certainly not limited to):

  • Make-it-mine Oatmeal Cookies
  • Salted-Chocolate Caramel Rounds
  • Lime Zingers
  • Coconut Macaroons
  • Dulce de Leche Fluff Brownies
  • Fudge Ripple Pecan Brownies
  • Cherry Kuchen Bars
  • Classic Pumpkin Pie
  • Key Lime Tart
  • Saucy Apple Dumplings
  • Make-it-mine Cobbler
  • Opera Cake
  • Butterscotch Marble Cake
  • Make-it-mine Whoopie Pies

I can not sing the praises of this cookbook enough. This would make a perfect addition to anyone's kitchen- from the beginning baker to the more advanced experimentalist. This is one I will definitely get a hard copy of for my own cookbook collection.

Better Homes & Gardens Baking is now available on Amazon.com

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